Today, Thomas reviews the FiiO SNOWSKY RETRO NANO, an affordable retro-designed self-powered Bluetooth dongle DAC with up to 220mW output power. It is priced at $59.99.
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.
As one of the more popular Chinese brands, FiiO has proven to be a strong competitor in the audiophile world. Their product lineup includes portable audio devices like DACs and DAPs, headphones, bookshelf speakers, turntables, and even a computer keyboard.
With the RETRO NANO, FiiO is launching its newest international sub-brand, SNOWSKY. This new product brings users an affordable, powerful, feature-rich device with a unique, retro aesthetic inspired by cassette tapes of yore.
While the RETRO NANO’s headline feature is its Bluetooth DAC functionality, it can also be used as a wired headphone amplifier.
Adding extra functionality and versatility are features like a replaceable battery, balanced and single-ended outputs, and retro-inspired sound presets accessible through an onboard UI.
At $59.99, the RETRO NANO is a strong start for FiiO’s new brand.
Features
Inside the RETRO NANO is Qualcomm’s newest QCC5125 Bluetooth chip with Bluetooth 5.1 support.
It also contains dual CS43131 DAC chips. HiBy’s snazzy little R1 DAP utilizes the same chip, but not in a dual configuration.
The RETRO NANO supports Bluetooth connectivity. However, should you run out of battery power or want to conserve what you’ve got, it can also be run as a wired DAC through USB.
I was happy to see that the RETRO NANO incorporated both single-ended 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone outputs. People attracted by the design and low price probably won’t have any gear that utilizes the 4.4mm output, but knowing the RETRO NANO supports this upgrade path is encouraging.
Unusual in most modern products is a fully rechargeable and replaceable battery. Keep in mind that while a AAA battery will fit, the RETRO NANO requires a higher voltage and should only be used with the appropriate battery type.
Design
SNOWSKY had fun with the RETRO NANO and installed on the face of the device a 0.96” 80×160 color IPS display, seemingly pulled straight from the KA15 I reviewed late in 2024.
The GUI came with the screen, though with a surprising amount of customization to make it better fit with the RETRO NANO’s vintage flair.
The rest of the device is cool, too. The sky-blue outer shell has a cassette-inspired design with a USB port on one side, dual headphone outputs on the other, a small battery door on the back, and all physical controls lined up along the top.
Seams are prominent both visually and to the touch; however, tolerances are consistent with no misalignments or excess glue. The device feels quite solid, too, with just a hint of flex to the plastic back when squeezed, though the battery door feels somewhat flimsy and fragile.
Overall, I find the design of the RETRO NANO to be appealing. The cassette design motif is cute, the GUI is visually entertaining and easy enough to navigate, and the build quality is perfectly fine for the price.
Controls
Starting from the left is a mode button that swaps between various animated backgrounds, or with a long press, opens the menus giving users access to additional features like gain, custom and preset EQ options, and more.
Next to the mode button is one for play/pause/menu select. Next are the volume/menu up and down buttons, followed by an on-off slider.
While everything is plastic, the buttons depress with a satisfying, tactile “snick”. The on-off switch feels tactile enough, but nothing is satisfying about how it operates.
Battery Life
FiiO/SNOWSKY rates the battery life at about 7.5 hours, though they do not specify if this is achieved through the single-ended or balanced outputs. My experience has shown this to be achievable through the single-ended output, though only at low volumes.
In more standard use at work, the RETRO NANO runs out of juice around the 6.5 to 7-hour mark when listening through the single-ended output. When using the balanced around, I expect to get around 6 hours of use.
I usually leave the onboard volume at 40 (of 60) and leave volume control to the source device.
While this is far from a terrible performance, power users may be left wanting better stamina from the RETRO NANO.
Filling the included battery storage case with a spare wouldn’t improve the RETRO NANO’s longevity, but it would make a dead battery less inconvenient, particularly if you’d rather continue to listen wirelessly vs. using the device as a wired DAC instead.
I/O
Thanks to a USB Type-C port on the right side of the device, the RETRO NANO can connect directly with other devices to act as a wired DAC. This port is also used for charging.
The left side of the device has two headphone ports. On top is a single-ended 3.5mm port, while below sits the coveted 4.4mm balanced output port.
The inclusion of the balanced output with a decent 220 mW of power is an especially welcome addition. It allows the RETRO NANO to grow with those users who want to dive into more advanced audio gear.
Packaging & Accessories
A bold, eye-catching design adorns the compact cardboard box in which the RETRO NANO is displayed via a somewhat obscured viewing window.
The front of the packaging includes the usual branding and model information, while flipping to the back reveals some basic specifications alongside more artwork and branding.
Sliding out the inner cardboard drawer, you find the RETRO NANO and accessories tucked in and under a plastic insert. The packaging has a clean and pleasant design, is easy to get into, and doesn’t produce much waste.
Beside the RETRO NANO, under a cardboard cover, is an empty, protective battery case. Lifting out the insert, you find a lanyard, Type-C to Type-C USB cable, sticker kit, QuickStart Guide, warranty card, and a warning insert for the battery.
While the accessories included are nice to have, not including a spare battery feels like a missed opportunity.
Having a replaceable battery is a valuable feature and would be highlighted further by an included spare, and the battery life of the RETRO NANO isn’t the greatest anyway, so having a readily available extra to swap to at a moment’s notice would be amazing.
Connectivity
Bluetooth
It was tested with a Huawei P40 and Shanling M1 Plus. Pairing the RETRO NANO was quick and easy to figure out.
The device immediately starts searching for a device to pair with once turned on, pending BT mode is selected in the menus (it’s the default).
From your source device, you simply need to turn on Bluetooth and search for available devices where the RETRO NANO should appear.
Since the RETRO NANO supports LDAC and other high bitrate codecs, the sound quality is good. The detail levels are fine, and the volume levels are quite usable.
The usable range was also quite good, enabling the use of the RETRO NANO anywhere in my apartment. At work, I could just about enter the next building over with my source device left on my forklift before I’d start to experience stuttering and the inevitable disconnect.
At anything but extreme distances, the RETRO NANO provides a reliable, stable connection.
USB-DAC
To use the RETRO NANO as a DAC over USB, you need to enter the onboard menus, scroll down to mode, and change it to PC.
From there, the process is simply plug and play to get it to work immediately with my Microsoft Surface Pro 4 or ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme.
Using it as a DAC with your phone is much the same process. Just hop into the menu, change the mode to PH, then plug it into your phone and start listening. Since the RETRO NANO supports the CTIA protocol, you can also use the inline mic and controls on appropriate headphones.
SNOWSKY did a great job making the use of the RETRO NANO as a wired DAC easy. There are no hoops to jump through; just change the mode and plug it in.
Sound Impressions
Testing was done with the ROSESELSA Distant Mountain, KEFINE Delci AE, and the Lime Ears TERRA.
Summary
With the RETRO NANO, SNOWSKY dialed in a reasonably balanced sound, biased towards the lower midrange and mid-bass regions. This warms up the signature, making it best paired with neutral to slightly cool or bright-leaning headphones.
Signature
SNOWSKY’s feature product has a warm-leaning signature with a mid-bass bias. This gives the RETRO NANO’s sound output a lush, weighty presentation that takes the edge off bright headphones.
Extension into the lows is good, with only the deepest notes running out of steam. The mid-bass is dense and punchy, helping emphasize this region on headphones where it might be lacking.
The treble extension is solid, with any roll-off occurring beyond what I’m capable of hearing. Emphasis does drop into the brilliance regions, however, reducing any harshness present in an earphone with more than ideal levels of upper treble emphasis.
The mid-range benefits from the generally warm tone of the RETRO NANO, giving vocals plenty of weight and bravado and percussive instruments a cracking attack. Female vocalists are the highlight, though the additional grunt afforded to male vocalists is no slouch.
The warmth does skew the RETRO NANO’s timbre towards thickness, resulting in the potential for instruments and effects to sound denser than is accurate.
It does somewhat address wonky tuning, though, warming up and softening the aggressive mids of something like FiiO’s older FH1s, for example.
The RETRO NANO falls short in micro-detail and texturing as the warmth of the tune smooths these qualities out. The said information is not gone, but EQing is required to raise it back to where I feel it should be and return a certain dynamism to the presentation.
Staging & Dynamics
Staging out of the RETRO NANO is handled well, with the device able to provide a convincing amount of space that satisfies the needs of products known for their staging, like the Lime Ears TERRA.
The RETRO NANO sets the default vocal positioning just outside the outer ear. When you toss on something that already has an expansive stage, the experience can be impressively open and spacious.
Instruments are afforded plenty of space to remain defined and well separated. Depth is apparent as well, with the presentation giving off a good sense of layering and dynamics.
The generous default staging also helps to improve products that are more average in their staging production. The Shozy Form 1.4 and Campfire Audio Ponderosa are two examples of products whose staging benefits from being paired with the RETRO NANO.
Imaging through the RETRO NANO is perfectly adequate, with no flaws or standout aspects. Sounds move smoothly and accurately enough from channel to channel, edge to edge, with no oddities of note.
Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
