[Uberclocked]

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?

He mentioned he hoped to have them being sold by Q3 in the video.

 

[Gilly87]

Yeah there is another interview where I say end of the month, but we got so much feedback about SD cards that we've pushed the full launch back a bit.

 

[spatzi]

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.

I am so motivated for the streaming aspect I may overlook the size and the battery life, though it does not look as large as x5. I don't think I will be selling my Sony a17, so that might be the 'gym' player if the echobox is too big. Forgot about the low Canadian dollar. That's $550 list price for us.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Congratulations for making the front page of Innerfidelity! 
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ces-2015-echobox-explorer-x1-portable-media-player-and-finder-x1-ear-phones
 

                                 (Your audience, including us Head-Fi'er headphone enthusiasts!)
 
 
                                                                         

 
                                                                 (The Echobox team!)

 

[Uberclocked]

  Yeah there is another interview where I say end of the month, but we got so much feedback about SD cards that we've pushed the full launch back a bit.

FULL SIZE SD CARDS???

YUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUS

 

I'm sorry, but couldn't you think up of something more catchy or actually makes sense?  (no offense, but that just sounds REALLY bad)

 

[Hifihedgehog]

  Unsubbed.  Good luck.

@Stillhart: Dude, why the post on Innerfidelity? Gilly did not lie. I admit, I don't know him in the offline world, but what I've seen him write my whole time here is what he firmly believes in and it's sincerely to help people, with no angle and no strings attached. Give him the benefit of the doubt. It was an honest mistake. Like he said, he doesn't fully grasp the underlying technical aspects, more the basic overall feature set. 

 

[Hifihedgehog]

  I may have missed the discussion somewhere but 105mW into what impedance? 150mW is a useless number without talking about impedance, especially when the Sansa Clip+ outputs a maximum of 489mW with much less than 1% distortion. Numbers mean nothing without an anchor. Also once Rockboxed I can max my Clip+ at 72gb, or 136 for the more daring, that's 72gb for $100 with great audio quality. I'm not seeing a reason to buy your product, especially at $449 when I don't use streaming services and I hate proprietary Android skins (because they all universally suck/slow down the interface).
 
Also what's the output impedance?
 
You guys also mention that you cater to every modern audiophiles needs, but clearly you haven't since you have failed to include expansion via micro SD.
 
I'll stick with my Clip+ for portable and spend the extra cash on new IEMs.

Just to clarify for everyone reading through the thread because misunderstandings seem to be arising here, that is 489 mV, not mW, that the Clip+ can output. Its mW output, on the other hand, is much, much less, on the order of 15 mW at best. Perfect for IEM's, but paltry for full-sized, high-impedance headphones and low-impedance, high current models like HiFiMAN and AKG. Check the source you referred to, where it says, "Maximum Output: About 15 mW--higher than average." I can't link to it because it's on Voldemort's site where you and I got it from.
 
As for the Explorer X1 at 150 mW, if that is its best output wattage, it is about 10 times as powerful as the Sansa Clip+.

 

[Uberclocked]

BTW, I don't see any strain reliefs on the Finder X1.  Will this be the final design or is it just a prototype?

 

[Stillhart]

Whoa there! Better look closer: X5 uses the PCM1792A, which is the budget version of the same DAC; it's like comparing an Intel i7 in a $3000 gaming desktop to the one in an $800 midrange ultrabook. Totally different products.

 
 

  I'm not sure that's entirely correct.  Take a look at Ti's website:
http://www.ti.com/product/pcm1792

I'm happy to hear that it outputs more than the X5 and that the 150mw figure was the typical output.  Lets us pair a lot more cans with the Echobox without having to worry about an amp.

 
 

Ok, I may have hyperbolized. But notice they have a seperate page for the 1792A:

http://www.ti.com/product/pcm1792a

Sure the specs are the same, but they wouldn't have a different page and name for it if it was the same DAC head to toe. And being as this hobby is all about appreciating the small differences...well, I think you see where I'm going with this.

 
I see a claim that this DAC is significantly better than the one in the X5, followed by proof that they're EXACTLY the same, followed by Gilly admitting that he "hyperbolized".  
 
Let's check the definition of hyperbole quick:  "exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally."
 
I see nothing in the above statements indicating that it wasn't meant to be taken literally.  He claimed it was a much better device and got called out on it.  
 
If you want to give him the benefit of the doubt, then by all means do so.  Everyone from Innerfidelity can make their own conclusions as well.  If you want to vilify me for it, then so be it.  But I'm not the one "hyperbolizing" to try to sell a product.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

   
 
 
 
 
I see a claim that this DAC is significantly better than the one in the X5, followed by proof that they're EXACTLY the same, followed by Gilly admitting that he "hyperbolized".  
 
Let's check the definition of hyperbole quick:  "exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally."
 
I see nothing in the above statements indicating that it wasn't meant to be taken literally.  He claimed it was a much better device and got called out on it.  
 
If you want to give him the benefit of the doubt, then by all means do so.  Everyone from Innerfidelity can make their own conclusions as well.  If you want to vilify me for it, then so be it.  But I'm not the one "hyperbolizing" to try to sell a product.

Of course, I won't be buying it until a third party reviewer tests and measures it to verify the claims--I have to see how much of a noticeable difference it will make versus my current setup. As for your spiel, you have to look beyond what he was saying, between the lines. Sometimes, people say things they don't mean to say or that was meant to be taken in another context. In fact, when he said hyperbolize, he likely was just trying to say he over-exaggerated to the point of saying what he didn't intend to say at all, and he wasn't even knowingly hyperbolizing when he first wrote. Notice, he may have even said hyperbolize because that was the first word that came to his mind--he has to sound professional to potential customers and that is a professionally keen word. The point being, I'm sure you read earlier that he didn't understand the hardware and that he was more of a salesman and a spokesman, not a technology expert or head engineer. Honestly, if you really wanted to dig deeper and know the real truth, instead of storming off into the shadows, you could have easily asked him to request information from the people who designed it to find out what we should be taking away from it.

 

[Gilly87]

Pretend you're me. You look up two parts, and see that one is in DACs and CD players that sell for thousands of dollars, and another one that is in midrange DAPs and sound cards. What conclusion do you draw?
 
Quote:

   
 
 
 
 
I see a claim that this DAC is significantly better than the one in the X5, followed by proof that they're EXACTLY the same, followed by Gilly admitting that he "hyperbolized".  
 
Let's check the definition of hyperbole quick:  "exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally."
 
I see nothing in the above statements indicating that it wasn't meant to be taken literally.  He claimed it was a much better device and got called out on it.  
 
If you want to give him the benefit of the doubt, then by all means do so.  Everyone from Innerfidelity can make their own conclusions as well.  If you want to vilify me for it, then so be it.  But I'm not the one "hyperbolizing" to try to sell a product.

 

[Gilly87]

Yeah... the company has been doing R&D for years, and made some major breakthroughs recently, so let's just say I didn't have time to edit everything to my satisfaction The website has come along way, and still needs some work. But first things first.
 
The main point is that we have an awesome product that I am really excited about, given the difference I hear vs the competition, and it's ability to be whisper-quiet with super-sensitive IEMs like the SM3 while still pushing rock-out volume in the middle of CES on HD650s, T1s, and a bunch of Audeze cans.
 
And yeah, we're still looking at full size SD cards. Can't make any promises though; we have to see what will affect cost and circuitry the least.
 
Quote:

  FULL SIZE SD CARDS???

YUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUS

 

I'm sorry, but couldn't you think up of something more catchy or actually makes sense?  (no offense, but that just sounds REALLY bad)

 

[Mython]

FWIW, although I've been critical in places, and feel certain aspects of this product announcement thread could have been handled better, I don't believe there has been any intentional misleading.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Pretend you're me. You look up two parts, and see that one is in DACs and CD players that sell for thousands of dollars, and another one that is in midrange DAPs and sound cards. What conclusion do you draw?

Exactly this. Most people who aren't in a technical career would think the same things. As an engineer, I can tell you that most parts that come in military spec and in consumer forms are, for all intents and purposes, the same. Seat the best audiophiles down in a room and ask them to differentiate between a military spec part and a consumer part and they will not be able to confidently tell the two apart. It was an honest mistake. Let's let bygones be bygones, make up and all that jazz, Stillhart? I'm just itching for one of these units to reach someone for reviewing, like, now and fast!

 

[Gilly87]

Thanks dude. I appreciate that.
 
Quote:

  FWIW, although I've been critical in places, and feel certain aspects of this product announcement thread could have been handled better, I don't believe there has been any intentional misleading.