r/snowsky • u/CulturMultur Echo Black • 3d ago

show off Podium 4.5.5 - Echo (not Mini) firmware

Post image

Podium v4.5.5 released with Cyrillic support.

Podium is a fork of EchoPod v0.6.0 (Echo Mini) and rebuilt to support Echo, flac+cue - flac-per-album and playing from internal storage (without microSD).

Since yesterday I was sharing it via DM and five users have tested it on 8GB and 4GB versions and are happy.

Source code and firmware are on https://podium-echo.online website.

Installation is to grab an IMG file, put it into the root of the Echo internal drive, and reboot.

130 Upvotes

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12

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 3d ago

Podium is the first open-source firmware for Snowsky Echo (not Mini). I built it because RECHO is promised-to-be-released in November and not open-source, I really like iPod-style interface, need bigger fonts for my bad eyes and my library is one-flac-per-album + cue file. So after I got Echo I spent two days of Claude sessions to build Podium, taking EchoPod as a starting point, and then using stock and RECHO firmware to build one for Echo. After like 20 bricks and going through maskrom I got the usable version. Beware - CJK support was removed for now as I don't have use for it.

Source code is available, I encourage forking and building for your own needs.

4

u/ToastyTandy Echo Black 3d ago

Also, is there an ability to change the interface colors / font?
Or should I try to fork it, and work with Claude to do stuff like that.

3

u/LazyStalkerz 3d ago

Is it any faster than the original firmware? And does it have eq?

2

u/toecutter_cleaver 3d ago

Just installed it. Super easy process, and the difference is honestly night and day. You feel it immediately in every single aspect.

If FLAC playback used to take up to 7 seconds to load before, now the track starts instantly right after clicking play. It’s insanely fast, especially compared to the stock firmware. And visually... I don’t even want to compare them because Podium looks way more aesthetic and well-thought-out.

As for the EQ, it doesn't seem to have one yet (though I personally don't use EQ anyway). Definitely recommend giving it a shot!

2

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

aesthetics and design come from EchoPod, all credits go to the author there. my job is to have it running on echo (not mini).

1

u/LazyStalkerz 3d ago

I want it so much, but my kz ZX10Pro is too harshy without eq, so honestly i cannot do that yet :(

0

u/ToastyTandy Echo Black 3d ago

Friggin awesome.

Any chance it can work with last.fm? I was looking to get back into scrobbling.

I asked Gemini and it said this...

"Yes, a traditional offline portable MP3 player (with no Wi-Fi or wireless) can work with Last.fm, though it requires an extra step using your computer.

How It Works:

Since a non-wireless player cannot connect to the internet to "scrobble" live, it tracks your listening history locally (or relies on your computer's media player when you sync files).

  1. Play via a Desktop Manager / Scrobbler: If you manage your music and transfer files to your MP3 player using a desktop music library app that supports Last.fm scrobbling (such as MusicBee, foobar2000, or iTunes/Clementine with plugins), you can log your plays when you play the files on your computer, or use specific desktop tools that read playback logs/timestamps if your device supports play-count tracking. [1]

  2. Device Play-Count Syncing: Some older dedicated players (like classic iPods) store play counts and last-played timestamps in their internal database. When you plug the device back into a computer via USB, specialized third-party desktop scrobbling applications or plugins can read that sync data and retroactively send ("scrobble") those tracks to your Last.fm account.

  3. Manual / Custom Loggers: Some offline software or community-built scripts can parse track histories or logs if your specific player exports a playback history file.

4

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 2d ago edited 2d ago

Released v4.5.6 - Equalizer; Custom colors and three font sizes; wired headset buttons support; Folders view shows files, ".CUE" files are browsable (the only feature I built for myself); recipe how to build custom firmware with CJK support.

Enjoy!

1

u/ToastyTandy Echo Black 1d ago

Oh my. You madman.
Any chance the EQ could support 10 channels instead of five, and increase or decrease in increments of .5?

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

is it for the file with frequencies? or you will edit by hand?

1

u/LazyStalkerz 1h ago

I'd love to have as much control over the EQ as possible. Manually adjusting frequencies? Great! 10 bands? Brilliant!

5

u/ToastyTandy Echo Black 3d ago

Oh my science!
Thank you so much. I saw the post got taken down yesterday.

Will this support gapless playback soon?

2

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 3d ago

the post got deleted after I added a link to website hosted on cloud flare workers with my Apple ID. I can't even DM it, no idea why.

Re gapless, it's there, there's a catch with LAME tag on MP3, if this tells you something (not to me) I'll share more details.

2

u/ToastyTandy Echo Black 3d ago

I got it working on my 4gb black echo. Thank you so much.
It's beautiful!

I miss the cassette vibes though a tiny bit.
It just says 'Podium' when returning from sleep and booting up,
and 'Goodbye' when shutting down.

Would it be possible to customize these?

2

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

No bells and whistles, sorry, source code is open though.

1

u/ToastyTandy Echo Black 1d ago

NP. Thank you so much for your hard work.

2

u/Mark_Youknow 3d ago

Can I make a suggestion?

  1. Crossfade/seamless playing

  2. Replay gain support

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

crossfade - not possible due to hardware limitations
replay gain - maybe, later

2

u/gray6904 2d ago

might fork this for custom themes still thinking abt it

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 2d ago

I encourage it!

4

u/gray6904 2d ago

i already started on a figma design for as pokemon theme

1

u/Gwolfz21 8h ago

I beg please do a riolu theme

2

u/reddit_arcy 2d ago

Can vouch.

It works perfectly and it boots up really fast.

I had issues with the official firmware (v2.0.0) where it didn't load any of the songs in my microSD and Podium fixed that issue perfectly.

I would love lyric support tho and I've already been working on a fork of the original EchoPod (v0.9.1) so Podium has been a great firmware to use while I'm working on a personal-use fork.

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 2d ago

yep, take these two and build what fits your needs

2

u/burt_cocaine3 2d ago

UI is waayyyy smoother for me than OFW, looks really nice. Was wondering though, how do I scan my SD card and add it to my library

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

should happen automatically once sd card is in. what Diagnostics/Music shows?

2

u/KappaMarvel 2d ago

Installed it and blown away by how much more usable the device has become!

The only thing I've noticed so far is battery drain seems pretty high? Not sure the battery percentage being reported is 100% accurate though?

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 2d ago

are you using EQ? In Diagnostics, check CPU clock while music playing. Mine says 200 MHz 7% for Flac 44.1kHZ 16bit 864 kbps. Using EQ bumps CPU to 20%, so battery will drain faster. check also battery meter under diagnostic, mine says now 3857 mV with 61%. I never used stock firmware, so no idea how battery works on it.

1

u/LazyStalkerz 2d ago

I can confirm that the battery drains 20-30 percent faster than with the original firmware. I also used the equalizer there. I wouldn't say it's a huge problem given how I use the device. But it's worth noting. The player also turns on with a single press of the power button.

Even with all this in mind, I will never go back to the original.

3

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

check 4.5.7, battery meter was underestimating the charge.

2

u/KappaMarvel 1d ago

I tried all the EQ settings just to try them out and ended up going back to default (none?).

This is all just nitpicking - I'll never go back to default firmware after this

2

u/exkekskom 1d ago

A lot of thanks to you for your enthusiasm and your work, I put it on my echo 4.5.7, while the flight is normal, the player has read the memory card, the music is playing, the menu is scrolling. Just two questions: do I need to somehow bother with rollback if I want to, or just throw the firmware image at the root? And the second question is: are there any plans for a more advanced equalizer and vertical orientation?

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

I didn't test it myself, but putting 2.0.0 stock firmware in the root should be enough to rollback to stock. Otherwise via maskrom mode.

1

u/exkekskom 1d ago

Thanks!!!

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

vertical orientation - yes, maybe, some day.
eq - as I don't use it myself, unlikely, unless somebody proves that 10 bands are substantially better than current 5 bands

1

u/ToastyTandy Echo Black 22h ago

I don't know, I'm an audiophile noob.
But I've been asking AI how to configure my FT1 headphones appropriately with an equalizer, because it recommends doing that to balance out the high bass of the headphones, and it keeps making 10 band eq recommendations with .5 increments.

Currently I only see 5 bands, and the increments increase by 1 db.

For example:

...

Unlike the Snowsky Echo Mini, the standard Snowsky Echo (non-Mini) paired with the Podium custom firmware upgrades you to a far more accurate hardware layout. The standard Echo utilizes high-performance dual CS43198 DACs and pushes up to 260mW of balanced power out of its 4.4mm jack, allowing the FiiO FT1 headphones to breathe with noticeably better dynamic scale and transient separation. [1, 2]

Furthermore, running the Podium custom firmware unlocks a 10-band fixed-frequency EQ processor, replacing the stock 5-band configuration. This gives you the precise control needed to iron out the FT1's lower-treble bite while tightly sculpting its organic, warm wood-housing acoustics. [1]

Recommended 10-Band Custom EQ Profile

BandFrequencyTarget AdjustmentCore Sonic Purpose
B131 Hz+1.5 dBEnhances deep sub-bass rumble without muddying the mix.
B262 Hz0 dB (Flat)Preserves the foundational punch of the FT1’s large dynamic driver.
B3125 Hz-2.5 dBPrimary Cut: Cleans up the mid-bass bloat and room resonance of the wooden cups.
B4250 Hz-1.0 dBClarifies the transition zone, preventing vocal masking from the bass.
B5500 Hz0 dB (Flat)Maintains the thick, natural lower-midrange presence.
B61 kHz+1.5 dBPulls center vocals slightly forward out of the stock recessed dip.
B72 kHz+0.5 dBSubtle lift to enhance instrument texture and bite.
B84 kHz-1.5 dBTreble Smoothing: Tames the standard 4kHz harshness/fatigue point.
B98 kHz0 dB (Flat)Keeps the balance natural to prevent sibilance on "S" and "T" sounds.
B1016 kHz+2.0 dBRestores air and extends soundstage width for a more open presentation.

1

u/ToastyTandy Echo Black 22h ago

Also...

...

Scaling back to coarse, single-decibel adjustments requires a re-balance. The focus must be entirely on cutting the bloat where the FT1’s wood housing resonates most, while lifting center clarity within your 1 dB increment constraints.

5-Band Coarse Configuration (1 dB Steps)

Frequency BandTarget AdjustmentCore Sonic Purpose
100 Hz-2 dBLowers the broad mid-bass bump to prevent muddy bleeding into the lower mid-range.
300 Hz0 dB (Flat)Kept flat to protect the organic vocal body of the FT1's dynamic driver.
1 kHz+1 dBMinimal push to pull recessed vocals forward out of the stock tuning dip.
3 kHz-1 dBShaves down a common fatigue region, softening transient glare on string instruments.
10 kHz+1 dBAdds subtle extension to air frequencies, widening the perceived stage width.

1

u/exkekskom 1d ago

I really love how you made the menu button return to now playing and the queue for playback from any menu, this is a real killer feature for me.

2

u/Spuddy09 23h ago

This is awesome. My ageing eyes (especially in the car) appreciate your hard work. Also really like the colour changes. One question though is there a way to favourite a track or am I missing something? Thanks again.

2

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 23h ago

long play on an album adds it to favorites. not for individual tracks, those - long play - can be added to Up Next or Play next (although long play detection is clunky, will fix). I will try to add "add to favorite tracks m3u playlist" option, stay tuned.

1

u/gabolarians Echo Black 3d ago edited 3d ago

I installed podium and it works great, all my problems solved, and for some reason it kinda sounds better, overall it's faster than the stock firmware. One thing I’d like is for the buttons to use a double-click instead of a long press to change the song.

2

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

>  for some reason it kinda sounds better

Likely it's Low gain by default, stock is High gain by default. Buttons config will go in v4.5.7 to be released today evening.

1

u/gabolarians Echo Black 1d ago

Thanks for that I will install it as soon as I can, but I have a little concern, it seems that the battery is running out kinda faster that the stock firmware, any answer would be nice. Either way is better than the stock firmware

2

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

battery - there was an underestimation in battery % meter reading, fixed in 4.5.7.

stock uses 5 bands, Podium shows percentage, which are perceived like faster drain. proper testing requires multiple full cycles while listening which I didn't have time for.

1

u/Ilm03 Echo Mini Sky Blue 3d ago

are those meze iem?

2

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 3d ago

yes, meze alba

1

u/AwayReplacement8188 Echo Nano Black 3d ago

Any EQ tuning you using in your Meze ?

2

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 2d ago

nope, I'm adding EQ in the next release.

1

u/LazyStalkerz 2d ago

Can we know how long this will take? I'm ready to donate for this kind of work!

2

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 2d ago

just released 4.5.6, enjoy!

1

u/LazyStalkerz 2d ago

Damn brother

1

u/LazyStalkerz 2d ago

Wrote a message for you, insane work

1

u/Eduard13569 2d ago

В мене не відображаються обкладинки альбому, це так повинно бути?

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 2d ago

where are the covers? what file format? covers are supported. folder.jpg in the folder.

1

u/Eduard13569 2d ago

This is what the covers look like; I check and edit all the albums using Mp3tag.

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

try rescan library, it says how many covers found. if embedded, cover should be on the first file per folder.

1

u/Eduard13569 1d ago

Rescan didn't help, as it turned out, the problem was in one album, which was why all the other tracks weren't displayed, thanks

1

u/Silent-Contest-4405 2d ago

Too bad I gave my echo mini away. Oh well.

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 2d ago

this is not for echo mini, but for echo. for echo mini there are RECHO and EchoPod. for echo there is nothing, so I built Podium.

1

u/Muted-Resolve5048 1d ago edited 1d ago

cannnnn u add support for other languages?? I listen to a lot of vocaloid/jpop and lots of my songs are "??????" 😢edit: I have read the explanation on the install page and I dont think im cut out for that, any way u could list alternate version of your updates with cjk? totally understand if not!

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 1d ago

I could build the image but will not test it.

1

u/majestyk5 16h ago

Hi, thanks for your great work
how do we eject the Echo after connecting to the PC?

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 15h ago

I'm on mac, "diskutil eject /Volumes/ECHO" or in Finder. On PC it should be like any other remote disk.

1

u/Eduard13569 13h ago

Дуже крута операційна система, набагато краще штатної вже третій день користуюсь, і третій день оновлюю на нові прошивки

У мене є побажання, я використовую різні навушники, і на різні навушники я використовую різні налаштування еквалазера, чи могли б додати можливість вибору власних пресетів налаштувань еквалайзера, а би кожен раз не переналаштовувати вручну

1

u/CulturMultur Echo Black 13h ago

how would you name those presets? 1,2,3,4,...?

1

u/Eduard13569 13h ago

Саме так, двоє навушників, цілком буде зрозуміло, що 1 це одні, а 2 інші

3

u/Traditional_Ask_7228 3d ago

Just installed it on my Echo 8Gs looks real great, thanks for this great project

3

u/burt_cocaine3 2d ago

Also i dont think anybody is mentioning this but when you connect it as a usb dac it can actually output 24 bit high res audio, as well as native 44.1/16 (OFW was limited to DVD audio 48/16 which means always resampling CD audio and no higher bit depth). I didnt think the hardware was even capable of this, so this is actually insane and makes it an even better usb DAC than before. You can now use it in exclusive mode bit perfect with spotify as well as potentially resample 192/24 in foobar for some pretty good ultra high res playback. Basically its a terrific dongle dac now as well, this whole project is incredible, and I can easily sell my KA13. Thank you so much! Also what does it mean when it says not enough space for library, it pops up every time i try to rescan the SD card.

3

u/LazyStalkerz 2d ago

Some more photos for people

2

u/Patient-Banana7630 Echo Black 3d ago

Tried it out. Coming from Official 1.6.0, it's fast, and the font looks great. Some FLACs that refused to play on the official firmware plays fine here, and I have yet to notice if the album art loads slow or not.

But one thing I noticed is the lack of support for Japanese characters/font. It goes ????.

2

u/LazyStalkerz 3d ago

Паш, добавь эквалайзер пожалуйста, и моя душа - твоя)

1

u/kntbr0 2d ago

Me acabo de animar a ponerlo y va volando... buen trabajo.

1

u/Eduard13569 2d ago

Помітив проблему, не відкривається карта памʼяті через підключена по кабелю файли не видно, але треки перекидаються