Introduction
I recently came across a video review of the RoCoo P on youtube and being interested in purchasing a dap to match my earphones, I decided get one. I've been trying it with some Sennheiser IE 8's and have also tried the Grado sr80i's which were suitable.
Purchase and Packaging and Contents
I emailed service@hisoundaudio.com and received a swift response advising how i could purchase the player. This worked, but I hope the website will allow orders through it in the future.
The player came packaged securely protected by foam and there were no issues with the condition.
Contents:
RoCoo P
PAA-1 earbuds
Wall charger (without adaptor)
usb cable
User manual (chinese and english)
VIP card for future purchases
Design, Build quality and Weight
It feels robust, lightweight and unintrusive in the pocket. The buttons are mechanical which are responsive with a tactile bump. It has a 1" OLED screen which does the job, but is a bit small. The front and back are made of plastic with glossy finish which can attract finger prints as expected and the sides are brushed metal. The battery life lasts up to 10 hours and can be charged by usb or wall port.
It includes a reset button for use when upgrading the firmware and general troubleshooting should anything go wrong.
Ease of use and User Interface
Navigating the operating system took a few minutes to learn and focuses on a practicle/no thrills experience. Transfering music to the player is done by dragging and dropping your files/folders to it with explorer (no need to install anything). It Includes 4gb of storage but you can add more via the MicroSD slot.
I read that it has an issue with the names of flac files which can be resolved by editing the id tags of your files before transfering them. Google Mp3tag for an application that will assist with this. Personally i didn't have any issues with this out of the box, I'm not sure whether this is due to the firmware it was shipped with or whether it was just my files. I dropped a few albums which are flac format onto it and it displays the names perfectly and plays without issues.
The menus allow you to choose the internal or external memory locations. Within each you can see the folders you transfered.
Theres a setting that allows you to toggle the button sound and theres also a basic equalizer containing presets but everyone recommends leaving this default (natural).
I must admit, I prefer the navigation of the older gen ipods compared to the RoCoo. They are similar in that they both use four directional buttons and a center button, except the ipods use the touch sensative 'disc' to change volume and navigate. This is alot better in my opinion as it free's up the top and bottom buttons for core functions. The RoCoo feels as if it's replicating this to the best it can without copying the disc and instead incorporates the volume control with the top and bottom buttons.
In my opinion, I think the amount of controls are too confined on this amount of buttons, Apple really nailed it with simplicity. The RoCoo really had me puzzled for a few minutes just trying to find the back button without stopping the track.
The instructions were a little hard for me to comprehend as the center button performs multiple functions depending how long its pressed. You really need to try it hands on for a few minutes to understand it.
Another thing i noticed about the navigation is when you are listening to a track in a playlist, to go back you hold the center button for a few seconds. This takes you all the way back to the source selection menu (for internal memory or expansion slot) meaning you have to select your source, then search for the album you were listening to, just to be able to see what track is next. I'd prefer it to just go back one level, to what ever playlist you were in.
Also, when it finishes one playlist, it automaticly starts playing the next as if it were the next track. In my opinion its better to stop playing all together. This is confusing when you're listening to one genre and then it starts playing the next playlist of a completely different genre.
Lastly, due to the screen size, if a track is over an hour long, the screen cannot fit the time at the bottom of the screen and so the first two digits are cut off which can be confusing.
Specifications:
Frequency Response: 10Hz-21kHz
Sensitivity (dB): 105dB
Impedance: 32 ohms
Signal-to-Noise: 96dB
Memory capacity: 4GB expanding SD card slot.
Card Compatibility: MicroSD, HCSD
Battery continually playing time: > 10hours (volume @ 3)
Compatible formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC
Screen: 1 inch OLED
Color available: Brushed black
USB type: mini USB 2.0
Dimension: 81.85mm L x 50mm W x 20.65 (MM)
Weight:110G
Price: ~£120
Sound Quality
When using iem's with a high sensativity such as the IE8's you can hear a background hiss when nothing is playing, this is unnoticeable while listening though. hisound recommend to use a 70 OHM impedance cable which they also sell. Also the choise of headphone and tip effects the sound.
The bass is powerful, punchy and not too muddy. The mids are verry clear and detailed. The highs are energetic and extended.
Conclusion
Most of all I'd definatly prefer a bigger screen as navigating long playlists or tracks with long tittles is a chore. I think the player is a bit thick, but alot smaller than i imagined from viewing the pictures online, and it seems to be average compared to competing players from brands such as hi-fi man which also look bulky. I suppose this is a small price to pay when including powerful components while remaining portable.
In conclusion I think its a good product which most importantly sounds great, but the presentation could be improved. For example, i'd like to see a bigger screen and a more intuitive navigating experience. Also, some form of protective carrying case would be a nice accessory to avoid damage during transport, I'm a bit worried about it getting scratched up or crushed without one.
I think my review of this player has been fairly harsh (focusing on the few niggles i had, other than that its a solid player) but hopefully this will give you an idea what to expect and will help hisoundaudio know where they can improve their product. You may not be too bothered about some of the things i've noticed and if your after a sound focused portable player I'd still recommend you consider the RoCoo. It certainly 'does what it says on the tin' so to speak, but theres still room for improvement and i look forward to their future products.
Piture (featured with the PoPo iem):
I recently came across a video review of the RoCoo P on youtube and being interested in purchasing a dap to match my earphones, I decided get one. I've been trying it with some Sennheiser IE 8's and have also tried the Grado sr80i's which were suitable.
Purchase and Packaging and Contents
I emailed service@hisoundaudio.com and received a swift response advising how i could purchase the player. This worked, but I hope the website will allow orders through it in the future.
The player came packaged securely protected by foam and there were no issues with the condition.
Contents:
RoCoo P
PAA-1 earbuds
Wall charger (without adaptor)
usb cable
User manual (chinese and english)
VIP card for future purchases
Design, Build quality and Weight
It feels robust, lightweight and unintrusive in the pocket. The buttons are mechanical which are responsive with a tactile bump. It has a 1" OLED screen which does the job, but is a bit small. The front and back are made of plastic with glossy finish which can attract finger prints as expected and the sides are brushed metal. The battery life lasts up to 10 hours and can be charged by usb or wall port.
It includes a reset button for use when upgrading the firmware and general troubleshooting should anything go wrong.
Ease of use and User Interface
Navigating the operating system took a few minutes to learn and focuses on a practicle/no thrills experience. Transfering music to the player is done by dragging and dropping your files/folders to it with explorer (no need to install anything). It Includes 4gb of storage but you can add more via the MicroSD slot.
I read that it has an issue with the names of flac files which can be resolved by editing the id tags of your files before transfering them. Google Mp3tag for an application that will assist with this. Personally i didn't have any issues with this out of the box, I'm not sure whether this is due to the firmware it was shipped with or whether it was just my files. I dropped a few albums which are flac format onto it and it displays the names perfectly and plays without issues.
The menus allow you to choose the internal or external memory locations. Within each you can see the folders you transfered.
Theres a setting that allows you to toggle the button sound and theres also a basic equalizer containing presets but everyone recommends leaving this default (natural).
I must admit, I prefer the navigation of the older gen ipods compared to the RoCoo. They are similar in that they both use four directional buttons and a center button, except the ipods use the touch sensative 'disc' to change volume and navigate. This is alot better in my opinion as it free's up the top and bottom buttons for core functions. The RoCoo feels as if it's replicating this to the best it can without copying the disc and instead incorporates the volume control with the top and bottom buttons.
In my opinion, I think the amount of controls are too confined on this amount of buttons, Apple really nailed it with simplicity. The RoCoo really had me puzzled for a few minutes just trying to find the back button without stopping the track.
The instructions were a little hard for me to comprehend as the center button performs multiple functions depending how long its pressed. You really need to try it hands on for a few minutes to understand it.
Another thing i noticed about the navigation is when you are listening to a track in a playlist, to go back you hold the center button for a few seconds. This takes you all the way back to the source selection menu (for internal memory or expansion slot) meaning you have to select your source, then search for the album you were listening to, just to be able to see what track is next. I'd prefer it to just go back one level, to what ever playlist you were in.
Also, when it finishes one playlist, it automaticly starts playing the next as if it were the next track. In my opinion its better to stop playing all together. This is confusing when you're listening to one genre and then it starts playing the next playlist of a completely different genre.
Lastly, due to the screen size, if a track is over an hour long, the screen cannot fit the time at the bottom of the screen and so the first two digits are cut off which can be confusing.
Specifications:
Frequency Response: 10Hz-21kHz
Sensitivity (dB): 105dB
Impedance: 32 ohms
Signal-to-Noise: 96dB
Memory capacity: 4GB expanding SD card slot.
Card Compatibility: MicroSD, HCSD
Battery continually playing time: > 10hours (volume @ 3)
Compatible formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC
Screen: 1 inch OLED
Color available: Brushed black
USB type: mini USB 2.0
Dimension: 81.85mm L x 50mm W x 20.65 (MM)
Weight:110G
Price: ~£120
Sound Quality
When using iem's with a high sensativity such as the IE8's you can hear a background hiss when nothing is playing, this is unnoticeable while listening though. hisound recommend to use a 70 OHM impedance cable which they also sell. Also the choise of headphone and tip effects the sound.
The bass is powerful, punchy and not too muddy. The mids are verry clear and detailed. The highs are energetic and extended.
Conclusion
Most of all I'd definatly prefer a bigger screen as navigating long playlists or tracks with long tittles is a chore. I think the player is a bit thick, but alot smaller than i imagined from viewing the pictures online, and it seems to be average compared to competing players from brands such as hi-fi man which also look bulky. I suppose this is a small price to pay when including powerful components while remaining portable.
In conclusion I think its a good product which most importantly sounds great, but the presentation could be improved. For example, i'd like to see a bigger screen and a more intuitive navigating experience. Also, some form of protective carrying case would be a nice accessory to avoid damage during transport, I'm a bit worried about it getting scratched up or crushed without one.
I think my review of this player has been fairly harsh (focusing on the few niggles i had, other than that its a solid player) but hopefully this will give you an idea what to expect and will help hisoundaudio know where they can improve their product. You may not be too bothered about some of the things i've noticed and if your after a sound focused portable player I'd still recommend you consider the RoCoo. It certainly 'does what it says on the tin' so to speak, but theres still room for improvement and i look forward to their future products.
Piture (featured with the PoPo iem):
