UI & Usage
Android 7.0
Where the other FiiO M players use a tailored version of Android, the FiiO M11 enjoys an almost complete version of Android 7.0. I say “almost” because FiiO didn’t get the Google Play Store approval, instead, they are offering their own FiiO Market.
There are a lot of compatible, and available, applications that could be downloaded directly from the FiiO market. The best of them is, of course, APK Pure which replaces the Google Play store and gives you almost unlimited access to all the possible APKs available.
I downloaded my usual set of apps : Qobuz, Tidal, Deezer and of course Spotify. All of that took less than 10 minutes, thanks to the 5Ghz wifi connection and a solid signal. A big upgrade from the X5 and X7 !
Overall navigation
That will be quick, like the FiiO M11. This player is, by far, the snappiest Android-based DAP I’ve ever tried. Powering the M11 takes less than 20 seconds, and shut down only 10 seconds. Every app you launch almost instantly pops up on the screen and the library scan is three-time faster than the M9.
So yeah, just for that, you really should try the M11.
FiiO Music
Since the first FiiO X7, the brand began to move from its old UI to a modern one: FiiO Music. It’s an android application, available on the AppStore and Play Store but on the latest players, the integration goes further beyond a simple app.
Sure you can use any android music player app you want, but the FiiO Music app is now very competent and matches the FiiO M11 perfectly. It’s fast, reliable, easy to use and if it did crash once with a 200Gb micro SD-card, once updated it never happened again.
Really, FiiO kept upgrading its software and today, as far as I know, it’s one of the best solutions available.
Setting menu
General
- Off timer : choose if the player go off after a specified time, this work with the FiiO Music app only.
- Scan for songs: if you need to scan your SD Cards, you can choose to scan the whole card or just a specified folder
- Resume : choose if the player resume to your latest track or the latest position in the track
- Gap less playback : if you listen concert or live performances, be sure to check it out
- Play through folder : this option enable the continuous play if you began to play your music from a folder
- Auto update : enable it if you change your sd card frequently, this will be easier than do the manual scan each time
- Fixed volume settings : if you want your player to launch at the same volume each time
- Replay Gain : this mode automatically augment or lower the gain depending of the track you’re playing to avoid wide volume range
- USB Output mode : if you want to plug a USB DAC to your FiiO M9, you can either choose DoP or D2P
- HWA : an option for enable high definition streaming through Bluetooth headphones, once this mode is enabled you won’t be able to select the volume from the M9 anymore, in Bluetooth
- WiFi song transfer : a very quirky option, enabling music transfer from your local wifi
- DNLA : the basic of local storage playback, once connected to the local WiFi
- Theme : choose the theme of your FiiO M9, white or black, your call
- Lockscreen album art : if you like to see your album art when the player is
- FiiO Link : this option allows you to control the player directly from your smartphone
- Reset database : it clears all the music you have, simple as that
The article continues on Page Four, after the click here
Erick Osmanto
Hi nice review, can you give detail impressions for the S8F with fiio M11?
PCiez
Copy and paste works when you replace M9 with M11 ????
Sergei Lokhmachev
Interesting and very detailed review, but what about the comparison?
Can you compare it with Cayin N5iiS, Onkyo DP-S1 or HiBy R6 in terms of a sound?
Kevin Glimmersten
I bought the M11.
I was extremely disappointed with its sound performance. The soundstage is ANYTHING but massive, and the bass is thin and not dense at all.
Its a boring, analytical presentation.
Alessandro
È meglio di AK SR15? Sono indeciso tra questo e Cowon PL, cosa mi consigliate? Grazie
Kayla
Hi!
Being that you noted this is a worthy albeit not “the best” DAP – I’m wondering what you’d recommend to someone whom has a budget of around $1000 and is strictly concerned with sound quality? I’ve heard the soundstage on the M11 leaves much to be desired, so this is a definite detractor for me.
Thanks!
Timmy
Just tell it like it is Headphonia, this player according to a lot of people sounds like crap.
Scotosan
Are you people shills/trolls The soundstage IS big and the sound while neutralish isn’t boring by any means. Kayla, who says the soundstage leaves a lot to be desired? Kevin Glimmerson on these comments? Can you link any of these reports of the soundstage leaving a lot to be desired?
The bass goes deep and isn’t thin by any means, I switched to neutron from fiio to get a little LESS bass.
Look this thing sounds like an sp1000 or wm1a for 500 bucks.
If you’re not messing around or putting out some fiio anti, I’d go see an audiologist stat for a hearing test.
nik from moscow
> Is it better than the FiiO X7 Mark II ? Sorry… but yes !
No, it’s not.
I just bought the X7 MK2 the other day, and M11 was in the test-listen list. It is comparable with X7, at best. You also mention M9 to be… ok, sorta? Dude, my LG smartphone sounds cleaner than the M9!
The only thing i remember about M11 is how crazily loud it is. Then i stuck in the final selection between DX150 and X7, because although X7 gives clearly more detail, the DX150 sounded kinda… more interesting.
Until i realized, it’s just about EQing. Use a little eq on your X7, and you get the same flavour of DX150, with the detail of X7. I bet, it goes the same with mimicking M11.
Isaac Tan
Hello! Just wondering if I intend to use an external DAC (Chord Mojo) to pair with my M11, should I use the USB-C or coaxial to connect my M11 to the mojo!