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61% would recommend to a friend 
Echobox Explorer Digital Audio Player
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Echobox Explorer Digital Audio Player
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Product Description
A portable digital audio player that looks like a flask, the Echobox Explorer fits comfortably in your pocket for easy use on the go. It’s handcrafted from your choice of wood types and equipped with the highest specs, including the highly regarded TI Burr-Brown 1792 DAC and a powerful 300mW amplifier Read More
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Customer Reviews
3.3
(85 reviews)
5star(18)
4star(28)
3star(15)
2star(9)
1star(15)
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keyboard_arrow_downTheBatman
77
Oct 9, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Look, I've only had it a few hours but unless it turns into a shitbrick, I am more than pleased with this purchase. And yes, I ordered it before it dropped in price to $99. I inserted the MicroSD from my FiiO X1 II, plugged the player into power and BAZINGA!
Music.
It easily joined my WiFi and while I will see about adding SiriusXM and Pandora to it, that is NOT why I bought this sweet device. The build quality is excellent. It is a tactile joy just to hold it and a visual feast for the soul through the windows that are one's eyes. Quality is more than evident in this DAP and those that feeeeeeel otherwise are just "feeling" and not thinking. Outside of looks, I am a very objective individual and can tell you all right here and now that the music that comes out of the gorgeous device sounds like...
MUSIC!
Buy it for what it is. A very high quality, beautifully designed and made Digital Audio Player. I just ordered two more. Why? Because I will give them as gifts to family and friends and for the record I may not give a crap about people that a friend once coined the term "frAudiophile" for, but I also NEVER give crap to loved ones. I am letting it charge overnight and will take it with me in my car to work and listen both in the car via either BlooToof or an Aux cable and at my desk via Aux into a table radio I have on my desk. And then I shall get back to any that care to read an honest, real-world-not-of-the-Matrix® review. If it goes to Hades on me, I will tell you so. If it works like it has so far, I will tell you.
Trust me...I know what I'm doin' when I'm reviewin'.
UPDATE: 10/21/2019
This excellent DAP is still delivering 8 or more hours of continuous play on a single charge. I let it sit for a few days with the battery at half charge and went to use it this morning and...GASP!!!! The battery indicator still indicated a 1/2 capacity ! I seem to recall reading here that was not going to happen. It would be discharged overnight (or something along those lines, LOL!).
Look boys and girls, I really am enjoying this DAP and if I have a problem I will report that too. Thanks!
Update: 10/26/2019
I enjoy my own Zebra Wood Explorer that as of today I have ordered a total of three (!) more of these gorgeous DAPs. One for a co=worker/friend and two more for my brothers. Again, I have only had this a short time but find no fault with it so far and so far as it concerns me, this DAP is excellente'!
Of course YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) but I am a fairly careful driver and tend to get as much out of a gallon of goodness as I possibly can. To my eyes, this DAP is the best looking one on the current market and at a mere $99 (plus $10 more for the powered stand if you want one!) What have you got to lose? Oh wait...Yeah. $100 to $110(+ applicable taxes) , that's what you've got to lose. No regrets so far but if I come across any I will post it up here for all to read.
If they want to. ;-)
04/09/20 Update-A-Mundo!
Both of my players are...playing! Both of my players are gorgeous! I also have the matching charging stands and perhaps it is time for me to put them to use. And now for a Audiofool Alert!!! I sent the blootoof signal from my ZebraWood player to one of those all in one stereo systems (record player, AF/FM and CD with BlooToof) and I have to say that once again the music sounded like music. A virtual waterfall of memories flooding over my heart and soul.
It is about the music. I have always said that if you have to strain to hear a difference then what's the difference? To me, it would be my ego. Like most folks my ego is HUGE but I try to keep it in check in the real world. Look. I let one of my players sit for a month after charging it completely. It read (I think) 98% when I turned it on and used it. It then played for well over 9 hours non-stop. And it looked GREAT while doing it!
Again my friends. This player is a bargain. Highly recommended and I personally own two of them.
UPDATE: 05/27/2020
Huzzah indeed! I have just completed downloading SiriusXM, Pandora One and Amazon Music Unlimited Ultra HD onto my Zebrawood Echobox! All three along with 20,000+ songs on a microSD card play flawlessly. I am going to order more of these for my family and friends. My older brother has been enjoying his maple version but just told me he has a "problem" that needs my help so I will get back to all you good folks here once I know what's going on with his.
But I am sooooooo very pleased that I was (finally?!) able to put these on here because now I can help my friend who bought the ebony one for her use. I just gave her a small internet radio but she will no doubt be pleased she can use her Echobox in the back yard via Blootoof to a speaker! And I will help my big brother download his SiriusXM to his once I find out what his player's problem is!
The Echobox is superb, my friends!
UPDATE: 09/06/2020:
I have been using this as a source for my Sennheiser HDR195 wireless headphones with built-in DAC. Connected via Toslink cable and I am able to listen to my music onboard MicroSD or via the interwebs with SiriusXM, Pandora One and Amazon Music Ultra HD.
My older brother is using his as a source for his Onkyo AV Receiver. I gave him the Maple version with the matching dock. He and his wife are really enjoying it. I opened up the unit and it looks like (with care!) I can replace the battery when the time comes.
Christmas is coming and I will likely buy at least one or two more for family and friends. It really is a fine player. It's not really "heavy" unless you are really "weak", LOL! It goes with me on trips via car, truck or motorcycle and the BlooToof continues to work great! Highly recommended indeed!
Trust me. I know what I'm doin' when I'm reviewin'.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
cw54115
0
Apr 6, 2021
well i tried and cant get it to work, seems i cant get tidal to download because it says my browser is out of date, then when i try to download google chrome it wont open up, i get an error code that says net::ERR_UNKNOWN_URL_SCHEME
TheBatman
77
Apr 13, 2021
cw54115Have you tried downloading apps from Amazon? That is where I get the stuff I use, primarily Amazon Music Unlimited, Pandora Prime and SiriusXM for streaming. You have to go into the system on your player and allow it to use "outside" sources. I think somewhere here I gave a brief description of how to do so.
Mcymo
12
Oct 27, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Sucuss mp3 player
I like the chip set 1792 very much so musicians level lost my way to listen music from this player good mp3 player
Recommends this product? Yes
Massdroppedagain
18
Nov 13, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
It depends on use and expectations
Pro
Wood finish
Dock
Optical out
Tidal HiRes streams no problem.
Sounds great I've always liked the chipset it uses.
You can use the Fiio or Hiby app to control it remotely.
You can install a DLNA server app to use this functionality as well.
Cons
Slow small screen
Side loading apps
Wireless tech is poor
1 micro card slot
Micro USB charger
Slow charge
No 2.5mm balanced
Battery
Poor manufacturing tolerances
I use this primarily as a server docked at my stereo. I control it with a tablet so screen size is not an issue. $99 for a server with optical output you bet. Oh, by the way it sounds great.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
nonophone
9
Feb 7, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
Damn Good!
Kaato
90
Dec 8, 2018
Locked
checkVerified Buyer
Pros: nice sound, well built
One: terrible battery life, even when not being used and wifi is off. USB pro app tends to continually pause and become unresponsive- essentially crash. I'm using high speed SanDisk ultra microsd, so they're fast enough. UI is slow.
Update: dropping my review to two stars. Battery drain is caused by "cell standby" in Android, even though airplane mode is enabled. Support at echobox at first was responsive, promising a reply around christmas. However, now I'm receiving no responses from them for updates and seem to ignore my emails.I wish of bought a different model . You should as well.
(Edited)
Udonitron
83
Oct 27, 2019
Once again wrong; Venezuela is no longer Socialist in the true sense, that ended when Maduro took over and hid behind the previous socialist regime but really is a dictator (your fave). Maduro used socialism to redistribute wealth to the rich, just as capitalism does. The demise of Venezuela has nothing to do with socialism but rather oil.
Every single economy has a blend of socialism and capitalism, every single one, ever. The real issue is utilities, which are never to be confused with free markets. Privatization of utilities is really socialism of costs and privatization of gains, leaving the larger economy poorer. Socialism of utilities exists in every economy ever; the question is whether those are regulated and efficiently run for good of the larger economy, or whether it's privatized and sequestered from the economy, destroying aggregate demand.
So you sitting on your plump ass there in the US, well you are enjoying some socialism as we speak.
eddiezr
107
Nov 22, 2019
UdonitronExcellent points! But, in Venezuela their government was intentionally undermined and sabotaged by OPEC under the direction of the USA. After Chavez gleefully insulted and antagonized the arrogant and ignorant Cheney/Bush cabal the Powers That Be conspired to not only humiliate Chavez but to also destroy his power base, namely the influx of cash from their relatively young and booming oil industry. They did this by intentionally crashing the price of oil. Since Venezuela's entire economy was entirely dependent upon their oil industry when the price per barrel fell from over $100 to less than $30 Venezuela's income evaporated leaving them at the mercy of opportunist/authoritarian crooks, such as Maduro. Venezuela was a hybrid form of socialism with the state controlling the single most important industry, and perhaps that's what made them vulnerable to the cynical and treacherous machinations of the American Capitalist Pig "leaders." etc, etc... Man, I do love audiophile discussions! : )
(Edited)
ncu3us
14
Apr 27, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
A good deal if it worked
Initially I was happy with this product. Then I found out that the 90-day free trial of Tidal (still advertised as being included with the drop) was not valid and could not be honored. From Drop support, this is because "...Echobox has limited operation now and they basically aren't going to be producing any new products." This makes sense as I never got a response from Echobox concerning the issue. I was offered a refund or a $15 credit towards my account (is that what 90 days of Tidal is worth?). I took the credit because, although I was disappointed, I was still happy with the Echobox as a music player. Then the DAP stopped working altogether; it's now getting stuck in a boot loop. This is after a little over a month of use (I received it March 11, and it stopped working April 22). So now I am unable to return the product (it's been longer than a month), and I have no hope of receiving support from Echobox. I basically spent $100 for a flask-shaped paperweight.
Recommends this product? No
FISTDEYUMA
64
May 6, 2020
ncu3usTalk to drop. They have been flexable in the past. Would not hurt even if they decline.
EC2019
7
Oct 6, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Bought it as 140$+ tax a few days ago, now it is 99$+tax! what is the F..K!
Recommends this product? No
AudioJet
318
Oct 6, 2019
EC2019As long as you`re happy with paying $140 that's all that matters. This type of thing happens in the marketplace all the time. Just gotta get use to it and shop wisely. How do you like the DAP?
GIANTFUNKYMONKEY
48
Oct 6, 2019
EC2019Send it back... get a refund...
It will break and they won't respond to emails... and they will not fix the item and you will be stuck with a block of wood..
plactoid
21
Jan 15, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
An interesting Take on a DAP
I've had this DAP for about maybe a month, and here are my takaways:
First the positive - this thing sounds superb and can drive anything I've plugged in so far. Granted, I don't have any major power hungry cans, but it does the job with my Dekoni Blues and HE400i's. Pretty much any IEM I've put in to that jack sounds much better than any other DAP, with exception of my old retrofitted iAudio x5. its about on par with that sound, but better power to the cans (From ears alone, I haven't measured anything). It sounds a little better to me than my v30 does, but that could just be down to preference.
I love the aesthetic- I got zebra wood stand and casing - and the basic usability is tactilly pleasing. Pressing and turning the volume knob is pleasingly chunky and firm. The build quality on my unit was fairly good - it looked handmade but well made, if that makes sense. The wifi is not strong, but there and usable, so long as it isn't too far from the router. Having Android on it is somewhat nice, even if so outdated that the play store won't load on it. Downloading the APK file and browsing through to open that still installs the app though, and that still seems to work. The screen in nice, small enough to force usability concerns, but large enough that you can still use it. Optical output is a nice feature, (I still haven't used, however, as I fail to see the point - the main reason I got this was for the DAC AND amp configuration, and aesthetics, and having an optical out seems to nullify that point) and is useful feedback to tell me it is on. A card reader is also a welcome supplement to the onboard 64gb storage (although I haven't used external cards yet, so read/write speeds are TBD)
The issues I have fall into a few different categories: Form factor and use-cases advertised/delivered.
Form factor issues stem from it being basically a flask plus size. I get they were going for that shape and size, but for any regular type of daily usage, a tad slimmer would be advisable. I would add WiFi issues here as well, as I'm fairly sure that the size of this thing creates issues with wifi antenna resolution and speed. This device's wifi appears to either be weak, or extremely outdated. Gen 1 or 2 speeds at best (801.11/b), generally at around 2-6 mbps I've been seeing. I fail to see why they offer a streaming service trial for this, when it's best used either locally running Hi-res files, or streaming generally cd quality music. I would have rather seen them spend that money on a faster processor or, at worst, a better wifi class device (or even sorted out what they had).
Use-cases delivered - This is my bone to pick, really. This is a very nice device, with plenty of options for use, but it seems they bit off more than they could handle with the promises made. It is only an external DAC/Amp via network streaming - that coupled with the wifi included makes this a bit of a null point. Further creating issues, the wifi itself is slow and weak, and so most super high bit-rate streams are a bit off limits. For example, I use Amazon music HD as my go-to streaming service- they offer 24 bit, up to* 96khz sampling rates. (The asterisk is due to low availability of that sampling rate and it rarely -if ever- reads devices and gauges network speed appropriately to stream at this rate) On this device, which it does work on, I have seen it switch to 24 bit 44.1 once- which it then failed and buffered, so back to 16/44.1 for me. I don't mind for this device however - This DAC/Amp combo seems to shine at 24/16 bit 44.1, Its just the failed promise that I take issue with. If there are any apps out there for android that turn the device into an external soundcard - which they sort of tried via network streaming, but failed - I would likely be carrying this thing around in my backpack daily. Maybe even in a (dad-like) Cargo pants pocket.
Ideal use cases for this device would be -
- simple music player with decent to good quality files (Big pockets required)
- stationary, local file audio player at a desk
- streaming/Local file audio player for the somewhat discerning music listener who likes wooden aesthetics, and has a backpack/big pockets
- Vintage record rips archive/player
- You like to find functionality in things that kinda function/like to make things work
- other niche things where it might be a nice accent
Recommends this product? No
kjjj
5
Dec 24, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Musically very good
Update 4th May 2020. Original review underneath this.
The Explorer came with a free 90 day subscription to Tidal. When I tried to claim it, Tidal refused it. So I asked Echobox to help. They have not bothered to reply to any of my six messages to them. So, although the product is still as good as I originally said (below), the customer service is as bad as all the others who have mentioned it here said.
Well done Echobox. You really had to work hard to turn me against you. 10 out of 10.
I've seen comments from others which are unflattering about this device but reading carefully they appear to concern the Co rather than the Product. All I can say is that this DAP sounds remarkable. It has a tone which is different to any portable player I've heard; certainly, it knocks spots off my Hidizs. I think if others have had a problem with the Co regarding a Kickstarter campaign then fair enough, thank you for warning us. I bought some of their IEMs a year or so ago and since then have wanted the Explorer but considered it too expensive. At Drop prices it is a bargain. If you have no problems with the Co you will not be disappointing with the Explorer at this price.
Why just four stars? WiFi is clunky and not a great experience but it is useable. I don't use the WiFi much - I sideloaded HibyMusic direct from my PC which is very simple and very quick- so I have docked one star only.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
thrillho
20
Mar 2, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
Good value, great sound. Don't buy if planning on streaming hi-res Tidal/Amazon
Expectations were admittedly low due to existing reviews, but with the bar set somewhere at floor level, I was pleasantly surprised. It has it's quirks (occasionally goes to sleep and requires charger connection to "wake up"), system sounds when music starts (why, just why?), wifi can't stream hi-res audio from Tidal and Amazon Music HD (BTW - Plex streaming 44.1/16bit FLAC works fine), but the sound quality at the current price point is unbeatable. Unique form factor doesn't make it very pocketable, but looks great sitting semi-permanently in the dock at my desk.
Recommends this product? Yes
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