I see almost no mention of this device on Lemmy. I’m seriously considering getting one, mainly for the rotating artwork - but I’m not sure if the novelty will wear off. Does anyone have one of these?
I have the Snowsky Echo Mini (two of them) so I know what I’m getting from the brand: good hardware, beta software but frequent updates. The software improved significantly with the Mini over a year+. Still not perfect but for the price I’m very happy.
If you were to start with only the Echo Mini or the Disc, which would you choose?
The Echo Mini.
I wanted to get away from screens and have tactile buttons, so the Echo Mini suits me best. It’s also a cheaper way to start and figure out if you’ll follow through with working with music files (tagging, transferring, etc). If you just want to listen to music that sounds good and don’t mind an old-fashioned UI go with the Mini.
The Disc is still going through some teething issues - even with the latest firmware. If you prefer touch screens or mobile interfaces, those people tend to prefer the Disc (or where the Disc is headed).
You considering getting one?
I’ve had my eye on the Echo Mini for months and just as it dropped a few bucks and I was more seriously considering it, I read through a review that mentioned the Disc and now I’m torn. As you say, $55 seems like a decent price to pay to see if I actually get my music library together and enjoy using a dedicated device to listen to music instead of a smartphone (this would be my first DAP since the iPod days). But at least one review gives a slight edge to the Disc.
I’m primarily wondering how annoying the interface of the Echo Mini would be to me in practice. I (will) have a decently sized music library and it seems like it would be easier to navigate with the Disc. I don’t necessarily prefer touchscreens but the scroll wheel-like interface of the Disc seems like a decent compromise. Perhaps the compromise would be only loading up what I’m planning to listen to during a given period instead of my entire (theoretical) library.
I have a very large library so I can tell you a bit about what it was like for me. First off though, the way I listen is to pick an album and play it straight through, skipping any tracks I don’t like.
I find that really easy. It’s also effortless to favourite any track while it’s playing and have it added to the favourites list, which is a sort of playlist supported by the device. Multiple playlists would be complicated, though.
I had 600+ albums on my Echo Mini. It’s took 80 seconds to scroll through every album when I scroll forwards. But if you start scrolling backwards you get to the far end instantly so in reality I can get to any album within 40 seconds. That doesn’t bother me because it takes that long to pick a CD and put it on. I also like using the device.
I eventually bought another Mini. I’ll either split my library across them to reduce decision paralysis, or just put singles on the other.
Many comments say that the Disc UI makes browsing much faster. But check that that is still the case. I have seen some reports of UI glitches introduced by updates are frustrating for some.
Edit: the review you posted sounds very fair. The Disc might suit you better in that case. I would just check how the latest firmware is behaving for people and whether it is possible to downgrade a version if you don’t like the way an update behaves.
Thank you. This is all super helpful, and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with both devices. I also really appreciate your insight into their updates and how they actively fix issues (while also potentially creating new issues). Something tells me that I’ll eventually wind up with both DAPs, which is just how this kind of thing goes. 🙂
But on the other hand, it sounds like I will be (at least temporarily) happy with either and can’t really go wrong, so in that sense it may be an easier decision.
Best of luck either way. I try to not be consumeristic but I can’t shut up about these devices, in spite of their flaws :) I you get stuck using MusicBrainz Picard to tag your albums, ping me and I’ll be happy to help. I don’t have hands on experience with the Disc, but the tagging process should be the same.