[misteral201103]

Ok, got it a little while ago. I'll post more detailed impressions in the days to come but here is my first report (single ended to InEars Prophile 8s, comparing to X5iii):

Beautiful unit - really quite lovely.

Fast and smooth - within Fiio's music app it's whizzing around, no discernible lag at all. Especially navigating folders, very quick. Also going from app to app and opening apps.

Sound - hard to say at this point. For one thing, I am accustomed to listening through the XD-05 and thus will have to AB between M11 and X5iii to give meaningful feedback. Best I can say at this point is the M11 is much more refined. There's more detail but not just in high frequency. Like an overall higher resolution, if that makes sense.
Is the soundstage wider? Again, hard to say without ABing and also running through the XD05 to properly compare.
I would say it represents a similar experience to when I tried out the Opus #2 in that it's clearly better (than X5iii) but I couldn't tell you more right now.
Bass - not subdued but not powerful either - EDIT: I was wrong. Bass is as it should be, punches well if it's in the recording, and reaches down nice and deep.
EQ - works very well (within the Fiio app) and does not seem to make the 6db drop that previous versions have done. Definitely an option to those wanting more bass (tried it, sounds good)

@gLer and @Sven2015 had a bunch of questions - I'll answer them here so everyone benefits:

English language - yes, plus a ton of others.
Bluetooth and 5g Wireless - yes, no problem. Bluetooth LDAC to the Mobius sounds good.
Boot-time - minimal. Haven't timed it but we're maybe talking 10 seconds, if that. Quick!
Gapless - haven't tried yet, will be walking the dog after this so will try
Plex - not till tomorrow BUT

When I tried YouKu to test wireless, video and audio I discovered there is no orientation option. The player will not detect when you turn it on its side and there is no setting to enable this. This may mean no landscape video, though some players allow you to set this within the app. We'll see. But this is not a player for YouTube etc...

Overall, at this early stage: am I happy with it? Yes, very much so. Flawless operational experience compared to the X5iii and arguably improved sound quality, plus LDAC, improved battery life. Very happy with this upgrade. Is it a redefinition of sound in the same way my Prophile 8s were? No. But I believe it rivals the Opus #2 which is more than double the price (only my opinion based on memory, pinches of salt recommended) and to really step up in terms of sound I would need to move to a much larger budget and even then, I suspect it would not be a night and day difference (to my ears at least).

Great job @FiiO ! This is a lovely player, a worthy upgrade to the X5 series!!

Feel free to ask me to try things out - I'll keep reporting back as and when.

 

[superuser1]

@misteral201103 thanks for your initial impressions .... keep it coming

 

[gLer]

Ok, got it a little while ago. I'll post more detailed impressions in the days to come but here is my first report (single ended to InEars Prophile 8s, comparing to X5iii):

Beautiful unit - really quite lovely.

Fast and smooth - within Fiio's music app it's whizzing around, no discernible lag at all. Especially navigating folders, very quick. Also going from app to app and opening apps.

Sound - hard to say at this point. For one thing, I am accustomed to listening through the XD-05 and thus will have to AB between M11 and X5iii to give meaningful feedback. Best I can say at this point is the M11 is much more refined. There's more detail but not just in high frequency. Like an overall higher resolution, if that makes sense.
Is the soundstage wider? Again, hard to say without ABing and also running through the XD05 to properly compare.
I would say it represents a similar experience to when I tried out the Opus #2 in that it's clearly better (than X5iii) but I couldn't tell you more right now.
Bass - not subdued but not powerful either
EQ - works very well (within the Fiio app) and does not seem to make the 6db drop that previous versions have done. Definitely an option to those wanting more bass (tried it, sounds good)

@gLer and @Sven2015 had a bunch of questions - I'll answer them here so everyone benefits:

English language - yes, plus a ton of others.
Bluetooth and 5g Wireless - yes, no problem. Bluetooth LDAC to the Mobius sounds good.
Boot-time - minimal. Haven't timed it but we're maybe talking 10 seconds, if that. Quick!
Gapless - haven't tried yet, will be walking the dog after this so will try
Plex - not till tomorrow BUT

When I tried YouKu to test wireless, video and audio I discovered there is no orientation option. The player will not detect when you turn it on its side and there is no setting to enable this. This may mean no landscape video, though some players allow you to set this within the app. We'll see. But this is not a player for YouTube etc...

Overall, at this early stage: am I happy with it? Yes, very much so. Flawless operational experience compared to the X5iii and arguably improved sound quality, plus LDAC, improved battery life. Very happy with this upgrade. Is it a redefinition of sound in the same way my Prophile 8s were? No. But I believe it rivals the Opus #2 which is more than double the price (only my opinion based on memory, pinches of salt recommended) and to really step up in terms of sound I would need to move to a much larger budget and even then, I suspect it would not be a night and day difference (to my ears at least).

Great job @FiiO ! This is a lovely player, a worthy upgrade to the X5 series!!

Feel free to ask me to try things out - I'll keep reporting back as and when.

This is superb feedback - what a pleasure to have superusers like you on this forum. Look forward to your deeper A/B testing and testing of apps like Plex. I think video is a bonus - if it works, great, but that’s not the primary function of the player for me. If I can connect to my Plex library and stream my flac files flawlessly, this player will be worth its weight in gold. It’ll also mean storage is irrelevant when I’m home or on Wi-Fi.

Would you also mind checking if you can load Google Chrome and use it to browse the internet when on Wi-Fi.

Thanks again for your efforts!

Edit: just thinking about your comment about not having landscape mode... why then would FiiO promote the M11’s 18:9 screen like so:

 

[misteral201103]

@gLer - Let's see how it behaves with dedicated media players (Plex, MX)

@Sven2015 - Gapless is flawless. You'll have to wait a bit for the all to DSD report. Want to get used to basic sound sig.

What I said about bass...I kind of take that back, might edit that post. I think the bass is just where it should be. Taste may dictate that a user wants a bit more bass on particular tracks, but running through some EDM and Supertramp's Goodbye Stranger...yeah, it's as it should be.

Soundstage is definitely wider, also deeper - or at least with more sense of depth. Clearly more space for each instrument to sound, layering and imaging is very competent.

Bear in mind I've become accustomed to the enhancements of the Burson V5i - which does absolute wonders - and I'm listening to the M11 without an additional amp...and it's compelling. It's a lovely quality sound. Right now I have Amber Rubarth's 17th Ward playing and there is a very clear sense of space.
Also, I had become accustomed to listening to the Prophiles with the HF switch on (I like the extra detail). I've turned it off now and this presentation is just lovely. Obviously now, the bass seems a touch more in comparison, making my earlier statement even less relevent.

Now switched to Cannonball Aderley's Somethin' Else - silent background. This is an album where instruments are panned hard. Listening this time, it doesn't bother me at all...there's much more a feeling that I am there with them while they are playing.

Second SD Card - Remember that thing with the X5iii where the second card would dismount? Doesn't seem to be an issue anymore.

The more I listen to the M11, the more impressed I am. Happiness quotient is rising steadily!!!

 

[gLer]

@gLer - Let's see how it behaves with dedicated media players (Plex, MX)

@Sven2015 - Gapless is flawless. You'll have to wait a bit for the all to DSD report. Want to get used to basic sound sig.

What I said about bass...I kind of take that back, might edit that post. I think the bass is just where it should be. Taste may dictate that a user wants a bit more bass on particular tracks, but running through some EDM and Supertramp's Goodbye Stranger...yeah, it's as it should be.

Soundstage is definitely wider, also deeper - or at least with more sense of depth. Clearly more space for each instrument to sound, layering and imaging is very competent.

Bear in mind I've become accustomed to the enhancements of the Burson V5i - which does absolute wonders - and I'm listening to the M11 without an additional amp...and it's compelling. It's a lovely quality sound. Right now I have Amber Rubarth's 17th Ward playing and there is a very clear sense of space.
Also, I had become accustomed to listening to the Prophiles with the HF switch on (I like the extra detail). I've turned it off now and this presentation is just lovely. Obviously now, the bass seems a touch more in comparison, making my earlier statement even less relevent.

Now switched to Cannonball Aderley's Somethin' Else - silent background. This is an album where instruments are panned hard. Listening this time, it doesn't bother me at all...there's much more a feeling that I am there with them while they are playing.

Second SD Card - Remember that thing with the X5iii where the second card would dismount? Doesn't seem to be an issue anymore.

The more I listen to the M11, the more impressed I am. Happiness quotient is rising steadily!!!

Sounds very impressive so far! Do you have any full size headphones to try it with - ideally balanced? Will be interesting to see how much power there is.

Also can you please check if there’s a balanced turbo mode like the other Fiio daps? I assume there’s a low gain and high gain mode?

Many thanks again and sorry for all the questions!

 

[misteral201103]

Sounds very impressive so far! Do you have any full size headphones to try it with - ideally balanced? Will be interesting to see how much power there is.

Also can you please check if there’s a balanced turbo mode like the other Fiio daps? I assume there’s a low gain and high gain mode?

Many thanks again and sorry for all the questions!

No worries, happy to answer!

HI and LO gain, yes.
Balanced Turbo - not that I've seen so far.
Don't have balanced cables I'm afraid, so can't test that.
Full size - my Nighthawks are at work, so they will have to wait till tomorrow...trying now with HE400i:

Sound is ok (this is single ended, and I have somewhat fallen out of love with these cans), ok presentation, bass is not lacking, staging is reasonable...but this is at volume level 103 out of 120. Putting the XD-05 in line transforms the sound into something I would consider much more acceptable, fuller bodied, wider staging, overall considerably better.
For single ended, I would definitely want an amp in there to drive these. If balanced provides more power, it might be a different story...To be honest though, quite a nice presentation through the amp...still very difficult to go from the Prophiles to these (a shame, because I really liked them before!)

 

[MariusAB]

@gLer - Let's see how it behaves with dedicated media players (Plex, MX)

@Sven2015 - Gapless is flawless. You'll have to wait a bit for the all to DSD report. Want to get used to basic sound sig.

What I said about bass...I kind of take that back, might edit that post. I think the bass is just where it should be. Taste may dictate that a user wants a bit more bass on particular tracks, but running through some EDM and Supertramp's Goodbye Stranger...yeah, it's as it should be.

Soundstage is definitely wider, also deeper - or at least with more sense of depth. Clearly more space for each instrument to sound, layering and imaging is very competent.

Bear in mind I've become accustomed to the enhancements of the Burson V5i - which does absolute wonders - and I'm listening to the M11 without an additional amp...and it's compelling. It's a lovely quality sound. Right now I have Amber Rubarth's 17th Ward playing and there is a very clear sense of space.
Also, I had become accustomed to listening to the Prophiles with the HF switch on (I like the extra detail). I've turned it off now and this presentation is just lovely. Obviously now, the bass seems a touch more in comparison, making my earlier statement even less relevent.

Now switched to Cannonball Aderley's Somethin' Else - silent background. This is an album where instruments are panned hard. Listening this time, it doesn't bother me at all...there's much more a feeling that I am there with them while they are playing.

Second SD Card - Remember that thing with the X5iii where the second card would dismount? Doesn't seem to be an issue anymore.

The more I listen to the M11, the more impressed I am. Happiness quotient is rising steadily!!!

Big thanks for this informative info. Really happy to hear first opinion and comparison. Very interesting how m11 deals with hiss with sensitive iems like dm6. So the sound tuning seems similar to m9 with more balanced profile, not pronounced bass but the amount it should be and perhaps more treble as there isn't rolloff.

 

[loungecat]

I can't wait till May to be honest from what I'm reading anyway

 

[gLer]

No worries, happy to answer!

HI and LO gain, yes.
Balanced Turbo - not that I've seen so far.
Don't have balanced cables I'm afraid, so can't test that.
Full size - my Nighthawks are at work, so they will have to wait till tomorrow...trying now with HE400i:

Sound is ok (this is single ended, and I have somewhat fallen out of love with these cans), ok presentation, bass is not lacking, staging is reasonable...but this is at volume level 103 out of 120. Putting the XD-05 in line transforms the sound into something I would consider much more acceptable, fuller bodied, wider staging, overall considerably better.
For single ended, I would definitely want an amp in there to drive these. If balanced provides more power, it might be a different story...To be honest though, quite a nice presentation through the amp...still very difficult to go from the Prophiles to these (a shame, because I really liked them before!)

Yes balanced should give you 2-3 times the power and, depending on the headphone, even better SQ.

 

[Pro-Jules]

@misteral201103

Can you try wifi streaming (hi res if possible) and the best quality LDAC at the same time please?
Thanks for the reports.

 

[superuser1]

to quote from the 1st page:

 

[JRichardson1228]

@gLer - Let's see how it behaves with dedicated media players (Plex, MX)

@Sven2015 - Gapless is flawless. You'll have to wait a bit for the all to DSD report. Want to get used to basic sound sig.

What I said about bass...I kind of take that back, might edit that post. I think the bass is just where it should be. Taste may dictate that a user wants a bit more bass on particular tracks, but running through some EDM and Supertramp's Goodbye Stranger...yeah, it's as it should be.

Soundstage is definitely wider, also deeper - or at least with more sense of depth. Clearly more space for each instrument to sound, layering and imaging is very competent.

Bear in mind I've become accustomed to the enhancements of the Burson V5i - which does absolute wonders - and I'm listening to the M11 without an additional amp...and it's compelling. It's a lovely quality sound. Right now I have Amber Rubarth's 17th Ward playing and there is a very clear sense of space.
Also, I had become accustomed to listening to the Prophiles with the HF switch on (I like the extra detail). I've turned it off now and this presentation is just lovely. Obviously now, the bass seems a touch more in comparison, making my earlier statement even less relevent.

Now switched to Cannonball Aderley's Somethin' Else - silent background. This is an album where instruments are panned hard. Listening this time, it doesn't bother me at all...there's much more a feeling that I am there with them while they are playing.

Second SD Card - Remember that thing with the X5iii where the second card would dismount? Doesn't seem to be an issue anymore.

The more I listen to the M11, the more impressed I am. Happiness quotient is rising steadily!!!

Your posts are getting me rock hard. I want the unit in my hand right now.

 

[rafamaniac]

i know it's early but can someone please compare it with Sony WM1A soundwise?

 

[misteral201103]

i know it's early but can someone please compare it with Sony WM1A soundwise?

Sorry! Don't have and haven't demoed....

 

[MariusAB]

Sorry! Don't have and haven't demoed....

How about x7 ii or m9, or lower from m series. Have you heard any of these from fiio to compare ?
Thanks.