SOUNDAWARE M1(PRO) Portable Player with Proprietary FPGA Architecture

[Mython]

  The build material is aluminium alloy.

 
 
Ahh... interesting.
 
OK, that changes things somewhat (for the better!)

 

[Mython]

  We want Esther to be simple and convenient, lighter, smaller for audiophiles. 

 
 
I have to say, although I am a bit nervous about the battery life, I do really like how compact & lightweight this DAP is (looks a bit thicker than 14mm, though). I believe you are wise to take this seriously, because there are too many heavy bricks on the market, that really aren't suited to frequent pocket-use.
 
It is nice to see someone taking a more compact approach to producing a serious audiophile DAP, with decent storage expansion, and without too many unnecessary features or just 'copying' other manufacturers.
 
Props to iBasso for their DX90, but the Esther offers more storage, which is important to me.
 
I also like that your engineers have made the effort to include a co-ax digital-out (but the Fiio and X5 and the iBasso DX90 do also have this)
 
 
My problem, in guessing the price, is that I do not know how your DAPs will sound, or the build quality, because you have never (AFAIK) produced a DAP before. But, because you assure us that your team are perfectionists:
 

  The appearance of Esther is being refined for SOUNDAWARE want to make perfection more perfect.
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

This is the knockout trial design and color.
 

 
SOUNDAWARE is very picky on design and workmanship. lol....

 
 
...and because it is clear that you have made a great effort to think very carefully about the circuit design, I am taking a 'leap-of-faith' in believing that Esther may be a high-class piece of equipment.
 
 

  what is the sound signature like and the price

 
fresh and alive, sense of presence, with impressively analog.

 
 
It's a very competitive marketplace. The DX90 has its faults, for sure, but it offers a huge bang-for-the-buck, for only $419, and is similarly lightweight and compact. Will the Esther be twice as good? That's rather unlikely, but I can believe that it will have greater attention to power supply design, and alloy casework is nice, too. I also acknowledge that you haven't just used a standard circuit topology, but have made some effort to do something different in the DAP world.
 
Then I look at the screen, and it's little different from Fiio's X5. I don't mind that, because it does exactly what it needs to do, and I'm interested in music quality, not playing videos or surfing the web, which a cellphone is better suited-to. However, it is only fair to acknowledge that other DAPs do offer a premium screen (Sony ZX1 / ZX2, Fiio X7, Calyx-M, etc.). That may not be strictly necessary, but it does add significantly to the component costs. Fiio's X7 will offer a lot of hardware for $699, for example.
 
 
So, I'm trying to balance the use of a non-premium screen vs a carefully-designed circuit topology, and vs the excellent bang-for-the-buck of the $419 DX90.
 
I want to make a stretch and, based on good faith that this will sound very, very good, guess much higher than the existing guesses in the thread, but, then I keep looking at the DX90, and I just don't see how Esther can be much more than $500, so I have to restrain myself and guess $489. It's funny, because I'm seldom this unsure about the probable price-point of a DAP, but the Soundaware Esther is such an unknown quantity in the marketplace.
 

  The price is based on sq, function, spec. and so on. We promise that the price will be reason and affordable.

 

  Perfect sq has always been one of our pursuit and goal. 
We believe in that the sq will not let audio addicts down.
We look forward to win-win situation both to customers and manufacturer.

 
 
Because it may offer audiophile performance without being a brick, the Esther might turn out to be a big-seller (especially if you release it at an affordable price). It seems quite clear to me that you have noticed that the DX90 almost hit a very sweet spot in the DAP market, but fell-short due to only one microSD card slot, and (perhaps) not enough attention paid to the design of the power supply areas of the circuitry.
 
 
 

  What's the output impedance of the Esther?

I would also like to know the answer to this question, please.
 
 
.

 

[headwhacker]

$749 to me looks like suicide. Especially for a first DAP, just look at X7. To make Esther competitive it should not breach $the 500 mark. I doubt it can sound leaps and bounds better than a DX90 or X5 (though I will be glad to be wrong) especially when Esther appers to offer the same power level as the other 2 DAPs mentioned. At the very least we will have another excellent sounding DAP offering a different flavor than existing DAPs.

Ideally it should be around $400. Different circuit topology sound fancy but it's really very difficult to compete in the DAP market now just by SQ alone.

 

[Mython]

$749 to me looks like suicide. Especially for a first DAP, just look at X7. To make Esther competitive it should not breach $the 500 mark. I doubt it can sound leaps and bounds better than a DX90 or X5 (though I will be glad to be wrong) especially when Esther appers to offer the same power level as the other 2 DAPs mentioned. At the very least we will have another excellent sounding DAP offering a different flavor than existing DAPs.

Ideally it should be around $400. Different circuit topology sound fancy but it's really very difficult to compete in the DAP market now just by SQ alone.

 
 
Yes, I agree. I have been mulling this over, all morning, and I did revise my post whilst you were typing yours. I can't recall the last time I was so unsure about a DAP, but that's partly because Soundaware are new to the DAP marketplace, and partly because the DAP uses non-standard topology, as well as a few other reasons.

 

[headwhacker]

Yes, I agree. I have been mulling this over, all morning, and I did revise my post whilst you were typing yours. I can't recall the last time I was so unsure about a DAP, but that's partly because Soundaware are new to the DAP marketplace, and partly because the DAP uses non-standard topology, as well as a few other reasons.

I already have X5 and DX90, Although, I recognize the difference in SQ or signature but it's easier to forget over time and I found myself using X5 more lately not because of SQ but rather because of other things that add to listening experience. X5 clearly has the superior and very useful UI compared to DX90. Even with rockbox DX90 loses out with X5's simplicity and that USB DAC function on OS X is a kicker.

I'm not sure what to get excited about Esther. But if it's priced competitively offers better UI/software functionality and is more compact at the same time having plenty of power then it will pique more interest.

Hence, I implore soundaware to pay attention to the software. It's difficult to differentiate a DAP against competition by hardware alone without racking up cost, avoiding being a brick and making your customers beta testers for a haphazardly released software.

 

[Jobbing]

The market for DAP's is getting crowded. If X5/x90 is considered bang for the buck reference based on the current specs Esther's pricing for 'pre-order' should be sub $350 just to be able to compete. Above that if SQ is substantially better or more attractive features like balanced section.

 

[Lorspeaker]

Specification:
Display:2.4-inch high resolution Sharp IPS
Resolution: 400*360 px
Color: unconfirmed, 2 colors or more for choose.
Weight: about 160g
Dimensions: height 115mm、 width 59m、(iphone 4s size) thickness 14mm, golden proportion
Case material: aluminium alloy
Interface: high speed USB2.0
Output:CoaxOut >=0.5V p-p、LineOut <=1.4V RMS. 、PhoneOut(ultra-low distortion)
Headphone Output Voltage: 2.8V RMS, still ultra-low distortion when 97% of volume.
THD:0.002%
THD+N : phone out<=0.002%, 32ohm, load 44.1khz(low bit rate),DS3 testfile.(test results come from the most strict test)
Clock noise: fs jitter <=1ps, 10khz<=-157dbc/hz(actual measurement)
Expandable storage: double TF card slot (support 512G for each card)
Update Method: TF card(Micro SD card)
BATTERY: 3500mAH,  >8h,rechaegeable lithium polymer battery
Charging: high speed USB 2.0
Supported Formats: ISO、DFF、DSF、ALAC、AAC、FLAC、WAV、AIFF、CUE、APE、WMA  and so on lossless and lossy music formats(all FPGA hardware decording).
Replay Solution: the only national HI-FI patent solution, updated version based on Linn, mow applied in SOUNDAWARE all desktop HI-FI players. Taking CPU as the interface, FPGA as audio hardware decording, applying 44.1khz frequnecy doubling(44.1khz DSD), 48khz frequncy doubling independent clock as the whole decording absolute clock, synchronized FPGA and DAC chip( cs 4398 ), and completely inherit the updated design experience and the third version FPGA arithmetic of SOUNDAWARE flagship product A200S.

 
===========================
 
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 
was expecting 20 hours of playtime...8 hours... arrrghhhh it will be dry by the time i hit my coffeebreak. ..ok not a dealbreaker if priced lowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww  

 

[soundaware]

$749 to me looks like suicide. Especially for a first DAP, just look at X7. To make Esther competitive it should not breach $the 500 mark. I doubt it can sound leaps and bounds better than a DX90 or X5 (though I will be glad to be wrong) especially when Esther appers to offer the same power level as the other 2 DAPs mentioned. At the very least we will have another excellent sounding DAP offering a different flavor than existing DAPs.

Ideally it should be around $400. Different circuit topology sound fancy but it's really very difficult to compete in the DAP market now just by SQ alone.

Actually Esther is not expensive, nor very cheap,  and the price is based on her SQ and build quality, and the whole design,cost. About 2 weeks, the price is gonna announced.

 

[soundaware]

I already have X5 and DX90, Although, I recognize the difference in SQ or signature but it's easier to forget over time and I found myself using X5 more lately not because of SQ but rather because of other things that add to listening experience. X5 clearly has the superior and very useful UI compared to DX90. Even with rockbox DX90 loses out with X5's simplicity and that USB DAC function on OS X is a kicker.

I'm not sure what to get excited about Esther. But if it's priced competitively offers better UI/software functionality and is more compact at the same time having plenty of power then it will pique more interest.

Hence, I implore soundaware to pay attention to the software. It's difficult to differentiate a DAP against competition by hardware alone without racking up cost, avoiding being a brick and making your customers beta testers for a haphazardly released software.

FYI, more photos has been exposed.

 

[soundaware]

 
China will celebrate Spring Festival in a few days, and after that Esther will be here for offical launch. 
The price will be anounced either.
Let's wait and see.

 

[dw1narso]

Suscribed.... with my hope for the price to be USD$325 (a little bit more than Fiio X3, hopefully perform better than X3.... but what I really, really hope is it has the lowest noise power supply compared any FiiOs or iBassos... that enough for me...)

 

[goodvibes]

Thought I'd add this here to help Soundaware get their entry level home streamer reviewed. I'm won't be reviewing the the Soundaware A200 because I keep to headphone and portable here but I can say that their entry level streamer sounds sweet and undigital. After a bit of use, I consider it home source kit. If anyone wants to give it a review, contact me and I'll send it along. It's headphone out is intended for higher impedance cans. With an outboard amp or used as a home source, it's quite competent.

 

 

[bakerjoker]

I'm thinking $450. I could be interested then instead of the x5 or x3. Looks nice!

 

[Mython]

http://www.erji.net/read.php?tid=1775779

 

[Mython]

Size comparison (which, I might add, is favourable to the Soundaware Esther, especially when one considers how lightweight it is - of these audiophile DAPs, only the iBasso DX50/90 beats it in weight):
 

 
 
(click to enlarge)