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FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player – Now with WiFi on board…

Der FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player war der erste portable Hi-res Audio-Player, der auf die so genannten Samsung Exynos-Plattform setzte und damit eine sehr leistungsfähige, gleichzeitig hoch integrierte und vor allem sparsame Plattform. Nun steht mit dem neuen FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player der Nachfolger parat, der ein großes Manko der ersten Generation beseitigt, denn dieser hat nun auch WiFi mit an Bord.


It was a very exciting presentation made by personal audio devices specialist FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd at the beginning of last year, when they created the then new FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player. It was no surprise that the company presented yet another portable hi-fi player, but it was no surprise that the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player in the new FiiO M Range was based on a platform designed for smartphones, which for the first time offered a number of features that seemed ideal for portable hi-fi players.

First released in March 2018, the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player is based on a platform built around the Samsung Exynos 7220 processor from the Samsung Exynos 7 Dual Series. This in turn is a so-called SiP-ePoP from Samsung, an abbreviation for System-in-Package, also known as embedded Package on Package, and is based on a 14 nm FinFET processor. As a highly integrated platform, all essential components are thus available in a minimum of space at a stroke. For example, the processor was combined with the memory DRAM and eMMC as well as the power management IC, so that with the Samsung Exynos 72070 and its two ARM Cortex A53 cores, a platform was available that was 20 percent more effective than previous solutions. Other essential functional units were also on board, first and foremost Bluetooth, but interestingly, no WiFi.

And this was exactly one of the most frequently voiced criticisms from users of the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player, which, apart from this, was also convincing due to its extremely attractive price point for the functionality offered. It was therefore foreseeable that FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd. would make up for this shortcoming as soon as possible. Now the time has come and they present the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player, the designated successor, which, how could it be otherwise, is now also equipped with WiFi.

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Of course, the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player hardly differs from its predecessor, as you can see at first glance. The designers have not changed the concept of the slim form factor, so the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player is only 109 mm high, 52 mm wide, 13 mm deep and weighs no more than 116 g. The case is of course made of metal, making it extremely robust, chicly shaped and with an appealing feel.

Immediately noticeable here too is the display, which is quite generous in terms of its slim dimensions, a touch-sensitive touchscreen TFT colour display with a 3.2 inch screen diagonal and 480 x 800 pixels, which functions as the primary user interface. In addition, there is a side-mounted rotary encoder and three buttons for direct playback control.

Of course, the previously mentioned Samsung Exynos processor platform also provides the corresponding performance with very low power consumption. This represents the heart of the Google Android-based system, whereby 4 GByte of internal memory is available as the basis for the operating system and about 2 GByte for free use. Of course, you can upgrade with microSD cards up to 512 GByte, which should be enough for your own content without any problems.

As already mentioned, Bluetooth shouldn’t be missing, whereby it’s Bluetooth 4.2 and, apart from SBC, A2DP, especially aptX and aptX HD, but also LDAC is supported, thus guaranteeing a loss-free signal transmission up to hi-fi audio to suitably equipped Bluetooth headphones.

It’s interesting in this context that Bluetooth can not only be used for headphones, but that smartphones can also use the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player via Bluetooth as a DAC. As an alternative in the proven classic version via cable, the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player is of course also available with USB-C, making it a proven USB DAC.

In addition, the latest generation of FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player is now WiFi enabled, allowing the player to be connected directly to the network and access Internet radio. Even your own content stored on a NAS can be accessed directly.

The signal processing of the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player is carried out via an ESS Sabre 9018Q2C DAC, which can process content in Linear PCM with up to 24 bits and 192 kHz, and also DSD.

It should also be mentioned that the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player is of course also equipped with a well-proven radio, namely an FM tuner.

Headphones are connected to the FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player via a 3.5 mm stereo mini jack, a balanced option is not available.

The FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player’s built-in 1,880 mAh lithium-polymer battery is said to provide up to 20 hours of play time when used with wired headphones, using the headphones’ D/A converter and analog output stage. It’s interesting that the battery life turns out longer, up to 30 hours, when using Bluetooth. The charging time is stated as approximately two and a half hours, provided that one uses a respective charger with 5 V and 2 A.

The scope of delivery of the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player naturally includes a suitable case, as well as a protective film for the display and a corresponding USB cable. Optionally, the company also offers other transport bags, such as those made of high-quality leather, which should be mentioned here for the sake of completeness.

The new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player should already be available in specialist shops these days, whereby the recommended retail price is even lower than that of the first generation. Thus, the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player is already available at a recommended retail price of € 199,-. The new FiiO M range player is available in black only.

Getting to the point

Whatever the reason why FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd. decided to do without WiFi on the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player… It was foreseeable that FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd. would eliminate this shortcoming as soon as possible. And that’s exactly what they are now doing with the new FiiO M7K High Resolution Lossless Audio Player, which, how could it be otherwise, is now naturally equipped with WiFi.

Manufacturer:FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd.
Distribution:NT-Global Distribution GmbH
Price:€ 199,-
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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