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This $50 Portable Hi-Fi Player Reimagines the Classic MP3 Player from the Early 2000s

Put down your smartphone and start paying more attention to your music. It’s nostalgic.

Silver Echo Nano audio device with black wired earbuds featuring a copper geometric pattern on a white surface.Fiio
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By Tucker Bowe

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In the last year, Fiio has released several audio products under its budget-friendly Snowsky sub-brand.

Some examples include the Snowsky Tiny, a $20 portable DAC and headphone amplifier, and the Snowsky Disc, a tiny portable hi-fi player that works kind of like an old iPod and costs just $80.

Now, staying true to its ethos, the company is releasing another affordable hi-fi gadget that can fit in your pocket.

Fiio Snowsky Echo Nano 

Two white rectangular digital audio players with black control wheels and display screens floating on a light gray background.
The Snowsky Echo Nano is a portable hi-fi player that accesses your digital library via a microSD card.
Fiio

The Snowsky Echo Nano is a portable hi-fi player that, according to the brand, “reimagines the iconic 2000s era MP3 player.” It doesn’t run any apps, so you won’t find Spotify or Apple Music on it.

Instead, it’s designed as a distraction-free way of listening to your digital music library. It supports microSD cards up to 256GB, which should store around 500 albums. 

Seven colorful rectangular electronic devices with screens and rotary knobs on top, displayed on black stepped platforms against a gray background.
The Echo Nano comes in seven different fun color options.
Fiio

Put down your smartphone

At the heart of the Echo Nano is a Cirrus Logic CS43131 DAC. This enables playing high-resolution audio, with native DSD decoding alongside support for WAV, FLAC, APE, MP3, M4A and OGG formats. It has a 3.5mm single-ended headphone jack. 

The player combines a premium build (made out of CNC-machined 6-series aluminum) with an easier-to-use interface, thanks to a 0.91-inch OLED display and a tactile metal scroll wheel. Navigating your music promises to be a one-handed operation. 

Two black rectangular digital audio players with red rotary knobs and small display screens, one showing Chinese text.
The Echo Nano has an “up to seven-hour” battery life. It charges via USB-C.
Fiio
Two metallic portable music players with gold control dials, one showing a screen with text and the other displaying "SNOWSKY" branding.
At 33.5 grams, it weighs about as much as an AA battery.
Fiio

The player also has access to a 5-band dynamic equalizer with six built-in presets that you can switch between. You can also create a custom EQ, if one of the presets isn’t quite to your liking.

In addition to functioning as a standalone portable hi-fi player, the Snowsky Echo Nano has some modern tricks up its sleeve. Most notably, it can function as a USB DAC for your smartphone or laptop. There’s a USB-C jack on its side (next to the microSD slot).

Two teal rectangular digital audio players with gold rotary knobs and black buttons, one showing a screen with text.
The Echo Nano is shown in green with a gold tactical dial.
Fiio

Price and availability

The Fiio Snowsky Echo Nano costs just $50 and comes in seven different color options (which you can see throughout the article): black, white, pink, sky blue, green, purple and titanium.

It’s available now.

About the Author: Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. With a passion for consumer tech and hi-fi, he tracks everything from headphones and turntables to smartphones and wearables. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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