- 8GB MP3 Player; 3.0" Color TFT Touchscreen
- FM Radio & Voice Recorder; 13hr Battery Life; USB 2.0; G-Sensor; Built-in Microphone
- 13hr Battery Life; USB 2.0; G-Sensor
- Supports MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, APE; MPEG4, AVI, FLV, RMVB
To accurately compare the different players I rated them on sound quality (SQ), Video Playback Quality (VP), user interface/ease of use (UI), Radio Quality (RQ), and Other Features. I should mention that for other features I will only be reviewing the major additional features of the Touch. All the advantages of various apps would be beyond the scope of this review. Suffice to say that the touch acts more like a tiny tablet then an MP3 player.
Jump to the bottom if all you want is the conclusions:
Equipment: The players: 8 GB Archos Vision 30c, 4GB SanDisk Sansa Fuze, 8GB SanDisk Sansa Fuze+, and 32GB iPod Touch 4G.
Headphones: Skullcandy INK'd Earbuds*
*I know these are cheap but the SQ is good enough to allow me to distinguish differences between the players.
Sound Quality:
1) Fuze: 9/10
The best of the bunch, great sound for an MP3 player, with clear notes and solid if not spectacular base. With Rockbox* I would give it a 10/10.
2) Touch: 8/10.
Unlike previous ipods I have used I actually enjoy the quality of the 4G touch. I could wish for more equalizer controls but I think it does a solid job, just not quite as clean as the Fuze. Not compatible with Rockbox.
3) Fuze+ 5/10
For some reason the Fuze+ just doesn't seem to have the same quality as the Fuze, I don't know if they changed the chip or what, but the SQ simply isn't as good. Moreover the Fuze+ isn't compatible with Rockbox.
3) Vision: 5/10
Normal equalizer setting has poor SQ with virtually no base, but the M/S equalizer does a good job of boosting sound of improving sound quality on tracks (this uses an algorithm to add and subtract the data going to different ears to provide a more surround sound feel). I found the 3d M/S setting to be too much and to make the player overloud but the Bass setting for the MS equalizer does an excellent job of repairing the bass problem. I like the ability to set manual EQs on the player. Not compatible with Rockbox.
Video Playback:
1) Touch: 8/10,
The touch has a great screen, large enough to enjoy on a long trip or flight, with minimal differences in viewing quality based on angle of view. Extremely clear and clean picture, with very little glare or reflection. Limited handling of file types, basically only MPEG-4 is the main reason I took off points.
2) Vision: 6/10
For size this takes second place to the iPod. The amount of glare and reflection on the screen however makes watching in most environments fairly difficult and watching in bright light impossible. This however was not as big a problem inside a car and I imagine it would also not be so bad on a plane. Since these are the two most likely places for video viewing I felt the a score of 5 was still warranted. Diversity of file playback pushes the rating to 6.
3) Fuze/Fuze+: 5/10
I found video playback on the two devices to be very similar. The screen is too small to really watch a movie or show on, but it doesn't have as much glare as on the Vision. Both of these allow a lot of file types. But for me the screen is just too small for serious viewing.
User Interface:
1) Touch: 9/10
Apple is known for both industrial engineering and intuitive design, the touch is no different. All the features you might want regularly are easily viewable with only a few swipes. The touch screen is both responsive and accurate. There are some limitations to the operating system in terms of apps you can use and function management but they don't really detract from an excellent user experience. Volume controls and the lock/unlock buttons are the only external buttons. If you could press pause and play without having to take it out of your pocket this would be a 10.
2) Fuze: 8/10
A great tactile wheel that actually spins for song and menu selection (alla the iPod classic but the wheel spins) is super easy to use. Moreover pressing play/pause, fast forwarding etc. can all be managed without ever removing the player from your pocket. Menu use isn't quite as easy as with the iPod since you can't type or touch but it is still straight forward. The actual user interface is probably a 7, no stellar user friendly design but loading Rockbox firmware I think changes the UI to an 8 due to customizability.
3) Fuze+: 5/10
Uses a similar UI to the fuse but the controls are different. The Fuze+ uses an inductive touch plate similar to the LG chocolate line of phones instead of real buttons. The plate is both oversensitive and not sensitie enough, either not responding or jumping around. Still control is manageable if difficult, and side volume buttons allow for easy volume control when the player is in a pocket.
4) Vision: 1/10:
The Archos Vision has the worst user interface and controls I have ever seen on any device. There is only one external button, which controls the back function and allows you (if you hold it) to either lock or power down the player. The touch screen does not respond at all to light touches or swipes the way the iPod does, requiring more of a push and then only responding about 40% of the time. I found that if I used a fingernail I could get responsiveness up to about 75% but that was it. Play/pause, SF/SB buttons are cramped in at the bottom of the screen. If you listen to audiobooks then skipping to a point in the middle of a 30 minuet chapter requires touching on a thin line that is only visible in perfect light and at the right angle. Doing so is nearly impossible. FF normally by holding the skip forward button is slow and inefficient, and nearly impossible to do with a nail. Volume controls require that you either tap on the speaker picture at either end of the volume bar or you attempt to actually touch the volume bar at a given point. This however is as difficult as touching a point partway through a song. Also the screen only tilts sideways in one direction.
Radio Quality:
1) Fuze/Fuze+: 7/10
FM radio was mostly clear, and recording quality was adequate, but nothing to write home about.
2) Vision:
5/10 Good FM playback but recording quality of radio music is awful, the files sound like they were recorded underwater, with really muddy sound.
2) Touch: 5/10
Internet radio with apps when on a wif-fi network but no FM radio and no ability to record from radio.
Other Features:
1) Touch: 24/20
Ya I know this doesn't make sense but as I said above this is only nominally an MP3 player, failure to account for that would be inappropriate. It is the only player with internet access, e-mail, internet radio etc. Obviously this has a ton more features than any of the other features. An inability to add additional memory kept it from being a 25/20
2) Fuze 14/20
It isn't that the fuzes have a ton of extra features but rather the main extra they do have, a micro SD card slot is HUGE. Essentially this means that you can add up to 32GB (with current firmware) of storage capacity to your MP3 player, turning the 4GB player into a 36GB player. Not too shabby. Add to that the fact that the Fuze works with Rockbox and that's why this earns 13 points.
3) Fuze+: 9/20:
As I said above these points basically come from the ability to add external memory.
4) Vision 30c: 1/20
There really weren't any features that the vision had that the other two players did not have as well. Additionally there wasn't anything that the vision excelled at above the rest.
*****Conclusion: (consider 25-36/60 to be three stars)****
1) iPod touch 4G: 53/60 (5 stars)
2) SanDisk Sansa Fuze: 43/60 (4 stars) ***Best Buy***
3) SanDisk Sansa Fuze+: 32/60 (3 stars)
4) Archos Vision 30c: 19/60 (2 stars)
If price is no issue, for sheer features, ease of use and the best video with decent sound the iPod is the best bet.
For a simple mp3 player for straight music use, I would go with the Fuze, ease of use and sound quality are the most important features in an mp3 player and the Fuze has those in abundance. Expandable memory and compatibility with Rockbox really make it the best choice. I wouldn't choose the + over the older version.
Skip the Archos at all costs. Barring a major firmware update it is nearly unusable.
*Rockbox is an open source firmware for mp3 players that supplants the stock firmware that comes on the device. It provides significant additional customizability and control, as well as several new features. The highlights of these features are: increased sound management controls, games, PDA type applications. It goes a decent way towards bridging the gap between the Fuze and the touch.
Buy Archos Vision 30c 8 GB Video MP3 Player with 3-Inch Touchscreen and FM Radio (Silver) Now
I truly hate to give bad reviews, especially to products with such promise. At first, I was excited to see that this Mp3 player not only would play my music but would allow me to listen to the radio, too. It's something I kind of missed when listening to my iPod. But, unfortunately, not much worked well.Of course, I tried out the radio first. No go. I couldn't get any of the stations in town to turn in without static. For many of the stations, I couldn't get it to stop on the exact station number, though that may have been due to the touch screen. Or not.
Then I tried out some of my music. Maybe I'm spoiled but as I listened to the player, I felt like I was back in the 80's, listening to my portable cassette player with its not-so-clear headphones or the cheap radio in my parents' Pinto (yes, we had a Pinto. Don't judge.). No matter what I did or what headphones I used, the sound quality remained subpar.
Trying to use the touchscreen controls was just frustrating. Again, I feel spoiled because I've come to expect instant results (or relatively close to instant anyway) and Achos just didn't deliver. It took forever to move from function to function; no quick swipe or touch to be had.
The other aspects, which made the Archos sound so appealing, were disappointing. The video was of very poor quality and hard to see on the small screen. This also meant that the pictures were grainy (even if they were taken with a high-quality camera). And the recording device just isn't very good, either. I suppose I can use it for quick notes, to-do lists, or writing ideas but, beyond small snippets, it would be difficult to listen to because of the poor sound quality and the static-y sound recording.
I was not impressed. Not by a long shot.This little MP3 is perfect for someone like me. I don't really care if the picture quality is good, clear, crisp etc. What I wanted was something I could use when I go running. Just some tunes to make the time pass! And this little easy to use MP3 was perfect! Very easy to upload songs onto, the thing basically runs itself.
Very lightweight so I don't feel like I have an old walkman with me. I haven't had many problems as written in the other reviews about having troubles with the screen. I am sure if you are an avid user you will know more of what they should and shouldn't do. However for someone like me who really just wanted to have something to run with -it is perfect! I know most at the stores run $80 to $100, so I think the price for this MP3 is very fair!
Want Archos Vision 30c 8 GB Video MP3 Player with 3-Inch Touchscreen and FM Radio (Silver) Discount?
The MP3 player market continues to thin out as Apple seems to do everything better than anyone else. You can still find $10-25 MP3 players, but with the Apple iPod shuffle 2 GB Blue (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL selling for under $50, the market has pretty much ceded the over-$50 price range to Apple. Enter the Archos: Selling for around $70, it promises to deliver a touch screen interface, MP3 player, video player, and sound recorder all in one tiny package. So how well does it do all these things? Not very well, I'm afraid.Let's start with the "touch-screen" interface: It's pretty crude, and it's slow. Very slow. You tap, or swipe, and then wait. And wait. Just as you're about to tap again, the desired function comes up... or not. It's infuriating. Even the volume control is slow. Rather than swiping a finger, as on the iPhone of iPod Touch, you tap one end of the displayed volume bar, and the volume goes down (or up) an increment. Hold your finger down, and it moves in jerky increments.
Sound qualityand that's the main thing we should judge an MP3 player onis dreadful. There's no low bass, or even mid bass. I plugged in the best in-ear phone I have, a set that retails for $80 and delivers fantastic sound from an iPod. The result was thin and very unsatisfying. Same goes for the FM radio. Difficult to use, and poor sound. The video player works, but the screen is too small and the controls difficult. The sound recorder is absolutely dreadful. I tried playing a guitar a foot away from the built in microphone, and what I got on playback was a faint, scratchy sound.
There's really nothing to recommend this device. Given how poorly it compares with even my three-year old Sansa it should never have gone into production. Buy an iPod Shuffle or save up for a Nano or Touch.
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