[Ben86]

I find the M17's linear but smooth timbre pairs exceptionally well with headphones that are on the brighter/neutral side.

I have found the M17 sound signature to be more on neutral and analytical side. It pairs better with warmer sound signature headphones than with bright/analytical. Maybe my unit needs to be burned-in much longer to reveal that smooth sound signature. ATM it is very much revealing in details, but still sounding a bit more on the bright and analytical side.

 

[Nostoi]

I have found the M17 sound signature to be more on neutral and analytical side. It pairs better with warmer sound signature headphones than with bright/analytical. Maybe my unit needs to be burned-in much longer to reveal that smooth sound signature. ATM it is very much revealing in details, but still sounding a bit more on the bright and analytical side.

I think it depends on one's preferences and sensibilities. I prefer neutral tuning (i.e., Hugo 2/TT2/N6ii/Lotoo Paw Gold) and cannot stand overly warm/mushy/lush sources (most R2R sources aside from Cayin's R01, all the Sony and Shanling DAPs, etc). So for me, the M17 is just about right in terms of striking a balance between being neutral without being harsh. If you come from a warmer source, then I can see how it would take time to adjust to the M17, though I wouldn't describe it as "analytical."

For me, personally, I'm not a fan of warmer headphones with the M17 - the ZMF VC, for example, sounds *much* better on a brighter and less forgiving source (i.e., Cayin's E02/Hugo 2). But again, it's a question of taste. The ZMF VC is my limit for warmth, and generally I'm always trying to tweak it to make it brighter and more linear, which means pairing it with a brighter and more aggressive source, switching pads, etc.

For bright headphones - especially the Meze Liric - I find the M17 does a good job at "taming" the peaky treble to make it smoother.

- What headphones are you pairing with the M17 @Ben86 ?

 

[vonBaron]

I have found the M17 sound signature to be more on neutral and analytical side. It pairs better with warmer sound signature headphones than with bright/analytical. Maybe my unit needs to be burned-in much longer to reveal that smooth sound signature. ATM it is very much revealing in details, but still sounding a bit more on the bright and analytical side.

Its definetly more bright/analytical than CA1000.

 

[denis1976]

The m17 definetly is not bright or analytical, is extremely good, I was with doubts before I bought it but I have to say, congrats FIIO, great Dap, is clear to me that who says that the m17 is analytical never heard a Ibasso DX200 for sure...

 

[vonBaron]

Ok then is definitely shouty

 

[Ben86]

I have tested some other players from Google Play Store and I found that the music is represented a bit different with each of them (HiBy music, Foobar2000, Neutron, UAPP). I've found out that the FiiO Music native app is not always winning for my taste of music representation

Another thing that was bothering me - "gesture system navigation", until I found an option in global settings menu how to enable "3 button navigation" to go back from any menu and switch between apps.

"Automatically search for album art online" in FiiO Music app settings does not always work correctly. For example it found very strange cover for the "Queen - A Kind of Magic" album.

 

[denis1976]

Shouty? We definetly hear things differently, is big, dynamic, and bould

 

[vonBaron]

We are, this typical ESS Sabre sound get me tired fast... Of course it have great dynamic, slam, power, speed, resolution and detali but im fan of R2R sound so...

 

[denis1976]

predefended ideas

 

[Nostoi]

We are, this typical ESS Sabre sound get me tired fast... Of course it have great dynamic, slam, power, speed, resolution and detali but im fan of R2R sound so...

Yes, I remember you have the Sonnet Morpheus, which I also had for some time and ended up finding very soft and mushy, and disliking strongly (going back to the Hugo 2 soon after). So, in that context, things make sense.

 

[vonBaron]

SQ of Morpheus is two level above Hugo2 but ok, your choice.

 

[vonBaron]

@Nostoi M17 have better SQ than H2?

 

[Nostoi]

SQ of Morpheus is two level above Hugo2 but ok, your choice.

That's a question of taste in terms of timbre and tonality, but certainly in terms of resolution, layering, imaging, detail, etc, I felt that I was stepping down with the Morpheus. Morpheus was very sleepy in comparison.

But again, no right and wrong, and no great mystery - different sources appeal to different tastes.

 

[Nostoi]

@Nostoi M17 have better SQ than H2?

No, I think Hugo 2 is objectively "better" on a technical level but you have to ask what the M17 is designed for and also how it'll be used in the long run. The M17 is less fatiguing than Hugo 2 and also the advantage of being one unit that is transportable (to say nothing of having better battery life than Hugo 2, etc).

On SQ alone, I don't think it's too far off from Hugo 2, especially in DC mode, though lacks the laser precision when it comes to fine technicalities of the Hugo 2.

 

[Ben86]

What headphones are you pairing with the M17 @Ben86 ?

I have Audeze LCD-X (with balanced cable), Focal Clear (with balanced cable) and Sennheiser HD 650.

If you come from a warmer source, then I can see how it would take time to adjust to the M17

Yes, you are right. My last DAP was iBasso dx160 that had very musical representation on a warmer side, but not so good on detail retrieval, separation and resolution as M17. So maybe my brain needs a little more time to adapt for such a rich and dynamic resolution, that the M17 is capable of to represent.