Design
As usual, let's start by taking a look at the design of the new FIIO player. The M11 comes in a sleek, black casing, measuring 70 x 130 x 15.5 mm and weighing 210g. Small color accents are provided by both the volume control on the left side and the framed headphone jacks on the bottom. The front and back are completely covered with a reinforced glass surface; the front, of course, features the obligatory touch display (5.15 inches, 18:9 format, 720p), while the back reveals a finely textured carbon fiber structure shimmering through the glass depending on the light. On the left side, in addition to the volume control, there are also play/pause and skip buttons, while on the right, two microSD slots (up to 2 TB) can be accessed using the included mini-tool. Between the three jack sockets on the bottom (2x balanced: 2.5 mm, 4.4 mm and 1x unbalanced: 3.5 mm), the charging cable connector (USB-C) is centrally located, and the M11 can be switched on and off on the top. The player's haptics are excellent; its weight and materials convey quality without feeling clunky, the buttons work cleanly, and the volume control, whose detent provides tactile feedback and an unobtrusive click with every change, sits securely in its mount. A protective case is also included to protect the M11 from any impacts.
Hardware
Now that we have a general orientation, let's get down to business – and there's actually a lot to cover here. Let's start with the fact that the FIIO M11 is equipped with a powerful 6-core processor and 3GB (as well as 32GB of internal memory), thus providing enough power to allow for smooth navigation through the Android 7 user interface. The converter architecture, as is befitting an audiophile player, is fully symmetrical, meaning that two current AKM AK4493 D/A converters are used. In addition, for the development of the M11, all other components – op-amps, resistors, capacitors, etc. – were carefully selected, so that the M11 is able to provide a neutral and interference-free high-end signal for the connected headphones. In this regard, the new FIIO is incidentally not particularly picky and effortlessly drives even demanding headphones. Of course, both a WLAN and a Bluetooth module are integrated, so that the player can be easily paired with other devices. What exactly is possible here will be covered in the next section, when we examine the software.
Software
As mentioned earlier, the FIIO M11 comes with a customized version of Google Android 7 (Nougat), but without a purchased Google license; the official Google Play Store is therefore not available. This does not mean that apps cannot be installed manually, but there could be problems if they require certain Google Play Store services. Here, of course, we are already far beyond the actual core competencies of the device. When it comes to playing music, the M11 is well equipped from the factory.
FIIO has pre-installed its own FIIO Music App, which, in addition to the obligatory functions (playback, pause, favorite lists, music library navigation, multiband equalizer, ...), also offers some special features. For example, the M11 can be connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth using the so-called FIIO Link function and then be remotely controlled from there with the FIIO Link App. In addition, an entire arsenal of corresponding protocols is available for transmitting (high-resolution) music via Bluetooth: SBC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC (Sony), LHDC (Huawei). A WLAN connection can also be used not only for downloading apps or updates, but also for musical purposes. The M11 supports Apple AirPlay and understands the universal DLNA protocol, which can be used to access computer or NAS systems. Furthermore, of course, the relevant streaming providers such as Spotify and Co. can be tapped. Finally, it is also possible to copy music files from a computer or smartphone to the player this way, if no cable is available.
Such a connection, however, is essential if you put the M11 into USB DAC mode, i.e., use it as a D/A converter on a computer, or output music data (including DSD) via USB or S/PDIF (coaxial adapter included) to another converter. It supports a maximum of PCM files at 384 kHz / 32 bit as well as native DSD256 files. One more word on DSD: The FIIO M11 has a so-called "All-to-DSD" function, which upsamples all audio data (even from external apps) to DSD64.
Final Thoughts
This brings us to the end of our overview. The FIIO M11 makes a promising first impression. We will use the coming days to explore the player further. Of course, you can also get your own impression of it at any time in our headphone studio.
Update 07.10.2019: The Pro version of the FIIO M11 has now been released, which features an improved digital-to-analog converter, an improved amplifier unit, and increased storage capacity. Also available from us!
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