The SD card on my Echo Mini was full. I didn’t like the idea of navigating even more music on one device, so instead of a bigger SD card I just got another device.
This device isn’t perfect, but I can’t think of better alternative for my tastes except maybe an iPod. But those are crazy money to get upgraded to today’s standards (larger storage, lossless support, etc).
A new device, the Snowsky Echo (not mini) has been announced and also looks gorgeous. But I like the idea of having a few identical devices. I might get a third for meditations, audiobooks (despite the lack of chapter support) and ASMR.
I want one, but the 256GB card limit might be a dealbreaker.
I’m hoping that the newly announced Snowsky Echo (not mini) might solve that. But details are slim at the moment.
Do you know where yo find info about the upcoming device? I couldn’t find any info other than a random Facebook post not made by fiio
The SEO is rough given its an existing popular product name, just minus a single descriptive term at the end 😅
I know what you mean about the SEO problem. I don’t know where the info comes from originally. I saw a comment saying that they’re usually teased on Chinese social media and we get rumours based on that. r/snowsky gets teasers. All I have is this picture and internet speculation :)
Gotcha, thanks!
I think I’m leaning in the direction of an iPod, but thats more money and more of a project, so we’ll see :)
The iPod has never been surpassed. But if the price puts you off, the Innioasis Y1 looks interesting (although far from a 1:1 replacement). I douby the audio quality is as good, though.
I had no idea that existed, thanks for the additional option to consider! I’m kinda thinking about an iPod mini since those are also moddable, I think they look cute, and are a fair bit cheaper, but I think I might kinda miss color, higher resolution album art, at least a little bit
5th gen kinda seems like the mid-teir price wise, but I’ve heard they’re not as stable with rockbox which Id be kinda interested in potentially running. And 6th gen or later seems really pricey
It’s a tough choice. I like the nano for mobility and the larger classic for comfort if use. Then there’s the cost. I’d be going for Rockbox too for lossless support. The Y1 supports Rockbox.
I ended up getting both the player and the amp. They’re incredibly well made for the price and can handle output like a champ. I can highly recommend them.
I agree. I really wasn’t expecting this quality at this price.
Is the point of the amp to be able to use wired headphones with a Bluetooth device?
Yep! Also, the balanced output is super nice for driving beefier headphones, even when you’re not using wireless.
Oh, that’s something I’m very curious about. I used wired Bose QC headphones with the 3.5mm port. Would getting balanced headphones for the other port be a noticeable upgrade in sound quality? Crazy to think this device might have more to offer.
Theoretically the improvement with balanced audio comes with the fact that the cone can push and pull the sound since you have positive and negative terminals for both left and right. It’s borderline snake oil, but the actual difference is that it can drive headphones more loudly with the same “level” of output. 50% volume on 3.5mm might sound closer to 75% volume on a balanced cable. These are not scientific numbers, but hopefully that makes sense.
Thank you very much for that. I was able to do a bit more reading with that context. My headphone cable is on 1 meter long so I’m unlikely to notice an improvement in quality, especially at the low volume I listen at. But if I ever set up a stationary sound system at home I’ll get good headphones for running whatever distance I need.
Why not just get another SD card??
There is an ~8,000 file limit anyway so a bigger card doesn’t solve everything. But I actually get decision paralysis having more music than that on one device so I’m happy to have a few of them. I might keep classical, instrumentals and soundtrack on one.
i meant like, swapping between SD cards instead of getting a second player.
Oh, now I get you. That’s a good suggestion and I did consider that, but I would have to do a rescan every time I swap. I have ~200GB+ of FLAC files on the first card so the scan takes about 5 minutes. Too much fuss for me but might not be an issue for others.
I guess that makes sense
Is this 8000 file limit a hard limit? Can it not be removed via a firmware upgrade from fiiO? I am considering buying this player to avoid using my phone/PC to listen to music but ya… I mean, I am nowhere near that limit, but still.
The commentary online always suggests the limit can’t be passed due to inherent limits of the hardware. If you like the device except for that limitation, it’s worth waiting for the Echo Pro due out late this year https://www.hifihub.com.br/en/general/fiio-2026-a-look-ahead-at-this-years-dap-releases
Alternatively the Snowsky Disc supports 2Tb of storage and surely does not have an ~8,000 file limit.
I think I can live with that limitation.
How are you liking the device, after all this time?
I love it. I wanted something with physical buttons, with excellent sound and not a phone, and I really like that about it. I prefer albums to singles too. Part of the appeal for me is also the appearance, because I had portable cassette/CD/minidisc players when they were the tech of the time.
It helped that I was aware of the limitations in advance: limited (SBC) Bluetooth, no gapless and the need to ensure the files are tagged in a way the device likes. Using SDsorter/fatsort might also necessary if you use the folder browser instead of the media browser (takes five seconds).
It’s hard to get a sense of how small it really is online and I see many comments from reviewers saying they were surprised when their device arrived. My hands and eyes would prefer a bigger device, but then again my pockets would not.
If you do go for one of the Snowsky devices, I’d be interested in your experiences.
