[JoonBug]

^As for the modding, so few people have it.. And I don't think they're here.

As for wanting the CF, I'd jump on it if it were a bit cheaper, offered FLAC support of 24/96 or 24/192, and had a bit better battery life. Maybe the next gen or some firmware updates oughta do it. Here's hoping~

 

[JoonBug]

Asked Ken from ALO Audio what he thought about them.
Here is what happened:
 
Me:
"Hi Ken,
I heard the C4 recently arrived at your shop and was wondering what you thought of it? Is it a match to the HM-801 or better or worse? What do you think about the build quality? The whole feasibility of the C4 being used as a portable device? Any other personal opinions appreciated.

Many thanks,
Joon"
 
Reply:
"HI Joon,
I have not had a chance to compare it with the HM-801 because we do not carry the HM-801. We really like the Colorfly as a simple one box solution and its build quality is very good. Personally I use a Solo and Continental portable tube amp.
 
Thanks
Ken"
 
My apologies Ken if I'm somehow distorting your words in the above interpretation. Anyways, to Ken it seems like the C4 wasn't enough to usurp his personal rig, which means I guess since it's sometimes regarded that HM-801 > ACLS + iMod + amp then the Colorfly is somewhere below the iMod combo? Anyways this is just speculation.
 
JB
 
Quote:

Couldn't hurt to ask.

 

 

[Shubar]

Would anyone see the Colorfly as a viable dedicated fixed source through the [size=inherit][size=inherit]S/PDIF out to a DAC>AMP>Headphones? I don't like the idea of a CD player source nor do I want to leave my computer on when I listen to music.[/size][/size]
 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Would anyone see the Colorfly as a viable dedicated fixed source through the [size=inherit][size=inherit]S/PDIF out to a DAC>AMP>Headphones? I don't like the idea of a CD player source nor do I want to leave my computer on when I listen to music.[/size][/size]
 

QLS QA350 is another alternative for much less.
 

 

[nickosiris]

Or the HiFiMan HM-801 for a bit more! 
 
The 801 does have the advantage of being able to play 24-96 Flac, and brings me much joy by doing so.

 

[nickosiris]

Quote:

Wrong again. It is clear from their information that the Colorfly only plays Wav files in 24/96 or 24/192. Flac files play in 16/44 but can be upsampled if you wish. However, having used this player for some months now I have come to the conclusion that at 16/44 this player is superb and so I now only bother with higher resolution files for demo reasons or albums that I truly want in 24/96. Besides, there is still not a huge choice of files in Hi Res apart from Classical and Jazz, music which I do not crave for. They are working on new firmware that will enable Flac at higher resolution for those that want it.
Quote and not mine: 'For anyone with ears, this is an essential purchase'!

 
Disagree. I can find a very wide variety of 24-96 music out there. Also, for those with a little patience and a half decent record player, it's possible to rip your own vinyl at 24-96, often resulting in files that are markedly more delicious than a CD rip. A DR of 20 is not unknown using this method.
 
 

 

[swbf2cheater]

I thought the C4 was a bit too expensive for my needs and picked up the CK4 instead.  I used the fastest of the three shipping methods so hopefully I will get it in sometime next week.  

 

[pbains1]

My brother bought the C4 a few weeks ago. He also has Ultrasone palladium Edition 8 headphones. Now this is a combination that costs near 2000 pounds... I was really impressed with the sound, and just really enjoyed listening to this for hours. So I wouldn't make to many assumptions until you have managed to test it yourself with music you know. 
 
I still wouldn't buy it mainly because i dont feel it is truly portable and I have no idea how it would sound with lesser headphones, basically i dont have 2k to spend.
 
Now if this could just double up as a network streamer with the ability to interface with an ipad\iphone and remain portable....

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

I thought the C4 was a bit too expensive for my needs and picked up the CK4 instead.  I used the fastest of the three shipping methods so hopefully I will get it in sometime next week.  

I'm assuming you read some of the many complaints about the quality control, or lack thereof, on the CK4 ???

 
I suspect that Colorfly ran into the same sorts of issues HiFiMan experienced with the HM-601 - you find someone who can build the thing for a competitive price (vs mainstream DAPs) and they reward you with Soviet-era quality. That could come back to bite me if my T51 is DOA, but the CK4 seems to have a lot more unhappy campers than any other audiophile player I can think of.
 

 

[Skoobs]

pass, because i cant afford one. however, i am totally jelly of anyone who can. this thing is a work of art.
 
the style is reminiscent of steampunk that isbecoming such a large sub-trend these days...
 
thing is so beautiful... *drool*
 
plus i have an ipod which i would like to get away from. blech.
 
honestly i like the sound signature of the sansa clip, if this was just a bigger one of those (bigger battery, bigger caps, etc.) i would think this would do very well =)

 

[Buckie]

Hi all. Bought this one just for the fun of it all, listened to a variety of material, for now only on Westones UM3X, but planning to try it with some other headphones as well (IEMs and over ears).
Anyhow, the first and staying impression is that the sound is VERY detailed. So detailed it gets tiring. Perhaps it's the combination of the highly resolving IEMs and the highly resolving source, but still. The big picture of music (the fun and the magic) gets obscured by little details. Perhaps some would call this kind of sound "analytical". Other than I couldn't hear any significant differences from Nokia N9 (yeah, not exactly audiophile-grade stuff) that I use all the time on the go. The amount of additional detail is massive, but that is all. I want to trying pairing it with a darker monitor, such as IE8 and see what happens. So far I like Nokia's take with all its distortions (albeit small) more pleasing and relaxing. Speaking of distortions, they're very low, I judge this by how loud you can play it before it starts to hurt. Obviously with the Colorfly you can make it very loud without discomfort. I'd still get equally tired of listening to it after a while regardless if it's quiet or loud.
 
Other things of note: CLICK CLICK CLICKS everywhere - when switching tracks (even when playing in a playlist), it clicks every time which is very stupid. If you're switching between modes (DAC, player, etc..) the click is very LOUD and can make your ears hurt. It's like getting an electrical shock once and you never get to really trust the device afterwards. Sad.
 
The build quality is okay, the included mini USB cable doesn't fit snugly and wobbles slightly, the computer once dropped the connection whilst copying files probably because of that cable but who knows... The included cover/case covers the mini jack output so you can't anything into it.
 
The firmware is very raw, full of grammar errors and refusing to update to a newer version (if we are to believe the version numbers posted on the website are correct), the inclusion of preset equalizer settings is downright dumb in my opinion, you can't fine tune it and are left with lousy "Rock" "Pop" etc settings which seriously foil the sound quality. Even more idiotic is that they decided you'd need it so often on a hifi device that it warrants having a separate button on the front that is too easy to press accidentally which will leave you wondering what happened to the sound. Equally baffling is the resolution/bitness switch on the same button. I personally don't want to press it all the time to switch between 44.1 and 192, has this thing been designed by an engineer? The UI is ugly and not exactly fluid. Switching between FLAC tracks always pops up a message about a "Play Error!" but then the file plays just fine afterwards.
 
The screen quality is very bad. The viewing angle is so narrow that even when viewed with ONE eye, one part of the screen will look washed out while the other will be sort of normal. With two eyes it's much worse and uncomfortable.
 
Finally, yes, the front is lacquered metal and the wood back feels nice in hands.

 

[Buckie]

An update to initial impressions...
I was able to A/B the C4 later that day with Denon DCD-2000AE player using Tannoy Ellipse 8s. I've grown up with those monitors so they're like a second pair of ears to me. The line was directly fed into the speakers with only a passive attenuator in the middle. Listened to several various tracks but the differences became readily apparent on "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry" by Diana Krall. No matter how resolving the Colorfly is, it's very bright and the mids are disembodied. Where Denon gives you a clear honest even round full middle, the C4 sounds empty. There's a hellish amount of detail in the upper frequencies, every breath and every hiss and click but unfortunately there's no body to the sound. Not good for vocals at all. Not good for leisurely listening as it's too tiring and empty. Stereo image is also curiously lacking, but I must listen some more to make sure.
 
It looks like the idea behind this player was to throw some badass components together - the silk capacitors, the oscillator - things they advertise on the website - and call it a day (and a product). It's definitely not enough as the whole thing requires musical tuning as well and lots of hours of critical listening until it's perfect and each internal part plays in harmony. Obviously that wasn't the case with the Colorfly. They hope to ride on the buzzwords alone.

 

[lwd]

I'm listening to mine right now. It's by no means perfect but my experience is certainly different to yours (and more positive). It's a big step up from my ipod in terms of sq not to mention that I can use it to drive 'real' headphones. I agree it's very detailed and maybe a tad bright, certainly not warm and lush, but I wouldn't say very bright. I'm listening with a pair of Sony EX1000s which seem to be a good match. Also I don't get the 'play error' you are talking about when playing Flacs. No problems there. The UI is a little clunky compared  to an ipod or whatever but I find it perfectly usable. I agree that the 'equaliser' settings are a waste of space. In terms of the case, you can insert the player the other way around an have access to all of the ports.

 

[Sangaphunchai]

Does it play apple lossless?

 

[lwd]

No, it doesn't play apple lossless.