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No optical on X7, but will have co-ax.
And 3.97" touchscreen.
But yeah, it will be $699, so significantly more expensive than projected price of the Echobox Explorer X1
The Official Echobox Explorer Thread
- Thread starter EchoboxAudio
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No optical on X7, but will have co-ax.
And 3.97" touchscreen.
But yeah, it will be $699, so significantly more expensive than projected price of the Echobox Explorer X1
marcin z
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Tidal is called Wimp HiFi in Poland, Germany, Sweden, Norway & Denmark
http://about.wimpmusic.com/wweb/index/
SeEnCreaTive
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Agreed, as well as basic things like inputs, outputs.
@Gilly87 I'm not saying the normal 1792 is any better or any worse then the A. But originally it was a big selling point "being the only DAP to use it" becuase its so much better. When you just said so yourself its the implementation that truly counts
I really do believe that this could blow the doors off anything else and am ready to dump the $450.
I apolgise for the spec focus, but power is a biggy for me as well as PC DAC/amp use. And trying to find out why the 1792 was so much better as you out it was selling big too, as it was one of the selling points.
As for streaming again, a phone with a DAC/amp could pull it off. But the Echobox is a much nicer solution, with wireless phone streaming (although a battery killer) and other streaming services could make up for the lack of memory (I am very glad this is being worked on)
I will completely and utterly eat my words after you cleared some things up, and frankly apologize and am excited for this. Like I saidthe design is roughly the greatest thing ever, and know it has the power to drive even some of my yh-100s (heh almost), I really don't have any issue with forking out more for a better product. Especially something that will last a long time.
One more point I'd like to bring up, not a biggy, when the battery starts to wear out a few years down the road how difficult would it be to replace? That could be another great selling factor over other DAPs
Yikes, the pics I saw looked just like the other FiiO players only bigger. Good to know the competition.
We'll still be more affordable
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We'll still be more affordable
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Understood. I appreciate your patience.
To be honest I had simply done my research and found that this DAC was only used in a few higher-end CD players and DACs costing in the thousands, like the old Meier Corda Opera and Bel Canto e.One DAC. The fact that it was available only in such high end devices, and can't be found in any widely available products, is what led me to make that claim.
Replaceable battery is a great idea! Hadn't thought of it; that's one of the things I love about my Android phones vs the iPhone, so it's going on the short list. Thank you!!
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To be honest I had simply done my research and found that this DAC was only used in a few higher-end CD players and DACs costing in the thousands, like the old Meier Corda Opera and Bel Canto e.One DAC. The fact that it was available only in such high end devices, and can't be found in any widely available products, is what led me to make that claim.
Replaceable battery is a great idea! Hadn't thought of it; that's one of the things I love about my Android phones vs the iPhone, so it's going on the short list. Thank you!!
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spatzi
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About time someone focused on streaming as priority. five years of spotify and it took this long? I signed up for spotify a couple months ago and it's the best thing I ever did. I am late to the party. Being a tech head, I feel somewhat ashamed. Makes 90% of my painstakingly accrued hard drive collection obsolete.
I also don't own a smart phone and don't intend to. I have owned the Apple iPod, the Fiio x3, the Fiio X5 and now the Sony A17. Fiio products were sold because they were 1) too big to be portable 2) couldnt stream 3) lousy UI 4) low battery, and even worse with OTG . 5) I didn't need the power of the X5 to run my portable headphones. 6) sound quality difference between Fiio and Sony was to me, very minor.
The Sony player has been the closest I've been able to get to an ideal player. Small, good UI, amazing 30-40 hr battery, expandable storage, 64 GB onboard storage, clear bass. The only thing it is missing is Spotify downloading ability, and I am not paying $850 for a zx1 or $1200 for a zx2 to get that feature. Was initially interested in Fiio X7, but it's price point is also too high just to get the streaming ability, it's still a brick, and it still will only offer about 10 hours battery life.
I am intrigued by your product but my main concern now is the battery life. 10 hours to me just does not cut it for a portable audio device. My ipad gets 15. You mentioned it would be 8 to 10 hours running 24/192 files. I don't own the files like this and find it complete overkill which I am never going to hear anyway. How long would this battery life be extended for MP3 or downloaded Spotify content? Get a bigger capacity battery extender to at least 15-20 hours and I am more interested.
While I appreciate the extra power to run big headphones, I'm using my Sony as a portable which means I'm using small easy to drive headphones, in this case Koss ksc 35's. Wish there was a way to cut the power to the headphones so that you could extend the battery if you didn't need it. 15 mw output works fine for me on the Sony.
I don't mind the flask design. In this day and age where people don't even look at each other anymore, let alone talk to each other I can't imagine anyone caring about what kind of audio player I am using, especially when it is concealed in my pocket 90% of the time. Unless you're actually holding the player up to your mouth every minute making it look like you're having a swig, then stumbling or puking on the guy next to you on transit, who really cares? If the player required you to leave your pants at home in order to use it outside well then yes I could see the problem. It looks to me like it will be more comfortable in my pocket.
I am intrigued. My concerns now are battery and size: it's obviously not as small as the Sony a 17 but hopefully it's not going to be as unwieldy as the X5. I want to be able to take the player to the gym without my pants falling down.
I also don't own a smart phone and don't intend to. I have owned the Apple iPod, the Fiio x3, the Fiio X5 and now the Sony A17. Fiio products were sold because they were 1) too big to be portable 2) couldnt stream 3) lousy UI 4) low battery, and even worse with OTG . 5) I didn't need the power of the X5 to run my portable headphones. 6) sound quality difference between Fiio and Sony was to me, very minor.
The Sony player has been the closest I've been able to get to an ideal player. Small, good UI, amazing 30-40 hr battery, expandable storage, 64 GB onboard storage, clear bass. The only thing it is missing is Spotify downloading ability, and I am not paying $850 for a zx1 or $1200 for a zx2 to get that feature. Was initially interested in Fiio X7, but it's price point is also too high just to get the streaming ability, it's still a brick, and it still will only offer about 10 hours battery life.
I am intrigued by your product but my main concern now is the battery life. 10 hours to me just does not cut it for a portable audio device. My ipad gets 15. You mentioned it would be 8 to 10 hours running 24/192 files. I don't own the files like this and find it complete overkill which I am never going to hear anyway. How long would this battery life be extended for MP3 or downloaded Spotify content? Get a bigger capacity battery extender to at least 15-20 hours and I am more interested.
While I appreciate the extra power to run big headphones, I'm using my Sony as a portable which means I'm using small easy to drive headphones, in this case Koss ksc 35's. Wish there was a way to cut the power to the headphones so that you could extend the battery if you didn't need it. 15 mw output works fine for me on the Sony.
I don't mind the flask design. In this day and age where people don't even look at each other anymore, let alone talk to each other I can't imagine anyone caring about what kind of audio player I am using, especially when it is concealed in my pocket 90% of the time. Unless you're actually holding the player up to your mouth every minute making it look like you're having a swig, then stumbling or puking on the guy next to you on transit, who really cares? If the player required you to leave your pants at home in order to use it outside well then yes I could see the problem. It looks to me like it will be more comfortable in my pocket.
I am intrigued. My concerns now are battery and size: it's obviously not as small as the Sony a 17 but hopefully it's not going to be as unwieldy as the X5. I want to be able to take the player to the gym without my pants falling down.
Uberclocked
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You could pay ~$400 for a used ZX1, but I imagine a used Explorer would be even cheaper and have better sq.
Hmmm...well, weight is going to be on par with the FiiO players, but we are looking into a custom belt clip/holster for those who want to use it for workouts, so it's not sloshing around inside a pocket.
Battery life will likely be improved for lower bitrate files, but not exponentially; I think you could expect an extra few hours running on MP3s alone, but unfortunately a bigger battery means more weight! Our primary focus is on top-quality output for the price, which it sounds like you just won't be utilizing, to be frank.
Were I in your shoes, I'd be looking at an iPod touch, or maybe a simpler Android-based player. Echobox products are geared towards on-the-go use with very high-end IEMs and full-sized studio-worthy cans, and while I'm sure you enjoy your tunes as much as anyone, I think the Explorer is a bit overkill for your desired use.
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Battery life will likely be improved for lower bitrate files, but not exponentially; I think you could expect an extra few hours running on MP3s alone, but unfortunately a bigger battery means more weight! Our primary focus is on top-quality output for the price, which it sounds like you just won't be utilizing, to be frank.
Were I in your shoes, I'd be looking at an iPod touch, or maybe a simpler Android-based player. Echobox products are geared towards on-the-go use with very high-end IEMs and full-sized studio-worthy cans, and while I'm sure you enjoy your tunes as much as anyone, I think the Explorer is a bit overkill for your desired use.
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Uberclocked
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spatzi
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Beyer t90's. I use those solely at home, with a full size stereo receiver set up (with spotify) so I likely won't need a portable player for using my beyer's at home. I love how the company is pushing me away from purchasing this explorer.
How refreshing; but the problem is they are suggesting I buy what I am trying to avoid buying: an iPod touch. Surely, this can't be the only way? An almost three year old tech device (ancient history) that is very likely to never be updated again and dropped completely from the apple line. The last itouch (2012) won't even run properly with their latest iOS. Plus, itouch is not a high end audio device; plus it has lousy battery. To get decent sound from itouch, I would also need to buy a dac/amp like a Herus, run it through the lightning connector, and that's another $400.
Uberclocked
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Beyer t90's. I use those solely at home, with a full size stereo receiver set up (with spotify) so I likely won't need a portable player for using my beyer's at home. I love how the company is pushing me away from purchasing this explorer.
He probably though that you were only gonna pair the Explorer with the KSC35s, as Explorer is overkill for a budget-fi pair of headphones.
If you want an all in one device, the Explorer probably will fit the bill quite nicely.
SQ from the iTouch/iPhone is actually pretty decent btw.
Oh wow I thought you meant just for the gym.
I use T90s too! The Explorer is a PERFECT match for them, IMO; the T90, EL-8, and HD650 are the three best pairings I've heard so far. T1 sounds pretty darn good, too.
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I use T90s too! The Explorer is a PERFECT match for them, IMO; the T90, EL-8, and HD650 are the three best pairings I've heard so far. T1 sounds pretty darn good, too.
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Beyer t90's. I use those solely at home, with a full size stereo receiver set up (with spotify) so I likely won't need a portable player for using my beyer's at home. I love how the company is pushing me away from purchasing this explorer.
Uberclocked
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Check the video posted at the top of this page for size. It seems to be roughly the size as the X5, so I'm not sure if it'll fit your needs.
spatzi
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Good to know. Look forward to hearing more about this pairing. Perhaps I would even listen to my beyer t 90's at home with a portable if the portable can power them. Right now it's a bit of a hassle running extension cables through the wall for me to listen to my living room system in the bedroom.
What is the projected release date?
That's exactly why we're making it! Hook up to your comp via WiFi and stream all your files from anywhere in your house 
If you're in SoCal I could meet you for a demo, but for now I've got the only (fully functioning) unit in my possession, so you probably won't see/hear much as far as impressions go until Canjam in March if you're too far to meet up.
We may have some early bird units in a month or so, but full-scale production is looking like summer.
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If you're in SoCal I could meet you for a demo, but for now I've got the only (fully functioning) unit in my possession, so you probably won't see/hear much as far as impressions go until Canjam in March if you're too far to meet up.We may have some early bird units in a month or so, but full-scale production is looking like summer.
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