MP3 players: iRiver Clix or Sandisk Sansa e260?
iRiver Clix or Sandisk Sansa e260?
by equinn - 7/18/06 2:08 PMI plan on buying a new flash mp3 player soon, and I did my research. After browsing around the internet, it seems I narrowed it down to 2 candidates, the iRiver Clix or the Sansa e260. But this is where I can't seem to make up my mind. Both are excellent players, but I can't find headway with either to make a definitive choice. So if you guys want to help me out (preferably from people that own or have used either device), ill give you some info on myself and what I need from my mp3 player.
- First and foremost, I like to workout. My first mp3 player, a Rio Karma, was a solid mp3 player, but its hard drive and overall size made it hard to run with. In other words, portability is a factor, however, I don't feel that I need an ultracompact player the size of my thumb.
- I'm a drummer, and somewhat of an audiophile. I own a nice pair of shure e3s for leisurely listening, so I want an mp3 player with good to great audio quality.
- My old Rio Karma did not die actually. Its headphone jack broke, resulting in the right side shorting out the audio. I take good care of it; it simply broke from wear and tear. I need an mp3 player that is durable and won't die on me at the drop of a hat.
- I own a Sony PSP with a 1gb memory stick. I use it for games, video, and recently, music. The PSP is a great device, but it is much too unwieldly to use simply for music. That's where my mp3 player comes in. In other words, I don't necessarily need video capability, but it would be nice. Both have it, so its not really a factor.
- My 20gb Karma was filled with unnecessary discographies, and over the course of about 2 years, I only filled it to about 8.5 gb. So im used to excessive capacity, but I don't necessarily need it.
- I'm a computer science student, and very picky about any piece of software. If the firmware/program sucks, I will NOT use it.
Okay. So if you can help me make my choice, thatd be great. Also, if you have another flash drive selection, let me know too.
Tough choice indeed! Maybe I can help >:)
by maxmuscle - 7/18/06 11:39 PM In reply to: iRiver Clix or Sandisk Sansa e260? by equinnI've had both players myslef, Tried the Sansa for about a month and then swiched to the Iriver and have had it for about a month also.
I did like them both but as an audiophile, here's why I chose the Iriver instead: Better sound quality, beter sound options, like EQs & SRS settings, and codex support like my fave OGG! These are the audio advantages of the Iriver.
If you're an audiophile, then you'll appreciate the sound quality on the Irver over the Sansa, it's clearer, crisper, has WAY better sound options including custom EQ (Sansa only has preset EQs) and bass options plus it's the loudest player I've ever used, with my Sony MDR sl81s volume 4 is about the loudest I can handle, unless working out then it's about 7.(max volume 40)
The Sansa, does have a bit more of a hiss at quiet parts and system noise where it's undecernable on the Iriver. Id compare the sound quality to my Iaudio X5 wich is considered one of the best sounding players out there. Different sound enhancements thogh.
Features wise The Sansa and Clix are similar, the Clix has a few more like text viewer and games, but this stuff you already know. The advantage of the Sansa is it's a bit smaller and more memory for your money. If memory is the most important, the Sansa is better, that's one thing I miss is not having that extra 2 gigs of storage, of course if you're just working out and stuff, I have over 300 songs at pretty high quality and 3 Futuramas on my Clix and this is sufficient for sure.
Navigation on the Sansa is very simple and easy to use with one hand, the Clix is has a very intuitive and unique navigation system that I like a bit beter but two hands best for ease of use, unless using the armband accesory kit(definitly recomended).
The Mechanical scroll wheel on the Sansa gets your thumbs a bit sore after a while but it's easy to use like the Nano. Video on both are pretty good quality for 15fps and the screen on the Sansa is quite nice but noticably smaller, the clix screen is very good also. Believe it or not, the Clix does not scratch easily even though bu looking at it you may worry that it may. I've never used a screen protector and workout with the player and have no scratches whatsoever. The Sans has a soft plastic front simular to the Nano and although not as prone, does scratch a lot easier than the Clix. The Sans looks cooler and is very solidly constructed. The durability fo the Iriver I have no problems with either.
Sometimes I do miss my Sansa but the benifits of the Cilx, Sound quality, sound enhansements, OGG support, bigger screen, text support, alarm, flash games, not a Nano copy, interface...make me forget soon enough.
The Sansa advantages: Nano like Size(though thicker) more memory for your money... I'm honestly trying to think of more but I can't. I'm not against the Sansa in NO way, it's a great player and I think it's the second best flash player out there, and I'd still have mine if it weren't for the Clix.
I aslo have an Iaudio U2 1G player and if you want a small player with lots of features and GREAT sound quality, OGG support, Fm radio, voice recording ect. One drawback maybe be lack of Artist/Album browsing, folder style suits me just fine and with 1Gig, it's not to hard to find anything. The U2 is less than half the price and it's very small but doesn't have Vid, pic, album art feature. Worth checking out!
Hope that helps a bit, let me know what you decide I'd be interested to find out. Cheers >:)
I own e270 (similar, but 6GB version) and it rocks!
by charlie.computergy - 7/19/06 5:05 AM In reply to: iRiver Clix or Sandisk Sansa e260? by equinnI'm sorry I can't comment on the iRiver, but I do own a Sansa e270 (same as e260, but 6GB instead of 4GB) and it is awesome.
The e260 has excellent sound quality (best of any player I've owned) and a high contrast, high color, high resolution display for videos. Easy to see in bright sunlight.
The software on he PC is drag and drop and extremely user-friendly. The user-interface on the player is also extremely intuitive and versatile. For example, you can do a photo slide show and play music at the same time.
The e260 looks real cool (black case with a scroll-wheel that lights blue when used) and also has a durable, rock solid feel about it.
I love to show the player off to friend and family. It is definitely the best MP3 player I've owned. I would recommend it to anyone!
Bu the way, isn't the Clix a 2GB and the e260 a 4GB? Twice the storage at the same price. What's there to compare? Wouldn't the e250 (the 2GB model) a better comparison. The e250 runs about $50 less than the Clix. Again, no comparison.
Like I said before...
by equinn - 7/19/06 6:19 PM In reply to: I own e270 (similar, but 6GB version) and it rocks! by charlie.computergyLike I said, capacity is a factor, but not too important.
Actually, reading the two posts, one a pro-clix, another a pro-sansa, I'm leaning more towards the Clix. The capacity and the nano-like form factor are the only two pros the sansa has over the clix, while the clix has a bunch of unique features over the sansa, such as a larger screen, slightly longer battery life, and as the first poster pointed out, better audio quality.
If anyone has a tipping point for me to get the Clix, that would be great. If anyone has a case for me to get a sansa, show me that too.
i toyed around with a Clix
by woohoo22 - 7/19/06 6:38 PM In reply to: Like I said before... by equinnand loved it. The only thing that stops me from getting one is I have an HDD and a basic flash player. But everything about the Clix is a pleasure to use.
IRiver Clix
by loblolly - 7/20/06 7:14 AM In reply to: iRiver Clix or Sandisk Sansa e260? by equinnIf you can, go to Best Buy and pick up both. Play with them, then return which ever one you don't like.
I have both, but in my opinion I like the IRiver Clix, but it's close. Here's why, I multi-use my player, mp3 for working out, portable player for my car, portable player for work. At work is where I discovered that the Sansa skips. It's not a hard drive, and it doesn't do it at the same point in the songs, but it skips when hooked up to speakers. The IRiver clix does not. I also like the IRiver for the car a little bit better, the face is bigger and easier to change songs when driving.
I'm getting ready to send my Clix back.
by kkn_prasad - 7/27/06 12:46 PM In reply to: IRiver Clix by loblollyIriver is great when it comes to customer service. My Clix's battery was dying in less than three hours after a full charge. Iriver had me send it back and with in 4 days they sent me a brand new one. Well, guess what? I’m having the same issue.
After a full charge; over a period of 3-4 days I must have played it for about 3 hours and right now I’m waiting for the battery to die out on me. Today, within a span of 1 hour, the battery indicator went from 3 (max) to blinking (about to shut down). (Note: It just shut down)
By the way, the three hours include no video watching. The LCD is set on medium. I keep the volume at 5 or 6. According to the manufacturer the battery should last for 25 hours in normal playing conditions. Those of you that have the Clix, try one thing. Don’t hook it up to your computers when you get home. See how long the battery lasts.
I really like the player but 3 hours of battery life is just not acceptable. Keep in mind this is the second player with in a month.
Hopefully this was helpful to some about to buy this product.
update
by kkn_prasad - 7/27/06 1:22 PM In reply to: I'm getting ready to send my Clix back. by kkn_prasadI just spoke to Iriver Customer Service and was informed that when the player is shutdown the battery still drains therefore shortening the life. I guess the only thing to do is plug it into the computer when I get home everyday. Although it does say that battery life is rated on continuous play. So it will last for 25 hours if it’s kept on.
Doesn't make sense to me but I'll keep it as Amazon refunds only %80 of the cost if the item is returned after 30 days.
Clix battery drain
by maxmuscle - 7/27/06 10:13 PM In reply to: update by kkn_prasadI've noticed the same thing with my clix, I e-mailed Iriver but haven't heard back yet. I know that most flash players do the same thing though, so that they start up right away when you press the button instead of booting up. I for one would prefer waiting a few more seconds in boot up time and have a few more hours of battery life!
My Creative ZVM did the same thing too. They don't totally shut down but go into a hibernation mode as to start up quicker. I'm pretty sure the Nano does the same thing and a lot of DAPs have that "feature" now.
I'm hoping there's a firmware upgrade comming soon to stop the battery drain thing, I'll find out when I hear back from Iriver, but atleast it's not a problem exclusive to the Clix.
That's good to know
by kkn_prasad - 7/30/06 9:42 PM In reply to: Clix battery drain by maxmuscleI too prefer waiting a few seconds and have longer battery life. The support staff I spoke to said that there were complains coming about this and if they have enought of them they might put out a firmware to correct.
battery live from clix
by ebichu - 11/18/06 8:33 AM In reply to: Clix battery drain by maxmuscleCan anybody tell me something more about the batery live of the clix? 3 hours is very but, but how do you reach this? By restarting the device every minute? How long is the battery live (+-) when your music sessions are about 30-45 minutes?
cheers
serge
SANDISKS SOLID
by glsnet - 7/20/06 2:13 PM In reply to: iRiver Clix or Sandisk Sansa e260? by equinnI have a SanDisk Sansa e250. I toyed around with both the Clix and the H10 both Iriver mp3 players. I generally did not get a good vibe from either. They seemed a little like having a PSP. Two hands are needed for the Clix. If you want to watch movies get the Clix. If you want music get the Sansa. It has superior sound quality and will release an 8gb version. If you have got money, that is the mp3 player to get. If you are an audiophile get the Sansa. Intuitive navigation, colorful, and has a WOW factor, dare I say it more than that of the iPod nowadyas since the iPod is older. Clix is a great flash player, but Sansa in my worthless opinion is the better choice. Let me know what you choose in the end.
...Now I'm confused.
by equinn - 7/20/06 3:27 PM In reply to: SANDISKS SOLID by glsnetOkay, its seems that im basically on the jumping board ready to plunge on the iRiver Clix. But this discrepancy between audio quality is unsettling to me. Someone please clarify which player's overall audio quality is better. I also noticed that from many reviews and some posts that the Sansa has system noise which are audible from the headset. I'd also like clarification as how significant that is.
your choice but i think.........
by glsnet - 7/21/06 4:16 PM In reply to: ...Now I'm confused. by equinnThe ppl that say that the sansa has system noise are being anal. it isnt something to worry about. it is just extra critical. like saying that when playing solitare on the iPod it isnt very responsive it is totally irrelevant. if you want small get sandisk. you want video get iriver. personally i like sandisk more but the audio quality is dead even.
Sansa system hum
by maxmuscle - 7/21/06 10:09 PM In reply to: ...Now I'm confused. by equinnWhen I had my Sansa, the system noise was only decernable with higher volume in between tracks and slightly when the scroll wheel lites up with high quality headphones.... so in normal everyday conditions like working out with background noise or most situations you'll find yourself in, the system noise shouldn't be noticable.
At any rate, that was only one of the deciding factor for me, as far as sound was concerned. As well as the better sound enhansements on the Clix like SRS WOW settings and the 12 Equilizer settings that I found, 4 or 5 that I thought sounded really good over the 1 that I liked on the Sansa. Personal preference maybe. Both have custom EQ so there you can find a setting you're sure to like on the Sansa. The OGG support was a real plus and one of the deciding factors over the Sansa for me also.
Track record also backs up the Iriver over the Sandisc for audio quality. Iriver have always had some of the best sounding DAPs in the business...Sansa's sound quality hasn't been as good in the past and although it's the best sounding Sandisc player ever, Irivers still sound much better. You can do some reaserch into this subject if you don't believe me.
As I said before, I'm not bashing the Sansa in any way, I'm just saying what I prefered between one and the other. The Sansa is still the second best flash player out there and that's not a bad thing.
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