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Sudo – A dedicated music player designed around listening to music

52 points · 78 comments · kapsteur

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functionmouse · 1790879280 · focus · HN ↗
What DAC/amplification circuitry does it use? Does it support bit perfect playback the same way my iPod/sansa clip/computer do? Or is everything crushed to 48khz like a smartphone?
Why does it appear to be riveted together? Wouldn't Phillips screws or a snap together design (guitar pick to open) be more practical?
Is "Sudo OS" a euphemism for "Android but extra locked down", the same way Rabbit R1 was?
1. 7bbfea · 1790885349 · focus · HN ↗
  Asking the important questions. At its core it's a DAP. If it offers nothing better than a smartphone, I don't see why I need another piece of glued together junk that could go unsupported anytime just for whatever sentimental value iPod has. Not to mention 64 GB is nothing if you're listening to lossless.
  1. DaveSchmindel · 1790885877 · focus · HN ↗
    ^^^ This. I would urge anyone who got tangentially excited about this whole thread to:
    1. head to eBay and search for used iPod Classics 2. give Rockbox some love
  2. jebarker · 1790885973 · focus · HN ↗
    [deleted]
  3. gbalint · 1790887127 · focus · HN ↗
    It has a microsd slot, so I don't think the 64 GB limitation is that bad.
2. llm_nerd · 1790887124 · focus · HN ↗
  I suspect they're all just renderings and they didn't want to commit to a drive type.
  As to the being "crushed" to 48Khz, there is zero chance you can tell the difference.
  <a href="https://xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml" rel="nofollow">https://xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml
3. NoGravitas · 1790952287 · focus · HN ↗
  I assume that since it supports streaming, it is 100% a custom locked-down Android build.
nticompass · 1790882064 · focus · HN ↗
Reminds me of the Tangara mp3 player: <a href="https://cooltech.zone/tangara/" rel="nofollow">https://cooltech.zone/tangara/
My friend got a Tangara from their "Kickstarter" and I think it's pretty cool. Plus it's open source and you can just make your own.
1. bpye · 1790886448 · focus · HN ↗
  I do like my Tangara, though I use an ancient Sansa Clip more just because it's so much smaller.
2. summermusic · 1790886954 · focus · HN ↗
  +1 for Tangara. It's kind of underpowered and crashes sometimes when doing too much at once, and I wish the scroll wheel felt a bit better, but hey it's all open source and I made some mods (printed a case, added some resistors to lower the noise floor).
3. frio · 1790888775 · focus · HN ↗
  I'd love a Tangara, it's a pity they can't be ordered any more.
jerrygenser · 1790885520 · focus · HN ↗
ipod of 2026 ships q4 2027.. is that a typo on the shipping date?
rsync · 1790885816 · focus · HN ↗
I use and maintain an "ipod" in the form of an old pixel 3 with 128 GB of memory that has no SIM card and no software installed except for VLC.
It stays in airplane mode. It has a real headphone jack.
1. keyringlight · 1790935965 · focus · HN ↗
  The thing I liked and still like about dedicated (audio) media player devices is physical buttons so you can have non-fiddly control while it's in your pocket, and it's responsive. With my phone and bluetooth earbuds I have to either pull out a 6.7" slab from my pocket and unlock it to adjust anything complex or get the right morse code tap on the exact right spot on an earbud and deal with any bluetooth delay (I find it a blessing if the phone is oriented in the right way where I can use the vol +/- buttons).
  Where I think they're missing a trick is trying to imitate the admittedly iconic iPod classic design, especially when no one is building around a hard drive any more.
frio · 1790885913 · focus · HN ↗
What does this offer over, say, an Innioasis <a href="https://www.innioasis.com/products/y2" rel="nofollow">https://www.innioasis.com/products/y2? What Bluetooth codecs does it support; will I be able to use LDAC/LDHC/AAC/AptX HD/etc.? Is "Sudo OS" something I can hack and play with?
1. 9999gold · 1790887647 · focus · HN ↗
  It says it supports "streaming" but it is unclear if it will support streaming apps like Spotify/Apple Music or their own music streaming service.
2. a-french-anon · 1790935671 · focus · HN ↗
  This doesn't look like it has wired support?
3. stuaxo · 1790936829 · focus · HN ↗
  Reminds me I must find mine - the click wheel on these is nice.
  I did manage to scratch the screen.
  It feels a bit lightweight, if I could maybe blutak some pennies inside it would probably feel more expensive.
4. Grombobulous · 1790945810 · focus · HN ↗
  I think the more specific question is: why bother playing the “preorder a product that may never ship” game when there’s some factory in China (e.g. this Innioasis product) ready to ship you a product immediately?
  I will say, though, even from basic marketing pictures it’s obvious that this Sudo device is almost certainly a higher quality device.
pwthornton · 1790886178 · focus · HN ↗
It doesn't seem to list what it supports. How do I get music on here? What kind of codecs are supported?
1. fg137 · 1790888153 · focus · HN ↗
  This thing reads like a Kickstarter.
  1. coldtea · 1790893449 · focus · HN ↗
    Reads like an AI vibe slop version of a Kickstarter.
  2. vetrom · 1790951046 · focus · HN ↗
    If it's the same people ("New Matter") that made <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/steveschell/new-matter-mod-t-a-3d-printer-for-everyone" rel="nofollow">https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/steveschell/new-matter... , then it basically is?
nxc18 · 1790886249 · focus · HN ↗
You can also just buy an iPod in 2026, they are still well supported on Mac and PC. You can get them with new batteries quite cheaply. You can even get 30-pin Bluetooth adapters for them.
1. emigre · 1790887584 · focus · HN ↗
  The iPod aren’t supported anymore, they require iTunes which is no longer available on macOS. And iTunes is also not available for Linux.
  1. absolute8606 · 1790888087 · focus · HN ↗
    It is actually still supported directly Finder on macOS. Or, even better, just putting Rockbox on them and copying files over directly, and that’s well supported in Linux.
    Pricing on the used market is maybe a bit high compared to some of the other options out there but the hardware still feels great and there’s massive aftermarket support so there are still benefits to an iPod.
    emigre · 1790894554 · focus · HN ↗
    To be honest I like the classic UI and would not want to use Rockbox… I have struggled trying to use it with Linux. There are ways, in theory, but actually was a pain in practice. I’ve been told Finder works fine, if that’s the case then that’s great.
  2. bookstore-romeo · 1790888355 · focus · HN ↗
    you can still sync music to iPods using the music app/the finder on mac [0]. there’s a similar thing for windows as well [1]. on linux, i know the clementine music player supports iPod sync [2]. all these options let you use the original firmware!
    0: <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchlde9a31f1/mac" rel="nofollow">https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchlde9a31f1/...
    1: <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/devices-windows/mchlbf6a1fab/windows" rel="nofollow">https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/devices-windows/mchlbf...
    2: <a href="https://github.com/clementine-player/Clementine/wiki/Portable-Devices" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/clementine-player/Clementine/wiki/Portabl...
    emigre · 1790894305 · focus · HN ↗
    Well, the support link says iPod Touch, that’s not all iPods. I was thinking about older models to be honest.
    I’ve been told in another comment that they still sync, via Finder. I have had issues with that, but it’s probably okay from what other comments say.
    I’ve done an online search and I see other people that have had technical issues syncing with Finder. I guess it depends on the macOS version, iPod model… who knows.
    I’ve used Clementine but found it to be clunky and unreliable. Again, just my personal experience with it.
    mingus88 · 1790897076 · focus · HN ↗
    Classic iPods work the same way
  3. reaperducer · 1790889784 · focus · HN ↗
    The iPod aren’t supported anymore, they require iTunes which is no longer available on macOS.
    Absolutely false. Why would you even post that?
    iPods are 100% supported on macOS, and its Music program.
    I have five Shuffles, and an iPod Video, and I use at least one of them almost every day, and sync them with my Macs monthly.
    emigre · 1790893432 · focus · HN ↗
    It’s true that after iTunes ceased to exist it was then possible to sync them with the Music app and Finder, I was wrong to say that. I meant to say that Apple no longer offers support for the device.
    I have had issues syncing with Finder on a particular model. I assumed these models no longer worked with the OS. Happy to hear that they do. Maybe it was the OS version, or the model. I should try again.
chinathrow · 1790886286 · focus · HN ↗
This is all nice but, aren't there patents on some of the features visible?
1. saulpw · 1790886607 · focus · HN ↗
  Why are you spending any of your precious energy defending expired patents for a trillion-dollar corporation?
  1. petcat · 1790886812 · focus · HN ↗
    Because before I click the "Reserve" button I would like to know if this company has any hope in hell to actually ship a device before they are sued into oblivion.
  2. sandcat_ · 1790887839 · focus · HN ↗
    They’re probably doubting the viability of a product that’s accepting preorders?
2. mschuster91 · 1790889030 · focus · HN ↗
  The original iPod came out in 2001. Any patents on that have hopefully expired at least half a decade ago if not earlier.
uyui · 1790886366 · focus · HN ↗
There already is Shanling Q2 which looks like iPod, but also has lossless.
robin_reala · 1790886381 · focus · HN ↗
Presumably Apple has a patent on the clickwheel? But maybe that just expired given the first iPod is now 25 years old.
1. IndySun · 1790889441 · focus · HN ↗
  [delayed]
uyui · 1790886441 · focus · HN ↗
THere's already a player that looks like classic iPod and even supports loseless playback out this year, Shanling Q2.
meerita · 1790886602 · focus · HN ↗
One the picture depicts a really fat device. Feels like you will have a brick in your hand.
1. zokier · 1790888216 · focus · HN ↗
  [delayed]
madaxe_again · 1790886636 · focus · HN ↗
If only it would run off a single AA battery.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_PMP300" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_PMP300
MarvinYork · 1790886714 · focus · HN ↗
At first, I read “Suno” and thought it was a music player that lets you listen to music generated just for you. “Play me some music about a breakup between two sailors,” and there you go — the perfect album for the occasion.
rock_artist · 1790886834 · focus · HN ↗
Maybe it’s me being old but I don’t understand why I’d want this device for 249$.
I know some younger gens are looking for phoneless experiences, but for that price you can find old devices and simply recycle their usage. There are enough roms aimed and making a “dumb” mp3 player and include 3.5” and decent audio.
So I wonder if I miss something. The fomo here is messing with me.
1. xandrius · 1790887476 · focus · HN ↗
  Yep, just get some older mp3 players and done. No need dumb touch screens.
2. moralestapia · 1790887696 · focus · HN ↗
  Maybe it's me being old but I've seen the <who would buy this thing> argument ad nauseaum.
  The fatigue is real.
  1. coldtea · 1790893412 · focus · HN ↗
    >I'm happy about this product, I was just looking for something like this not long ago.
    There is a market for such products, but not for this one, which is a particularly bad implementation, vaporware for Q4 2027 release, and with bad specs for the price.
    Tons of such mp3 players, with touchscreens, and even iPod like wheels, on online stores. Go get one.
3. poisonborz · 1790887738 · focus · HN ↗
  Even more, chinese sites are chuck full of such players for a fraction of the price in all dimensions, on/offline, tactile or touch, with quality DACs.
  1. Levitating · 1790927362 · focus · HN ↗
    I've tried such devices for ~40 euro but found the quality lacking
comrade1234 · 1790886897 · focus · HN ↗
I still have an iPod in my car and I still have a big collection of music but I've stopped collecting music. I haven't bought/downloaded anything in years because there is so much good streaming out there. I mostly switch between nts.live 1 and 2, dublab, and dublab Germany. When there's something annoying on one channel there is almost always something good on another.
mococa · 1790886919 · focus · HN ↗
Nice, I was just searching for something like that!
chollida1 · 1790887019 · focus · HN ↗
I though $50 seems like a fair price for what you'd get. And then I saw it was only a deposit. A retail price of $250 seems way over the mark for what it is.
Who would be the market for this product?
Its expensive so its up market, but all of those buyers would already have phones and would be unlikely to bring another device just to have music that their phone is already exceptionally good at providing.
it's unlikely to be runners or bikers or other endurance athletes as they'll already have their phone or if they use a watch have music on their watch so they don't have to bring a phone.
Phones already do a great job of offline with downloaded music and movies so that doesn't seem like the right crowd.
Most kids get a hand me down phone with no cellular to start with from their parents so that doesn't seem like a good fit.
now i feel like I'm writing the hacker news dropbox review where i say its use case is already easy to do and the product will go nowhere;)
But seriously, who would be the target here?
1. cesarsk · 1790887206 · focus · HN ↗
  Nostalgia? Maybe not even, as you could buy a second hand iPod off eBay. Maybe for people that only use dumbphones and want still the possibility of listening to music?
  Curious to see how much they sell, I suspect not much
2. coldtea · 1790887415 · focus · HN ↗
  >A retail price of $250 seems way over the mark for what it is.
  There are, in 2026, dozens of models of mp3 players selling from around $120 to even up to $400 or so, from brands from Chinese OEMs to Sony, including a few that mimic the iPod interface. From iPod style to expensive DAC ones with impendance tailored to high end headphones.
  >But seriously, who would be the target here?
  People interested in mp3 players.
  People who want to focus on music listening, and not have a constant distraction device at hand when doing it.
  >Phones already do a great job of offline with downloaded music and movies so that doesn't seem like the right crowd.
  Seems like you've missed the whole "back to focused use device" trend going on for the last few years and that general niche.
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00lLrwHQPns" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00lLrwHQPns
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaTRhWazMPs" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaTRhWazMPs
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFVo1bmUXzw" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFVo1bmUXzw
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viU9JhIsbl4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viU9JhIsbl4
  <a href="https://www.audiophileon.com/news/hd-music-player-top-10" rel="nofollow">https://www.audiophileon.com/news/hd-music-player-top-10
  <a href="https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/portable/best-portable-music-players" rel="nofollow">https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/portable/best-portable-mu...
  <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/best-mp3-players-techradars-guide-to-the-best-portable-music-players" rel="nofollow">https://www.techradar.com/news/best-mp3-players-techradars-g...
3. emigre · 1790887920 · focus · HN ↗
  Hi. I am the target for this kind of device. I like to have a dedicated music player, and I like the shape of the iPod classic.
  This device has Bluetooth which the old iPod did not have, which is an enhancement. The old iPod also forces you to sync the music using the iTunes library.
4. NoGravitas · 1790952132 · focus · HN ↗
  Expensive mp3 players are for audiophiles. They have better much DACs than a phone, hi-fi headphone jacks in addition to regular ones. Probably other hi-fi features I don't know or care about. They can easily run over $400.
  Inexpensive mp3 players are for people who want a distraction-free device, who want a headphone jack, or like physical buttons, I guess, and they also often have somewhat better DACs than a phone, not that my busted hearing can tell. I think decent ones are in the $50-100 range. I have a $70 that I like fine. It's metal, it plays most media formats (not opus, which annoys me, and it flakes out on some specific ogg vorbis). Only thing I don't like is switching between linear and shuffle play is too many button pushes.
coldtea · 1790887135 · focus · HN ↗
Shipping Q4 2027? Let me know then. Even if it ships on time, that's like a year ahead, and who knows what else will be available by the time (it's not like there's not a thriving niche mp3 player market).
1. sippingabonedry · 1790887535 · focus · HN ↗
  While you're saving that $250 over the next year, feel free to indulge on any of the dozens of equivalent products already on the market at the $35 price point.
  1. thejazzman · 1790887703 · focus · HN ↗
    I recommend an iPod classic with a 512GB SD card :D
    sippingabonedry · 1790888609 · focus · HN ↗
    Already have one pal :D
    New battery, too.
    They are a bitch to open though.
    beAbU · 1790925399 · focus · HN ↗
    You mean CF card? I upgraded my iPod classic by pulling out the old 1GB hard drive and replacing it with a 64GB CF card the pinout is the same, and it works flawlessly.
    I gelt like a real hacker when I did it!
  2. coldtea · 1790893059 · focus · HN ↗
    I know of them, but I don't necessarily want to save. I don't like the sub-$50 ones I've seen (tons of them on Alibaba, Temu, Amazon and various online stores). Already have a ~ $150 mp3 player.
    I'd be interested in a $250 one or even a $400 one if it had good features. 64GB storage (SD extention is cool, but built-in should be way higher) and 20 hours battery ain't that.
    NoGravitas · 1790950973 · focus · HN ↗
    My Fiio/Snowsky Echo (not mini) has a 1/4-inch jack, and it was only like $70.
2. shosko · 1790887774 · focus · HN ↗
  This feels like a new company trying to capitalize on the trend and looking to fill a minimum order.
Aboutplants · 1790887148 · focus · HN ↗
Just use an old iPhone as your music player. You probably have one in a drawer somewhere
1. wpearse · 1790887269 · focus · HN ↗
  Jokes: I have one in my pocket right now!
2. katzenq · 1790943055 · focus · HN ↗
  It's unfortunately hard to justify not using the phone currently in my pocket at that point.
sajithdilshan · 1790887666 · focus · HN ↗
Looks like a scam. You have to pay 50$ to reserve and ships in Q4 2027.
By then most of people would forget they even paid for this and also you won’t be able to dispute the 50$ with your payment provider because the dispute window has passed.
shosko · 1790887711 · focus · HN ↗
This feels like a new company collecting orders for a minimum run. I wish them luck. Those rivets on the back are a deal breaker for me.
zylent · 1790887938 · focus · HN ↗
I try not to be negative, but the name is bad. Literally any other name. sudo os?!?
1. emigre · 1790894725 · focus · HN ↗
  Oh gosh, “sudo”… because if you use it you are a “super user”?… Not a great name.
2. conception · 1790946331 · focus · HN ↗
  Yes , I feel like LS would be the only worse name or CD.
maxglute · 1790890299 · focus · HN ↗
Looks massive and 20hours of battery life. Does 3.5 even have a dac?
1. mingus88 · 1790897151 · focus · HN ↗
  It would have to if it makes (analog) sound waves from (digital) files
  1. maxglute · 1790963299 · focus · HN ↗
    Like a fancy dac. The specs are very pedestrian for a music device.
    mingus88 · 1791062328 · focus · HN ↗
    Apple’s $10 dongle has measured better than many fancy DACs and its silly to spend more than that on a portable setup.
    I say this as someone who has spent thousands on headphones, amps and DACs over the years. It’s a silly hobby that is far too expensive for what you get out of it
aussieguy1234 · 1790942760 · focus · HN ↗
Just don't run it from the terminal or you might get more than you bargained for...
sneak · 1790955436 · focus · HN ↗
I recently bought an Android-based MP3 player that can use Spotify, including Spotify lossless, and has a microSD slot. The benefits here are pretty substantial. It has a really nice headphone amp inside of it for driving larger headphones at the right volume. Also I don't have to take up expensive space inside my iPhone for Spotify download cache. When I upgrade my iPhone, I don't have to redownload anything. It's really nice to be able to use cheap microSD media for this type of music caching. It's also full Android, so I can run syncthing on it and just drop music into a folder on my desktop which will automatically get picked up by the device. It has really good battery life because it's not trying to be very thin. And it has dedicated hardware buttons for track changing and volume. I'm very happy with it. And it wasn't very expensive.
Bluetooth means it works with my airpods and cars, and file playback means I am once again listening to all the music that I love that isn’t on Spotify.
Huge life hack.
housebear · 1790958546 · focus · HN ↗
No information about the company, the process, the people behind this. I feel like there's gotta be more required before people would be willing to send money to a company promising delivery of a consumer good a year from now. Even most Kickstarters provide greater detail/narrative in an attempt to assuage. Is the bar really so low that I could spin up a brand name, some renders, a spec sheet, and a single page site to solicit "deposits" from people? Is this all it takes?
mthorbal · 1790968595 · focus · HN ↗
I plan to get this and also to put a steam engine in my car...

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