FiiO Snowsky Melody

Premium Craftsmanship in a Pocket-Sized Package

The FiiO Snowsky Melody is a great example of how far portable audio has come in recent years. This exquisite USB dongle DAC combines premium materials, audiophile-grade components, and advanced features in a package that fits in your pocket yet delivers great sound quality with decent power.

I have been using the FiiO Snowsky Melody for the past few weeks, and I am very impressed with both its look and performance at this price point. While you can buy more powerful dongles and FiiO sell many of them including the QX13. I don’t think any other Dongle I have is as appealing to look at as the Melody, both the wooden finish but also when in its pleather protective case.

So before I get into the technical details of the Melody, let’s look at the unboxing experience and build qualty:

Unboxing and Build Quality

I like the colourful and fun branding used on the Snowsky Melody box:

Also, the back has a similar playful look, with some specifcations:

Opening the box reveals the manual:

As you remove the top layer, the Melody is revealed in its full glory, nestled securely in a protective cutout:

The complete package includes:

• The Snowsky Melody USB DAC
• Premium leather carrying case
• USB-C cable
• User manual and warranty documentation

The included USB cable is well-constructed with a nice gold colour that nicely goes with the wooden finish:

The USB connector is gold-plated for optimal conductivity and corrosion resistance:

Exceptional Craftsmanship

The standout design feature of the Melody’s build is undoubtedly its wooden construction. The aged premium North American wood has been processed through dozens of steps including CNC precision carving, polishing, eco-friendly oiling, and air drying to achieve a stabilized treatment.

The front face of the Melody showcases the beautiful wood grain pattern, which is unique to each unit. The grain flows naturally across the surface, highlighting the organic nature of the material.

The back of the unit is equally well-finished, maintaining the same attention to detail throughout the entire chassis. The wood has a warm, natural patina that is both visually appealing and pleasant to touch.

I love how well the Melody looks with some of my “wooden” headphones like the FiiO FT1:

Premium Leather Case

Complementing the wooden construction is an optional ($10 extra) pleather protective case:

Opening this up reveals a lovely leather case with a unique design:

The case is precisely tailored to fit the Melody, with cutouts for the ports and buttons.

This combination of wood and leather creates a very premium experience that elevates the Melody beyond typical tech accessories, making it feel more like a premium artisanal product.

Design and Features

Button Design

The Melody buttons also have a very premium look and feel to them:

The buttons provide tactile feedback and are positioned for easy access during use.

The optional protective case allows easy access to the buttons and a hole, so you can still see the RGB lighting effects:

Dual DAC Configuration

At the heart of the Melody are dual Cirrus 43131 DACs, providing very decent audio performance with support for:

• PCM up to 384kHz/32bit
• DSD up to DSD256
• Hi-Res Audio certification

This dual DAC implementation ensures optimal channel separation and detailed sound reproduction across the frequency spectrum.

Versatile Connectivity

The Melody offers both 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs, providing flexibility for different headphone setups:

The 3.5mm output supports in-line controls and microphones and can also output SPDIF and coaxial signals with an adapter cable. This versatility allows the Melody to integrate with a wide range of audio equipment beyond just headphones.

RGB Sampling Rate Indicator

A nice feature of the Melody is its RGB indicator light integrated into the side button. The light changes color to indicate different sampling rates:

• Yellow: 44.1kHz/48kHz
• Green: 88.2kHz/96kHz
• Blue: 176.4kHz and above

This provides an instant visual confirmation of the audio quality being processed without requiring any additional steps to check.

Multi-Platform Compatibility

The detachable USB-C cable allows the Melody to connect to various devices:

• Android smartphones and tablets
• iOS devices (iPhone, iPad)
• Windows and Mac computers
• Other platforms with USB audio support

I tried it with my iPhone, Macbook Pro, and my Android DAP, all worked as expected.

The Melody also supports switching between UAC1.0 and UAC2.0 modes, making it compatible with non-Android systems like the PS5 and Nintendo Switch for gaming audio.

FiiO Control App

Possibly, the Melody’s standout internal feature is its integration with the FiiO Control App:

Which enables lots of audio customisation options, including a DRE enable/disable switch:

And my favourite feature the parametric EQ (PEQ) editor:

Overall, having the capability of the FiiO Control app available, the Melody makes it even more powerful than most of the competitors at this price point.

PEQ Capabilities

The built-in advanced DSP allows users to create self-customized frequency curves through either the FiiO Control App or web interface. This functionality includes:

• Customization of three sets of PEQ profiles
• Multiple preset PEQ styles for different genres and preferences
• Cloud saving and sharing capabilities for EQ curves
• Precise control over multiple frequency bands

The app provides an intuitive interface for adjusting these settings, making it accessible even to users who may not have experience with parametric EQ:

Volume and Button Modes

The Melody is designed with two sets of volume and button modes that can be switched via the app based on user preferences. The FiiO-developed algorithm ensures smooth volume control and responsive button actions regardless of which mode is selected.

Sound Impressions

The FiiO Snowsky Melody delivers impressive audio performance that belies its compact size and modest price:

Bass

The bass response is well-controlled and detailed:

• Solid extension into the sub-bass region without bloat
• Punchy mid-bass with good definition
• Textured presentation that reveals layering in complex bass passages
• Natural decay characteristics with no artificial boosting

Test Tracks:

• “Daft Punk - Giorgio by Moroder”: The bass line maintains excellent definition with the right amount of impact.
• “Massive Attack - Angel”: The ominous bass rumble is reproduced with appropriate weight and texture.

Midrange

The midrange presentation is clean and well-balanced:

• Natural vocal presentation with excellent articulation
• Proper instrument timbre and tonal accuracy
• Good separation between elements in busy mixes
• Neither recessed nor forward, striking a pleasing balance

Test Tracks:

• “Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey”: Vocals have the appropriate rasp and body, with excellent clarity.
• “Fleetwood Mac - The Chain”: The interplay between vocals and instruments is rendered with good separation and detail.

Treble

The treble extends well without becoming fatiguing:

• Detailed presentation of high-frequency information
• Smooth character with good air and space
• No harshness or sibilance on properly recorded tracks
• Good extension that reveals subtle details

Test Tracks:

• “Diana Krall - Peel Me a Grape”: The cymbal work shows natural decay and shimmer without becoming strident.
• “Dire Straits - Money for Nothing”: The guitar work maintains clarity and detail with appropriate bite.

Soundstage & Imaging

For a portable USB DAC, the Melody creates an impressive spatial presentation:

• Good width with appropriate center focus
• Decent depth that creates a convincing three-dimensional space
• Precise positioning of instruments within the soundstage
• Natural spatial cues that enhance the listening experience

Test Tracks:

• “Yosi Horikawa - Bubbles”: The spatial positioning of the bouncing balls is precisely rendered.
• “Pink Floyd - Money”: The opening cash registers are placed distinctly within the soundstage.

Comparisons

To better contextualise the FiiO Snowsky Melody’s performance and value proposition, I compared it with several other USB DAC dongles:

FiiO Snowsky Melody vs. the some of my recent Dongles

As an example of one of these dongles, I compared the FiiO Snowsky Melody more closely with the ddHifi TC44 Pro E3:

FiiO Snowsky Melody vs. ddHifi TC44 Pro E3

I love the size of both these dongles, but while the TC44 Pro is slightly smaller, it is 3x the price point. The Melody is the more pragmatic choice though not quite as powerful as the TC44 Pro E3:

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Comparison with Other FiiO Dongles

The Melody fits nicely with FiiO and Snowsky lineup of dongles, here are a few I compared the Melody with:

Power and Price Comparison

Here’s how the Snowsky Melody compares with other FiiO dongles in terms of power output and price:

Model	Price	Max Power Output @ 32Ω (balanced)	Special Features
Snowsky Melody	$39.99	250mW+250mW	Wooden design, compact form factor
FiiO Retro Nano	$59.99	220mW+220mW	Retro design, Bluetooth, replaceable battery
FiiO KA17	$149.99	650mW+650mW (Desktop mode)	OLED display, Desktop mode, Dual DAC implementation
FiiO QX13	$219.00	900mW+900mW (Desktop mode)	1.99" display, Carbon fiber build, Quad DAC setup

As you can see, the Melody offers excellent value for its price point, with respectable power output. While it doesn’t reach the power levels of the flagship models with their desktop modes, its 250mW output is more than enough for most headphones and IEMs as I will show in the next section.

Measurements and Technical Performance

The FiiO Snowsky Melody delivers impressive technical performance, particularly considering its price point:

Power Output

So for some testing I decided to pair the Melody with my 340 Ohm Sivga Peng headphones as I felt it also looked well with the wooden finish on the Peng:

And when driving the 340 Ohm Sivga Peng headphones, the Melody showed surprising capability and at very loud listening levels matched the performance of my Topping DX5-II desktop DAC/Amp:

Note: The Topping as a desktop amplifier can obviously get to much louder levels if required. However, given this fairly demanding headphone which needs a fair bit of voltage, both ampfliiers were generating the same frequency response I don’t think the Melody will disappoint anyone when paired with the majority of headphones.

What’s remarkable is how closely the Melody matches the Topping’s performance at normal to loud listening levels (100dB in the measurements above). While it doesn’t have the ultimate headroom of a dedicated desktop amplifier for extremely demanding loads or very high volumes, it provides more than enough power for most listening scenarios with most headphones.

Distortion Profile

I was also impressed that the Melody matched the Topping in having the same distortion profile as the Topping DX5-II desktop DAC/Amp a this measurement is the combined THD+N of PENG when using these the two amplifiers:

Note: The distortion profile above therefore is the Sivga Peng being driven to over 100dbSPL and the Melody did not add any more distortion even when driving the Peng to these loud levels.

Overall, the Melody’s performance was very impressive across most my more demanding headphones like the HD600 and some of my Planars like the Hifiman Sundara and Ananda Stealth. I feel only the Modhouse Tungsten would really need a more powerful desktop amplifier like the Topping to achieve the best performance.

Specifications

Specification	Details
Name/Model	Melody
Hardware solution	DAC: CS43131
Color	Walnut/Maple
Dimensions	About 4222.511.5mm
Weight	About 10g
Sampling rate indication	RGB ambient light
Max supported sampling rate	PCM: 384K/32bit, DSD64/128/256, 384K/32bit (Coaxial)
USB	Type-C USB
Output Ports	3.5mm (Single-ended out/SPDIF out, shared), 4.4mm (Balanced out)
Button Functions	Volume adjustment, track switching
Adaptive impedance	PO: 16 ~ 150Ω, BAL: 16 ~ 300Ω
Firmware upgrade	System firmware supports upgrade through USB
FiiO control	Supported

Here is the Melody connection to my Macbook Pro:

3.5mm Output Performance

Parameter	Value
Output power	Impedance	Power Output
————————-	—————	——————
	16Ω	L+R ≥ 116mW+116mW (THD+N < 1%, USB IN)
	32Ω	L+R ≥ 100mW+100mW (THD+N < 1%, USB IN)
	300Ω	L+R ≥ 13mW+13mW (THD+N < 1%, USB IN)
Peak output voltage	≥ 2.3V (32Ω, THD+N<1%)
Output impedance	<0.9Ω
Crosstalk	≥ 76dB (1kHz, 32Ω)
Frequency response	20Hz ~ 20kHz, attenuation≤0.1dB20Hz~50kHz, attenuation≤0.2dB
Noise floor	1V & 1uVa
THD+N	<0.00066% (0dB, 32Ω)
SNR	≥123dB (32Ω A-weighted)

4.4mm Output Performance

Parameter	Value
Output power	Impedance	Power Output
————————-	—————	——————
	16Ω	L+R ≥ 127mW+127mW (THD+N < 1%, USB IN)
	32Ω	L+R > 250mW+250mW (THD+N < 1%, USB IN)
	300Ω	L+R ≥ 54mW+54mW (THD+N < 1%, USB IN)
Peak output voltage	≥4V (32Ω, THD+N < 1%)
Output impedance	<1Ω
Crosstalk	≥ 121dB (1kHz, 32Ω)
Frequency response	20Hz ~ 20kHz, attenuation≤0.1dB20Hz~50kHz, attenuation≤0.1dB
Noise floor	1.1uVa
THD+N	<0.0003% (0dB, 32Ω)
SNR	≥127dB (32Ω A-weighted)

Rating Explanation

I’ve given the FiiO Snowsky Melody a pragmatic rating of 5/5 stars for several compelling reasons:

• Exceptional Value: At $39.99, the Melody offers features and performance typically found in products costing significantly more
• Premium Materials: The wooden construction and leather case provide a unique aesthetic and tactile experience not found in competing products
• Comprehensive Feature Set: Dual DACs, PEQ capability, and multiple output options create versatility not typically found at this price point
• Technical Performance: While not the most powerful dongle, it is easily capable of driving the most headphones with great performance
• Thoughtful Design: The RGB sampling indicator, button layout, and overall ergonomics show careful consideration of user experience

While no product is perfect, any limitations of the Melody must be viewed through the lens of its price point. The slightly lower power output compared to dedicated desktop amplifiers is expected in a device of this size, and the lack of Bluetooth functionality or an internal battery is understandable given its focus on wired audio quality.

Ideal Users:

The FiiO Snowsky Melody is perfect for:

• Budget-conscious audiophiles seeking premium sound quality without a premium price tag
• Users who appreciate natural materials and artisanal aesthetics
• Those who need a portable solution for high-quality audio on the go
• Listeners who enjoy customizing their sound signature through parametric EQ
• Anyone looking to upgrade from basic smartphone or laptop audio without a significant investment

Conclusion

The FiiO Snowsky Melody represents a lovely new entry into portable audio. By combining some premium materials, advanced technology, and thoughtful design at an almost unbelievably affordable price point, FiiO / Snowsky has created a product that stands out in an increasingly crowded market.

At $39.99, the FiiO Snowsky Melody isn’t just a good value, it is an extraordinary value, and is an easy recommendation from me.