[FiiO M6] Portable High-Resolution Lossless Music Player,Embracing A Wireless Future

[FiiO]

Have you compared SQ between the M6 and the BTR5 now? Wondering which of the two is best... Considering one of them, to use on the go. BTR5 would be used with my Galaxy S9 and the M6 standalone or as BT with my phone too. Tidal is the preferred player

Dear user,

If you would like a Bluetooth receiver+USB DAC, the BTR5 is a better choice. And it also have 2.5mm balanced output.
But if you would like to get a player as well, you could consider the M6 instead. And due to individual preferences, you could read the professional reviews and comparisons, as well as try out by yourself.

Best regards

 

[fonkepala]

Dear user,

If you would like a Bluetooth receiver+USB DAC, the BTR5 is a better choice. And it also have 2.5mm balanced output.
But if you would like to get a player as well, you could consider the M6 instead. And due to individual preferences, you could read the professional reviews and comparisons, as well as try out by yourself.

Best regards

When using the BTR5 as a USB DAC, will there be a noticeable lag when playing videos? You know, that thing that happens when the sound is not synchronised with the video on screen...this happens with the M6 when used as a USB DAC and it's so bad that it's only feasible for playing audio.

 

[highlightshadow]

Have you compared SQ between the M6 and the BTR5 now? Wondering which of the two is best... Considering one of them, to use on the go. BTR5 would be used with my Galaxy S9 and the M6 standalone or as BT with my phone too. Tidal is the preferred player

I'll tell you this much ... i've tried using a Shanling M0, Fiio BTR3 and Earstudio ES100 with my samsung as a USB dac ..... was an absolutely nightmare with ALL of them ... there's something about samsung's usb implementation which makes using external DAC's really challenging

 

[Sunova]

I'll tell you this much ... i've tried using a Shanling M0, Fiio BTR3 and Earstudio ES100 with my samsung as a USB dac ..... was an absolutely nightmare with ALL of them ... there's something about samsung's usb implementation which makes using external DAC's really challenging

True, if you have a Samsung device, you better not invest in a external USB dac. It's a nightmare indeed. Sadly.

 

[fonkepala]

True, if you have a Samsung device, you better not invest in a external USB dac. It's a nightmare indeed. Sadly.

Is this true for all Samsung phones? And even those USB-C DAC/dongles that are quite popular now?

 

[highlightshadow]

Ok ... so the issue is that i've always found it inconsistent.

I just tried it with yet another 2 different devices ....
You definitely still need the OTG adapter which comes in the phone-box. Even though usb type C was meant to do away with OTG the samsung phones just won't even recognise a DAC without it.

With the OTG adapter i plugged one device in and USB Audio Player let me play a track.... Closed that, plugged in a different DAC and the phone rebooted (crashed)
Did work the second time.... this is the level of issue i've had with it ... sometimes it works - sometimes it doesn't
Granted with the 2nd attempt the DAC did detect the file i was playing was MQA and played it at full bit perfect.

Also very much depends on the USB device - some (i know the Fiio BTR3 was one) only supported basic levels of USB audio support which limited you to 16 bit, 48Khz fixed.

Doing a quick google on the M6 - it seems that Fiio have indeed implemented the same on the M6 as they did on the BTR3 -- so you're always going to be limited to that native support not fully codec support

 

[fonkepala]

Ok ... so the issue is that i've always found it inconsistent.

I just tried it with yet another 2 different devices ....
You definitely still need the OTG adapter which comes in the phone-box. Even though usb type C was meant to do away with OTG the samsung phones just won't even recognise a DAC without it.

With the OTG adapter i plugged one device in and USB Audio Player let me play a track.... Closed that, plugged in a different DAC and the phone rebooted (crashed)
Did work the second time.... this is the level of issue i've had with it ... sometimes it works - sometimes it doesn't
Granted with the 2nd attempt the DAC did detect the file i was playing was MQA and played it at full bit perfect.

Also very much depends on the USB device - some (i know the Fiio BTR3 was one) only supported basic levels of USB audio support which limited you to 16 bit, 48Khz fixed.

Doing a quick google on the M6 - it seems that Fiio have indeed implemented the same on the M6 as they did on the BTR3 -- so you're always going to be limited to that native support not fully codec support

What Samsung phone did you use to perform the test with?

 

[highlightshadow]

What Samsung phone did you use to perform the test with?

I'm using a UK (which means Exynos) Samsung S10+ ... unlocked (bought from Samsung direct) using latest updates (Android 10 + Feb 2020 update)

 

[fonkepala]

I'm using a UK (which means Exynos) Samsung S10+ ... unlocked (bought from Samsung direct) using latest updates (Android 10 + Feb 2020 update)

Ah, a flagship. Hmm, quite frustrating to see it has poor support for use with a USB DAC...

 

[Sunova]

Ah, a flagship. Hmm, quite frustrating to see it has poor support for use with a USB DAC...

For me a S10e. And the same problems for the S9. I tried Dragonfly Black, iBasso DC01, XB10 and BTR5. With my iPhone 7 before (I had the Dragonfly and XB10 that period already) no issues at all. Only solution that makes it better (but not stable) is using apps like UAPP, but problem is, you are always need 3rd party solutions, so no plug-and-play fun. And not all streaming apps will work either. And that is what you want (a hazzle free, stable and flexible solution). So in your case of you have a S10 series ( and I did that as well ) is going for a nice dap. The M6 (CT10, NW-A105) are nice examples in portable flexible music players without costing you too much.

 

[Hamlap]

Yeah, I can't get anything to work on the USB C of my S9. Sucks.

Does the M6 give you better SQ then the S9 does? I could possibly get an M6 for about €45, so if that would also be a big step-up from just the Galaxy S9, that would be my prefered option above getting a BTR5 I think...

 

[Sunova]

Yeah, I can't get anything to work on the USB C of my S9. Sucks.

Does the M6 give you better SQ then the S9 does? I could possibly get an M6 for about €45, so if that would also be a big step-up from just the Galaxy S9, that would be my prefered option above getting a BTR5 I think...

If the M6 is OK than I think you need to give it a try! What headphone/iem are you gonna plug in? The first thing you will notice is that you will get better dynamics with the M6 then with your S9. Because of the extra output power. It outperforms a smartphone in general (not by extreme levels). And you will get more of the classic FiiO tuning IMO than with the BTR5. It's nice. And otherwise sell it again for 45?

 

[Hamlap]

If the M6 is OK than I think you need to give it a try! What headphone/iem are you gonna plug in? The first thing you will notice is that you will get better dynamics with the M6 then with your S9. Because of the extra output power. It outperforms a smartphone in general (not by extreme levels). And you will get more of the classic FiiO tuning IMO than with the BTR5. It's nice. And otherwise sell it again for 45?

I have the BL03 and the Oppo PM-3.

Yeah, I will probably just get it for that amount of money. But I can't buy it untill this weekend. So that's why I'm doing a bit more research.

What WOULD outperform the phone by extreme levels? I would not mind paying more.

 

[dharmasteve]

I have the BL03 and the Oppo PM-3.

Yeah, I will probably just get it for that amount of money. But I can't buy it untill this weekend. So that's why I'm doing a bit more research.

What WOULD outperform the phone by extreme levels? I would not mind paying more.

I have the Samsung S9 plus (Exynos), FiiO M6 and often use a aftermarket cabled Blon 03. The M6 is moderately better than the the S9 plus, but the S9 plus Exynos is better than many think.......BUT...the M6 has many good qualities and is very listenable and drives the Blon 03's really well. It's easy to put in a shirt pocket with it's top facing headphone jack. It's the ideal warm weather DAP. It has the perfect form factor which compensates for everything. For some reason it drives Amazon HD streaming really well, which my M9 didn't. Bluetooth is good, but LDAC prefers the lower bitrates to stop stuttering. In use there is no noise or hiss. It may be a little slow sometimes but £ for £ it may be the best value Android DAP on the market.

 

[Hamlap]

I have the Samsung S9 plus (Exynos), FiiO M6 and often use a aftermarket cabled Blon 03. The M6 is moderately better than the the S9 plus, but the S9 plus Exynos is better than many think.......BUT...the M6 has many good qualities and is very listenable and drives the Blon 03's really well. It's easy to put in a shirt pocket with it's top facing headphone jack. It's the ideal warm weather DAP. It has the perfect form factor which compensates for everything. For some reason it drives Amazon HD streaming really well, which my M9 didn't. Bluetooth is good, but LDAC prefers the lower bitrates to stop stuttering. In use there is no noise or hiss. It may be a little slow sometimes but £ for £ it may be the best value Android DAP on the market.

Alright! I've been looking at other DAP's for the last hour, but I think I should just give the M6 a chance .

Have you tried Tidal too by the way?