- Leaked images show super-compact Snowsky digital audio player
- Fiio says yes, it supports microSD storage
- Specifications and pricing are still under wraps, but they are expected to be very affordable.
Snowsky, which is the more casual sub-brand of rising audiophile star Fiio, appears to be planning the release of a new, extremely compact audio player that’s closer to an iPod nano or even an iPod Shuffle than many of today’s best hi-res audio players.
A new leak on Weibo (via Notebookcheck.net) shows a device labeled 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 designed to look like an old-school audio cassette, but the new Nano looks more like a vaporizer.
The player shown in the leaked image is small and somewhat cuboid, 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 big way. The physical aspect reminds me more of Fiio stuff than Snowsky stuff, like the Fiio BTR17 DAC/amp or the Fiio JM21 music player.
FiiO Snowsky Echo Nano: what we don’t know
Another image (above) posted on Reddit gives a better, albeit blurry, idea of what the player looks like, but so far we don’t know what’s inside that rather attractive case.
We don’t know pricing or availability yet, but given that the Echo Mini sells 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 remain a secret, although a Fiio representative appears 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 audio 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, enveloping sound. If Snowsky can offer decent battery life and high-resolution audio for a low price, it could well have a hit on its hands.
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