Fiio Snowsky Oak Nano Review : Personal Concert Hall on budget !!

Fiio, one of the leading makers or audio products has been focusing a lot on desktop products and headphones off late. One need to keep the fact in mind that they started as a dap and DAC/amp makers. Then they jumped into IEMs with F9, a hybrid IEM which wasn’t great so Fiio came up with its Pro variant with improved tuning. I have been working with Fiio since then. Headphones and desktop DAC and amps came a lot later. After a small gap, it seems Fiio has realized that they have an IEM lineup too and has launched the successor of their flagship DD IEM FD7. I have never heard that but it had very good reputation.

What I have here is the Oak Nano but this time around it’s under the brand SnowSky. I am not sure if they will launch their IEMs under SnowSky but I definitely thought that SnowSky is for budget products. In any case this single DD IEM has huge 13.8 mm drivers to do the heavy lifting and is equipped with tuning nozzles to tweak the sound a bit. Priced at $449/$499, it comes in only silver color. I will be comparing this with the Earacoustics SPA Custom Tuning and Dunu DN242.

Let’s Expand!!

Get one from here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012395713052.html

For Indian Buyers: https://www.headphonezone.in/products/snowsky-oak-nano

UNBOXING AND ACCESSORIES:

Unboxing experience is as premium as it can get. Fiio has never skimped on accessories and that’s not going to change with the Oak Nano. We have the stuff placed in a layered manner. Lift the upper cover and we have the earpieces, tuning nozzles and cable with the 4.4mm module attached placed in the hard top carry case with leatherette finish on the sides and bottom. Under it, in a different compartment are the HS20 and Spinfit type ear tips. Oh wait, there are some generic set of ear tips that will either favor bass, balanced and vocals. We get a couple of pairs of bi-flange and memory foam tips too. Under that are the HS18 in 3 sizes and Fiio cable tie with the Type C and 3.5mm modules. Phew.. that’s a lot of stuff!!

BUILD AND ERGONOMICS:

Just like most of the Fiio products, Oak Nano is built like a tank. It has a bullet type design to it but has very good ergonomics. It has the curves at the right places and the angled nozzle makes things even better. It has a long nozzle that offers class leading stability and comfort in the ear. It has a interesting pattern on the back with a golden ring around it. They could have used a different design for sure as it looks similar to another IEM from a completing brand. It uses CNC machined pure titanium shell that has PVD coating and mirror finishing on it. Even though It’s made out of metal, the earpieces are aptly lightweight. It carries over the tech from the last gen of IEMs, that one of the reasons it costs less than its predecessor.

It uses beryllium alloy dome diaphragm with W shaped independent surrounding for better speed and definition. It uses a similar acoustic prism as the FD7 for better control and imaging. While the FD7 had vented back plate, Oak Nano has the vents placed aside the 2pin housing.

CABLE:

Oak Nano ships with a good looking cable that compliments the aesthetics of the earpieces. It comes with modular terminations and the icing on top is the Type C module that adds to the convenience on the go. It’s a tightly braided 8 core cable that uses 6N Cryogenically-treated Silver-Plated Monocrystalline Copper.

It isn’t much bouncy and feels soft to touch with little to no microphonics to worry about but has some memory though. Cable guides are reasonably relaxed, offering good stability. Fiio has used high quality parts and connectors for this IEM, Y splitter is minimal in size and all of them have metal jackets. Unlike their last gen IEMs this has 2pin, making things easier. 

PAIRING WITH SOURCES:

With an impedance of 50ohm, this is not an easy IEM to drive. It needs an aptly powerful source with decent output impedance to make this IEM sound good. Oak Nano does respond to the source being used. I paired it will Tanchjim Space Pro and this sounded more precise and cleaner while the Cayin RU3 makes Oak Nano sound a bit more warmer and slightly more musical. It doesn’t change a lot but unlike planar IEMs, this responds nicely to the signature and characteristics of the source. Can we use it out of cheap dongles? Kind of, it will sound okay but the stage will not open up and the dynamics will be compromised. This is flagship IEM and pairing it with at least a lower mid range dongle is advised to get the best out of it.

SOUND QUALITY:

My oh my. I know this is a single DD IEM and I have reviewed a handful of Fiio single DD IEMs too but this definitely got the technical chops most of them were unable to deliver. FD3 was a good V shaped IEM, so was the FD5 and FD15 but these were more about the bass prowess than clarity or cleanliness. I remember FD5 being a bit too mid bassy. Just like most of the fiio IEMs this too has a prominent V/W shaped signature. Why V and W both? Because this IEM at times tends to put the vocals a bit behind and sometimes it doesn’t. Interesting? Isn’t it? In that case is this lacking consistency? No it’s just responding to the track in truer way.

We are getting a slightly warmish undertone with a fairly neutral and balanced presentation. Bass isn’t heavy, mids are full of character while the highs are simply outstanding. Let’s dive deeper!!

I am using stock spinfit ear tips and Muse Hifi M3 Ultra and Hidizs AP30 Music Boy as the source for this review.

NOZZLES:

Nozzles have been an integral part of Fiio IEMs and Oak Nano ships with two set. Red one as usual is the warmer one with a bit more grandness of the notes while maintaining impressive micro details. It doesn’t compromise much but definitely sounds a bit less cleaner as it does slow down the bass a bit and offers a more natural and thumpy type of presentation.

Black nozzle is more on the accurate side. It tightens the notes a bit, bass sounds cleaner and less rumbly. Vocals sound slightly less analogue, less emotional while offering more air between instruments. It delivers better resolution and definition too. Highs have better definition here with a wider, cleaner stage too. I definitely like this nozzle. So this review is primarily based on this accuracy oriented black nozzle.

DSP SOUND:

Unlike most of the DSP implementations this is satisfactory, to a good extent. Driving a 50ohm IEM with a basic DSP module is not going to work out at the top level.

What we are getting is very good resource and definition but the dynamics is slightly lacking. Bass sounds leaner, less airy, less thumpy while smaller area of impact. Vocals too sound less emotional and organic. Male vocals sound dryer and female vocals too aren’t at their best. Instruments are good with definition but they aren’t as effortless. Highs sound slightly softer too. Stage is the biggest looser here. It just doesn’t sound big enough. DSP module is just a workable solution, not something that can define this highly capable IEM.

BASS:

I have been working on fiio IEMs for a while. Infact I have reviewed all of their single DD FD series IEMs except the FD7 and I have to admit, none of them were lacking when it comes to bass prowess and even though Oak Nano is not a bassy IEM, it too has a commendable authority over the lows. This lower end is definitely not vigorous but it definitely can show it’s vim when needed.

We get superb sub-bass rumbles, extension is very good too but I have heard better in this price range. Mid bass is fuller with meaty notes offering the required amount of heft behind the notes. Area of impact is big too. The most impressive aspect of the lower end is it’s dynamics. It can hit variety of frequencies with different magnitude cleanly and effortlessly. This IEM can not only masterfully control the decay speed depending on the track, it can reduce the area of impact too. Notes can have very good precipitation and hit with authority or will sound tight and clean accordingly. This is what we call technical capabilities. It has fantastic resolution and definition too. We get very good layered delivery and very good contrast of back and foreground instruments. Oak Nano moves good amount of air too and the notes usually move in and upward but it can fire downward or even a bit outward depending on the needs of the track. Upper bass notes are easily one of the cleanest under $500. There is no softness with kick drums, they hit tight and hard notes with very good rigidity.

MID RANGE:

It’s easily one of the best single DD IEMs under $500 and this mid range is the biggest testament of that. There is something most of the IEMs in this price range mess up, especially when they have BA drivers for mids. They just aren’t organic or analogue enjoy. Oak Nano on the other hand has excellent, authentic, vivid and realistic vocals without the added sharpness while retaining the realistic precision and resolution. Both male and female vocals enjoy class leading accuracy and throaty delivery. It’s the forme of the notes that catches my attention. They have wider bases and a reasonably precise peak and the body in between is full and textured offering one of the most realistic tonality. Male vocals have grunt and wide presentation while female vocals could have been slightly more precise but this helps with a very comfortable listening experience. It’s warm, emotional and calm. Instruments around the vocals are aptly relevant with nice energy and transparency. Yes, they could have been slightly more precise, leaving a bit cleaner air between instruments but that’s not what this IEM is trying to be. We get a very cohesive decay of notes in the background. It has very good resolution and definition, transparency with micro details is very good too but it’s the grandeur of macro notes that catches the attention. We get one of the most realistic portrayals of string instruments and the air after the hits are beautifully done without the bite. It does have a bit more energy at the upper mids but there’s barely any discomfort to talk about.

HIGHS:

Highs too have some of the best musical quotient yet very good accuracy under $500. We get an agile, sparkly and nicely extended high end. It doesn’t have any darkness to worry about as it maintains excellent energy with the upper treble region. Cymbals and violins have very good accuracy and definition, maintaining very good energy yet keeping everything comfortable and rounded. We get very good layering and separation. Treble has very good Z-axis layering, it nicely places one note behind another while maintaining very good clarity and resolution. This IEM does have fuller body and slower decay with red ring nozzles but the black nozzles have no such issues. There is good amount of energy with the finishing regions or peaks and the notes are aptly tight, offering very good amount of air between instruments and notes. It can sound a bit less energetic and busy when compared to similarly priced tri-brid and hybrid IEMs. This definitely isn’t lacking with details but yes, the micro details aren’t the most transparent.

STAGE AND IMAGING:

Ahh, my oh my!! I love this!! Oak Nano has fantastic imaging capabilities. It has one of the biggest stage with excellent expansion in every direction and gives an concert hall like reverb and sonics. We get very good height and fantastic X-axis width while the Z-axis depth is class leading too. I barely can see any other IEM that can compete with the staging and imaging capabilities of this. Most of the bass and vocal notes are placed inside the head but the grandeur of the notes is what sets it apart from the competition. Sonics are superb too. It’s just behind the lower high end IEMs like Kinera Verdandi and comfortably above similarly priced tri-brid IEMs like Hisenior Mega5 EST when it comes to parallel layering of instruments. Imaging is not the cleanest nor has very accurate instrumental positioning accuracy but it’s the background transient effects of instruments that makes the whole experience worthwhile. It’s like your personal concert hall!!

COMPARISON:

VS Hisenior Mega5-EST:

CONCLUSION:

Okay, this is exactly what we needed. An successor of the legendary FD7 !! This IEM sounds so much analogue and cohesive that nothing else really need to  shine. It’s bass is superb with rumbles and texture. Vocals are comfortable and organic while instruments through out the spectrum are devoid of any peaky presentation, offering a fatigue free and cohesive experience. This is not exactly as precise and clean as the micro planar based IEMs but definitely takes the legacy ahead of the FD7 with superb imaging and realistic vocals presentation. This is definitely not for those looking for class leading details and resolution. Oak Nano is for enjoyment, just sit back and let it do all the hard work to make you wanna move your feet.