Gadget of the Year – FiiO M9
(ok so this item is a bit late – written at end of 2019 but forgot to post!)
Since the advent of the digital audio age – I have had, literally dozens of different digital audio players (DAPs). This really started with CD Walkmans that played MP3 files, the stick like MP3 players and then the all conquering iPod. Nowadays, the majority of people use their mobile phones for audio playback. Audiophile they are not. Neil Young, with his Pono, tried to kickstart a market for high resolution playback devices, but this was a failure, principally because he and his group did not forsee the streaming revolution.
The ideal portable DAP would have the following features:
1. Fits in your pocket and has a headphone jack.
2. Plays 24/192 and DSD natively (and MQA if it suits your needs).
3. Unlimited storage – not the unfortunate 16 or 32gb inbuilt storage that fills instantaneously.
4. Wifi and Bluetooth and, preferably, Android operating system.
5. Streaming support for Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, Apple Music and Qobuz
6. Download support for offline listening to streaming services.
7. A high quality DAC
8. Good battery life.
9. A screen that can be read without a magnifying glass.
10. Streaming from home network.
I have bought a couple of high resolution players in the past – principally the Astell & Kern JR – which sounded good, but was limited to playback of tracks saved into the device. A&K will sell you all kinds of DAPs for all kinds of prices – but none of which fulfill my criteria above.
After an exhaustive search, I realized that FiiO – a company who sold me a good laptop DAC a few years ago, sell DAPs that more or less fulfill the criteria above. I went for the M9 – which appeared to be inexpensive but fully featured. It is quite an extraordinary device – capable of playing just about any audio file, streaming, 2 directional Bluetooth, USB computer DAC, streamer etc. The memory is bare-bones – just 2GB of onboard memory – but you can add a micro-SD card. For less than €300 you can but the DAP and a 512GB micro SD – and you’re good to go.
The good:
- It plays everything.
- Sounds great.
- Streaming from Deezer perfect – streaming hires from Qobuz disappointing so far.
- Very portable
- Works well as a clunky external DAC on PC.
The not so good:
- Screen is a bit small and fiddly for middle aged eyes.
- Can’t figure out how to get Roon to work properly – due to proprietary version of Android.
- Very hard to figure out how to preserve the battery in stand by mode, in comparison, for example with the iPad.
audioexchange 
In the ‘not so good’ you neglected to say it doesn’t play records. I remember going to parties in the mid eighties and a friend of mine would bring a portable record player. It closed over with a lid to look like a medium sized attache case. Isn’t it time for a return to the portable market from a serious manufacturer (Clearaudio or Rega maybe?). You could bring it to listen to records in record stores before buying 2nd hand. I would bring it to France on the ferry for my summer vacation. There are some crappy ‘retro’ ones for sale on Amazon, but nothing that would take an Ortofon cartridge.
I have a question about a different article: https://audioexchange.wordpress.com/high-quality-aaa-vinyl-labels/
How were you able to verify that Light in the Attic and Third Man Records are AAA reissue labels? I thought the Light in the Attic Brazilian titles were mastered from digital files made from the original tapes. I also couldn’t get confirmation from Third Man Records about their recent Patsy Cline box…
Hey Mate… is everything ok over there? I pass by from time to time checking for something new but it’s been a long time since you last wrote anything. Hopefully just no inspiration. Take care.
[…] company, like Lexus to Toyota) to the inexpensive Fiio devices – such as the excellent M9 that I own. These devices are handy, portable – they fit easily into your pocket – and […]