A super package
 Oct 28th, 2006
Advantages:
1GB built - in + 2GB expansion by SD card
Disadvantages:
Larger than average
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Sound Quality
Ease of Use
Look & Design
Range of Features
Value for Money
more
  deputydawg
About me:
Husband, father of three, wage slave... what more is there to say?
Member since:14.02.2003
Reviews:30
Review rated by 6 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
This review received a counterstatement by a party concerned
Read Comment
In the world of MP3 players (and phones, and PCs, and...!) every few months capacities double. And with an MP3 player that really matters: how many of my CDs and podcasts can live on my player? The Sansa E140 is, to my mind, one of the best compromises around, visually appealing, great sound quality, functionally strong and expandable. 1GB built in fits most of my favourite tracks. And as in the household we have three other devices using SD cards we already had several 1GB cards, so loading up further music is a doddle, especially using my handy SD-in-a-memory-stick gadget! If using the unit itself with the supplied white USB-mini USB cable, the internal memory and card appear as separate drives. Write performance is OK, although I find that it is faster writing cards via a standalone readers.
Listening quality is excellent, and the supplied earphones surprised me by their excellent feel and performance. The unit plays MP3 and WMA formats, and there is support for the Microsoft standard for premium content management - although this standard is not yet particularly widespread. Changing the sound dynamics is easy, and there are the usual range of listening options and playlist selection methods. The unit has a high quality feel, and the buttons are positive and responsive. Menus are mainly intuitive and in clear English, and battery life is better than I have previously experienced. Some MP3 players with memory expansion can be difficult to manage. Not so this unit - when using it as a player, it updates its library automatically when a change is detected and there is no reason to worry whether a track is in built-in or expansion memory.
It's a slightly larger unit than the average, but very light. The supplied transparent case and strap are fine, and other skins are available. So far the unit has survived the usual rough and tumble of family life without any obvious signs of wear. The SD card goes in to an external slot, and has a positive click putting the card in and out. Both our family cameras occasionally fail to register the SD card, but we have never had this experience with the E140. The end of the card protrudes fractionally, which is necessary for the push eject; this has never happened accidentally. My unit has an FM radio, whose performance is typical for this type of gadget. It picks up strong signals, but is no replacement for a proper radio with a full aerial! Channel memories are easy to program, so no complaints, but I only occasionally use the radio (although I have plenty of radio podcasts to listen to).
There's only one quibble I have with the interface design. When turning the unit off by pushing and holding the menu button on the side, it's easy to let go too early so that the unit doesn't power off - so it's then playing to itself and running down the batteries. It's a mistake you make just once, but I feel that there should be some more obvious visual warning that the unit is still on. No-one buys an MP3 player thinking it's future-proof. Sandisk's Sansa E140 is a great compromise - inexpensive, but high quality and expansible. It punches above its weight, making a stronger package than other branded alternatives at double the cost, and I am delighted with my purchase.
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