SanDisk Mp3 Players

SanDisk is a company which manufactures flash memory for products such as digital cameras and USB removable drives. They have their own line of MP3 players which have a price advantage over other MP3 players since SanDisk makes their own memory.

The Sansa series of Sandisk MP3 players ranges in size from 512 MB to 6 GB. There are currently three lines – the 'm' series has basic monochrome displays in a compact USB stick shape, the 'e' series features an expansion slot for extra memory capacity and the 'c' series has a color display for easier navigation and viewing photos. 

All models have a recordable FM tuner, a built-in microphone and a USB 2.0 interface for speedy data transfers. SanDisk players appear as a USB drive so transferring songs to the player is a simple matter of dragging and dropping. They can be used as data storage devices as well as MP3 players.

Supported formats include MP3, WMA and Audible (for audio books and other spoken word content). Typical capacity for 1GB is 16 hours of MP3 or 32 hours of WMA. 

ScanDisk Sansa 'm' Series

These are ultra compact players that can be hidden in your hand. They are ideal for all kinds of portable audio as the lack of moving parts (as would be found on a hard drive MP3 player) guarantees skip-free playback.

The memory range of the 'm' series is from 512 MB to 4 GB, and they operate on a single AAA battery for up to 19 hours of continuous playback. There is support for MP3 tags so you can view information about the current song being played as well as browse through your song titles.

The FM tuner has 20 presets and the player comes with a carrying case and armband.

ScanDisk Sansa 'e' Series

The 'e' series range from 512 MB up to 6 GB of internal memory, and all models have an expansion slot for memory cards. This is an ingenious way to quickly add new content – simply stock your memory cards with music and quickly switch the song selection.

The larger models use a rechargeable lithium-ion battery which is user-replaceable, and the 512 MB model uses a AAA battery which provides playback time of up to 17 hours. The screen on the larger models is a 1.8” TFT color display which is suitable for viewing video clips.

ScanDisk Sansa 'c' Series

The color screen on the Sansa 'c' series MP3 players enhances navigation and menu access. The screen supports 64K colors and is suitable for cover art and photo thumbnails. These players operate on a single AAA battery which has enough power for up to 15 hours of music playback. 

All SanDisk MP3 players have excellent sound quality, but the included earbuds don't expose the true sound capabilities. Although comfortable to wear, they are definitely weak in the bass range, so if you want to hear what these players are really capable of get yourself a good set of third-party earbuds.

Overall, these players represent excellent value. Because of the price advantage SanDisk enjoys by manufacturing their own memory these players are comparable with other more expensive brands – including the iPod (which also carries a 'fashion' premium). Quite simply, SanDisk MP3 players have more features at less cost.