FiiO M9 review, information and ui video

FiiO M9 review

-expatinjapan

https://www.fiio.com/m9

Fiio have come a long way since the early days of the mini amplifier which fit in the palm of ones hand and was about the size of an ipod mini.

From then straight to the X versions and now the M series FiiO continues to improve and innovate.

Forgive me for including (as usual) many of FiiOs information graphics about the FiiO M9, but it saves me typing/or copying and pasting it all out like I did fake research, also it saves you a click out so all the information is in one place and is easier on the eyes.

Next generation affordable portable audio just keeps getting better and more wallet friendly.

Unboxing

Coaxial adapter cable, USB-C cable for data transfer and charging.

Tempered glass screen protector (Applied at the factory)

A simple yet efficient case

Build, closer look etc

Power, volume wheel, play/pause, FF/Rev and a Micro Sd slot

User interface

Head pie UI video

Specifications

Battery Life

User interface continued

Price

$299.00 on Amazon US store.

Overall

The FiiO M9 is one of the latest in a wave of daps from FiiO in the new M line up which takes over from the older X line up.

FiiO is slowly releasing quite a range of them in every price point with various functions in common and also unique to each one.

FiiO Players details here: https://www.fiio.com/player

The build and features etc are covered by my photos and the info graphics via FiiO so I don`t think I need to go too much into that. You can see and read for yourselves. I trust your eyes and brains.

Being Android, although stripped down to a degree there are a bevy of apps at your disposal, probably many of you are keen on streaming apps, a few come readily install whilst others can be easily downloaded.

FiiO: "apps for popular streaming services including NetEase Cloud Music, MOOV, Tidal and KKBOX are pre-installed to allow even more ways to listen to music.

*Can install whitelisted third-party music streaming apps

*Whitelisted apps: NetEase Cloud Music, MOOV, Tidal, KKBOX, Spotify, Qobuz, Roon, Deezer, JOOX, ES file manager, Bandcamp, and Sony headphones."

The familiarity of the Android system will please many users, such as the usual drop down menu which offers short cuts to many functions.

The excellent Bluetooth from the earlier M7 and the more than decent amplification system is satisfying.
FiiO: "..a player that could transmit the HWA/aptX/aptX HD/LDAC lossless Bluetooth codecs, even when used as a USB DAC".

The FiiO M9 whilst packing more power than the earlier M7 (Understandably so) is not a powerhouse. It has enough for general IEM and portable headphone use.

Floor noise is noticeable on some of the more sensitive IEMs.

The sound to my ears seems more focussed around the mids and the highs, there is still enough bass there but is not a prominent feature, I would not call this a warm dap. At times it can come across as flat but not in a reference/neutral sense. A bump up of the volume can often clear that up.

It can sound a bit thin at times, and its not as resolving as I had hoped (but at the price it is acceptable and understandable), but its smoothness can cover these shortcomings.
Its not the usual AKM full and warm style, it is tuned slightly different.

I found the Balanced output to be more sonically beautiful especially when tweaked from the settings.

At US$299.00 it has a growing number of competitors within the same price range.

A few years back people dreamed of having all these features within one player and probably would have paid thrice the amount for it. In a saturated dap market with so many levels of features, functions and resolution it certainly is a battleground out there.

The FiiO M9 a box of tricks, saturated with all sorts of apps and features for an entry level price.