Today, Meldrick reviews the FiiO SNOWSKY ECHO MINI, a retro-inspired, budget-friendly digital audio player with up to 250 mW of balanced output power. It is currently priced at $49.99.
Disclaimer: I received this sample in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or services. I thank FiiO and SNOWSKY for their support.
You can click here to learn more about the FiiO audio products previously reviewed on Headfonics.
This post follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
SNOWSKY is FiiO’s newest sub-brand and one we have recently introduced to our readers via Thomas’s recent RETRO NANO dongle review
The big pitch with SNOWSKY is to reach out to a more youthful mainstream audience via affordability and a more jovial aesthetic.
Coming in with a unique retro-inspired design and priced at $49.99, the ECHO MINI’s value as a novelty digital audio player has intrigued me.
I found out how it performs and compares to other budget DAPs, such as the HiBy R1 and similarly priced audio sources such as the RETRO NANO in my full review below.
Features
The FiiO SNOWSKY ECHO MINI is a love letter to the origins of portable audio. With its vintage cassette player aesthetics, it “echoes” past listening trends while embracing modern technology.
The compact, lightweight design makes it an easy pocket companion, and its physical control buttons reinforce the tactile experience that I personally miss.
At its core, the ECHO MINI houses dual CS43131 DAC chips, delivering native DSD256 playback and high-resolution 24-bit/192kHz audio.
Unlike many compact DAPs that stick to a single-ended output, the ECHO MINI provides both 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs, ensuring flexibility for IEM and headphone users alike.
While the SNOWSKY ECHO MINI is built as a dedicated digital audio player, it doesn’t neglect the convenience of wireless connectivity.
With Bluetooth 5.3, users can stream audio to their favorite Bluetooth headphones and speakers, making it a versatile choice for both wired and wireless setups.
Design
Upon first glance, it’s hard to ignore the ECHO MINI’s resemblance to portable cassette players of the past. While aesthetic tastes are inherently subjective, I and everyone I’ve shown the ECHO MINI to couldn’t help but be intrigued by its unique form factors
The FiiO SNOWSKY ECHO MINI comes in black, cyan, and pink, with the unit sent for review being the black variety. Despite the plastic build, it manages to feel lightweight yet substantial, striking a balance that prevents it from feeling like a cheap toy or a disposable gadget.
I particularly appreciate the color blocking on the black version; the deep black bezel, a slightly lighter black plastic body, and a high-contrast red power button lend a sleek, cohesive look that complements its novel retro aesthetic.
The front of the unit is dominated by a 1.99-inch IPS display, offering good viewing angles and clarity given the small size and UI scaling. Navigating the UI was never an issue, with sharp, legible text and well-spaced elements.
All controls are positioned on the top of the unit, making them easy to reach and distinguish from one another. The right side houses the 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs, while the left side features the MicroSD slot, USB-C port, and a lanyard hole.
Unfortunately, no lanyard is included in the box. The unit’s compact size allows for one-handed operation with ease.
Whether or not listeners would buy the unit just for its looks is debatable; however, its combination of a novel form and strong tactile usability creates an overall compelling package.
Controls
The ECHO MINI features a well-laid-out control scheme, with all buttons positioned on the top of the device for easy access.
From left to right, the sequence begins with the power button, followed by the volume button, play/pause button, menu button, and back button.
The power button serves its expected functions, turning the unit on and off while also putting the display to sleep when needed. The volume button, however, takes a different approach compared to traditional rockers.
Rather than a pivoted design, it’s a single elongated plastic button with micro switches on either side, requiring users to press the left or right side for volume changes. While functional, I would have preferred a center pivot for a more familiar rocker-style feel.
Additionally, I found the volume orientation counterintuitive, especially in landscape mode, where pressing right decreases the volume and pressing left increases it, that took some getting used to.
Even when using the device in portrait mode inside my pocket, I naturally orient it with the headphone jack facing upward, which further inverts the volume direction, with upward presses lowering the volume and downward presses increasing it.
The play/pause button functions as expected and also acts as a confirmation button during menu navigation. The menu button quickly brings up relevant settings—music settings when in Now Playing mode and UI settings from the main menu.
Lastly, the back button makes it easy to retrace menu layers or return to the home screen. Overall, while the controls are tactile, intuitive, and responsive, minor tweaks to the volume button’s design and orientation would enhance the user experience.
I/O
The FiiO SNOWSKY ECHO MINI offers a well-thought-out I/O layout, with all essential ports easily accessible. On the right side, users will find both a 3.5mm single-ended headphone output (100mW @ 32Ω) and a 4.4mm balanced output (250 mW @ 32Ω).
This is a welcome addition, as it expands compatibility beyond just mainstream, easy-to-drive IEMs, allowing users to pair it with more demanding full-sized headphones as well.
On the left side, the microSD card slot supports up to 256GB of storage. While this may be sufficient for most users, audiophiles with large DSD collections might find the lack of larger microSD card support limiting.
Below the microSD slot, the USB-C port handles charging and data transfer. However, in testing, I found that the ECHO MINI does not support USB OTG, meaning it cannot function as a digital transport for external dongle DACs.
Strangely, the unit also lacks a USB DAC mode, which means it cannot be used as a DAC/amp when connected to a PC or phone. This omission is unfortunate, as the ECHO MINI’s dual DAC implementation and respectable power output could have made it a versatile source for desktop use as well.
Battery Life
With its 1,100 mAh battery, FiiO advertises the SNOWSKY ECHO MINI as capable of delivering up to 15 hours of playback on a single charge.
In my testing, I found this to be an achievable estimate under real-world conditions. Most of my listening was done in wired mode using the 4.4mm balanced output, set to low gain, with the volume between 10 and 25.
To conserve power, I configured the screen to sleep after 30 seconds and kept Bluetooth disabled when I wasn’t actively testing it with TWS IEMs. I found that these settings did not impede the daily usability of the ECHO MINI.
My music library primarily consisted of FLAC files, and with these parameters, I was able to go almost a full week without charging the device, totaling just under the 15-hour mark.
When using Bluetooth with TWS IEMs, battery life took a slight hit, averaging 10-12 hours, which is still respectable for a compact DAP. Listeners can comfortably rely on the ECHO MINI as a primary music player throughout the day without worrying about running out of charge.
Packaging & Accessories
The ECHO MINI arrives in a stylized glossy cardboard box, featuring artistic prints of the unit on the front. The back of the packaging continues the theme, with similar prints alongside key unit specifications, giving buyers a quick overview of its features before opening the box.
Inside, FiiO includes the ECHO MINI itself, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, a user manual, and a warranty card. The included accessories are sufficient for basic usage, especially since the ECHO MINI comes with 8GB of built-in storage.
However, an optional bundle that includes a lanyard and a microSD card would have been a welcome addition, particularly for those returning to dedicated audio players and looking for a more convenient, all-in-one package right out of the box.
Software
Menu
Booting up the FiiO SNOWSKY ECHO MINI takes approximately 10-12 seconds, after which the home menu displays five main icons: File Browser, Playlist, Music Playing, Music Settings, and System Settings.
Since the device lacks a touchscreen, navigation relies on the volume buttons to move through menu options, with the menu button used for selection.
For wireless users, I would have preferred a dedicated Bluetooth toggle on the home screen. As it stands, enabling Bluetooth requires navigating through two layers of submenus. While this isn’t a deal-breaker, it adds an unnecessary step to what should be a straightforward action.
The Now Playing screen provides helpful details, including battery percentage, filter setting, bitrate, file format, artist name, song title, and album information. However, I wish it also displayed the current volume level, as this would have made quick adjustments more intuitive.
Fortunately, throughout my usage, I did not experience any bugs from the admittedly bare-bones operating system.
Navigation
Throughout my wired usage, I found the interface generally intuitive, but one aspect stood out as a minor frustration—adding tracks to the “My Favorites” library.
You cannot add songs from the File Browser directly; instead, you must navigate to the Playlist section, select “All Songs,” hover over the desired track, press the menu button, and choose “Add to Favorites.”
This multi-step process felt unnecessarily convoluted. Compounding the issue, pressing the menu button while browsing the File Manager instead prompts the option to delete the song.
This creates a confusing navigation scheme wherein the same button performs entirely different actions depending on the sub-menu.
That said, I appreciated the ability to delete tracks directly from the File Browser. For users who tend to dump their entire music library onto an SD card, having a quick way to remove unwanted tracks on the fly is a convenient feature.
Customization
The ECHO MINI also offers minor customization options, including adjustable sleep mode and idle timers, backlight settings, screen timeout, and a choice between light mode and dark mode.
The brightness range is wide, and I found the second dimmest setting to be the most comfortable for regular use. Screen timeout can be set between 15 seconds and 3 minutes, while the auto-shutdown timer allows settings from Off up to 120 minutes.
Bluetooth
For Bluetooth testing, I paired the ECHO MINI with the MOONDROP Golden Ages. Unfortunately, the unit only supports the SBC codec, which is disappointing considering that higher-quality codecs like LDAC or even AAC would have been welcome additions.
Pairing was quick and hassle-free—once I enabled Bluetooth in the settings, the ECHO MINI immediately detected and connected to my Golden Ages IEMs without issue.
However, the Bluetooth sound quality left much to be desired. Compared to pairing the Golden Ages to my iPhone 14, the ECHO MINI over Bluetooth had a noticeably lower resolution and a sibilant, less refined presentation.
The dynamics felt flat, the bass lost texture, and the highs sounded grainy and metallic. Vocals and mids also lacked depth, making them sound one-dimensional.
When compared to listening to the Golden Ages via my iPhone 14, the ECHO MINI’s Bluetooth performance felt like a significant downgrade.
Given this, I would not recommend using the ECHO MINI strictly for Bluetooth playback, as you may achieve better audio quality by simply connecting your Bluetooth earphones to your smartphone.
Additionally, an odd quirk I noticed was that the gain setting affects Bluetooth volume as well, which is unusual for a digital signal transmission.
Click on page 2 below for my sound impressions and selected comparisons.
