HiFlight
Headphoneus Supremus
Every now and then, it is my good fortune to happen across an audio device that actually delivers much more than one might expect for the price. Such is the case with the media player from Lattezone. Given the unlikely name of Espresso, one might initially overlook this player, but upon closer examination of the claimed features and capabilities, I decided to give it a try.
The Espresso is priced at a very modest $69.95 for the 4GB, $79.95 for the 8GB and $99.95 for the 16GB model, which is the one I purchased.
Delivery was very fast, arriving at my Florida address in just 3 days from the company headquarters in California.
Packaging was nicely done with more items in the box than was listed on the online product description. Besides the player, there was a USB cable, IEM's (which I have not tried), AC charger and a DC USB charger/power supply for vehicle operation.
The player itself is a very well-constructed device with an attractive aluminum gun-metal design case. There is only one button on the entire player; an on/off/hold button. All other inputs are via touchscreen. The various menus are intuitive and one can quickly navigate the various menus without reference to the user manual, which unlike many import manuals is very complete and well-written.
As this is not meant to be an in-depth review, it will suffice to say that the audio performance is excellent, well-balanced across the audio spectrum and tonally correct. The player was immediately recognized as a drive when the USB cable was attached and my music files transferred very quickly.
All of the many features of this player worked exactly as described, but the main reason for my purchase is that besides having an FM receiver built in, it also has an FM transmitter and will transmit to a user-selected FM frequency. I tried this in my car and it worked perfectly. The signal does require that earbuds be plugged in even though they are not used, as the player uses the headphone cable as a transmitting antenna. One can also record from the FM as well as make voice recordings.
Although I didn't load any videos, there was a nice included sample that played very well.
The player dimensions are 3-3/8" X 2" X 1/4". I can't specify H or W as the player contains a g-sensor that allows for screen rotation. There is also haptic feedback. Both the sensor and haptic can be disabled via menu input. There are the usual EQ settings which also include an MSEQ selection. This has a sub-menu choice of 3-D, which is especially impressive with binaural recordings, a couple of which are also pre-loaded.
The only Cons that I have found is that with a screen of this dimension, if one has large fingers, it might work better to use a stylus for interfacing with the screen. I sometimes used my fingernail which worked well.
The specifications do not list the output power of the amplifer, but I have so far tried the Espresso with both my Yuin OK2 buds and my ES3X IEMs, and both sound excellent with a fairly low setting on the volume scale. I did discover that the little mesh bag that the included earphones arrived in fit the player perfectly and allows one to see the screen through the mesh and make desired inputs without smudging the screen with fingerprints.
Warranty is 1 year parts and labor.
For additional information and specifications, here is the company website: http://www.lattezone.com/latte-espresso.html
I have no affiliation with LatteZone other than being a very satisfied customer.
The Espresso is priced at a very modest $69.95 for the 4GB, $79.95 for the 8GB and $99.95 for the 16GB model, which is the one I purchased.
Delivery was very fast, arriving at my Florida address in just 3 days from the company headquarters in California.
Packaging was nicely done with more items in the box than was listed on the online product description. Besides the player, there was a USB cable, IEM's (which I have not tried), AC charger and a DC USB charger/power supply for vehicle operation.
The player itself is a very well-constructed device with an attractive aluminum gun-metal design case. There is only one button on the entire player; an on/off/hold button. All other inputs are via touchscreen. The various menus are intuitive and one can quickly navigate the various menus without reference to the user manual, which unlike many import manuals is very complete and well-written.
As this is not meant to be an in-depth review, it will suffice to say that the audio performance is excellent, well-balanced across the audio spectrum and tonally correct. The player was immediately recognized as a drive when the USB cable was attached and my music files transferred very quickly.
All of the many features of this player worked exactly as described, but the main reason for my purchase is that besides having an FM receiver built in, it also has an FM transmitter and will transmit to a user-selected FM frequency. I tried this in my car and it worked perfectly. The signal does require that earbuds be plugged in even though they are not used, as the player uses the headphone cable as a transmitting antenna. One can also record from the FM as well as make voice recordings.
Although I didn't load any videos, there was a nice included sample that played very well.
The player dimensions are 3-3/8" X 2" X 1/4". I can't specify H or W as the player contains a g-sensor that allows for screen rotation. There is also haptic feedback. Both the sensor and haptic can be disabled via menu input. There are the usual EQ settings which also include an MSEQ selection. This has a sub-menu choice of 3-D, which is especially impressive with binaural recordings, a couple of which are also pre-loaded.
The only Cons that I have found is that with a screen of this dimension, if one has large fingers, it might work better to use a stylus for interfacing with the screen. I sometimes used my fingernail which worked well.
The specifications do not list the output power of the amplifer, but I have so far tried the Espresso with both my Yuin OK2 buds and my ES3X IEMs, and both sound excellent with a fairly low setting on the volume scale. I did discover that the little mesh bag that the included earphones arrived in fit the player perfectly and allows one to see the screen through the mesh and make desired inputs without smudging the screen with fingerprints.
Warranty is 1 year parts and labor.
For additional information and specifications, here is the company website: http://www.lattezone.com/latte-espresso.html
I have no affiliation with LatteZone other than being a very satisfied customer.
