Is there really no difference between the 770 and the 770C? also, does anyone here know when the 800 will be released? I am waiting on the 800 before making the jump for the 770 or the 770C.
There are differences between the 770 and the 770C. Here is my earlier post (with some updates) detailing some of the differences:
1. The 770c does not come with a leather
case (in fact, no case at all). However, I was able to find an inexpensive (US $4-5) case on ebay that works very well.
2. The 770c does not have a small rubber stopper to fit in the HO that is not being used.
3. The glass on the 770c is darker than the glass on the 770.
4. The aluminum case on the black 770c is flat black, whereas on the 770 it is a bit shinier and has a fine stippled pattern. But both players feel very solidly built. I think that both players also come in Siver and Gold case options, but the vendors selling the 770c (that I am currently aware of) are only selling Black and Silver versions of the 770c, but all 3 color options for the 770.
5. The 770c has 5 screen displays to choose from, while the 770 only has 3, otherwise the UI and menu options appear to be the same. Neither player shows album art. However, as I found out the hard way, the firmware for the 770c and 770 are not the same, and the firmware for the 770 does not work on the 770c. As far as I know, the firmware link for the 770c has not been posted on the Xuelin website yet. I have requested a link for the 770c firmware, so once I am able to get it, I will post it in this thread. The newest firmware version for the 770 is named ihifi_v2.02, and the firmware on the 770c is 770C-8718_v1.02.
6. The volume levels are amazingly similar between the 2 players, but I did notice that with my Westone 2 earphones, the volume number had to be set a little bit higher on the 770 compared to the 770c (33 vs 30 for the song I was listening to). I did not experience any real volume setting differences with my other earphones.
7. There are hardware differences between the two, but again in my experience so far, this does not translate into any significant sound quality differences. So, if you like the sound quality of the 770, you will get the same pleasure from the 770c. The DAC in the 770 is Wolfson 8740, in the 770c Wolfson 8718. The earphone amplifier in the 770 is Max????, and in the 770c Max9722. The LPF is the same for both (AD8656).
8. The currently available vendors are selling the 770 for about US $175-185, while the 770c is selling for US $109-115. Massdrop has featured the 770 player at least twice and the player was sold for ~US $140 (as I recall). I wouldn't be surprised if the 770c is eventually offered on Massdrop at a lower price.
In my experience though, the 770 and 770C are the same in regards to UI, functionality, file support, and sound quality. They are both very solid players and the sound quality is excellent. I really like them both, but for the price, I think the 770c is the better bargain. The 770c should be considered a top competitor for people considering players such as the Colorfly C3 and FiiO X1. So, if you are in the market for a relatively inexpensive DAP with really good sound quality, I would highly suggest the 770c player.
The release date for the 800 model will be sometime in 2015. Xuelin is going to be sending out the 800 model to reviewers (beta testing) sometime in January, but I haven't seen a planned date for general release. The 800 appears to be a major change in DAP players for Xuelin, a departure from the Wolfson DAC players. An earlier review by one of the developers (listed earlier in this thread) says the sound of the 800 is very similar to the 960 dual core player, but better. If this is true, then the 800 ought to be a very, very nice product. I have not seen any projected cost quotes for the 800 yet.
