Using the Steam edition

On Steam the app is named ECHO. The store App ID is 5105090:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5105090

It is still a local player: import the files on your computer and listen. Steam adds account ownership, updates, cloud settings, friend status, achievements, Workshop, and optional ECHO Pro DLC.

It is not NetEase, QQ Music, or Spotify. The official product does not search, sign in, stream, or download from those platforms.

Legal pages:

How it differs from free Community

The website / GitHub installer is the Community edition. Community is completely free forever, with permanent updates, free Pro features and no charge for future updates. Steam Pro still requires DLC. See the full edition comparison for features, implementation and update differences.

	Steam edition	Website / GitHub installer
Where it comes from	Install from your Steam library	Download page or GitHub Releases
Updates	Steam only. Do not overwrite the install with the website package	Website updater or a manual installer
App data	A separate `ECHO Steam` folder	The website build’s own folder
Pro	ECHO Pro DLC on the Steam account	All Pro features free under current Community policy; see older builds
Workshop, Cloud, achievements	Yes	Not this Steamworks set

Both can sit on the same PC. Libraries do not merge by themselves. Steam Cloud syncs a small portable settings file, not songs, playlists, or history.

Do not copy the website installer over the Steam folder. Do not paste a standalone license credential into the Steam build. The two editions have separate update channels and separate Pro entitlements.

Install from Steam

Open Steam and sign in.
Open the ECHO store page and add it to your library.
In the library, install ECHO.
Use the default folder unless you have a reason to change it.
Wait until Steam says it is ready.
Start it from Steam. Do not rely on a random desktop shortcut from somewhere else.

First run:

Keep Steam online.
Follow Quick start with a small test folder.
Confirm search works and the player has sound.
Then import the real library.

The current Steam release line is Windows. Linux and macOS are not promised as official Steam support.

Where your data lives

The Steam edition has its own app-data folder. It is not the website installer’s folder.

Music files stay in the folders you imported. ECHO only stores an index.
The catalog, playlists, and history live in the Steam edition’s own directory.
Do not unpack or install the website package over the Steam ECHO folder.
Both can be installed at once. Libraries do not merge by themselves.

Settings or About can usually open the data folder. Deleting that folder drops the Steam edition’s index and playlists. The audio files on disk stay.

What the Steam edition does and does not do

Included in the base app

Import folders; search, albums, artists, playlists, likes, history
System output, WASAPI shared / exclusive, ASIO, plus DSD files, DoP, and supported Native DSD passthrough
Lyrics, desktop lyrics, a local video you attach yourself
Mini player, taskbar controls, Windows media controls
Steam Cloud settings, Rich Presence, achievements, listening stats
Browse Workshop; subscribe, then click Use in the app
Listen Together with friends: current source supports host-enabled local-audio sharing through an independent server; see Listening Rooms

DSD passthrough is a playback path, not extra processing, so it stays in the base edition.

Unlocked by ECHO Pro DLC

Price is whatever the Steam store shows for the DLC. It is an entitlement. No second installer.

How to buy it:

Open the ECHO store page.
Find the ECHO Pro DLC.
Buy it with the same Steam account that owns ECHO.
Wait until Steam shows you own it.
Start ECHO from Steam again.
The previously locked processing controls in Settings or Audio should become clickable.

Capability	In plain language
ReplayGain, headroom, EQ, dynamics, soundstage, channel tools, headphone / room correction, limiter	Taste and safety processing
PCM dither, ECHO SRC, PCM-to-SDM	Advanced processing; hardware and drivers still decide
Remote workspace	Your own NAS, Jellyfin, WebDAV, and similar
Radio	Play station-stream URLs you add; see Internet Radio
Connect workspace	LAN send and companion-device flows
Pro theme presets	Extra official themes

Acrylic window styling on supported Windows stays in the base edition. It is not a DLC extra.

Without Pro, those controls stay hidden or blocked. A refund, revocation, or a failed ownership check locks Pro again. The library and base settings stay.

Pro does not promise every DAC will run a given rate or DSD mode. ECHO shows the path that is actually active.

Current Community policy requires no standalone purchase for available Pro features. Steam still checks DLC ownership; free Community access does not grant Steam entitlements. See the edition comparison for older builds and credentials.

Officially out of scope

Downloaders, yt-dlp, ripping from platforms
Search, login, or playback for NetEase, QQ Music, Spotify, YouTube, Bilibili, and similar
Platform MV search
Legacy main-process / Node plugins. Workshop plugins run in an isolated page and need per-capability consent

Coming from a streaming app: Switching from streaming apps.

First song

Same as the website build:

Import Folder on a small directory.
Open Inbox or Songs.
Double-click a normal MP3.
The bottom player shows the title, the bar moves, and there is sound.

Stuck? Common stuck points. Folder layout: How to keep music folders tidy.

If the app will not open or Workshop is empty:

You started it from Steam.
Steam is still running and not stuck offline.
You are signed into the account that owns ECHO.

Steam Cloud

Portable-settings Cloud sync is off by default in ECHO. ECHO syncs echo-steam-settings-v1.json only after you enable it under Settings -> Steam, Cloud is available, and you have not disabled Cloud in Steam. Once enabled, startup keeps the newer local or cloud copy, and later changes upload after a short delay.

Manual upload / download: Settings -> About -> Steamworks, or the matching buttons on the Steam settings page.

Included: a whitelist of portable settings, such as language and some playback preferences.

Not included:

Music files and the library database
Playlist contents and per-track history
Disk paths, window position, device names
Remote-library passwords, proxies, cookies
Whether Pro is unlocked (that follows the Steam account)
Logs and diagnostic reports

After you switch PCs, import the folders again. Cloud will not recreate D:\Music. The import flow is in Import audio sources.

Settings can upload or download this file manually. Turning Cloud off in Steam stops future sync. It does not delete files Valve already stored.

What friends see

Steam Rich Presence is on by default. The Music preset sends title, artist, album, and progress in 15-second steps to the local Steam client.

Whether friends see it depends on your Steam privacy settings.

Preset	Friends roughly see
Music	Title, artist, album, progress
Minimal	Title and artist
Privacy	That you are in ECHO, no track

Genre and shuffle / repeat stay off unless you enable them. Turning Rich Presence off clears the current fields immediately.

Local paths, device names, cover files, and full lyrics are not published to the friends list.

Achievements and listening stats

Achievements follow actual listening. Turning a setting on is not enough. Pause, seek, and skip usually do not count as a finished play.

Typical unlocks: first Steam launch, first import, late-night listening, a full album in order, several days in a row. The full list is in the Steam overlay. Hidden achievements stay hidden here.

Listening stats are integers: minutes listened, completed tracks, streak days, and similar. Titles, paths, and per-play rows are not uploaded.

The numbers used for achievement progress sync while you run through Steam. Two extra personal stats (longest session, rediscovered tracks) are on by default and can be turned off under Settings -> Steam. Turning them off does not stop the achievement numbers.

Values belong to the Steam account. A new PC with a shorter local history will not lower a larger number already stored on Steam. Deleting local history does not erase the submitted high-water marks. This is not a sum across PCs. Each machine keeps its own totals; Steam keeps the larger value it has already seen.

The History page shows local versus Steam numbers and can sync once on demand.

Leaderboards

In current D:\ECHO source, leaderboards are on for fresh or missing settings; an explicitly saved off choice stays off. When Steamworks is available, account-linked aggregate scores can be submitted and your public Steam persona may appear on a board. Switching from off back to on asks for confirmation.

The switch is under Settings -> Steam. The full browser is on the History page. Boards compare aggregates such as listening time, completed tracks, and streak days. They do not publish your playlists.

Turning them off stops new submissions. Valve-stored scores are not deleted automatically.

Listen Together

Current D:\ECHO source uses an independent server room for Listening. After the host explicitly presses Start Sharing, the native host can encode and forward eligible local PCM audio. Guests do not need the same file. This does not copy the original file to their computers.

When launched through Steam, ECHO may offer an in-app friends invitation. A room ID works separately, and password-protected rooms still require the password. Capacity, chat, quality choices, and lyric display depend on server capabilities. Share only content you have the right to play to members; DSD/DoP or unsupported sources may be rejected.

Older clients or servers may present a different flow. Follow the full Listening Rooms tutorial and its audio troubleshooting against the capabilities shown by your installed client.

Where to click in Steam settings

You want to	Look here
Manual Cloud upload / download	`Settings -> About -> Steamworks`
Presence presets, listening stats, leaderboards	`Settings -> Steam`
Local versus Steam listening numbers	History page
Achievement list	Steam overlay or the Steam client
Workshop	`Workshop` on the left

ECHO never asks for your Steam password, Steam Guard, or cookies. Stop if something does.

Workshop

Subscribe only downloads. It does not switch themes, apply EQ, or enable plugins. To apply: open Workshop → Installed → Use. Nothing changes until it passes checks and you accept the permissions.

Full steps: Steam Workshop.

Enable only items you trust. Authors provide the content. ECHO isolates and validates it. That is not a promise every item works forever.

Updates, refunds, new PCs

Goal	What to do
Update ECHO	Let Steam update, then start from Steam
Update Workshop items	After Steam finishes, refresh in ECHO, then Use or Sync
Refund	Use Steam refunds
New PC	Install with the same Steam account; Cloud brings settings; import music again
Drop Pro	After a refund or lost DLC, processing locks; songs stay

Do not run the website auto-updater on the Steam install.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Why is there no search or download?	This is a local player. See Switching from streaming apps
Can website Pro unlock Steam?	No. Steam only checks DLC
Can Steam DLC unlock Community?	Ownership does not transfer; current Community Pro features are free without DLC
Why is the library empty on a new PC?	Cloud does not sync the catalog. Import again
Workshop subscribed, nothing changed?	Click Use under Installed
Listen Together is silent?	Check host sharing, actual native audio send, guest output, and room volume
No sound, search miss, split album	Common stuck points

Daily use: Daily listening. Day-by-day: First week.