[vrapan]

Cayin i5 would be one.
As one of those who got the chance to demo the Explorer and liked what I heard, I was not particularly annoyed each time a new delay was announced. However, I am now thinking that I might really have to pull the trigger on something else seeing as I received my ciem two months ago and an iPhone is just not cutting it, which is a real shame and rather painful as a student with a limited budget.

Endagering to become an Echobox apologist, I have to say that I do not see any of the current Android players as mature products yet. The 600$ retail price is kinda steep considering the competition but none of the current models in the market are issue free. The X7 I wouldn't touch, two of them with numerous issues, the Cayin i5 sounds like it has WiFi streaming problems and the Onkyo/Pioneer efforts are so far good but not sure if I could trust them to keep up the firmware development and iron out problems. The DX200 will be an extra 270$ and after my experience with the DX80 I am not considering it initially as I would rather others be Ibasso's guinea pigs. I haven't tried the Opus or the AR M2/20 which are much more expensive especially in the UK
 
I am not in any way suggesting that the Explorer will be the silver bullet but I wouldn't seriously consider the current batch of Android players in the £500 price range either. I will wait to see how well implemented the Explorer is before considering anything else.

 

[vrapan]

  Yes, the Cayin I5 is the latest lower-priced competitor and is being very well-received.  Pioneer's original player is also less expensive at this point, not sure  about the price of their new one.

Heard the 300R - practically it is an Onkyo DP-X1, at the same price but while keeping the design of the 100R minus the protector bumpers. 
 
For me given the lower price and SQ the 100R is a great device, if I wasn't expecting the Explorer I would have bought it back in October when they had a 15% discount on top of the lower price. It is also a more mature product in the sense that wifi worked flawlessly and had no issues with interference / hiss through very sensitive earphones.
 
I do not think it is a match for the explorer especially in terms of built quality but it is definitely the best alternative at the moment out there.

 

[TJY95]

Endagering to become an Echobox apologist, I have to say that I do not see any of the current Android players as mature products yet. The 600$ retail price is kinda steep considering the competition but none of the current models in the market are issue free. The X7 I wouldn't touch, two of them with numerous issues, the Cayin i5 sounds like it has WiFi streaming problems and the Onkyo/Pioneer efforts are so far good but not sure if I could trust them to keep up the firmware development and iron out problems. The DX200 will be an extra 270$ and after my experience with the DX80 I am not considering it initially as I would rather others be Ibasso's guinea pigs. I haven't tried the Opus or the AR M2/20 which are much more expensive especially in the UK

I am not in any way suggesting that the Explorer will be the silver bullet but I wouldn't seriously consider the current batch of Android players in the £500 price range either. I will wait to see how well implemented the Explorer is before considering anything else.

Wow, I didn't know that the price for DX200 was out. The thing is, I don't need the streaming function at all, so my options are not limited. Still considering as I really liked what I heard from the Explorer, even if it was some 10 months ago before all the newer revisions.

 

[vrapan]

Wow, I didn't know that the price for DX200 was out. The thing is, I don't need the streaming function at all, so my options are not limited. Still considering as I really liked what I heard from the Explorer, even if it was some 10 months ago before all the newer revisions.

Yes DX200 is 869$ currently scheduled for shipping in China from 20 December - Paul from iBasso mentioned the price and the date was mentioned in another post by someone else so not 100% confident of that bit of info.
 
If you do not need streaming then yes your options are really too many I have been there done that but I always end up streaming and leaving the player gathering dust most of the time so streaming is essential to me.

 

[TJY95]

  Yes DX200 is 869$ currently scheduled for shipping in China from 20 December - Paul from iBasso mentioned the price and the date was mentioned in another post by someone else so not 100% confident of that bit of info.
 
If you do not need streaming then yes your options are really too many I have been there done that but I always end up streaming and leaving the player gathering dust most of the time so streaming is essential to me.

I am the total opposite was excited about getting to try out Tidal, but I listen to a lot of soundtracks and japanese music, which are severely limited in Tidal. Should've given the subscription away, it was wasted on me
 
$869 is not cheap, but it does look nice!

 

[makethemusic]

Hey Everyone! 
 
Just wanted to post a quick update on the Explorer development. We are in production for a limited run of "final retail" units to be showcased at the upcoming CES 2017 in Las Vegas, and will be officially launching the Explorer at the show. If you happen to be in Vegas, please come by the booth and try it out in all of its completed glory!
 
Following CES, and assuming that after 4 days of intense real-time Q/A we don't discover any new issues (fingers crossed!), we will be moving into a larger scale production run of the Explorer. As soon as this run is completed, we will begin immediate delivery of the Explorer to all of our pre-orders and IndieGoGO backers. We can't wait to get these out the door and on their way to you! 
 
We know the wait has been long, but we are confident it will be worth it for the final product. When the Explorer originally started, it was a mere reflection of the beautiful product it has now evolved to. To bring everyone back, check out this image of the "Original V1" Explorer: 
 

Original screen was half the size of the current screen and placed on the opposite side of the Explorer body. Original OS was a highly skinned version of Android 4, and now the Explorer features a completely open-source, stock version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow with zero skin. No TIDAL integration on the original unit, only very limited access to Pandora and Spotify. Entire body of the Explorer was wrapped in faux leather. Originally featured a co-ax output, which has now been upgraded to an optical out. 
 
Now, the current Explorer...
 

 
I think the improvement speaks for itself in looks alone...solid hardwood body, larger more responsive screen, ergonomic design, matching docking station, Android 6.0 OS, TIDAL and USB Audio Player Pro pre-loaded as stock applications, optical output and a massive upgrade in battery performance (4000mah instead of original 2500mah) and internal hardware (new processor revamped amp). 
 
What started as what is rightfully called a rather cheesy product has evolved into a beautiful product to be proud of, and we are just that, extremely proud of what the Explorer has now become. Many of these improvements are based directly on feedback provided by all of you here on Head-Fi, so from all of us, thank you for being involved so actively in our R&D process. We can't wait to get these to you and start gathering feedback on your actual use, should be an interesting experience for all! 
 
 
Happy Holidays,
 
Sam & The Echobox Team

 

[Jackpot77]

Cheers Sam

Sounds like we are approaching the final hurdle - guessing it will take a few weeks post CES for the main production run and postage (barring any obvious issues, of course), so if you guys could get them out and landing I the UK for my birthday at the start of Feb that would be great!

Jokes aside, glad you guys have finally got something you feel is good enough to let go - very much liking forward to hearing it when it finally does hit my doorstep!

Cheers and Merry Christmas to everyone on the thread!

 

[HiFiChris]

  [...] To bring everyone back, check out this image of the "Original V1" Explorer: 
 

[...]

 
 
Oh yeah, I exactly remember the time when there were concept drawings of the Explorer and then this prototype picture along with other prototypes with the same design.
I found the idea interesting but neither liked the design at all, nor the announcement that the memory wouldn't be expandable, so I would definitely not have bought it.

A year passed and then the design was changed to the final one you went for, and a little later it was announced that there would be a micro SD slot, so it was a clear decision for me that I had to buy it, which I then did in December 2015.


You went from a uniquely designed but (imo) not-so great (I wouldn't call it ugly, but it was close) looking player to beautiful piece of hardware.

 

[makethemusic]

   
 
Oh yeah, I exactly remember the time when there were concept drawings of the Explorer and then this prototype picture along with other prototypes with the same design.
I found the idea interesting but neither liked the design at all, nor the announcement that the memory wouldn't be expandable, so I would definitely not have bought it.

A year passed and then the design was changed to the final one you went for, and a little later it was announced that there would be a micro SD slot, so it was a clear decision for me that I had to buy it, which I then did in December 2015.


You went from a uniquely designed but (imo) not-so great (I wouldn't call it ugly, but it was close) looking player to beautiful piece of hardware.

 
Thanks And yeah, forgot to mention that in the above post, but that was another massive improvement, going from a limited internal storage capacity to expandable storage that now is capable of working with up to a 200gm MicroSD, not to mention a whopping 64gb internal storage. So much storage!  

 

[On The And Of 1]

Hey Everyone! 

Just wanted to post a quick update on the Explorer development. We are in production for a limited run of "final retail" units to be showcased at the upcoming CES 2017 in Las Vegas, and will be officially launching the Explorer at the show. If you happen to be in Vegas, please come by the booth and try it out in all of its completed glory!

Following CES, and assuming that after 4 days of intense real-time Q/A we don't discover any new issues (fingers crossed!), we will be moving into a larger scale production run of the Explorer. As soon as this run is completed, we will begin immediate delivery of the Explorer to all of our pre-orders and IndieGoGO backers. We can't wait to get these out the door and on their way to you! 

We know the wait has been long, but we are confident it will be worth it for the final product. When the Explorer originally started, it was a mere reflection of the beautiful product it has now evolved to. To bring everyone back, check out this image of the "Original V1" Explorer: 



Original screen was half the size of the current screen and placed on the opposite side of the Explorer body. Original OS was a highly skinned version of Android 4, and now the Explorer features a completely open-source, stock version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow with zero skin. No TIDAL integration on the original unit, only very limited access to Pandora and Spotify. Entire body of the Explorer was wrapped in faux leather. Originally featured a co-ax output, which has now been upgraded to an optical out. 

Now, the current Explorer...




I think the improvement speaks for itself in looks alone...solid hardwood body, larger more responsive screen, ergonomic design, matching docking station, Android 6.0 OS, TIDAL and USB Audio Player Pro pre-loaded as stock applications, optical output and a massive upgrade in battery performance (4000mah instead of original 2500mah) and internal hardware (new processor revamped amp). 

What started as what is rightfully called a rather cheesy product has evolved into a beautiful product to be proud of, and we are just that, extremely proud of what the Explorer has now become. Many of these improvements are based directly on feedback provided by all of you here on Head-Fi, so from all of us, thank you for being involved so actively in our R&D process. We can't wait to get these to you and start gathering feedback on your actual use, should be an interesting experience for all! 


Happy Holidays,

Sam & The Echobox Team

Christmas past, Christmas present, Xmas future?

Insert popcorn

 

[Trager]

Hey, remember a month ago when Sam insisted that it was only certifications and as soon as they were done, Echobox would be shipping the Explorers? Yeah.

It sounds like that Feb. ship time is dependent on the new production run having no problems. Given the stellar engineering and manufacturing track record that Echobox has shown so far, I wouldn't hold my breath.

It's wonderful that Echobox keeps adding new features and showing pretty new pictures. But until people start receiving them, it's just more vaporware.


Presenting the Echobox Explorer v11 redesign, including a speaker:


Presenting the Echobox Explorer v14 redesign. It slices, it dices!



Presenting the Echobox Explorer v23 redesign.

 

[jmelcer]

Original screen was half the size of the current screen and placed on the opposite side of the Explorer body. Original OS was a highly skinned version of Android 4, and now the Explorer features a completely open-source, stock version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow with zero skin. No TIDAL integration on the original unit, only very limited access to Pandora and Spotify. Entire body of the Explorer was wrapped in faux leather. Originally featured a co-ax output, which has now been upgraded to an optical out. 

 
Sam and team
 
Am looking forward very much to the release.   Would point out that your website order page still states co-ax output, not optical as you state above.   
 
Could you please confirm which it is?
 
Thanks 

 

[makethemusic]

Sam and team

Am looking forward very much to the release.   Would point out that your website order page still states co-ax output, not optical as you state above.   

Could you please confirm which it is?

Thanks 

It is optical, we are working on updating the site, sorry for the confusion!

 

[swannie007]

Yea, getting a little tired of the updates pushing the delivery date further back all the time. I see that two new earphones have been developed in the meantime! At this point in time, I just want to see a bloody box from EB and don't give a stuff about stands and tee shirts and all the other BS, just want the damn player! My frustrated 2c worth. Cheers.

 

[makethemusic]

Yea, getting a little tired of the updates pushing the delivery date further back all the time. I see that two new earphones have been developed in the meantime! At this point in time, I just want to see a bloody box from EB and don't give a stuff about stands and tee shirts and all the other BS, just want the damn player! My frustrated 2c worth. Cheers.

Sorry you are frustrated, we are doing our best, I promise