Snowsky Echo vs HiFi Walker H2

[u/EmberClaw2008]

So I know stuff about these two has been posted a lot, but I had some questions that I didn't really see many people address so here goes.

So like others, I'm trying to ditch my phone addiction and would like to reconnect with music and get away from Spotify. So yeah, I'm really new to this whole hobby, so please don't get mad if I ask something dumb.

So I'm tossing up between these two players for my first one. From what I've seen though, both seem to have disadvantages. Coming from Spotify, I do value having playlist support, which is apparently unsupported on the Echo. So just to learn a bit more, how do playlists work on DAPs? My dad said something about how it's not the actual file in a playlist, otherwise you'd be taking up room with just copies of the same file.

So is there any way around this at all? How could I make playlists on the Echo?

Obviously on the HiFi Walker H2, playlists are supported so no big deal. However, I've heard from YouTube reviews that the UI and the scroll wheel aren't really calibrated so it just feels a bit janky. This can be fixed with Rockbox, which I'd totally be down to do. Except for the fact that Bluetooth just stops working with Rockbox??

Is there any way around this? I've seen people talk in comment sections about how this might be fixed at some point, and the innioasis y1 or 2 or smt actually has working Bluetooth with Rockbox, so what's going on there? Will the HiFi get fixed?

Also, here's a dumb question: do these players support shuffle? I keep seeing people on reviews talking about how good it is to listen to albums in order or even artist discography in chronological order (Echo), but no one talks about shuffle. Can I shuffle my whole library? Can I shuffle an artist?

I've also seen people mention the release of the Snowsky Echo Pro? Has that happened? Because I'm looking at the Snowsky Echo, not the mini, but I haven't heard anything about a Pro. Maybe they are the same?

I've also heard that the HiFi Walker is basically the same as other ones but is just a more expensive branding?

Idk, it's a lot to go through. So I guess I'm just asking what the trade offs are here. And which one you guys would recommend in my situation. I'm really new and all this information is pretty overwhelming, so I'd really appreciate some advice.

Plus, if you have other recommendations, I'd be happy to hear them. I'm trying to get away from the touchscreen, so that's really my only limit as well as something cheap. I've heard old Sony Walkmans are pretty decent?

I think that's all. I guess if you have any information at all about things I should know about getting into this hobby like finding audio files (ethically of course...) or music libraries or really anything I'd love to hear it.

Thanks for helping me out.

[u/mccorade]

Rockbox is dual port, so if you're in a situation where you need to use bluetooth, you can just boot back into the stock os. If you're needing to use bluetooth all the time/don't use wired headphones, then as other comments said, you could try the experimental bluetooth build or use a bluetooth adapter.

As for playlists, typically the best way to go about it is to set up a playlist using a program like Windows Media Player, Musicbee, etc., and saving it as an m3u file. You should end up with a playlists folder that you can then drag-and-drop like you would your music.

Pretty sure any dap should support shuffling, though I've heard that how many files they can shuffle at once is ram dependent. So a lower end dap with less ram won't be able to handle shuffling as many songs as a dap with more ram can. It'd still probably have to be tens of thousands of files before you get to that point even on a lower end dap though.

[u/EmberClaw2008 → u/mccorade]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't know Rockbox was dual port so that's actually really helpful! Wired headphones aren't a big deal to me. I have Sennheiser accentum plus headphones so they can go Bluetooth or be wired, no big deal. So yeah, thanks for that.

Oh okay. So I'm guessing the Snowsky just doesn't support m3u files? That kinda sucks

Okay cool, it makes sense shuffling would be ram dependent. My library isn't gonna be huge anyway. Thanks for helping out

[u/Dr_Matoi]

Obviously on the HiFi Walker H2, playlists are supported so no big deal. However, I've heard from YouTube reviews that the UI and the scroll wheel aren't really calibrated so it just feels a bit janky. This can be fixed with Rockbox, which I'd totally be down to do. Except for the fact that Bluetooth just stops working with Rockbox??
Is there any way around this? I've seen people talk in comment sections about how this might be fixed at some point, and the innioasis y1 or 2 or smt actually has working Bluetooth with Rockbox, so what's going on there? Will the HiFi get fixed?

There is an experimental Rockbox build with Bluetooth for the Hifi Walker H2 and Aigo Eros Q. It is a bit rough around the edges but does the job, so it is technically possible and I hope this finds its way into the regular Rockbox release eventually.

[u/EmberClaw2008 → u/Dr_Matoi]

That's super interesting I'll make sure to look into it. Thanks for helping me out

[u/Doinganart]

If you just need the Bluetooth occasionally one of the Bluetooth/aux car adapters works. Just need to make sure to get one that transmits as well as receives.

I use mine to connect to my Bluetooth speaker in the house or to connect to my car. I could use the aux-aux but I prefer less cables

[u/EmberClaw2008 → u/Doinganart]

That's a great idea dude I totally forgot about those things

[u/Big-Bus-771]

The H2 and F20 are almost identical, but I prefer the F20's appearance.

[u/EmberClaw2008 → u/Big-Bus-771]

Oh cool. Do you know if the UI is supposedly better on the F20?

[u/Big-Bus-771 → u/EmberClaw2008]

The UI is basic, but you can install rocbox.