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.