[FiiO M17] Dual ES9038PRO, dual THXAAA-788+, dual power supplies, 9200mAh battery, 2 volume control modes

[EdgeDC]

Small correction @EdgeDC, and for the benefit of @rocksarkar; according to FiiO the DC barrel connector size from the PL50, and into devices such as FiiO M17, is 5.5mm x 2.1mm.



However, the Shargeek Storm2 has 5.5mm x 2.5mm socket:

WHOOPS! You are correct. I have edited my post to correctly reflect that size info (I hate giving out incorrect information - my bad!).

 

[TheOneInYellow]

WHOOPS! You are correct. I have edited my post to correctly reflect that size info (I hate giving out incorrect information - my bad!).

SAAAAAAAMMMMMMMEEEEE, but I'm willing to admit fault and correct mistakes with genuine honesty.

I'm glad that you are the same!

 

[viffer]

@FiiO
My M17 has developed an intermittent problem. Sometimes, it takes up to 10-15 attempts to get it to boot.
And as with all intermittent faults, it won’t be too long before it becomes permanent.

 

[vishweshji]

Ordered and my FiiO M17 will be delivered tomorrow. Any accessories you all recommend I should get? What SD card would go well with the DAP?

 

[mekap]

Ordered and my FiiO M17 will be delivered tomorrow. Any accessories you all recommend I should get? What SD card would go well with the DAP?

https://aliexpress.ru/item/10050046...l.0.0.546a4aa6yx3I8P&sku_id=12000030055678876
https://aliexpress.ru/item/10050038...l.0.0.4ca24aa6Tsb9zp&sku_id=12000027389837172
https://aliexpress.ru/item/10050044...l.0.0.6f194aa6oi8Wyw&sku_id=12000029166534418
https://aliexpress.ru/item/10050051...l.0.0.2eb94aa6dhjXLF&sku_id=12000031796771762

 

[TheOneInYellow]

Ordered and my FiiO M17 will be delivered tomorrow. Any accessories you all recommend I should get? What SD card would go well with the DAP?

If you want an epic deal (in the UK), get this 1TB Micro SD XC card, as it's now £123.17 from Amazon.co.uk!

SanDisk 1TB Extreme microSDXC card (with SD adapter & RescuePRO Deluxe).
Specs: up to 190MB/s, A2, UHS-I, Class 10, U3, V30

For accessories, take a look at my previous post regarding external linear power supply units, or see my quote below:

Here is a list of linear PSU devices from those of us who have upgraded from the stock switching PSU, including reviewers (this is not an exhaustive list):

• FiiO PL50 (12/15v configurable)
• iFi Audio iPower Elite (12v version, Amazon UK and Amazon US)
• Omnicharge 20+ (5-25V, up to 5A, 100W max)
• Shargeek Storm2 battery source (0.1v to 24v configurable) (review)

BTW, congrats on the M17 purchase, and welcome to the club

 

[tomi1976]

Hi there, waiting for my M17 to arrive I have been cruising through this thread and wonder about a couple of things:
1.) is dc mode advisable for demanding iem like the ier z1r?
2.) has anybody modded the stand, like with a noise reduced fan or passive cooling with heatsinks?
3.) is battery automatically bypassed when entering dc mode?

Thank you and cheers

 

[Ichos]

Hi there, waiting for my M17 to arrive I have been cruising through this thread and wonder about a couple of things:
1.) is dc mode advisable for demanding iem like the ier z1r?
2.) has anybody modded the stand, like with a noise reduced fan or passive cooling with heatsinks?
3.) is battery automatically bypassed when entering dc mode?

Thank you and cheers

1. No, battery mode is dead silent and plenty of power to blow your IEM.
2. Don't know but with your IEM you are not going to need cooling.
As a matter of fact I don't use cooling even with very demanding headphones.
Never had a problem.
3. Use the switch at the right side to bypass the battery.

 

[tomi1976]

Thank you for your reply, I think I need to specify I have different planned ways of using the M17:
1.) Desk at Homeoffice on the stand, with external Power Supply, running as Roon Endpoint listening to Headphones
2.) Couch listening at home, again Roon, Headphones, only battery powered this time
3.) In office, thats the iem usecase, and there I could potentially use the DC mode, too, using a standard power cord, to save batteries… so DC mode no good for iems?

Regarding the stand and used fan: I would probably not notice the sound, but knowing its a solution I would never myself construct in that way just ticks my OCD

Thank you and cheers!
Tomi

1. No, battery mode is dead silent and plenty of power to blow your IEM.
2. Don't know but with your IEM you are not going to need cooling.
As a matter of fact I don't use cooling even with very demanding headphones.
Never had a problem.
3. Use the switch at the right side to bypass the battery.

 

[Ichos]

Thank you for your reply, I think I need to specify I have different planned ways of using the M17:
1.) Desk at Homeoffice on the stand, with external Power Supply, running as Roon Endpoint listening to Headphones
2.) Couch listening at home, again Roon, Headphones, only battery powered this time
3.) In office, thats the iem usecase, and there I could potentially use the DC mode, too, using a standard power cord, to save batteries… so DC mode no good for iems?

Regarding the stand and used fan: I would probably not notice the sound, but knowing its a solution I would never myself construct in that way just ticks my OCD

Thank you and cheers!
Tomi

DC mode is perfectly good and suitable for IEMs.
I wrote that you just don't need the extra power!

The M17 is very good for all your scenarios.
As said, I never encountered overheat issues and I don't use the fan.

 

[EdgeDC]

Thank you for your reply, I think I need to specify I have different planned ways of using the M17:
1.) Desk at Homeoffice on the stand, with external Power Supply, running as Roon Endpoint listening to Headphones
2.) Couch listening at home, again Roon, Headphones, only battery powered this time
3.) In office, thats the iem usecase, and there I could potentially use the DC mode, too, using a standard power cord, to save batteries… so DC mode no good for iems?

Regarding the stand and used fan: I would probably not notice the sound, but knowing its a solution I would never myself construct in that way just ticks my OCD

Thank you and cheers!
Tomi

You always have the option of using the M17 in DC mode (i.e. bypassing the battery) but also staying in a lower gain level (one that would also work on battery) for IEMs that don't need the extra power. You can do both at the same time - it's not as though you have to use the highest gain level when using DC mode and bypassing the battery.

 

[tomi1976]

I am no english native speaker and you mentioning my iems to be blown got me on the wrong track, I guess
Thank you for the input, looking fwd to the M17!
Cheers

 

[Ichos]

I am no english native speaker and you mentioning my iems to be blown got me on the wrong track, I guess
Thank you for the input, looking fwd to the M17!
Cheers

Don't worry, as @EdgeDC said you can have the DC input with the gain set on low.
No problem for your IEMs!

 

[TheOneInYellow]

Just to note, if you are using DC mode (with the right-hand side BAT/DC slider on the M17 switched to DC), with DC input power and activating Enhanced Over Ear Mode, the M17 may get noticeably warmer, especially if you keep the screen on. After selecting Enhanced Over Ear Mode, you may select the other gain modes as well whilst still having DC mode on.
In my case I do keep DC mode on with Enhanced Over Ear Mode and the screen on; the latter is due to my enjoyment on watching the VU meters via FiiO music app playing (non-DSD) albums, even though this may cause screen burn-in or issues in the future.
This warming of the M17 is normal due to heat dissipation of the internal components and the screen.
As the battery is internally bypassed due to DC mode fully engaged, the heating of the M17 ought to cause no issues, and it is preference to use the fan on the FiiO DK3 Stand. I still recommend to use the fan anyway, on its first minimal setting, but that is my opinion.

HOWEVER, if you are not using DC input/Enhanced Over Ear Mode, but are using the second highest gain available as well as battery power and screen mostly on, I strongly advise to use the DK3 fan.
It is the battery that one must be wary of and to monitor, as this is the one component that, over time, can cause issues if heat is not managed whilst it is in active use powering the desktop class DAC's and amps.
I believe the fan was created for this scenario in particular.
Of course, if you are using the M17 on your commutes or in the pocket, you won't be able to cool it via fan, but in this scenario the screen may not always be on either, so hopefully you may not have as much of an issue regarding the battery and heat.
I would still caution using the second highest gain, especially if the M17 is enclosed without much breathing space (in the pocket or in a pouch), but YMMV.

 

[vishweshji]

When I connect my M17 to DC, it gave me a warning that do I want to stop charging the battery. Is it something recommended?
So essentially use USB for charging and DC for high-gain desktop mode? Also what USB chargers are recommended? I am using my MacBook Pro charger