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 the website build

	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	Afdian order number and device bind. See ECHO Pro
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 an Afdian order number 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: each PC plays its own matching local file. Audio files are not sent

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
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.

The Afdian unlock is for the website build. See ECHO Pro. The Steam build only checks the DLC on the Steam account. Do not paste an Afdian order number into Steam ECHO.

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

When Cloud is available and you have not turned it off in Steam, ECHO syncs echo-steam-settings-v1.json. On startup it keeps the newer of the local and cloud copies. After you change settings, it waits a moment, then uploads.

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

Off by default. Enabling asks you to confirm that scores and your public Steam persona may appear.

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

A small Steam friends room, about four people.

It does not send audio files. It is not “friends can listen even if they do not have the song.” The host publishes playback state and cleaned title / artist / album. Guests must resolve the same track in their own library before they can follow play, pause, and seek.

How to start:

Both people start ECHO from Steam and import the same legal local files first.
The host creates a Listen Together room.
Invite from the Steam overlay, or send the lobby ID.
After a guest joins, ECHO matches title, artist, and duration. A large duration gap (about more than 4 seconds) or the same title with a different artist will not play the wrong file.
On a match: the guest can follow play, pause, seek, and track changes.
On a miss: the guest sees that the local library has no matching song. Import it, or pick a track both libraries have.
The room can send short reactions: heart, flame, headphones, sparkle.
If the host leaves, another member becomes host and their playback state leads.

Healthy screen: titles match, progress moves together, sound comes from each guest’s own PC. If a guest is silent, check their file and volume. The app will not stream audio across the room.

Local paths, covers, lyric text, and audio bytes are not sent into the room.

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 the website build?	No. That build uses Afdian
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?	The guest needs the same local file
No sound, search miss, split album	Common stuck points

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