FiiO M5 Review

Design & Build Quality

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Casing

“- Why on earth would you buy an Apple Watch Knock off ? ”

Yes, the FiiO M5 looks like a (cheap) Apple Watch, but – spoiler alert – this was the point. The M5 is an “ultra-portable High-Resolution Audio Player”, weighing no more than 38g and measuring no more than 45.3x42x13.7mm. By comparison, my Apple Watch S4 weighs 36.7g and measure 44x38x10.7mm, so yeah FiiO engineers aren’t too far from those numbers.

Of course, for 99€, you can’t expect the FiiO M5 to look or feel as good. Sure, the body is made of CNC-machined aluminum, with curved waist and glass on top and bottom, but it feels quite less refined, missing the curved glass screen for example.

Even though the player feels quite sturdy and this is definitely one of those “pocket” DAP. Compared to the FiiO M11, you won’t feel sorry to drop the M5 on the floor. Small and lightweight, I crashed it a few times while taking off the bag, but it never displayed any dent or scratch.

Build quality is very very good, and if none of the I/O is gold-plated, everything clicks just the right way. Honestly, for the price, it’s almost too good to be true, even more, if you compare it to the FiiO M6 and its pebble-like case. The brand even added a small curve on the bottom part, and this gives the USB-C and micro-SD port a little more room, for protection.

All-in-all, the real drawbacks, for me, are the screens bezel. They are so thick compared to the M11, or even the Shanling M6. If the player wasn’t this small that would not be an issue, but when you put the Apple Watch side-by-side, it’s even more ridiculous.

Layout

The FiiO M5 layout is quite simple, like the M6.

On the bottom part you have :

– a micro-SD port, to hold all your songs
– the USB Type-C port, to charge, connect a computer or even a DAC (thank you USB-Out)

On top of the player, you get :

– a combo port (Headphone / Line / Coaxial)
– the up/down volume buttons
– your usual play/pause/on/off button
– two microphones (ooohhhh)

No balanced output, but for 99 bucks, that’d have been a real surprise. The only device that I can think of is the iBasso DC01, but it’s a DAC and not a player, so…

The real surprise comes from the two mic port. FiiO says that the M5 employs a CVC noise cancellation technology for those microphones, to help you out when you’re on a phone call. It’s supposed to give clear and noise-free Bluetooth calls, so I’ll have to double-check on that.

Last but not least, the USB Type-C port functions sideways. You can either use the M5 as your usual DAP and charge it through the USB port. Or use it as a DAC when connected to your computer. And finally, you can send all your files to your DAC, thanks to the USB-out feature. Not new, but still neat.

Ok, let’s go on and look at the screen.

Screen

The FiiO M5 enjoys the smallest screen of the brand: 1.54 inches.

Obviously, this player doesn’t aim at the same demographics as the M11 or M11 Pro. And, if you misunderstood that, the screen is here, to remind you. 240×240 pixels for a 220.4 PPI density and only 262k colors, compared to the usual 16 million one you get on higher-tier players from the brand.

Also, like an Apple Watch, there is no multi-touch. Ok, to be fair, multi-touch would not have been of any use on the FiiO M5, but this feels so strange in 2020. Color rendition isn’t perfect (far from it) and contrast isn’t even comparable to the superb Oled screen found on the Apple Watch.

It’s slightly worse than the Shanling M0 in direct comparison, but honestly, you won’t even bother. All you have to remember is that: this is not the best screen of this category, but UI is snappy and for an audiophile purpose, it’s more than enough.

Bundle

Inside the box

For the price, I’d not be surprised if the bundle of the M5 appears to be as dire as the one found… in the FiiO M15.

So in the box you have :

  • the FiiO M5
  • a clip-stand to attach your M5 to your clothes
  • an USB-C cable
  • two screen protector
  • a quick-start manual

Basically, the same accessories found in the FiiO M15. Or no, you even have more options, thanks to the transparent clip, which also acts as a protective case.

For those who want to wear the FiiO M5 as a watch, there is an accessory for that. Sold separately and unfortunately, I left it at the office, so no homemade picture here, just the official one.

Let’s get to the handle part, shall we?

The article continues on Page Three, after the click here

4.4/5 - (164 votes)
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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.

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