If history is destined to repeat itself, at least we got to see MP3 players like the Fiio Snowsky Echo Nano make a return before it’s all over.
If you blasted tunes from a Sony Walkman NW-S600 or S700F Series in the 2000s, this should immediately look familiar. Fiio has modelled the Snowsky Echo Nano after that era of portable MP3 players and that specific Sony Walkman in particular. But Fiio has given this one a few upgrades.
Funny Walkman
For starters, this little guy is Sony Hi-Res Audio certified, thanks to the Cirrus Logic DAC/Amp combo chip Fiio has stuck inside. Something those Sony Walkmans from the 2000s only dreamed about. Just don’t expect to drive power-hungry headphones; output is only rated for 32 mW per channel at 32 ohms to 3.5 mm headphones.
At just 83.5 x 23 x 14 mm, it won’t take up much space in your pocket. The fact that it doesn’t support wireless headphones is great if you’re leaning into the nostalgia factor, but that could be tricky if you’re already short on pocket space.
Made from a CNC-machined aluminium-magnesium alloy, it should be both light and sturdy. Sturdier than the old plastic ones, anyway. A slightly covered knob lives on one end and the 3.5mm headphone jack (remember those?) lives on the other. In between those are a 0.91in OLED display and buttons for what are presumably play/pause functions and volume control.
You also get a slot for your microSD card (up to 256GB) where you’ll store your bangers. DSD, WAV, FLAC, APE, MP3, M4A, and OGG files are supported. There’s also a USB-C port for charging the 360mAh battery, good for up to seven hours of playback, or hooking it up to another device to use as a dedicated external sound card via its USB Audio Class support.
Like the Walkmans it is modelled after, the Snowsky Echo Nano is available in a range of colours, but getting hold of one isn’t as straightforward as you might’ve hoped. We’ve found it available and ready to ship to South Africa via an AliExpress listing for as little as R1,000.
