There’s still a place on the market for portable music players, more than just those who love a vintage device. They deliver better quality of sound than smartphones, don’t get interrupted by notifications and calls and don’t drain away your phone’s battery. The FiiO Snowsky Disc has been designed with nods towards the iPod Nano and MiniDisc players of old, it looks nostalgic while bringing along all the modern features we are used to enjoying now.
Measuring just 68 × 68 × 12.9mm and weighing a featherweight 77.2g, the Snowsky Disc slips easily into any pocket. On the inside is a pair of Cirrus Logic CS43131 DACs driven by the Juno X2000 platform, producing a wonderfully clean and detailed sound that’s impressive when you consider the price tag. The player offers both 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs, delivering up to 280mW per channel into 32Ω, giving it enough power for most IEMs and plenty of portable headphones.
The 1.8 inch LCD touchscreen has a 360 × 360 resolution and adjustable display, while Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC, built in Wi-Fi, AirPlay support and future Roon Ready compatibility ensure it isn’t limited to wired listening. There’s no internal storage, but the microSD slot accepts cards up to 2TB, giving obsessive FLAC collectors room to breathe. It also offers support for PCM up to 384kHz/32-bit, DSD128, USB DAC functionality and coaxial digital output.
Battery life will give you up to 12 hours thanks to the built in 1450mAh battery, which is respectable given the size, although when used along with the balanced output and Bluetooth tends to fall a little short. The interface is generally quick and intuitive, though touchscreen responsiveness can occasionally be inconsistent, and the lack of dedicated track skip buttons may frustrate some users.
For the money, however, the Snowsky Disc truly delivers. It sounds superb, feels robustly built and offers features normally reserved for considerably pricier players. Whether you’re rediscovering a FLAC library or escaping the distractions of your smartphone, this tiny music player is a great little companion. RRP £86
- Dual CS43131 DACs deliver excellent sound quality
- 3.5mm and powerful 4.4mm balanced outputs
- Bluetooth 5.4, LDAC, Wi-Fi and AirPlay support
- USB DAC and coaxial digital output
- Compact, lightweight and beautifully designed
- No internal storage
- Touchscreen can occasionally feel unresponsive
- No dedicated track skip buttons
