AKM fire damage and other parts shortages are having an impact:
James Chung
FiiO’s Next Plan for Players
2020 is going to end. We hope it will also be the end of the disaster. Recently, many users have been asking if there is any update plan for our players. Here I would like to give a reply, so that you can make purchase decisions according to your needs.
1. FiiO's product line of mid-to-high-end players
In the past two years, we have made a plan starting with the M11 for 3 mid-to-high-end players, the M11, M11Pro and M15, all of which were based on the same platform- a 5.15-inch screen + Exynos7872 + 3G RAM + 32G/64G Flash. Because these components were discontinued at the end of 2019, we have correspondingly completed the purchase order according to our estimated sales volume. However, due to their excellent performance, the actual sales volume has exceeded our expectation, which means these models will be sold out in 2020. (“Out of stock” means the stock of our factory, while our sales agents may still have inventory).
Our future mid-to-high-end players will change the processor platform. But due to a fire in the AKM factory resulting in the supply of the AK4497/AK4499 we originally planned to use encountered problems, the models that are about to be developed have to urgently replace the DAC solution. Therefore, except for a new 4497-based model that would be released in limited quantities in 3 months, other player models will be delayed until after the summer of 2021.
Taking into account the actual performance of the M11, M11Pro and M15 and the actual experience of the 7872-based platform, I personally suggest that you can just get it if you need it. Because the successors of the M11, M11Pro and M15 would all be based on a better platform without major changes in audio configurations. But if you have a preference for ESS chips, you might as well consider it later.
2. 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.
3. Low-end models
As for low-end models, the M3K, M3PRO, and M5 based on Ingenic X1000, the cost of them are very tense, whose performance mainly depends on cost control rather than technology. Therefore, we will not make any renewal plans under limited conditions. If there are demands in the market, we will continue the production. Otherwise, we will stop.
This is all the basic situations. As a manufacturer, we will also make efforts in other product types to make better promotions and sales. Survival and development will not be a problem, and difficult days will finally go to an end. If you are interested in our products, you can choose our existing products, wait for our later products, or turn to other brands. One way or another, your needs go first. Thank you very much for your attention and care for FiiO. We will keep on doing what we should do.
