Our favorite budget audiophile brand has a new affordable Hi-Res Music Player, with a desktop mode to make the part of your Hi-Fi setup
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- The Fiio M21 Hi-Res Audio Player costs £ 279 / $ 329 (approximately AU $ 583)
- Quad-dac configuration and two-stage reinforcement
- Desktop mode for optimized output for Hi-Fi systems
The arrival of a new affordable audio player from Fiio will guarantee our attention: When we judged the JM21 portable music player We were blown away by his sound and are value for money. And now there is a new player who is more powerful without being much more expensive.
Where the JM21 is a Dual-DAC device, the new Fiio M21 is a quad-dac player. And double the DACs does not mean double the price: where the JM21 launched at $ 199 / £ 179, is the M21 $ 329 / £ 279.
Fiio M21 Portable Audio Player: Important specifications and functions
The M21 is a tight-looking thing with a large 4.7-inch IPS-Touchscreen on the front, a glass back and an Octa-Core Snapdragon 680 in it. The device runs Android 13 and comes with 4 GB RAM, 64 GB Internal storage with 52 GB of that available for use, and you can add up to 2 TB via MicroSD. Bluetooth is 5.0 (SBC, AAC, APTX, APTX HD, LDAC And LHDC).
The DACs are four Cirrus Logic CS4319s that are ranked to minimize overhaul and noise. The two -stage reinforcement first offers voltage and electricity second, which, according to Fiio, creates a clean and dynamic sonic profile.
An important new function is M21, a scoop for Fiio’s entry Androids. This allows you to connect to a USB-C feed and bypass the battery, with a maximum of 21VPP peak voltage and 950 MW per channel in 32 Ohm. With desktop mode you can also use the M21 as a Hi-Res streamer for a wider Hi-Fi system.
The battery life in portable mode is 15 hours over the 3.5 mm output and 11.5 hours with the balanced 4.4 mm output. And there is an optional retro housing that looks like a cassette band-it is the larger metal colored box on which the M21 is in the main photo at the top.
There is no doubt that this will sound fantastic – and I suspect that it will probably be better with higher volumes than the JM21, which is screaming a bit if you save things too high. And for £ 279 / $ 329, the M21 still undermines a lot of rival Hi-res audio equipment-not in the least Fiio’s own M23Another player we love.
Between that and the fake cassette Cas, e I think Fiii’s come up with a winning formula here. The player is now available.
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