I just have to strike a blow for my Echobox Explorer.
Ok.. i'm maybe not that typical User who wants to stream via wifi / tidal. /( i never used it)
i stored all of my music to a SD card ... most in flac or wav.
Yes, there is a silent click / pop if sample rate changes , but i just have one time that the explorer's OS freezes and i have to reboot it.
My Explorer (dark walnut) is extremly well built -- no crack in the wood -- loose screen etc.
and maybe sometimes i had some luck, cause i got my Trinity Audio Hunter ( except the 8-Litz cable ) and both for me is a really good match.
I too have a black walnut unit, and like your's, mine looks and feels excellent.
Unlike you I use mine almost exclusively with Tidal.
It's true that the Explorers Wi-Fi is pretty short range, and downloading my 3 thousand+ track offline content took several days (but I do live in a rural location that only offers TERRIBLE broadband, so this may well impact the download speeds, everything else I do on the Internet is also painfully slow on any device, how I pray for fibre!).
Once downloaded though I have been loving my Explorer.
The best combo' I own for portable is the Explorer and my AH-D2000's.
I agree with the "warm, organic" comments that others have made regarding the sound, and love the 'slam' underpinning the overall sig'.
I also love the overall clarity of presentation.
With respect to the unfortunate individuals who are unhappy with their Explorers, I don't get the impression that most are in the same boat.
My own perception of the feedback here is that there are plenty of us who are happy with the product, and some like me who are delighted.
Many (all?) other manufacturers have produced great daps which have suffered from software shortcomings, yet customers keep coming back to purchase subsequent products from the same marque.
I believe that this is due to software development (thanks to all who do this work by the way!), good customer service, and solid product development.
I hope to eventually see further daps from Echobox (although hopefully they can move forward without crowd-funding), and will certainly put future developments near the top of my 'interest list'.
In the meantime, I am very happy with my Explorer, use it every day and commend it to anyone considering a DAP purchase.
There is of course plenty of great sounding competition, but the classy look/feel of the Explorer sets it apart, and hopefully further refinement of the software will continue to fine tune the user experience.