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I have been in an MP3 Player state of mind of late, that is why I jumped at the chance to play with a review model of the new supersized Sansa Clip, courtesy of SanDisk. The device practically defines “no nonsense”. It sports the same tiny size as the rest of the Clip line, but now with 8 big Gigs of flash memory goodness.

Having owned one of the 2G models for several months now, I was very curious to see if SanDisk would have the consistency to stick with a winning design or if they would fall pray to the industry wide obsession with fixing what’s not broken.

It took me all of a day of use to find the answer…read more after the jump.

The new 8G Clip features the largest capacity of the line, which already features units with 1G, 2G and 4G capacities.  Just tossing the new model about in my hand for a few minutes answered my first question: it was just as light as the rest of the Clips. Just .92 of an ounce, which is basically nothing. The device feels solid in the hand however, sturdy and well built. I certainly have no hesitation tossing this loose in my pocket or my laptop bag. I can’t say the same about almost any other device I own. In terms of size, the clip is like a big, very thick postage stamp. A click wheel on the front and a solid tilt-bar style volume control below the phones jack on the side handle the control requirements, along with a handy Home button on the front of the unit that always returns to the main menu. The power switch on the opposite side from the volume also serves as the lock control.  Nearly as important as the controls on this unit is it’s namesake, the clip on the back for attaching the player to belts, pockets, or just about anything. On all devices in this line the clip is wide, well made and durable, with a strong spring to ensure it doesn’t let go easily. The connector is a standard MiniUSB (YEA!) and a short USB cable is included with the unit. I found the three inch or so long cable to be actually more convenient then the more standard ones in this case. Less cable to get tangled and as the device is so small, it can fit anywhere while charging or syncing. No power adaptor is included so all charging can be done via USB trickle charge.

All of this is precisely like the 2G model I own, which gives the devices a pleasant feeling of consistency. No learning curve (as short as that would have to be with this device) whatsoever. Comparing the 2G and the 8G units I found literally no difference.  The only way I could tell them apart at all was the fact the 8G doesn’t list the capacity on the back, carrying instead the new Sansa logo, and the product code stenciled onto the bottom of the unit. Which consistency is a nice thing, confusion isn’t and it would be nice if there were a clear indication of just what the capacity is on the front of the unit.

The GUI is also totally unchanged from the one I know on the 2G unit. Displayed on a 1 inch screen, the information is highly readable and right to the point. Power meter, mode indicators (when relevant), the track information and volume slider are all front and center. The menu options are big and bold (well, as big and bold as an inch worth of screen will allow) and flow properly as controlled by the click wheel. if you get stuck, there is always the Home button to bail you out.

The sound quality on the clip is truly exceptional for a unit of this size and price. Output is strong and vibrant with a good number of preset options in the surprisingly versatile Equalizer. If however none of these options suit you, you can set the levels yourself using the simple yet effective graphic equalizer. I tested the unit with AKG 414 headphones as well as Sennheiser  CX 300 earbuds and the basic earbuds included with the device and found they all sounded good, relative to their quality.

The size, durability, simplicity and sound quality of the Clip are all first rate, but the thing that really sets it apart from other small form MP3 players are the additional features. The inclusion of voice recording capabilities (built in mic is at the top of the unit) and an FM radio make the Clip not only one of the best values in MP3 players, but also simply one of the best MP3 players available, period, whatever capacity you opt for. Prices for the line start at $40 for the 1G model so it is not hard to see someone owning several, loading them up and just tossing them wherever you may want an MP3 layer handy…gym locker, car glove compartment, etc. When you consider how much music the 8G model can hold, it just gets better and better. The device is not flawless however, there are certain things I would like to see that are missing. Some kind of protective cover for the mini USB port and the earphone jack for instance, and some way of expanding the memory via MicroSD card would be nice. However, these are little things that really take nothing from the strengths of the device.

For all of these reasons I stated above, plus the low price (the 8G model is available for less than $100) I have to say that if you are looking for a simple, durable device just for playing MP3s or audiobooks which you can carry easily anywhere, the Clip may be the best you will find on the market today. If you want touch screens and album art, and fancy GUIs then you should look elsewhere, but if you just want a small, mid-capacity device to play music and play it well then the Sansa Clip 8G is for you.

Zealot (446 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

By day a department manager and writer for a major network device vendor...by night Zealot stalks the mean magnetic streets, striking fear into the hearts of bandwidth abusers and theme park mascots. Zealot has been involved with mobile devices for more than a decade now, starting off with dumb phones, moving to PDAs and then to smartphones, notebooks and netbooks with the odd PMP thrown in. Most of his mobile time currently is spent on a Treo Pro, Zune HD, Thinkpad T61, Gigabyte M912M or a Hackintoshed Compaq Mini 704. He proudly groks the Geek community and considers himself a Neo Maxi Zune Dweebie (thanks Will Wheaton!).