FiiO M11 Plus ESS Review

Fiio M11 Plus ESS

Specifications

For the nitpickers and nerdy ones here, I’m giving the specs and technical sheets. For all the others, you can just go to the next page to see how the amp performs.

Sabre ES9068AS + THX AAA-78

Oh my god! No more AKM on a FiiO M11 player… would you believe that? 

As I said in my previous review, FiiO managed to grab a lot of 14 000 AK4497 chips and decided to make a few sets of DAC and DAP with them. And, if this number sounded like a lot, in reality, it’s a drop in a silicon ocean. By comparison, Apple sells almost 850,000 iPhones… every day!

So, after the stock ran out, the brand had no choice but to go for another manufacturer, ESS tech as it appears, with the great ES9068AS. A chip that  isn’t very popular – for no obvious reasons – and could only be found in a fistful of players, or receivers like the Astell&Kern Kann Alpha or SMSL SU-8S

dap-fiio-m11-plus-ess-sabre-headfonia.jpg

That said, it offers the usual mix of features, namely:

  • full high-resolution PCM decoding, up to 32bit/768kHz
  • native DSD decoding, up to DSD512
  • an insanely high Signal-to-noise Ratio, up to 130dB
  • supra-low distortion, -126dB

As usual, you can top that with 32-bit HyperStream II architecture and Quad DAC Technology, and you get a very versatile chip, which will deliver – at least on paper – an insane high level of quality.

And in top of all that, the M11 Plus ESS continues to use THX-AA78 amps, the same found in the previous M11 Pro. Glorious amp chips even if a bit less powerful than the one found in the M15. In fact, the M11 Plus LTD output the same level of power as the M11 Pro, with a 1mW variance.

dap-fiio-m11-plus-ess-sabre-headfoni-2

FPGA + NDK crystal oscillator

To ensure the best performances, FiiO developed a fourth-generation FPGA chip with “more advanced algorithms, more accurate clocks, and even further reduced jitter”. Unlike Chord who use an FPGA chip as a DAC, here it’s used as a middle-man between the SPDIF circuitry and the dual ESS DAC – working in I2S/DSD

Add a set of two custom Japanese NDK femtosecond crystals, working hard to ensure everything is phase-locked / 100% bit-perfect, and you have your full DSD512 / PCM 32bit/768kHz support.

All of those chips are covered by custom anti-EMI modules that ensure perfect isolation from each other and avoid the annoying buzz while playing files from your streaming app, or just when you use Bluetooth.

dap-fiio-m11-plus-ess-sabre-headfonia-3

CPU and RAM

Once again, FiiO did the right choice and push a Qualcomm 660 CPU in the FiiO M11 Plus, with 4 “big” cores and 4 “small” cores. A chip much more powerful than the previous Samsuns Exynos and a league above Mediatek’s entry-level system.

Most of the time, the player will use low-power cores to achieve basic tasks and will rely on the high-power one only when really needed.

Add to that 4Gb of LPDDR5 Ram, 64Gb of internal memory, faster-operating frequency (up to 2.2GHz) and you have the fastest FiiO player, to date. I compared it to the FiiO M17 and honestly, they work exactly the same. Switching between various apps is instantaneous, searching for your files is faster, and most of all, boot-up time is 5 times shorter than before/

It is, at the moment, one of the fastest DAPs together with the iBasso DX300 and the awesome Shanling M6 21.

dap-fiio-m11-plus-ess-headfonia-22

WiFi

The FiiO M11 Plus ESS is exactly the same as the others regarding the wireless connection. It supports 2.4Ghz as 5Ghz bands for faster and steadier connections. DNLA, AirPlay, UPnP are all there and of course, you can access a wide range of high-definition streaming platforms:

Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz, Deezer, Napster, TuneIn, etc..

That said, the new CPU makes a big difference when you’re downloading files and music. Like the DX300, it’s now super fast and downloads take seconds, instead of minutes. Also, WiFi transfer is still a thing, if you want to send music directly from your computer, without wire.

Bluetooth

The FiiO M11 Plus ESS does it all SBC, aptX, apt-X HD, LDAC, LHCD/HWA, you name it, it’s supported.

The Hi-Res Audio Wireless Certified logo is well-endowed at the back of the player, with the Hi-Res Audio logo and THX blazon.  Like the Shanling M6 21 and iBasso DX300, the M11 Plus LTD supports duplex Bluetooth. You can use the player as a Bluetooth receiver with a smartphone, computer, or any Bluetooth emitter. Even if you have AirPlay available, or DNLA, or prefer a Wi-Fi connection, Bluetooth is still much easier to connect.

dap-fiio-m11-plus-ess-headfonia-5

The Bluetooth 5.0 chip can transmit in SBC/AAC/aptX/aptX-HD/LDAC but only supports SBC/AAC/LDAC when receiving.

Basically, with a compatible headphone or receiver, you’ll always get the best quality available. Of course, if you have a TOTL IEM or a massive can, a wired connection will always be the best one.

Do you still want the full specs? Ok, here is for you.

The article continues on Page five, after the click here

Full specs

  • Type: Digital Audio Player
  • OS: FiiO OS
  • CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
  • RAM : 4Gb LPDDR5
  • Rom: 64 Gb (4Gb for the system)
  • DAC : 2x ES9068AS
  • Sample rate : PCM : 8Hz – 768Hz (8/16/24/32bits) native – DSD64/128/256/512 – MQA 8X
  • System clock: Full synchronization technology with 4rd Gen FPGA processor and dual Japanese crystal clock
  • Outputs: 3.5mm headphone out – line out – coax out / 2.5mm TRRS / 4.4mm Pentaconn
  • Input: USB Type-C
  • Screen: 5.5″ 1440×720 IPS Screen from LG
  • Micro SD: SDHC / SDXC (single slot)
  • WiFi: 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz support
  • Streaming supported directly – Full Google Play Support
  • Bluetooth support: SBC, apt-X, apt-X HD, LDAC, HWA, (AAC receive only)
  • Duplex Bluetooth: player can emit and receive music
  • Battery: 3.8V 6000mAh Li-Polymer
  • Quick Charge : yes, QC2.0/3.0/4.0, PD2.0, DC12V/1.5Ah, 9V/2A, 5V/2A
  • Battery life: 10.5h with wired headphones, 20h with a Bluetooth headphone
  • Charging time : around 3.5h
  • Size : 75.6mm*136.6mm*17.6mm
  • Weight : 310g
Line Out
  • Frequency Response : 20Hz – 50kHz (-1dB)
  • THD: 0.0006%
  • SNR: >118dB
  • Crosstalk: 105dB
  • Line Level : 2.0V
3.5 mm Headphone out
  • Output power : 300mW @16ohm / 210mW @32ohm / 33mW @300ohm
  • Frequency Response : 20Hz – 20kHz (-1dB)
  • THD : > 0.00054%
  • SNR : > 122 dB
  • Crosstalk : > 76 dB
  • Output impedance : < 1.0 ohms (32ohms)
2.5mm / 4.4mm Headphone out
  • Output power : 400mW @16ohm / 660mW @32ohm / 90mW @300ohm
  • Frequency Response : 20Hz – 50kHz (-0.5dB)
  • THD : > 0.0004%
  • SNR : > 125dB
  • Crosstalk : > 104 dB
  • Output impedance : < 2 ohms (32ohms)

Time to plug the player now!

The article continues on Page five after the click here

Page 1: about FiiO

Page 2: Design, build quality

Page 3: UI, Usage, Bundle

Page 5: Sound performance 

Page 6: Sound Part 2, Comparison and conclusion

4.2/5 - (82 votes)
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedin

A nerdy guy with a passion for audio and gadgets, he likes to combine his DAC and his swiss knife. Even after more than 10 years of experience, Nanotechnos still collects all gear he gets, even his first MPMAN MP3 player. He likes spreadsheets, technical specs and all this amazing(ly boring) numbers. But most of all, he loves music: electro, classical, dubstep, Debussy : the daily playlist.

8 Comments

  • Reply February 17, 2022

    klaus e. werner

    Dear Lieven,
    many thanks for your in-depth review!
    It seems though that there are 1-2 paragraphs missing when your speak about pairings with the ME800 and the DM8 (on page 6).

  • Reply February 17, 2022

    klaus e. werner

    Sorry, *NanoTechnos*, it was still early morning 🙂

    • Reply February 17, 2022

      Lieven

      No worries. Thank you. I have asked him to add the missing part

  • Reply February 23, 2022

    Ivan

    AKM version is the better sounding but we buy what we can buy.

  • Reply April 21, 2022

    Mennie

    Just sold it after 7 days. Lovely for all bit not vocal. Vocal is too dry and harsh and out of stage. Good for EDM/Fun only

  • Reply January 6, 2023

    stanxl

    Hi, I recently got both the M11 and M11 plus ESS. I’m new to modern daps and I’d like your point of view on how you would describe the differences between both days and see if my analysis is correct, biased or wrong.
    Thanks !

  • Reply February 7, 2023

    Leo Silverman

    Hi – I’m looking for a portable audio player which doesn’t require a smartphone (I want to change to a dumb phone) and through which I can use download Spotify, SoundCloud and other audio streaming apps. I don’t want a browser of any kind. Does this fit the bill?

    • Reply February 7, 2023

      Lieven

      yes, just make sure to chose a full Android one. I would recommend to look at Fiio and Hiby, they have devices in all price categories.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.