[andrewjamesdean]

Does anyone have an idea as to when the new models might be announced? I’m considering an M11 Pro, but obviously thinking about waiting to see what a newer version might offer.

 

[FiiO]

Does anyone have an idea as to when the new models might be announced? I’m considering an M11 Pro, but obviously thinking about waiting to see what a newer version might offer.

FiiO's Future Player Plan
Since some details about our M17 have unexpectedly been exposed, I would not mind introducing it to you. In this passage, I would give a brief plan about our future players.
1. There are great possibilities that our future players will all be priced at above 450 USD. Many reasons resulted in the suspended production of our previous middle- and high-end players, and there will be the following four player models joining the FiiO family, the M11S, M11Plus, M15S and M17. Due to the R&D progress and material conditions, this year will probably see a small amount of the M11Plus (we only have a little stock of the 4497 chip) and the M17 entering the market.
2. Low-end player: Current players including the M3K, M5 M6 will continue the production based on the sales condition. But the production will be suspended once the market demands are too small to organize production. The M3Pro, M7, and M9 have also been stopped for this reason.
3. Entry-level players have been affected by little tail amps and Bluetooth DAC/Amps. In addition, it has low margins, esp. in recent years with the cost of chips rising greatly, some of which even multiplied several times. So there are neither good sales volumes nor profits.
4. Mid-end player: Customers always have needs for streaming players like the M9. Due to the selling price and size limit, it is hard to control the cost unless we use a low-profile processor platform, an integrated DAC chip, or an extremely simple structure. To be honest, I have no faith in its market prospects. In addition, the Android platform goes up at a rapid speed, so even if we barely adopt the low-cost scheme to make it, next year it probably cannot meet the operation requirements.
5. Frankly speaking, we have a lot of product projects. However, labor resources are a problem. Therefore, we have to give up some products with small market requirements. I know that some users always expect the M9Pro, but it is a pity that all conditions are not available. Thank you for your time and support.

So if you don mind to wait some time longer, you could consider the M11Plus as well.

Best regards

 

[andrewjamesdean]

Thanks for that update - are you able to give a rough indication of what month the M11 Plus might be released?

 

[weexisttocease]

FiiO's Future Player Plan
Since some details about our M17 have unexpectedly been exposed, I would not mind introducing it to you. In this passage, I would give a brief plan about our future players.
1. There are great possibilities that our future players will all be priced at above 450 USD. Many reasons resulted in the suspended production of our previous middle- and high-end players, and there will be the following four player models joining the FiiO family, the M11S, M11Plus, M15S and M17. Due to the R&D progress and material conditions, this year will probably see a small amount of the M11Plus (we only have a little stock of the 4497 chip) and the M17 entering the market.
2. Low-end player: Current players including the M3K, M5 M6 will continue the production based on the sales condition. But the production will be suspended once the market demands are too small to organize production. The M3Pro, M7, and M9 have also been stopped for this reason.
3. Entry-level players have been affected by little tail amps and Bluetooth DAC/Amps. In addition, it has low margins, esp. in recent years with the cost of chips rising greatly, some of which even multiplied several times. So there are neither good sales volumes nor profits.
4. Mid-end player: Customers always have needs for streaming players like the M9. Due to the selling price and size limit, it is hard to control the cost unless we use a low-profile processor platform, an integrated DAC chip, or an extremely simple structure. To be honest, I have no faith in its market prospects. In addition, the Android platform goes up at a rapid speed, so even if we barely adopt the low-cost scheme to make it, next year it probably cannot meet the operation requirements.
5. Frankly speaking, we have a lot of product projects. However, labor resources are a problem. Therefore, we have to give up some products with small market requirements. I know that some users always expect the M9Pro, but it is a pity that all conditions are not available. Thank you for your time and support.

So if you don mind to wait some time longer, you could consider the M11Plus as well.

Best regards

What's the difference between M11s and M11 Plus? The latter still uses AK4497 DACs but there's plans to use ESS too? I've seen the specs and it looks good, just wish it was lighter.

 

[FiiO]

For more details about M11Plus, please look forward to the #FiiO 2021 Spring Launch Event. Thanks for the interest.

 

[corgifall]

For more details about M11Plus, please look forward to the #FiiO 2021 Spring Launch Event. Thanks for the interest.

When is the date for the spring lunch event?

 

[FiiO]

When is the date for the spring lunch event?

At about May.

Best regards

 

[ChristianM]

So the production of the M3 Pro already stopped? I want to order one from Aliexpress but don't have enough cash yet and availability of M3 Pro on Aliexpress is getting low.

 

[FiiO]

So the production of the M3 Pro already stopped? I want to order one from Aliexpress but don't have enough cash yet and availability of M3 Pro on Aliexpress is getting low.

Dear friend,

Thanks for the interest. We still have the M3Pro in stock now. If you don't mind, you could order it from when you can: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001658522989.html

Best regards

 

[lexxmexx]

Hi Fiio,

I have been a long time supporter of Fiio amplifiers and was very happy with the E5, E7 and E12 which worked very well with my old iPod. Now is time for an upgrade and I had eyed on the M6 but as it was released in 2019, it seems quite dated now. Will there be a successor to the M6 anytime soon?

 

[FiiO]

Hi Fiio,

I have been a long time supporter of Fiio amplifiers and was very happy with the E5, E7 and E12 which worked very well with my old iPod. Now is time for an upgrade and I had eyed on the M6 but as it was released in 2019, it seems quite dated now. Will there be a successor to the M6 anytime soon?

Dear friend,

Thanks for the support. But I am afraid the answer is no.

Mid-end models

Now it is the mid-end models, i.e. the M6, M7 and M9 based on Samsung Exynos7270. The M9 has been discontinued for a long time; the M7 is selling inventory; the M6 is producing the last batch. So it is estimated that in half a year, our mid-end players will be sold out. As for their successors, we are currently not planning and conducting any new research and development due to two reasons.

1) There are no appropriate processors. At present, there are fewer and fewer processors available for digital products. It is impossible to find qualified processors with appropriate cost, volume, power consumption and performance.

2) Nowadays, Bluetooth amps or little tail DAC/Amps equipped with smartphones have become a portable HIFI solution for many people. If mid-end players want to be outstanding in music experience, it may at least be equipped with Qualcomm 425 + 3G RAM + 32G Flash to meet users’ requirements. But in this case, the cost space for the audio part will be minimal. Even if we made it, it may not be as good as a Bluetooth amp or a little tail DAC/Amp, and cannot compete with mobile phones in terms of its music experience.

Therefore, mid-end players really live in a dilemma. Actual sales data also reflect this trend.

Best regards