[hmscott]

Are there plans in the beginning stages yet for a new "UTWS" model with the newly announced Qualcomm S5 sound platform chipsets? Most likely the QCC5171 chipset.
...
I know new product design takes time, so Im guessing it would be a 2023 product at the earliest since we are already almost halfway through 2022, but I am hoping plans are beginning to take shape on the new chipset.
...

Developers have access to new Qualcomm products *years* in advance of a new SoC release, and the QCC5171 materials started coming out in mid-2021, and before that potential customers developers were read into the architecture and roadmap much earlier than that, as much as a year earlier in 2020.

We don't have access to that information, but the partners and customers of Qualcomm certainly had access 2+ years ago, and I would hope @FiiO has been plugged in to that ecosystem of Qualcomm information exchange for over a decade.

That is why I am surprised that @FiiO is holding at the QCC5124 level which probably came out to the developer partner companies in 2018, released in June 2020. @FiiO seems to be holding at 2-3 iterations behind current and soon to be released SoC's.

Here are the QCC5171 public infomation listed with publication dates, software downloads, and hardware information - if you have customer access:
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/application/audio/qcc5100-series/qcc5171#Documentation
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/application/audio/qcc5100-series/qcc5171#Software
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/application/audio/qcc5100-series/qcc5171#Hardware

I assume @FiiO is already signed up with Qualcomm, for others there is a process to sign up and start the verification process that leads to access to the non-public info:

 

[BlueA]

Dear friend,

Related information will be updated in later chapter.

Best regards

Oh!

 

[Moon5123]

(1) HiFi new portable player preview and existing product information
For FiiO, April is the new beginning of 2022. To make the information more transparent, and help consumers choose the appropriate products based on their own budget and needs, we would like to share our scheduled new products from today. Meanwhile, we will also give a brief introduction to our existing products currently on sale.
1. FiiO M11S, expected to be released in June
The M11S is an upgrading model of the M11 launched in 2019. It will also be the model with the lowest price among FiiO's portable players in the next two years. The price, function, performance, and output power are similar to the M11, and the difference from the M11 is mainly in the SoC, display screen and DAC chip. In fact, the M11's market sales and user feedback were pretty good. However, due to supply chain reasons, the SoC, display and DAC chips had to be replaced.
The M11S is expected to be one of the most competitive models within 600 USD, and the first batch has already been reserved by our sales agents. In the words of an agent, FiiO has been absent from this price segment for too long.
2. M15S, is expected to be available in the fall
The basic situation of the M15 is the same as that of the M11, which was discontinued last year for supply chain reasons. The main difference between the M15S and M15 is also the SoC, display screen and DAC chip.
Similarly, the M15S will also fill the price segment gap between the current FiiO M11 Plus and M17, and will be the leading model of FiiO.
3. The M11 Plus ESS and M17 will be produced and sold normally this year, and there are no plans for new colors and new materials (like copper, stainless steel). You can buy it if you like it.
After the M11S and M15S are released, FiiO's portable players will cover the price range of 450~2000 USD. We will not consider research and development of lower-end products. The main reason is that the Android players in the lower price range cannot meet user needs. In terms of sound quality, their performance and output power are also indistinguishable from USB audio adapters and Bluetooth DAC/Amps. In the current era of streaming media, the market for pure music players has shrunk even more.

Just bought m11 plus now you tell me you are releasing m15s ,do you have some exchange program for fiio users ?

 

[ASpencer]

With the M11 Plus ESS and the upcoming M11S now being so competitive in price, I'm wondering what precisely differentiates the M11S from the latter. Is the M11S considered the upgrade now?

 

[rlw6534]

With the M11 Plus ESS and the upcoming M11S now being so competitive in price, I'm wondering what precisely differentiates the M11S from the latter. Is the M11S considered the upgrade now?

The release info sounded like the M11S would slot below the M11 Plus.

 

[ASpencer]

The release info sounded like the M11S would slot below the M11 Plus.

I discerned that much, but it didn't sound like it slotted far beneath too significantly. The delineation wasn't as distinct as those early X1 models were from the top of the line.

 

[rlw6534]

I discerned that much, but it didn't sound like it slotted far beneath too significantly. The delineation wasn't as distinct as those early X1 models were from the top of the line.

Agreed. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a price increase on the Plus model at some point.

 

[FiiO]

@FiiO - I am excited about the BTR7 as well as the M11S and M15S.

I noticed the upcoming BTR7 is using the Qualcomm QCC5124 BT SoC which draws about 7ma and supports BT 5.0, while there are alternative SoC's within that product family that draw as low as 4ma and support BT 5.1, 5.2, 5.3:
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/application/audio/qcc5100-series

The Qualcomm product site's downloadable QCC51XX Product Marketing sheet has dropped the QCC5124:
https://docs.qualcomm.com/bundle/publicresource/87-CF482-1.pdf


The QCC5124 BT SoC was used in the newest products released first in June 2020, and it has done a great job in those products from a couple of years ago, but it would be nice for future released products from @FiiO to include the newest available BT support.

Lower power draw and support for newer BT 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 would be nice, would it be possible for @FiiO to ask the Engineers on the DAP / BTR products if they can design in newer SoC's for future products?

Are the upcoming M11S and M15S going to also use the QCC5124? Or, will they use a newer SoC?

The QCC5171 3rd Gen SoC device implements "CD Lossless Audio with Snapdragon Sound". Does FiiO have a plan to implement a BT "CD Lossless Audio" solution?

Dear friend,

1. Thanks for the kind feedback. We will report to the engineer about that.
2. We do not have more information about M11S and M15S currently, let's wait for the launch event.
3. Our UTWS5 has recently acquired the "Snapdragon Sound" certification from Qualcomm.

Best regards

 

[FiiO]

Can you please post a comparison between M11 and M11S, specifically showing the difference in SoC, display and DAC chip?

Dear friend,

Thanks for your interest. Let's wait for the launch event.

Best regards

 

[FiiO]

(3) New desktop DAC/Amps preview and existing product information

FiiO's desktop DAC/Amps are defined as DAC/Amps for desktop scenarios. There are USB-powered mini models like the E10K and K3, and AC-powered ones like the K5 Pro and K9 Pro with greater output power.
In 2022, FiiO will launch new desktop DAC/Amps, including the K7 and K9, mainly to fill the gaps in the product line.
1. Desktop DAC/Amp K7, expected to be released at the end of July
The K7 follows the appearance structure of the K5 Pro, adding a 4.4 balanced output. The K5 Pro is FiiO's very popular desktop DAC/Amp in the past two years, with good sound quality, high output power, compact body and appropriate price. But since the balanced headphone output port is absent, many users and our sales agents have kept asking us to increase the balanced output. That's how the K7 was born.
2. Desktop DAC/Amp K9, also expected to be released at the end of July, with a very competitive price
The K9 Pro is a desktop DAC/Amp with excellent performance, strong output power, complete input and output ports, and high-definition Bluetooth input. But the two expensive ES9038Pro chips also push up the cost of the whole device. In order to reduce the selling price, we chose two lower-end ES9068AS DAC chips on the K9, which allows users with limited budgets to have more choices. Except for the different DAC chip, all other functions and amp circuits have been preserved.
As for the current models, including the E10K, K3, K5 Pro, and K9 Pro, all of them have been replaced with new solutions in the past year due to the shortage of chips, so they will not be upgraded in 2022.
In this way, the E10K-K3-K5 Pro-K7-K9-K9 Pro has formed a reasonable section in terms of price, size and output power, enriching the product line and giving consumers more choices.
Of course, it may also disappoint some netizens, because the K7 and K9 follow the design language of FiiO's previous DAC/Amps. We understand your complaints. The main reason is that the sales of desktop products cannot compete with that of portable products at present, and the mold charge is also more expensive. It is not difficult to change the design with our current design capabilities, but the increased R&D costs will lead to higher offering prices of new products. We hope you can understand that we just want to provide you with better products at more reasonable prices.
In addition, I have introduced to you before that the K5 Pro was actually derived from the docking amplifier designed for FiiO portable music players, so we did not do serious research on desktop use scenarios in forms and functions. Its hot sale was a coincidence.
Therefore, strictly speaking, the K9 Pro is FiiO's first generation desktop DAC/Amps. It fully considers everyone's practical needs in terms of form, function, performance, input/output ports, and practical operation. From the perspective of market and user feedback, it is successful. We do need more time, market feedback, and more experience to help make the next-generation products more in line with user needs and thus provide a more comfortable using experience.

 

[gto88]

fIIo has a lot to offer in 2022.

 

[der Koekje]

I think an updated M11 and M15 may be worth it for the Android upgrades alone. Any plans for a release with more up to date and streamlined Android features?

 

[FiiO]

(4) New Portable DAC/Amps preview and existing product information

Although the portable headphone amplifier is not the first product of FiiO since its establishment, it is the product category that really helped FiiO on the road to success. Starting with the small amp E3, we have historically launched the E1 | E02 | E3 | E5 | E6 | E7 | E07K | E11 | E12 | E17 | E17K | E18 | A1 | A3 | A5 | Q1 | Q5S and other portable amps.
However, after the Q5S, due to the limitation of development resources, we have spent a lot of energy on better and older DAC and other chips, and the market of portable amps has been shrinking due to the impact of portable players, USB dongles, and Bluetooth DAC/Amps. It was a pity that we did not have any new portable amps for almost 2 years.
Moreover, due to the shortage of chips, the Q1MK2, Q3 and Q5S are currently discontinued.
But the good news is that after sorting out the existing product line and repositioning the portable amps, we will release at least 2 new products this year. With our efforts, the Q3 will be on aboard again after upgrading with a better solution. Here are introductions about our latter new portable amps:
1. Portable desktop DAC/Amp Q7: expected to be released in October; see picture:

The Q7 is actually a simplified version of the M17. Since the M17 was released, it has been adored by consumers for its powerful functions and huge output power, which far exceeded our expectations. However, the price of the M17 is indeed too high due to the cost limit, making many people feel discouraged.
Therefore, we have turned it into a pure DAC/Amp by canceling the high-cost display screen and SoC module on the M17. But the desktop mode, DC power supply, and THX788+ amp technology will be retained. In addition, in order to control the cost, the ES9038Pro chip will be changed from 2 to 1.
2. Portable DAC/Amp Q5 Pro
The Q5 Pro (undecided model) is an upgraded model of the previous Q5, so it will be stronger than the Q5 in terms of function, specification and output power. But the project has not yet been officially approved for development. If there are sufficient R&D resources, we will have it released at the end of this year at a higher price than that of the Q5.
3. Portable DAC/Amp Q1K (to be determined)
The Q1K is planned to replace the discontinued Q1MK2. The situation is similar to that of the Q5 Pro. If the development resources are sufficient, it is hoped that it will be launched by the end of the year. Or we will have to wait for next year.
The existing portable DAC/Amp Q3, which was discontinued due to the chip shortage in the early stage, will also be re-launched in June after changing the solution. If there is no major change in functions, it will not be regarded as a new model.
In this way, FiiO's future product line of portable DAC/Amps will consist of four products: Q1K, Q3, Q5 Pro, and Q7, covering the price range from 100 to 1000 USD, and output power (balanced port) from 300mW/channel all the way up to 3000mW/channel.

 

[FiiO]

(5) New USB dongle preview and existing product information
It is not exaggerated to say that FiiO is the forerunner and pioneer of USB dongles. As early as 2009, FiiO launched the E1, a USB dongle designed for iPod/iPhone.
Later successively came the E02i, i1 and K1.
However, after the 3.5mm headphone output was removed from mobile phones, and different USB dongles became so popular on the market in 2019 and 2020, FiiO was absent. The reasons are complicated, and we will skip this part. Now we are back to the way. Starting from the KA3, we have sounded the horn to march towards HiFi USB dongles. In addition to the KA1 this year, we will also launch 2 new products.
1, 4.4 balanced USB dongle (Portable DAC and Amplifier) KA2, expected to be available in June. See picture 2
The KA2 is an ultra-portable dongle similar to the KA1. It comes with a fixed cable and only has a 4.4 balanced headphone output, which is very friendly to some users who use 4.4 headphone ports. In addition, the KA2 is also designed with a true balanced design, 2 DAC chips, real four-way D/A conversion and four-way power amplification. It's a competitive, balanced USB dongle.
In this way, FiiO's USB dongles are divided into two categories. One is dongles with a fixed cable, like the KA1/KA2, which are mainly used with earbuds. We tried our best to control their size and weight, and give priority to great portability. The other is detachable-cable dongles that appropriately sacrifice the size and weight for 4.4 balanced and 3.5 single-ended headphone outputs with higher output power, and richer functions, such as the KA3.
2. The KA5 with a display screen, expected to be available in October, whose price will be pleasantly surprising
The KA5 is a high-end USB dongle with independent volume control buttons and display. This helps to improve user experience, and the specific configuration and performance will be stronger than the KA3. But the output power will basically stay at the same level as the KA3 since it still gets power out of a mobile phone.
For those who like to use USB dongles, esp. those who already have a KA3 and want an upgrade, it will be worth waiting for some time.
As for the existing KA1/KA3, we have no plan for an upgrade this year, but may introduce more colors according to user needs.
In this way, the product line of FiiO's USB dongle will be formed this year, including 4 products, the KA1, KA2, KA3 and KA5. If time permits, we may explore something more, like a magnetic dongle, a dongle with a charging case, etc.

 

[scracy]

No LDAC for the BTR7 ? .. this should lead to a no-go for many Samsung users with no Adaptive Aptx codec.

It could have been an interesting little BT DAC with a probably totally hiss free powerful Thx amp.

Found a listing from a UK online retailer that shows FiiO BTR7 does support the LDAC codec as well as AptX adaptive, AptX HD, has dual ES9219 DAC's available late June.