It could have been Hydaelyn giving Cid the Goggles - I mean, the power of the Echo is technically her domain. She bestowed it on us for a reason - if it was truly as significant as claimed, everyone in Eorzea (by which I mean the NPCs, not us players) would have it. But they don't, and the story assumes that only the person playing is the bearer of the Echo (it assumes everyone else in your party has a kind of "standing to the side" role, and are thus not important).