FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player

It was somehow clear that FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. was not just presenting the FiiO M7 Digital Audio Player as a new entry-level portable hi-fi player, but was using it as the basis for a completely new product line. So here it comes, as it must come, and FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. is proud to present the new FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player.

This spring, FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. surprised the public with the presentation of a completely redesigned Digital Portable Player, or DAP for short, the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player. The outstanding feature of this solution was that the developers relied on a completely new technological platform, one designed for premium smartphones, made by Samsung, with impressive key data in terms of high integration, but especially high performance and energy efficiency.

At the presentation of the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player, it was already clear that the company would not stop at this solution, but would rather use it as the basis for an entirely new series. After all, a technological basis has been created here that can be scaled across different classes in the proven manner.

The FiiO M3K Digital Audio Player, which was presented a little later, was not a big deal, even though it was named after the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player’s little brother, but was clearly designed as an entry-level DAP.

With the FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player, however, the situation is completely different. It is based on the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player, but builds on the new technology mentioned in the introduction with the highest performance and efficiency.

First of all, it is striking that FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. has decided to adopt completely new design concepts for the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player and FiiO M3K Digital Audio Player. Both the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player and the FiiO M3K Digital Audio Player have clear, sharp edges compared to previous solutions. FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. was used to a design language that was always playful, at least in detail.

But now, with the new FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player, things are getting really “round”, as it presents itself in an extremely elegant design with rounded sides, whereby some essential controls have also been integrated here, and these can now be “felt” particularly well, so that comfortable operation is almost guaranteed. The generously dimensioned touchscreen colour display of the new FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player naturally also contributes to this.

The housing is made entirely of aluminium, making the FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player both lightweight and robust.

As the technological basis, the developers have again chosen the Samsung Exynos 7270 platform with dual-core 1 GHz processor in 14 nm design, which offers high integration of all essential components and high performance with low energy consumption. As already described, this is a platform that was developed for smartphones, and here of course especially for particularly slim solutions.

For the new FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player, the developers rely on an AKM AK4490EN as D/A converter, two of which are used in a so-called Dual DAC configuration. The new portable Hi-res audio player is thus able to process all relevant data formats, be it Linear PCM with up to 32 bits and 768 kHz, or DSD with up to DSD256.

Sufficient space for even large media libraries is available via a microSD card slot.

For data transfer to a PC or Mac, the new FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player features a USB Type-C interface, allowing the portable player to be used as a pure DAC. The battery is also charged via this interface.

In addition, the new FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player is equipped with Bluetooth, and FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. once again relies on a module from Qualcomm and supports aptX and aptX HD. In addition, they also rely on LDAC, which should be explicitly emphasized.

For headphones, there is not only an unbalanced connection in the form of a 3.5 mm stereo mini jack socket, which also processes control commands via the so-called CITA standard, but also a balanced 4-pin 2.5 mm connection. This provides a power of 210 mW into 32 Ohm, whereas the unbalanced connection provides 170 mW into 32 Ohm.

It is interesting to note that the new FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player is the first player from FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. to feature a status LED that directly indicates which resolution is currently being played back.

The integrated battery has a capacity of 2,350 mAh and is expected to deliver up to ten hours of play time. The manufacturer specifies a standby time of 45 days and after only two hours the battery should be fully charged again.

The new FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player will be available in the coming weeks. The recommended retail price is € 279,-.

Getting to the point

At the presentation of the FiiO M7 High Resolution Lossless Audio Player, it was already clear that FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. would not stop at this solution, but would rather use the new Samsung Exynos 7 Dual Series platform as the basis for an entirely new series. After all, they have created a technological basis that can be scaled across different classes in the proven manner, including for the new FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player.