Hi-Fi World – September 2019

http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk SEPTEMBER 201 9 HI-FI WORLD 77

REVIEW

including that in 32GB of internal
memory and any microSD card
that has been inserted – up to
2TB maximum addressable. Where
microSD card slots are usually open

• just push a card in – FiiO have
  chosen to use two card carriers
  on this player opened by a small
  supplied tool; loose this and a paper
  clip works, if not so easily. Changing
  cards is a fiddly process and on the
  move difficult-to-impossible, since
  the tool, carrier and card have to be

manipulated – which really needs a
desktop and some care. Best done at
home.
The music player app has an
option-high interface with full cover
artwork display and was not easy to
use even when understood. It has a
Settings menu in the operating system
and a Settings menu in the music
player, both denoted by a gear wheel

• but they are different. Except that
  they were not, with audio settings in
  both.
  Also irritating was the need to
  manually update the player from the
  player Settings menu every time a
  new card was loaded. The old music
  file lists were retained in memory but
  of course would not play once the
  card had gone. Players now commonly
  scan internal music files and update
  automatically, but the M11 does not,
  even when turned off and back on.
  The Settings menus possess a
  wide array of options, including filters,

output level (low/high), an equaliser,

volume control on Line output and

much else.

SOUND QUALITY

The M11 plays most music formats

including DSD and Diana Krall’s

Narrow Daylight in DSD64 (.dsf)

gave a suitable demonstration of

this player’s sound quality: think

super smooth, gentle, organic and

yet fulsome and powerful. That

it’s a player with a classy sound is

undoubted.

Rock tracks like Queen’s Radio

Ga Ga had plenty of low end heft, the

At left one of the home screens with Chrome web browser, clock

and other facilities. The red FiiO Music app and grey Settings gear-

wheel are important to music play. At right are Settings within the

Music app. USB ouput can be set to send DSD (using DoP).

The M11's filter set, Sharp
giving widest bandwidth and
Super Slow narrowest, with
warmest sound.

A range of Wireless transmission standards are available to

ensure compatibility (left). The main Play screen (right) is large,

high resolution and displays cover artwork well.