[JZ01]

I just received a new unit today. The buttons on the right side (play/pause, next track, last track) don't work at all. I tried them in the FIIO Music App, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. I have upgraded to the latest firmware and have even reset the unit completely. The buttons on the other side work fine. I can even program the multi-function button as play/pause and it works fine. Am I missing something?

 

[andjayik]

make sure the lock button is not on

 

[JZ01]

make sure the lock button is not on

The lock button is off. I also changed the settings for the lock button to allow the physical buttons to function. The side buttons don't work in any scenario.

 

[FiiO]

Feature A New Chip! FiiO Portable HiFi Music Player M11 Plus Is Officially Released!

We are never satisfied with the current situation. This time, we came back with the new M11 Plus.

To acquire further performance improvements, the M11 Plus is equipped with two high-performance ES9068AS. The specially tuned audio data achieve better sound performance.

Not only does it support decoding MQA tracks in 8x mode, but it also supports MQA Renderer in USB DAC mode, allowing for rich, master-quality sound reproduction.

The new-gen interactive intelligent volume system is warmly welcomed among audiophiles. This time, we replaced the all-in-one volume button + touch panel with carbon fiber material, which is more smooth when operating and echoes harmoniously with the honeycomb design.

The previous M11 Plus LTD has been highly praised by professional media and audiophiles at home and abroad. The all-new version will surely bring more attractive sounds for you.

*The M11 Plus is available on our AliExpress Official Store. Click the link below to take it home right away.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002702201305.html

Best regards,
Guangzhou FiiO Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.

 

[whitedragem]

Hello,

I'd like to call some attention to the Replaygain clipping issue again, in hope that it may be fixed one day.
I posted the below in this thread a while ago:


Another user posted the below in the M9 thread, which seems to be the same problem:


Some other info:

• My M11+ is updated to 1.06
• The same audio files don't have any crackling issues when played on PC through my on-board integrated motherboard soundcard
• Using the M11+ as a USB DAC, there are no crackling issues either

So the above seems to be specifically a software issue with how the Replaygain is implemented on the M11+ itself, or with Android audio output and Replaygain.
@FiiO Hopefully you can figure out what the problem is, and address it in a future update.

---

Unrelated to the above issue, but there are also still some issues remaining with the Wake on Tap function.
For one, it doesn't always work, possibly when the player has been on standby for a while, and no amount of taps will wake the device.
You have to press the power button to turn it on, then Wake on Tap will function afterward (for a while).

I also think that it's still a bit too difficult to get Wake on Tap to work all the time, and some further refinement for it to recognize more tapping patterns is probably needed.
Because of the above two issues, I currently don't use this function, because it's more reliable to press the power button.

Volume normalising (like compressing music to play loud for radio) to keep everything at max, is generally a ‘good thing’ when the crackles appear (-it is at MAX).
A few pieces of software that I have looked at that offer such things, generally explain in the readme files ‘what is going on’ and ‘why it works this way’ (and is why we find -3dB settings in some menus for audio output).
If we remove 3dB from the TOTAL CAPABLE OUTPUT, then we can ‘gain’ up to 3dB before we return to ‘full peak power output’.

A parallel is the ‘european volume cap’ on some music players, like for example my Sony NWZ-A845, which, due to european limits of output ’max power’ (based on included earbuds if I have read correctly), means that my NWZ-A845 cannot achieve the same full volume as ‘the equivalent model from ‘other regions’’, yet if I use the S-master circuits equaliser, and slide all the sliders to max, I gain a tonne more volume output. If I did the same with the ‘non volume capped’ players they would be pushed to distorting.

And that is why many software equalisers require a lowering of the output volume, so they can be raised via the equaliser and NOT exceed max capability.

In this regard I do not see any weakness with the FiiO M11+ (or other models).
The onus is ALWAYS on the end user to sort out the myriad ways in which we can shift volume up and down, but never past max (or we get clipping), unless of course the music file doesn’t push the volume range.. (ie vanessaa mae, butterfly concerto; very low volume level for majority of the piece (to extend perceivable dynamics)).....

Much of what I bought the M11+ for was to have the BEST dynamic range possible.
If I just wanted something homogenised to be loud, I’d probably be using bluetooth from a phone... (not really caring about ultimate ‘quality’)

On the point of ‘deep sleep state’ (and the tap to wake eventually snoozing), this is a balance that needs be struck between CPU responsiveness and battery power..
slower polling intervals (and eventual deep sleep that ‘stops polling altogether’) is great for longer runtimes etc..

As a PC user who stuck with PS2 mouse connections (well into the USB era) due to ability to crank the polling rate on the PS2 bus, I have seen firsthand the significant/insignificant differences that can be implemented.
As a person who doesn’t want touch to wake (from an audio quality standpoint), but loves the usability of such features, I think a few users here have already commented on setting the volume touch panel (or was it the reprogramable button underneath the volume touch panel?), so that a user could reawaken the unit (from ‘deep sleep states’ (where touch to wake is no longer detecting input)) and make it ‘ready’ for touch to wake use...

This would be the most logical middle ground, where a ’little bit of user education/familiarisation’ with a way around the problem (touch the volume panel to re-engage ‘tap to wake’) is likely the ‘one size fits all’ acceptable method.
The last thing ‘ultimate sound quality‘ users want (eg those who may just use the player ’as a transport’) is a tonne of sensors engaged, or slight power draws, at random, that DO have an affect on the capability of the circuit. Whilst I haven’t experienced this with the M11+, I HAVE seen it with flagship Samsung phones (such as the note 20 and galaxy fold), that having a ‘bunch of cpu activity and random amounts of power draw through the circuit’ getting in the way of ’transport quality’.
(a samsung phone with 20-30 settings disabled was a much better audio transport (into high end ‘revealing’ systems) than the same phone that hadn’t been altered).

I do not want my M11+ to be a ‘bullet points’ for sales (like some manufacturers ALWAYS TARGET, even if it means making a mediocre functioning part for the purpose intended), but rather a dedicated audio tool- Sound Quality above ‘features’ if at all possible.

I understand if others do not feel this way; I hope that FiiO have no need to change what works to fix ‘what doesn’t’ (for those who need features akin to other random devices on the market that do things based on ‘bullet points’ and NOT ‘ultimate sound quality’).

 

[whitedragem]

Feature A New Chip! FiiO Portable HiFi Music Player M11 Plus Is Officially Released!

We are never satisfied with the current situation. This time, we came back with the new M11 Plus.

To acquire further performance improvements, the M11 Plus is equipped with two high-performance ES9068AS. The specially tuned audio data achieve better sound performance.

Not only does it support decoding MQA tracks in 8x mode, but it also supports MQA Renderer in USB DAC mode, allowing for rich, master-quality sound reproduction.

The new-gen interactive intelligent volume system is warmly welcomed among audiophiles. This time, we replaced the all-in-one volume button + touch panel with carbon fiber material, which is more smooth when operating and echoes harmoniously with the honeycomb design.

The previous M11 Plus LTD has been highly praised by professional media and audiophiles at home and abroad. The all-new version will surely bring more attractive sounds for you.

*The M11 Plus is available on our AliExpress Official Store. Click the link below to take it home right away.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002702201305.html

Best regards,
Guangzhou FiiO Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.

I thought the new player had slightly better Bluetooth support (not sure if it was send or receive functionality, but wasn’t APT X LL in there as well?)!

Cheers for the table.
like the carbon fibre panel on the ONE PART I KNOW WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL, for people like me who have disabled the touch panel (slider) and use the physical volume buttons underneath.. the material above those buttons is likely to eventually get two little holes punched into it.. I knew this from the first ten seconds of use...
That improvement alone is a great evolution.
On a part that has only existed in retail for ‘one hot minute’; nice one FiiO engineers- TRULY =>YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!

 

[MariusAB]

I thought the new player had slightly better Bluetooth support (not sure if it was send or receive functionality, but wasn’t APT X LL in there as well?)!

Cheers for the table.
like the carbon fibre panel on the ONE PART I KNOW WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL, for people like me who have disabled the touch panel (slider) and use the physical volume buttons underneath.. the material above those buttons is likely to eventually get two little holes punched into it.. I knew this from the first ten seconds of use...
That improvement alone is a great evolution.
On a part that has only existed in retail for ‘one hot minute’; nice one FiiO engineers- TRULY =>YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!

Ok so i inderstand you have new m11 plus? So main thing how new dac is implemented and is it tuned similar to akm version as a whole?

 

[whitedragem]

Negatory; I have “too many Sabre chips“ in my most used kit, and desperately wanted the AKM flavoured LTD version.
(Sony PHA3/Burson Conductor V2+/Oppo Bluray Player etc)

Sabre chips probably don’t hold well with musicians who are desperate to avoid ‘pre ringing’ (it is unnatural to hear an echo of a sound before the sound happens). I feel this is why most muso‘s jump on AND LOVE Chord DACs...
If I bought the Sabre version I’d stick with on the fly DSD conversion to feed those DACs in a way that they seem to be built for.

I have spent many, many hours on enthusiast sites (diyaudio etc) and reading what enthusiasts say with regards to their implementations and ‘research’.
The consensus from those I feel understand what they are talking about (and have a wide reaching experience zone), is that Sabre is engineered from the ground up for spec sheets bragging rights.
This follows my experience, being a person who bought, on average, ‘a sound card a year’ (flagships generally), all from the late eighties through to the mid 2000s, and watching the ‘evolution’ of the chip making companies...
I never buy based on spec sheet.

That being said, the same Sabre DAC chip implemented in a variety of products will sound different.
FiiO know this!

FiiO sound tune their parts; I will bet my life it is majority of the reason for the OPamp change between the two M11+ models- understanding the ‘circuit as a whole’ and how to make it run optimally for SOUND QUALITY.

From a specification perspective the new M11+ looks like it has the edge, but the reality is, beyond certain ‘spec’ numbers, it is ‘just a numbers game’ that doesn’t dictate sound tonality or ‘interpreted quality’.
Both units will be incredible, because the majority of what is right about these units is the evolution of FiiOs DAPs= their customised circuit boards/layouts/shielding/ power isolation etc..
The actual DAC chips (and all modern DAC chips) read ‘very well’.
Wouldn’t judge a book by its cover.=> wouldn’t judge a piece of audio kit by its ‘spec sheet’.

The bright leading edge (?insert any random observation here) of a PCM track fed through any given Sabre DAC chip might be what is needed for a certain speaker set, or amplifier pairing; and is why system synergy is critical.

When we recognise that most components are built to a price point and sacrifice ’something’, knowing how to build a synergistic system is the key...
The Sabre DAC in the Sony PHA3 (same as the one in the Burson Conductor V2+) is inferior in playback to the iFi Diablo DAC. (however the amp in the PHA3 is superior to the amp in the Diablo), whereas that Sabre chip in the Burson sounds magical. (which is a vastly better amp than the preceeding parts).
My favorite is the Diablo, as a DAC, into the Burson, but the cabling here doesn’t work well (based on my present parts) as the iFi DAC likes to output 4.4mm (balanced) and the burson is an ‘L/R phono plug affair’. A poor system synergy can leave a noise floor in equipment that individually has no problem (nor issues with much other kit)...

Having just rotated seven speakers through two setups, the incredible difference of ‘synergy’ (trumping pricepoint) is significant.
FiiO does the ‘downtime’ and engages with test units for ‘tuning’; this is why they are in my top five audio companies, even though they are ‘bargain basement’ kit that wouldn’t normally be included in my setup. (In my ’high end’ den rig, the M11+ was bought to be a transport; but gave a sound ‘good enough’ from the 4.4mm output to mostly equal the Diablo.. this varies by music genre and file format, a little, but if I hadn’t tested I wouldn’t know. I didn’t believe the FiiO would hold up as a DAC (vs dedicated parts), but it does, due to FiiO sound tuning/’total circuit design’)
FiiO are one of the ‘few’ companies that I will buy a product from having read no reviews, and having heard no ‘buzz’.. They consistently have me smiling for the product EXCEEDING my expectations too....

TL: DR
”No, I have the older unit”

 

[whitedragem]

Hi Everybody. I'm curious if anybody has tried the M11 Plus with Hifiman Aryas? The Aryas are on my radar to try, so I wondered if they would be good with the Fiio.

Hello Mark;
’good’ (with Headphone X); this is an interesting proposition, as to many pundits amplifiers are ‘simply for MOAR VOLUME’(“more volume” in street speak for those using translators)..

Of course amplifiers contribute to a change in sound quality (not the same as the typical SQ difference between any two sets of headphones)..

Those new to audio might believe that as long as their headphones go ‘loud enough’ then the amp is sufficient.
The rabbit hole of course goes a lot deeper than that, and therein is where arguments and ‘subjective listening experiences’ rule the discussion. We also listen to different music genres using headphones that might lean into certain attributes (eg some Yamaha NS-9900 speakers I slipped into a home theatre recently, are designed for ‘fast impulse response’ and ‘getting the edges of the music note’); any speaker (read:headphone) can target different metrics- how any given amplifier interacts with it is of course what the question ‘how is (amp)X with the Arya’ investigating..

So, “system synergy”.. (!)

I had some Sundaras- shortest owned headphone purchase of my life.. (approx three months); ‘very sleep inducing’.
I loved their tonal playback, but perhaps it was dynamics (or a sense of ‘lacking dynamic range’- that I was more accustomed too) that I think had me questioning them most for ‘are they right for me’. (I switched from open back planars to <high end> dynamic driver ‘closed backs’; arguably couldn’t have gone in a more different direction)

When I used the Sundaras, the first thing I had to do was sort out different amplification. I rotated five or more desktop amps (and a few high quality portable amps). Ultimately the Sundaras were always just a ‘sleepy experience’ for me (Literally: would send me to sleep nearly instantly)
This was the opposite of what some Audeze Sine (on ear, closed backs) planars did; that held an incredible synergy with a Chord Hugo (fed from a FiiO X5iii using COAX); I literally couldn’t believe this level of audio recreation was possible for ‘this little coin outlay’, or even possible AT ALL! (I’d have believed that this sound quality could be bought ‘for more’, but as a ‘full set’ of synergistic parts, the resultant sound was ‘next level’ (better than the sum of the parts involved)..

I have no doubt the Arya could be driven by the M11+.
How capably that would be is dependent on ear training and ‘user perception’
If you used the M11+ as a Transport/DAC and fed into a (quality) desktop amplifier, ideally that suited the headphones well (testing, testing, testing), then the playback sound might gain some meatiness (even without necessarily using ‘more power’) or ‘some other quality’ not experienced on an entry level amplifier part. When I compared the amp modules of the M11+ to three other amps (all costing more than the M11+), all three amps added musicality (to some genres) that felt lacking from the M11+ direct.
Didn’t notice until I compared side by side, but it was soooo obvious with any level of fast/‘close in time’ switching between various amps.

I would say that a well implemented THX amp chip (or two), could easily give 90% of what many ‘next step up tiers’ give (or insert other arbitrary number that suggest ‘very good’ bang to buck ratio). How much the extra 10% (or reciprocal) costs to implement (generally in terms of size of unit and power consumption etc) is what users need to weight up. Listening to some three piece band play some ‘Jack Johnson‘ styled music, most wouldn’t care to pay the extra. Listening to hundreds of musicians (orchestral) or a ‘tricky to playback‘ (well) live rock concert, might reveal a few areas where a lesser amp doesn’t quite cut it. Appropriate test tracks, ear training, and having a high quality reference MAY make observations easier to differentiate/explain, in the immortal voice of the 4 Non Blondes killer hit (Whats Up), “Whats Going ONNNNNNNNNNN”

TL: DR
anyone can comment as to whether an Arya can be driven to a comfortable volume limit with the M11+? (addresses first aspect of ‘is amp good enough’ )
anyone can comment on whether the Aryas have a magic synergy with the M11+, or what price point is required to noticably scale UP the resultant sound?

regarding amps, it is possible, with some low ohm headphones (eg bowers and wilkins P5) that an amp mismatch can change the frequency responce of the headphones. This isn’t really likely with the M11+ so not really a ‘bad pairing’ with the Aryas, just probably wouldn’t be an amp that gives ‘the best they can scale too’.

This is normal, and generally learned along the way of much experimentation. —Not fair to expect desktop class performance from a portable player.

The M11+ has built a fantastic amplifier into a portable package that, certainly in public, might reveal no difference vs uber buck parts (requiring wall power, likely).. the last little bit of nuance, isn’t just academic; but late at night ‘critical listening’ isn’t necessarily the lion share, or even purpose for DAP amps..
Moving large driver headphones, that may have windings built to a huge range of ‘price points’, might benefit from better amplifier control (damping factor?), or other metrics (/improvements) that more costly amps CAN give.
With everything being a tradeoff, a DAP with a ‘slightly better’ amp (better ’how’?; louder, faster, ‘stronger’, more...(?)) might be ‘better reviewed’ via dedicated enthusiast threads, like headfi, but even those ‘subjective experiences’ are based on equipment pairings (eg IEMs vs over ears) and critical listening tests that may not be ‘real world’ (everyday). (ie on public transport the only thing that matters, to many, might simply be ‘high output power’ (quality be damned)).

Pricepoints SHOULD qualify review scores, as I’d take the M11+ DAP, and the money saved by skipping ‘a potentially better amplified DAP’ (at 30%+ higher pricepoint?), and just invest in an outboard power amp (desktop) for the FEW times that a benefit may be perceived.. (critical listening, certain genres (eg orchestral/live rock), and harder to drive ‘big cans’ etc)
edited to fix some punctuation and tack on a ‘tacky’ conclusion, or final paragraph to take the prose somewhere....

 

[MariusAB]

Negatory; I have “too many Sabre chips“ in my most used kit, and desperately wanted the AKM flavoured LTD version.
(Sony PHA3/Burson Conductor V2+/Oppo Bluray Player etc)

Sabre chips probably don’t hold well with musicians who are desperate to avoid ‘pre ringing’ (it is unnatural to hear an echo of a sound before the sound happens). I feel this is why most muso‘s jump on AND LOVE Chord DACs...
If I bought the Sabre version I’d stick with on the fly DSD conversion to feed those DACs in a way that they seem to be built for.

I have spent many, many hours on enthusiast sites (diyaudio etc) and reading what enthusiasts say with regards to their implementations and ‘research’.
The consensus from those I feel understand what they are talking about (and have a wide reaching experience zone), is that Sabre is engineered from the ground up for spec sheets bragging rights.
This follows my experience, being a person who bought, on average, ‘a sound card a year’ (flagships generally), all from the late eighties through to the mid 2000s, and watching the ‘evolution’ of the chip making companies...
I never buy based on spec sheet.

That being said, the same Sabre DAC chip implemented in a variety of products will sound different.
FiiO know this!

FiiO sound tune their parts; I will bet my life it is majority of the reason for the OPamp change between the two M11+ models- understanding the ‘circuit as a whole’ and how to make it run optimally for SOUND QUALITY.

From a specification perspective the new M11+ looks like it has the edge, but the reality is, beyond certain ‘spec’ numbers, it is ‘just a numbers game’ that doesn’t dictate sound tonality or ‘interpreted quality’.
Both units will be incredible, because the majority of what is right about these units is the evolution of FiiOs DAPs= their customised circuit boards/layouts/shielding/ power isolation etc..
The actual DAC chips (and all modern DAC chips) read ‘very well’.
Wouldn’t judge a book by its cover.=> wouldn’t judge a piece of audio kit by its ‘spec sheet’.

The bright leading edge (?insert any random observation here) of a PCM track fed through any given Sabre DAC chip might be what is needed for a certain speaker set, or amplifier pairing; and is why system synergy is critical.

When we recognise that most components are built to a price point and sacrifice ’something’, knowing how to build a synergistic system is the key...
The Sabre DAC in the Sony PHA3 (same as the one in the Burson Conductor V2+) is inferior in playback to the iFi Diablo DAC. (however the amp in the PHA3 is superior to the amp in the Diablo), whereas that Sabre chip in the Burson sounds magical. (which is a vastly better amp than the preceeding parts).
My favorite is the Diablo, as a DAC, into the Burson, but the cabling here doesn’t work well (based on my present parts) as the iFi DAC likes to output 4.4mm (balanced) and the burson is an ‘L/R phono plug affair’. A poor system synergy can leave a noise floor in equipment that individually has no problem (nor issues with much other kit)...

Having just rotated seven speakers through two setups, the incredible difference of ‘synergy’ (trumping pricepoint) is significant.
FiiO does the ‘downtime’ and engages with test units for ‘tuning’; this is why they are in my top five audio companies, even though they are ‘bargain basement’ kit that wouldn’t normally be included in my setup. (In my ’high end’ den rig, the M11+ was bought to be a transport; but gave a sound ‘good enough’ from the 4.4mm output to mostly equal the Diablo.. this varies by music genre and file format, a little, but if I hadn’t tested I wouldn’t know. I didn’t believe the FiiO would hold up as a DAC (vs dedicated parts), but it does, due to FiiO sound tuning/’total circuit design’)
FiiO are one of the ‘few’ companies that I will buy a product from having read no reviews, and having heard no ‘buzz’.. They consistently have me smiling for the product EXCEEDING my expectations too....

TL: DR
”No, I have the older unit”

I read all .. But really thanks for sharing your experience, it was so informative so i can go and read once more. Akm or sabre. Fiio wont let us down. I believe in them

 

[Crude Play]

Anyone tried Sony M9 on Fiio M11 plus/M11 plus LTD? Good pairing/synergy?

 

[whitedragem]

Before anyone wants to educate me how to reply to multiple posters as one post, I know, I know,..
(apologies for quick and rapid reply filling this page)

Regarding the comparison table between both M11+ units; that is a LARGE BATTERY LIFE GAIN, whilst adding MORE OUTPUT POWER...?

Is this a case of the Sabre DAC being ‘built for true mobile applications’ (ie: power sipping), versus the AKMs being more power hungry?

Assuming the battery being the same (not necessarily true- it could even be the same watt hour rating, but be made up of a different number of cells, cell size, etc), this is a BIG difference.

(Its Android 12 obviously !!)

 

[MariusAB]

Hello Mark;
’good’ (with Headphone X); this is an interesting proposition as to many pundits, amplifiers are ‘simply for MOAR VOLUME’(“more volume” in street speak for those using translators)..

Of course amplifiers contribute to a change in sound quality (not the same as they typical difference between any two sets of headphones)..

Those new to audio might believe that as long as their headphones go ‘loud enough’ then the amp is sufficient.
The rabbit hole of course goes a lot deeper than that, and therein is where arguments and ‘subjective listening experiences’ rule the discussion. We also listen to different music genres using headphones that might lean into certain attributes (eg some Yamaha NS-9900 speakers I slipped into a home theatre recently, are designed for ‘fast impulse response’ and ‘getting the edges of the music note’); any speaker (read:headphone) can target different metrics- how any given amplifier interacts with it is of course what the question ‘how is (amp)X with the Arya’.

So, “system synergy”..

I had some Sundaras- shortest owned headphone purchase of my life.. (approx three months) ‘very sleep inducing’.
I loved their tonal playback, but perhaps it was dynamics (or a sense of ‘lacking dynamic range’- that I was more accustomed too) that I think had me questioning them most for ‘are they right for me’. (I switched from open back planars to <high end> dynamic driver ‘closed backs’; arguably couldn’t have gone in a more different direction)

When I used the Sundaras, the first thing I had to do was sort out different amplification. I rotated five or more desktop amps (and a few high quality portable amps). Ultimately the Sundaras were always just a ‘sleepy experience’ for me (Literally: would send me to sleep nearly instantly)
This was the opposite of what some Audeze Sine (on ear, closed backs) planars did; that held an incredible synergy with a Chord Hugo (fed from a FiiO X5iii using COAX); I literally couldn’t believe this level of audio recreation was possible for ‘this little coin outlay’. (I’d have believed that this sound quality could be bought ‘for more’, but as a ‘full set’ of synergistic parts, the resultant sound was ‘next level’ (better than the sum of the parts involved)..

I have no doubt the Arya could be driven by the M11+.
How capably that would be is dependent on ear training and ‘user perception’
If you used the M11+ as a Transport/DAC and fed into a (quality) desktop amplifier, ideally that suited the headphones well, then the playback sound might gain some meatiness (even without necessarily using ‘more power’). When I compared the amp modules of the M11+ to three other amps (all costing more than the M11+), all three amps added musicality (to some genres) that felt lacking from the M11+ direct.
Didn’t notice until I compared side by side, but it was soooo obvious with any level of fast/‘close in time’ switching between various amps.

TL: DR
anyone can comment as to whether an Arya can be driven to a comfortable volume limit with the M11+? (addresses first aspect of ‘is amp good enough’ )
anyone can comment on whether the Aryas have a magic synergy with the M11+, or what price point is required to noticably scale UP the resultant sound?

regarding amps, it is possible, with some low ohm headphones (eg bowers and wilkins P5) that an amp mismatch can change the frequency responce of the headphones. This isn’t really likely with the M11+ so not really a ‘bad pairing’ with the Aryas, just probably wouldn’t be an amp that gives ‘the best they can scale too’.

This is normal, and generally learned along the way of much experimentation.

What your opinion about thx amps? As you said if you compare m11+ amp part with many this amp realy doesnt add anything, not musicality, not colour. These amps for me so truth but this truth can be misinterpreted as lacking something, when always we can can look from other perspective that other so named musical amps lacking this truth.

 

[Ichos]

It depends on the implementation.
FiiO products with THX amps, sound very musical, well at least to my ears.

 

[MariusAB]

It depends on the implementation.
FiiO products with THX amps, sound very musical, well at least to my ears.

Well, musicality is strange thing. Seems like we all understand it differently. But not going to some philosophies i think m11+ with musical iem will be musical so it will not change these iems nature. So this way we could say the thx here is musical. With other daps musicality is added even to technical, drier iems that are more analytical than musical. And could we say such dap is more musical? Perhaps ....and for exame take ibasso dx160 and m11+ side by side. They will be like night and day for me. Dx160 if even some call it neutral is actually far from it and for my ears it ads musicality, and m11 + for me gives how it is, really more direct, raw without candies sound. And thanks thx for this and fiio enginers ofcourse