[crabdog]

crabdog patient be young padawan you must! For T6/8 wait you must!

Don't know how long I can hold out. T6 is still vaporware at this stage

 

[PJABBER]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/720512/obscure-chinese-daps/1995#post_13128934
http://www.head-fi.org/t/720512/obscure-chinese-daps/1980#post_13127383
 
The T6 is not really vaporware in that it is starting to be available for ordering at sites like -
 
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/BENJIE-Original-1-8-TFT-Screen-Full-Zinc-Alloy-Lossless-HiFi-MP3-Music-Player-Support-256GB/32779229747.html
 
However, having bought a few of these units and staying in touch with Shenzhen Benjie subsequently, it believe it would be wise to wait a little bit longer until they get the kinks worked out of this device.
 
As I note in my initial comments (as a long-time lurker, I joined Head-Fi specifically to make a small info contribution back!) the V1.0 firmware of the T6 does not yet support DSD files, nor higher quality FLAC files. Of the three units that I bought, one has developed an intermittent but very audible static in background, indicating a hardware component fault. The units I have are from very early in their initial production run, so I expect better QA in subsequent manufacturing.
 
Benjie does have a revised firmware completed for manufacturing but it is not yet packaged for end user install. I have been promised that the engineer will send me the new firmware once it has been packaged and I will post here when I do an update install.
 
If you happen to be at CES, you can meet their sales team here -
 
International Consumer Electronics Show(CES)  
Booth No.:  2407 
Las Vegas Convention Center/Westgate 
3150 Paradise Road Las Vegas, NV 89119

 

[To.M]

Thanx for the update man! Good to know the price 50usd, I guess T8 should be 80-100usd then.

 

[PJABBER]

The price, feature set and the Benjie S5 thread here are what attracted me to order the T6, but now I am experiencing the tribulations of being a first mover! Oh well, someone has to bear the burden! At least I am getting a chance to build a wonderful relationship with Benjie staff! 

 

[crabdog]

 

I must say the actual photos don't look anywhere near as good as the render on their website - a bit rough around the edges. Also no line out is a bit disappointing.
 
Thanks for the info, I'm now okay with waiting a bit longer to see how their next firmware update goes before I pull the trigger. Any idea on the release schedule for the T3 or T8?

 

[PJABBER]

Definitely a different look and configuration for the real product vs the rendering that they have on their sites! I particularly wanted a device with lock button for travel use and a dedicated line out would have been sweet.
 
I called their sales manager once I got my T6s because I thought they had sent me the wrong product, the start of what has turned out to be about a dozen WeChat and email messages back and forth so far.
 
No firm date on the T8. I have to read between the lines but my guess is end of Q1 as they wanted to better gauge interest at CES to refine the spec.
 
The T3 should be out very soon now as it will be manufactured at a relatively inexpensive price point and thus be more economically viable for them to produce in volume, but I have not seen it in a recent cursory search of Chinese distributor web sites. Of course, Benjie does have a variety of models that are presented in one way and then released in a different form or OEM'd so I might be missing it as named or ultimately configured. 
 
I believe that most recently, as a business model, they get a spec identified and then build to that level with an aim to undercut competitor pricing. They have generally released decent quality for very low price points in both the music player and voice recording niches when they do so. The S5 really is an excellent example of engineering to a very low price point. However, some Russian sites have commented that in the past Benjie sought out out deals on component parts and then built around those they found, rather than do spec work, so their product can be hit or miss based on component sourcing. Probably why they have so many different models with such close specs.
 
Will have to see how well a T8 level of build works against competing product lines from Fiio, XDuoo, Cowon and the host of others that are chasing relatively low numbers of audiophiles, albeit at higher profit margins.

 

[GuywhoLikesHIFI]

Sorry to be a pest, but do you have any more thoughts on the Mrobo C5? Sound quality, battery, UI, etc? Thanks. 

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

I also got a Mrobo C5 just to check out what these type of random dac daps sound like, I'm not impressed, the sound lacks emotion, lacks contrast, lacks immersion, I'd personally rather listen to music on my phone LG G3 than C5. It doesn't sound downright bad, don't take my impression the wrong way, it just doesn't sound good, in any way... Go get a Walnut V2, don't waste your money on C5.
 
If anyone want's to buy my once listened C5 in box, let me know...

 

[crabdog]

  Sorry to be a pest, but do you have any more thoughts on the Mrobo C5? Sound quality, battery, UI, etc? Thanks. 

With EQ off the sound is very thin, the bass and lower mids are sucked right out. There is a custom EQ so this can be 'fixed' but I think there's something wrong with the default setting. Sound quality after EQ is really good, very resolving with loads of detail. The battery life is absurdly good. I haven't tested total life of it but am just about to do a full charge then measure it. The UI is very responsive, fast and for the most part logical. There's no album art on the "Now Playing" screen though, just track/album/artist and time info but no indication of bitrate. Build quality is extremely solid. Hope that helps.

 

[JASru]

Guys, as I see it Ihifi 780 is on Ali already? Any first impressions from China?
How much is it on Tao?

 

[fredhubbard2]

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/XUELIN-Xue-Lin-IHIFI780-DSD-lossless-portable-MP3-HiFi-music-player-8GB-/282312955439?hash=item41bb29d62f%3Ag%3AX2oAAOSwo4pYa2ZQ&_trkparms=pageci%253A0ec74362-d4f3-11e6-8298-74dbd180d87b%257Cparentrq%253A79ad23be1590a624b7fe5cd9ffc6f83e%257Ciid%253A1

Bit more expensive than I was hoping for

 

[jdog]

  Guys, as I see it Ihifi 780 is on Ali already? Any first impressions from China?
How much is it on Tao?

There is one vendor on eBay selling the 780 already, but his/her asking price seems to be more than we will see when others such as Penon Audio and Gearbest finally receive their supplies... From what I can tell on the Chinese forum that can be accessed thru the Xuelin website (i-hifi.com), it doesn't look like the people who pre-ordered the 780 from TaoBao have received the player yet; from what I can tell from a post by Xuelin, it looks like delivery is still 1-2 weeks away for those that pre-ordered.  The price on TaoBao is ~$72 US, Penon quoted me a price several weeks ago in the $80-90 range.  The vendor on ebay is currently asking ~$119...  If I can find one in the ~$80 range, I may pick one up when it is available....  By the way, I don't see a listing for the 780 on Aliexpress yet...

 

[LaLoon]

Actually it is available from (at least) Aoshida HIFI on Aliexpress.Still, the price is on par with the one on Ebay
 
*both are from Aoshida

 

[fredhubbard2]

^ really hope you're right ill defo get one if they come down to £75 ish

 

[LaLoon]

Give it a good 30 days and along with the better price (maybe even better than 75 pounds, who knows) you will get an updated firmware and a bunch of reviews to make your choice safer