What about the Fiio DAPs?

[Julf]

The vast majority of knowledge out there is subjective.

Not sure I would use the words "knowledge" and "subjective" in the same sentence, unless you are talking about carnal knowledge...

 

[tential]

Not sure I would use the words "knowledge" and "subjective" in the same sentence, unless you are talking about carnal knowledge...

Words out there on the internet? I think you catch my drift. There's not much concrete scientific info out there.
Since amir has the es100, I am hoping he'll test that as a baseline. Until then, I'm feeling more confident buying myself the new tcl qled after it gets tested. My current solution has a terrible backlight.
I like the es100 currently, and am in no rush to spend money. I'll probably wait a couple more months for the dust to settle on all of these new desirable devices.

 

[Julf]

Words out there on the internet? I think you catch my drift. There's not much concrete scientific info out there.

Sure, I just wouldn't call it "knowledge", at least not without quotation marks.

 

[tential]

Sure, I just wouldn't call it "knowledge", at least not without quotation marks.

Ha that's a actually a very good point. I'm surprised I didn't think of adding them. Ya you want to be specific on that point for sure.

 

[olinko]

Maybe off-topic, but I'm considering buying the FiiO M11.
Do I need to pay attention to the read/write speed of the micro-SD card I buy with it or is hi-res audio (24/192 & DSD) not complex enough to slow the card down?

 

[Robin L]

Maybe off-topic, but I'm considering buying the FiiO M11.
Do I need to pay attention to the read/write speed of the micro-SD card I buy with it or is hi-res audio (24/192 & DSD) not complex enough to slow the card down?

I've got two "low-end" Fiio Daps, have no problem playing back hi-rez files, but find no personal need for them either, as I didn't hear anything particularly superior playing back 24/192 files on my X1 or M3K.

 

[dmac6419]

Maybe off-topic, but I'm considering buying the FiiO M11.
Do I need to pay attention to the read/write speed of the micro-SD card I buy with it or is hi-res audio (24/192 & DSD) not complex enough to slow the card down?

I have the M11,No google play store,you can side load apps if it's a paid app make sure it has paypro neutron etc,Amazon HD doesn't work may be a Amazon issue or could be a Fiio issue,if you have a old Jriver,EOS apk lying around they work fine, other than that it's a excellent DAP,if you need anymore info let me know,oh almost forgot slot number one (1) supposed to slower,i use slot two if you have two SD cards you won't have a problem

 

[olinko]

yikes

 

[raif71]

View attachment 36622
yikes

Well...technically it's not Fiio M11, it's the Fiio M11 Pro

 

[olinko]

Well...technically it's not Fiio M11, it's the Fiio M11 Pro

I know, I just couldn't find a dedicated thread on the Pro

 

[duo8]

Wow, that's the same issues I had with the Shanling M2 back when I still had it in 2017.

 

[Ilkless]

I own a Fiio X3ii for use as both a transport (from it's SD card) and USB DAC through the line out. It feels well-built, and though I have fretted about the output (expectation bias), the line-out seems to measure well enough, but voltage is a tad below Redbook (2V). No issues with typical integrated amps like the mass-market Marantz I use it with. I like the support they have, the wide distribution network and the no-frills interface. However, the click wheel has a bit too much play to it for me.

 

[Nango]

X5 3rd is getting cheap in the EU with €210 sold by Fiio itself: https://fiio-shop.de/high-res-player/549/fiio-x5-iii

 

[tential]

X5 3rd is getting cheap in the EU with €210 sold by Fiio itself: https://fiio-shop.de/high-res-player/549/fiio-x5-iii

I'd honestly never use this if given to me for free. The old Android based daps that use rockchip cpus are just terrible experiences. Paying that much for a fiio dap(or any dap) that runs those rockchip cpus is not a good idea. The minimum entry point for fiio if you want an android dap is $400. There are better options if you want to use a dap, although know every single one tested has been pretty meh.
So you might as well pay as little as possible and ensure you have enough amp power and the proper interface experience that runs well.
That device does not fulfill interface part.

 

[somy]

First time poster here. I'm trying to upgrade my stereo setup from an old Marantz NR1403 (AV amplifier model, bought in Japan) driving a pair of B&W 685 S1 speakers, to a pure music listening system. My source is mainly Spotify, and I currently use Amazon Echo's audio out, connected to the RCA in of my NR1403. I'm thinking of starting by getting a better streamer. My candidates are:

1) Allo Katana (maybe with Shanti PSU), connected to amplifier (seems to be best bang for the back), or
1) Allo DigiOne Signature, connected to Toppings D50s, connected to amplifier (seems like a more flexible system, consisting of three parts), or
2) Fiio M11's LINE-out connected to amplifier (seems like a simplest solution, recommended by my brother)

My question is, how does the sound quality of Fiio M11's LINE-out compare to Allo Katana, or Allo Digione Signature through Topping D50s?

For amplifier, I'm thinking of either Cambridge Audio CXA80, or Roksan K3 Integrated. I'll keep the speakers for now.

I’m on the same boat, just sold my CD player and looking for a streamer/DAC for my old pair of B&w 804s. I’ve been through many option, including pc+DAC, stand-alone streamer etc, but none of them I found convenient to use and future proof. I need Tidal and MQA which limit my choices. I saw FiiO m11 get good review and has rich feature set, could this even be used for conventional Hifi setup? Let us know what’s your findings

 

[Robin L]

I’m on the same boat, just sold my CD player and looking for a streamer/DAC for my old pair of B&w 804s. I’ve been through many option, including pc+DAC, stand-alone streamer etc, but none of them I found convenient to use and future proof. I need Tidal and MQA which limit my choices. I saw FiiO m11 get good review and has rich feature set, could this even be used for conventional Hifi setup? Let us know what’s your findings

The line output of the low-end Fiio devices I use are just fine for playback on bigger systems. I'd be curious about the specs of the Fiio m11.

 

[somy]

The line output of the low-end Fiio devices I use are just fine for playback on bigger systems. I'd be curious about the specs of the Fiio m11.

Thanks for the reply! Do you know if any adaptor allows balanced xlr line-out which my amp supports.

 

[Robin L]

Thanks for the reply! Do you know if any adaptor allows balanced xlr line-out which my amp supports.

My needs are simpler, unbalanced, tip/ring/sleeve 3.5 mm plug on one end, RCA phono pair on the other. There probably are adaptors, but you're on your own. If you can solder, then you could easily figure something out.

 

[somy]

My needs are simpler, unbalanced, tip/ring/sleeve 3.5 mm plug on one end, RCA phono pair on the other. There probably are adaptors, but you're on your own. If you can solder, then you could easily figure something out.

Thanks