I just received my M11 Plus today(black), bought from someone else on this thread for MSRP shipped (thanks my friend, you are a gentleman and a scholar!). I have had an M11 OG since launch, and have LOVED it, after a few Sony's, iPods, A&Ks, Creatives, and many other dedicated players, the M11 was BY FAR my favorite, with great app, sound, power, music app, 2 mSD, balanced, etc., etc... all my boxes were checked with a few bonuses. I was interested in the Pro, and then M15 when they came out, but there weren't enough differences for me to consider the cost to upgrade over a player that I was quite happy with. When the Plus came out though... it was like I had picked all of the things to upgrade, awesome! With this player being the swan song for the AKM DACs, it was a must buy. Except for availability that is... but thanks to Headfi and a great member, I was able to get one anyway. I have already placed an order for the brown leather case (hopefully it helps dissipate heat better, and I am a sucker for brown leather) and the USB-C desktop charging/DAC dock from AliExpress... hoping society doesn't collapse in the month it was estimated to take to get here
.
I have not yet had the chance to do much comparison testing, but I can at least confirm that it was a great upgrade in speed and usability, the new button layout is great, I am fine with the volume (I prefer a good knob, but who doesn't... giggity), slightly bigger screen is great, and the battery is a monster
. It runs most of my headphones well, but have more testing to do there, and I have an iFi xCAN amp to add to the chain for any headphones that need more power lovin (a shame it is discontinued, sweet little amp), so I will be able to play with the LO on a few devices too.
Finally, I was second guessing trying for the aluminum version over the SS one given I love a player with heft that feels solid and all of that, but given it is going to be used portably, the difference in weight helped me make up my mind. I was worried about nothing, the aluminum version feel great too, it has that quality feel and some good heft, I can only imagine how the SS player feels. Also... that diamond pattern stuff on the back is gorgeous! Compared to all of my other players... this is a THICC BOI!