This is just me answering a problem from Reddit, but not on there of course.
I got one of those Fiio Snowsky Mini Echoes off Aliexpress, loaded up an SD card with music for it, and had the thing crash on me when scanning in the library.
I tried a bunch of things and looked for answers online and got taken to the usual place. They had a bunch of solutions but nothing sounded like it worked consistently.
Looking through the options I saw 'Format SD Card' and figured it couldn't hurt because it wasn't working. Lo and behold the name of the SD card changed when I plugged it in and it worked.
Do this first because I waited 2 hours for a bunch of music to transfer, troubleshoot, and do it all again because formatting wipes the card.
Makes sense really, especially for any of the knicknacks you get off aliexpress like mp3 players, cameras, maybe handhelds. But you need to flash the OS on handheld SD cards so maybe less relevant there.
I was considering posting this in c/music but i figured keeping that for strictly music talk.
I only just got it so I can't properly say how long the battery lasts. Feels like it could go a whole day at a minimum though.
And it just works. It's light, turns on fast, and is easy enough to navigate. Once scanning in the library worked it just grouped everything together and displays the artwork. My library is a mix of legit bandcamp and 'other sources' and everything has the correct metadata.
I've been aiming for flacs too whenever possible and they've all played fine as well. It's listening to music but the vibe is better because your listening habits aren't being funneled to corporations trying to make music worse.
It can also be used as a DAC to get more use out of it which I've played around with. And it has Bluetooth but I only plan on using it wired