- Leaked images show a super compact Snowsky digital audio player
- Fiio says yes, it supports microSD storage
- Specifications and pricing are still under wraps, but expect it to be very affordable
Snowsky, the more casual sub-brand of budget audiophile break-out star Fiio, seems to be planning the launch of a new and extremely compact audio player that’s closer to an iPod nano or even an iPod Shuffle than many of today’s top Hi-Res Audio players.
A new leak on Weibo (via Notebookcheck.net) shows a device branded with the Snowsky logo and the words Echo Nano, and it appears to be a smaller version of the current Echo Mini. The latter device is styled to look like an old-fashioned audio cassette, but the new Nano looks more like a vape.
The player shown in the leaked image is small and kind of cubic, with what appears to be a monochrome screen on the side and a 3.5mm headphone jack and control wheel on top. It looks very 2000s, in a great way. The physicality reminds me more of Fiio’s stuff than Snowsky’s such as the Fiio BTR17 DAC/amp or the Fiio JM21 music player.
FiiO Snowsky Echo Nano: what we don’t know
Another image (above) posted to Reddit gives a better, if blurry, idea of what the player looks like, but as yet we don’t know what’s inside the rather neat case.
We don’t know pricing or availability yet, but given that the Echo Mini retails for $49 in the US and £49 in the UK, I’d expect this new model to be priced very low: it’s a much simpler product.
The specifications are still a secret, although a Fiio representative seems to have confirmed that the new device will support microSD cards.
I have high hopes for this because FiiO is very good at delivering high-quality sound from very modestly priced hardware: recent product launches include the aptly named Snowsky Tiny, an extremely small high-resolution DAC designed for smartphones.
And the aforementioned Echo Mini has attracted very positive reviews for its warm and involving sound. If Snowsky can deliver decent battery life and hi-res audio at a low price, it could have a hit on its hands.
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