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Colousaly C200 audio player review: the soon-to-be-released firmware did not ruin the music

I thought it was still in the marketing tunnel, but it already rang my doorbell as I barely managed my morning cup of coffeeā€¦ Remember the review about Papa Carlo and his walnut tree

Colorfly C4 Pro review

, In which I listened to the famous pioneer of portable audio ā€“ Colorfly C pro player. I must say that our ā€œfollowersā€ of daddy Carlo were at the very beginning of music, which is always with you recorders and newfangled mainstream from Apple, Cowon-not to count . Along with the HM-801 from Hifiman they showed the sufferers a good product, with its unique voice and stylish design. What to say, the device is still in production and has its listener. And here is a new phenomenon to the people. In the beginning of the newspaper, and at the end of the week ā€“ in a verse! Intriguing novelty

Colorfly C200

in my hands and ready to sing and play from the heartā€¦

Thanks to XChesserAudio for the sample

Audio players

Technical specifications

Built-in memory

no

Support for memory cards

microSD

Screen

2.6 ā€œTFT 320Ɨ240

DAC

ESS ColorflycustomizationLevel

Processor

JZ4760

Supports audio formats

DSD64/128, CUE, APE, FLAC, ALAC, WAV, WMA, MP3, AAC

Outputs

Headphone and line out

Output power

80mW @ 32&Omega

Case material

Leather + Aluminum

Battery

3.7v 3400mA

Playback time

8 hours

Dimensions WxHxT :

110Ɨ64Ɨ19 mm

Weight

160 g

Appearance and kit


The device comes in a small black box with a graphic of the player and ColorflyPocket HIFI logo. Inside the box ā€“ player, instructions in several languages, warranty card, two protective film on the screen and a fairly high quality cable ā€“ to connect the power adapter and synchronize with your PC.

Audio equipment

Audio players

Colorfly

The player is quite light ā€“ only 160 grams. In the hand lies confidently, comfortably, all navigation is under the screen, within a thumb, which I boldly press up. Pressed it and a strange thought occurred to me: probably it would be more comfortable for Paul McCartney to use the new Colorfly C200, he is left-handed. Iā€™m not so lucky ā€“ Iā€™m right-handed, alas, itā€™s not the only thing that separates usā€¦ . So, letā€™s follow the thought: the device has a shape of a parallelogram from the end, conveniently oblique for the left palm. But I still took the player with my right hand, but it was not uncomfortable.

The case is made of aluminium, with a rich leather-like inlay. Looks sleek, stylish and original. It is obvious that Colorfly engineers wanted to get away from ordinariness and suggested the design almost glamorous, but in a strict business suit.

Colorfly

Audiotechnik

On the front panel, you can notice the screen 2.6 ā€œTFT 320Ɨ240 and just below ā€“ the control buttons. Exterior features are similar to the pioneering Colorfly C pro player: similar joystick in the form of three keys: select-on and forward-up. Just to the right are two more keys: go to the main menu and return.

The left end of the player is empty. On the right side there are soft-loud buttons. On the top face ā€“ two 3.5 mm outputs: headphone and line out. On the bottom face ā€“ plug microUSB, slot for microSD memory card and reset ā€“ for emergency reset player.

The menu is quite logical, there are some minor issues, but you get used to it on the fly. The menu I learned in literally 5 minutes. And here I would ask the firmware to linger: and why it does not guarantee the correct switching from one track to another?

Audio players

Audio equipment

Let me explain: during the transition from track to track the first and final seconds of the song are swallowed. True, the lack is not always manifested, but quite often. And it happens so: the track to sound for a few seconds, and then, boom, silence, which moves the next song.

Perhaps the player is ā€œallergicā€ to some memory cards. For the sake of truth I tried three cards ā€“ different size and different brands. Perhaps the player itself has nothing to do with it, but the playback is lame. But why, as long as thereā€™s no correct CUE support, not to play the whole track?

Colorfly

Audio equipment

In general, there are some flaws in the firmware, very few of them, but they scratch your ears like a nail on the glass when you hear music. Iā€™m sure theyā€™ll fix the next firmware version. Thatā€™s why Iā€™m telling you about this embarrassment. But even now you can use it as a USB DAC sound card.

Playback time from a single battery charge, the manual promises 8 hours. I think that I have even more from the player. Well, or as much, at least. The C200 has no digital outputs.

Well, now about the main thing ā€“ the sound!

Sound


For listening the following headphones were used: Etymotic ER-4S, Westone UM3X, Phonak Audeopfe 112 gray filters , Ortofon e-q7, PaiaudioMR3, ZeroAudio ZH-DX200-CT, Beyerdynamicdt 1350, Meze 99 Classics, Audio-TechnicaATH-SX1a, Beyerdynamicdt 250/250. The device is great with both in-channel and full-size headphones. I did not notice any genre preferences in the device.

Colorfly

The sound of the player can be defined as close to neutral.The overall presentation of the sound material is quite even, musical, a little light, with good detail and good elaboration in the low frequencies.

Honestly, I didnā€™t expect that I would like this rather cheap and so inopportunely released player so much. From the first minutes Colorfly C200 amazes with unobtrusive manner of presenting music material. It does it easily and musically, without any obvious distortions, peaks or dips in one or another area of frequency response. Listening to familiar songs involves so much that one does not want to get stuck in the analysis of individual parts of the composition, although the details of the device is quite good.

What the voice of the instrument lacks? Perhaps the massiveness, depth, somewhere angry ā€“ if you compare it with the top segment: with players such as Lotoo PAW Gold, HifimanHM-801, QLSQA360 ā€¦ or, take higher ā€“ with a stationary technique. Of course, you can compare, but the price, dimensions and weight category are different.

The woofers are smooth and well put together. The bass has good speed, not washed out, it lacks a bit of massiveness, but the rest sounds all quite decent.

Mids ā€“ midrange is smooth, very musical, detailed, a little bit effortless. The emotional coloring of the song is transmitted very well.

The tweeter is smooth, with no obvious distortion or sharpness. Where they are needed and accentuated, they are in place, where they are in the background, played off unobtrusively.

So, a few examples:

Colorfly

Colorfly C200 + Ortofon e-q7. DavidBowie ā€œLoving the Alienā€

Detailed and emotional connection. Very musical presentation. Good speed. Each instrument is clearly delineated in space. The bass drum breathes, the bass is fast, bouncy. The midrange is very expressive. Excellent, shimmering in the general background, goes the stringing and guitar solo. David Bowieā€™s vocals sound very emotional, distinct and beautiful. Master, love it!

Hi-hat and cymbals are a little crumbly, but not critically, and, in fact, this is the manner of the Ortofone-q7 headphones. The overall presentation is clear, a little lightweight and beautiful. The musical canvas is drawn in width and height, here the sound lacks depth and massiveness. But I am very happy with what I hear!

Audio players

Colorfly C200 + Meze 99 Classics. Depeche Mode ā€œItā€™s No Goodā€

Very dynamic and punchy sound, good linking. The sound becomes massive with the powerful and dense punch of the Meze 99 Classics on the midbass. And thereā€™s a massiveness in the delivery, the sound becomes dense with a slightly darker tinge. The music is amazing, you just move to the beat of the music, bobbing your head and your whole body. High frequencies are clear, in line with the middle. Synthesizers, keyboards sound long and massive, like dark silk fabric, shimmering in the wind. The midbass is rounded, dense, clear, itā€™s just right for my taste, itā€™s quality and just right. Dave Gahanā€™s vocals draw beautifully, velvety.

ā€œIā€™llbefine

Iā€™llbewaitingpatiently

Till you see the signs

And come running to my open armsā€

This is a feast !

Audio equipment

Colorfly C200 + Zero Audio ZH-DX200-CT. Heaven 17 ā€œLet Me Go.ā€

A very good and budget bundle, I never would have thought!

Good solid punch in the low frequencies. Vocals sound amazingly musical and clean. Synthesizers, keys, served up a little cool, but massive. The middle is moderately detailed, all the information is in place, everything is smooth and informative. Great to hear the reverbs and reflections on the record. The overall presentation is massive and very musical.

And my favorites are the Etymotic ER-4S.They really show you what you can do with either machine.

Audio equipment

Colorfly C200 + Etymotic ER-4S. Talking Heads ā€œMr.Jonesā€

Very even, detailed, a little dry, with a linear, but expressive sound.

To be honest, I did not expect it to be so decent. The bass, some people are looking for in ER-4S, is there, itā€™s exactly what you need. Bass is fast and tight. The midrange shimmers with cool tones, giving the listener all the fine nuances of the composition. Not without reason the bass is considered the best in these ears!

The treble is tight, crisp, not much, but it hits the mark. David Byrneā€™s vocals are superb and extremely intelligible. Every letter sounds clear, everything is so legible that you could write the lyrics in a girlā€™s dream bookā€¦ Emotion, vocals, composition ā€“ just off the charts.

ā€ Mr. Jones

Putawiggleinyourstride

Loosen up

I believe heā€™ll be alrightā€¦ā€

Thatā€™s a good hookup. Iā€™ve heard better, butā€¦ it was much more expensive.

Finally I want to say that with all headphones: Beyerdynamic dt 250 with its 250 ohms, Phonak Audeopfe 112 with gray filters , the unit played at the appropriate level. There are some nuances and faults, but letā€™s remember the price of the hero of the review ā€“ if the faults donā€™t fall off like autumn leaves, you will have to pay much more for something elseā€¦

Audio players

Conclusion


Very pleasant device. With good sound and interesting design. Honestly, I didnā€™t even expect that kind of music from him. Perhaps he won my sympathy also by the fact that he caught me off guard ā€“ with a cup of coffee in his hands. I wasnā€™t expecting such a cool sound, and when I found out about its price, I was even more inspired. It happens, fell like the snow on my head, and you canā€™t think of a better one.

There is, however, raw firmware. I hope the developer is already brainwashed on this without me and the bugs wonā€™t live long.

The price of Colorfly C200 in America is about 19,000 Dollars. I think that this device more than earns its money.

Pros

Sound, design, price.

Cons

Raw Software. Waiting for a firmware update.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 1
  1. Jackson Gibson

    The Colousaly C200 audio player review sounds promising, but my question is, how did the soon-to-be-released firmware update affect the overall music quality and performance? Did it enhance any specific features, or were there any downsides observed after the update?

    Reply
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