[Veemo]

Hello all,
 
Long time lurker, first time poster.
 
My well used iRiver 20GB H10 is starting to fail me. Hard drive problems, I assume. It freezes a lot, and since I use it in the car almost exclusively, that's just one more thing competing for my attention and testing my patience on the road. I have had this for, hmmm, must be about 7 years now, and I have loved it dearly. The battery life, the great sound, it's tank-like build quality.... ahhhhh....
 
anyway, I was thinking about a used iPod, they're cheap on CL in Portland, and remembered that the entire reason I got the iRiver was because I am NOT an Apple man, and wanted a good alternative to the iPod. That worked out well, and so I've been looking again for some non-Apple alternatives.
 
The Sansa Clip looks like a great option to me. I don't want to spend a ton of money on a portable, I would rather save a few bucks and put them towards my future "Home Base" rig (homemade DAC for the laptop, DUAL 1229 Turntable, homemade cables, homemade headphone amp, etc. still working out the details). I have read up on some of the mixed reviews here today and I think I might go ahead and grab one of these. Ultimate sound quality isn't a top priority, as I said I'm planning a nice hi-fi rig for home, but it sounds like it's got great sound for the money. I do have a few questions that weren't answered in my searching:
 
First, I am using Yamaha RH5MA headphones (32 ohm) and love them. Will this drive these adequately? I'm afraid I don't understand input and output impedances too well, and haven't found a HP out impedance listed for the Clip.
 
Secondly, has anyone compared the Clip to an iRiver H10? How does it hold up?
 
Thirdly, I am seeing that there is quite a difference in price between the 8gb and 4gb models. Looking on Amazon it comes out to almost $20 dollars for the 4 gb. There's a smaller difference from the 4gb model on down to 1gb. Would anyone recommend that I go with the 4gb and put the savings into a second 16gb SD Card (or one 32gb)? That would give me the same memory that I have now with the iRiver, plus an extra 16gb to for more music (I'd love to put some live Dead stuff on it's own card! /drool).
 
Any other advice or help would be appreciated, you guys are truly a wealth of information!
 
Thanks!

 

[Anaxilus]

I'm a proponent of memory cards being a better value than internal memory.  Some people just want to max their storage so don't mind paying.  I carry cards in my wallet so I don't care.

 

[Veemo]

Thanks for the input. Looking back on Amazon I see that there is indeed quite a difference between the 4gb and 2gb, it's another $10. I may just go with that one and put the savings of $25 from the 8gb model into a 32gb card.
 
Can anyone address the headphone impedance question, or compare with an iRiver H10?

 

[kmhaynes]

One thing about the Clip+/Fuze card usage is that they don't completely seamlessly integrate the internal with external memory sources when you are syncing music to the player.  You have to choose which location, internal or external, to sync a particular song/album.  And after syncing, the player takes at least an entire minute or more to refresh the database when using the external card -- without it, it take 10 seconds.  Requires a bit of patience.
 
When playing music, however, the integration of the sources is invisible -- I use random play frequently and there's no difference at all between source location.  It's a small thing, but something that requires just a bit of attention when syncing music to the player.
 
In regards to internal memory, the small-ish price differences between the 4GB & 8GB models is nothing, compared to the prices of the 32GB micro cards -- $150??  That's crazy!

 

[rawrster]

well 32gb is new so it's still expensive. 16gb runs you around 20 bucks or so and you get from 18-24gb pretty cheap.

 

[Max F]

16gb for 20 bucks?  I was lucky to get a class 2 16 gb for 24 bucks with shipping.  I think the normal price is 30 bucks.

 

[HappyFi]

Where are 16g cards 20 bucks? Cheapest I've seen is 30. Maybe my shopping skills need practice. (edit: ^beat me to it) Also I've never seen 18-24 in microSD. Guess I need to get up to date!
 
 32g is still going for about $100 last I checked. Thats more than 7x the price of an 8g, a ripoff unless you have more money than you know what to do with imo, in which case you should get a Sony X series or something lol. 
 
One note: If you're coming from an iRiver, you may be more comfortable with the Fuze due to size. As great as the Clip+ is for portability, the sheer tinyness of it can be awkward for some people. It doesn't have that reassuring weight in the hand you may be accustomed to, and feels more like a toy. At the same time this is also its greatest benefit. If you find yourself running out of pocket space or want something for running/jogging, the Clip+ is wonderful. The price is so good on them, some people get both.

 

[Dreamnine]

I got an 8Gb Clip+, but I got it cheaply.. I think it's a good idea to get the maximum sized player you can afford.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

16gb for 20 bucks?  I was lucky to get a class 2 16 gb for 24 bucks with shipping.  I think the normal price is 30 bucks.

Frys had some for 17.99.  Hence I don't pay for internal memory upgrades.

 

[rawrster]

I meant 16gb microsdhc and anywhere from 2-8gb in internal memory which is how much the clip+ has. I've seen them go for around 20 bucks when I was looking around for a microsdhc until I realized I wouldn't need it since I don't need more than 8gb for portable use.

 

[Veemo]

Wow, thanks for all the help! 
 
HappyFi, I do like how the iRiver feels in the hand, like something you would want on your side in a bar fight (and something that would probably live through it), but the difference isn't something I'm too concerned with. I was thinking today about how great it would be to take the Clip backpacking, as I never wanted to pack the iRiver (to me, ounces countses. Many people are just as crazy about how many grams their backpacking gear weighs as y'all are about Hi-fi, I'm afraid I'm becoming one of them), so that to me would be a plus.
 
I might just grab the 4gb and a 16gb card, since I'm used to and happy with 20GB. I'll have to check out Fry's, sounds like that might be the place for a 16GB Card or two. Sad to hear that a card big enough for my entire Grateful Dead collection will be so far out of my price range, if it's made at all, but what can you do?
 
I'm thinking an upgrade in the future to a Fuze > LOD > Amp might be an idea, then my SD cards will still be usable.
 
Again, thanks for the input everyone!

 

[MadMan007]

Does using the microSD slot decrease battery life in the Clip+? If so that would be reason enough to me to get a larger capacity, the battery life isn't stellar to start and while it would still go for the better part of a day you'd be looking at more frequent recharge cycles.

 

[Hero Kid]

It certainly does. Costs anywhere from 2-6 hours by using one. That is with Rockbox mind you.

 

[Danneq]

Quote:

Does using the microSD slot decrease battery life in the Clip+? If so that would be reason enough to me to get a larger capacity, the battery life isn't stellar to start and while it would still go for the better part of a day you'd be looking at more frequent recharge cycles.

 
I am not completely certain, but I have read that when using the MicroSD slot up to 10% of the battery time might be shaved off. I have also noticed that when having a 4 GB MicroSD card in my Sansa View the start up time is at least 10 seconds longer as the card is checked every time. It might be different for the Clip+ and the Fuze if they have Rockbox installed, but of you have the original firmware I think it is the same.
 
I see expansion slots as just that - adding a little bit of extra to the main internal memory.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

 
I see expansion slots as just that - adding a little bit of extra to the main internal memory.

I don't.  Between having a Clip+, Sflo2, smartphone and camera I think it makes more sense to rely on swapping cards then being tied to the internal memory of a device.  Especially if something happens to the device and it gets fried or corrupted.  Plus the cost savings on the low capacity devices are pretty sizable IMO.