Sansa Clip Comparison

[Laurablue]

I bought a Clip Plus from Amazon.ca. I previously used a Clip Zip but it's clip broke and then the battery life between charges started to diminish. I think I will get to like the Clip Plus just as much as the Clip Zip, but so far there are two things I prefer about the Clip Zip. The Clip Zip displays the clock time at the top of the screen, and I didn't realize how much I relied on that. Also the Clip Zip also displays the full run time of each file as well as time lapsed since I started playing it. The Clip Plus displays the elapsed time and a progress bar that fills in as time passes, but it doesn't display the total run time of the file. Not a huge detail but I kind of liked seeing the actual run time vs. a bar. Oh, both the Zip and the Clip Plus have Podcasts as a menu item, the Clip Plus lists them as a subfolder of Music (as it does with Audiobooks). There seem to be some differences to how the Clip Plus and the Clip Zip use tags, for example when I transferred an mp3 file purchased from Downpour, the Clip Zip put it in the Music folder, but the Clip Plus put it in the Audiobook folder. (I can get the Clip Zip to display Downpour files into the Audiobook folder by changing the info in iTunes, but it's nice that the Clip Plus does it by default). The Clip Plus also navigates through it's file system a little differently, with the Clip Zip I was able to go back one level at a time using the back arrow button, e.g. I could move from the current audiobook to the list of all audiobooks on the player. With the Clip Plus it looks like I have to use the Home button to get back to the Music folder, and then drill down into the Audiobooks or Podcast folder to get to my list of other available items. The other significant differences are noted in the comparison chart above, like the fact that the Clip Plus uses a mini-USB cord, unlike all my other current devices. It is an excellent little player and I feel an urge to stockpile a couple more . . . .

[Catlady]

Has anyone use a Bluetooth transmitter adapter with a Clip Zip? I'm looking at this transmitter/receiver and this transmitter at Amazon. A couple of the reviewers for the latter specifically mention it working with Clips.

I'm not very Bluetooth savvy. Any recommendations?

[Catlady]

I did pick up the Bluetooth transmitter/receiver. It seems to work pretty well. I can attach it to my Clip Zip and transmit to a Bluetooth speaker--this is how I will use it primarily.

Or I can use it as a receiver: flip a switch, attach it to a non-Bluetooth audio-in port, and pair it with my Bluetooth phone--I've been using it to stream Amazon Prime stations to my stereo that way.

It was easy to set up, and I'm happy with it.

[silverraven]

Doesn't look to be any better than the sport:
http://www.sandisk.com/products/musi...yers/clip-jam/
Clip+ and Zip appear to be discontinued
S

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by silverraven

Doesn't look to be any better than the sport:
http://www.sandisk.com/products/musi...yers/clip-jam/
Clip+ and Zip appear to be discontinued
S

Design-wise, it looks like a return to the look of Clip+. No display of album covers anymore, I guess.

I'm not especially tempted. I would have liked support for the higher-capacity cards and I would have liked Bluetooth. And I prefer seeing the album covers!

[tubemonkey]

I updated the OP by adding the Clip Jam to the comparison list.

[cbuck1]

Originally Posted by janjanjan

I don't buy audiobooks, just download using Overdrive from our library. I strongly prefer the WMA format because files are much smaller (less than half the size as MP3 files), making downloading quicker. I do need to manually select the MTP usb setting to sideload WMA-DRM files.

janjanjan, can you walk me through how you get the files from Overdrive to the Clip and whether you have to make a playlist, etc?

I've been doing it with an iPod, transferring from Overdrive and then opening the iPod with Windows iTunes to turn the files into a playlist, but for some reason iTunes has stopped finding the audiobook files on the iPod even though they're visible in Windows Explorer.

[booklover6]

I just ordered a Clip Sport from efurb.com for $15 with free shipping. I used a referral link and got $10 off the listed price. I got my referral link from CNET.

Here is the product link

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I just ordered a Clip Sport from efurb.com for $15 with free shipping. I used a referral link and got $10 off the listed price. I got my referral link from CNET.

Here is the product link

Let us know how things turn out. Until yesterday, I never heard of this company. Their terms look very good. One year warranty, 30-day return policy, no stocking fees, and free shipping in both directions.

[silverraven]

I decided to gamble on one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o00_s00

I found a forum thread about the brand:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/744865/the-...x02-dap-thread

and a review:
http://androidforums.com/threads/rev...f-pics.898134/

I'm going to use it strictly for audio books. I'll give it a fair shake before I tell you guys what I think.
S

[booklover6]

I received the Clip Sport very quickly. It's really attractive. Larger than the Clip Zip. I like it! I couldn't authorize it with Audible Manager (probably because I already have 3 Sandisk mp3 players authorized and that's the maximum for Clip Zips, and possibly all Sandisk devices). But now that I know how to convert my Audible books, I was able to side load a couple of them to the Clip Sport. I tested a few and they appear to play fine. I haven't listened to any yet as I am in the middle of a book borrowed via Hoopla on another device. I don't think there will be any issues, though.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I received the Clip Sport very quickly. It's really attractive. Larger than the Clip Zip. I like it! I couldn't authorize it with Audible Manager (probably because I already have 3 Sandisk mp3 players authorized and that's the maximum for Clip Zips, and possibly all Sandisk devices). But now that I know how to convert my Audible books, I was able to side load a couple of them to the Clip Sport. I tested a few and they appear to play fine. I haven't listened to any yet as I am in the middle of a book borrowed via Hoopla on another device. I don't think there will be any issues, though.

I'm interested in knowing how the battery life actually is--is it really better than the Clip Zip?

The Zip I use for audiobooks has been misbehaving intermittently for a while, so I'm feeling like I will need to pick up another mp3. Probably will wait for Black Friday, though.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm interested in knowing how the battery life actually is--is it really better than the Clip Zip?

The Zip I use for audiobooks has been misbehaving intermittently for a while, so I'm feeling like I will need to pick up another mp3. Probably will wait for Black Friday, though.

I just started my third book on it. It still has 75% if I can go by the icon. The first two books were about 15.5 hours in total. So I do think it has better battery life.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I just started my third book on it. It still has 75% if I can go by the icon. The first two books were about 15.5 hours in total. So I do think it has better battery life.

That sounds great--I get only about 8 hours on the Clip Zip. Some days when I'm doing a lot of mindless chores and want to listen steadily, that's not enough. (And it seems to always shut down in the middle of an exciting chapter!) Maybe I won't wait for Black Friday ...

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Catlady

That sounds great--I get only about 8 hours on the Clip Zip. Some days when I'm doing a lot of mindless chores and want to listen steadily, that's not enough. (And it seems to always shut down in the middle of an exciting chapter!) Maybe I won't wait for Black Friday ...

The clip Zip does that to me, too. Very annoying.

Plus I added wrong. The two books were 17.5 hours.