[dharmasteve]

to be honest I don't know enough about audio engineering to understand why it happens, but @Sven2015 explained that it has something to do with the preamp not being set to -6dB. It seems like something that should be fixable via firmware and I've alerted FiiO but again I'm surprised that the device made it live like this.

If you have an M9 you can try this track to see if it clips: https://www.dropbox.com/s/512kto98uozyj6t/02 Long Road No Turns.flac?dl=1

I've also noticed it to a lesser degree on music of varying different genres, e.g. the new Earl Sweatshirt release. but on this song it's particularly jarring.

Interesting. I played your high quality flac file, but then I tried the track streaming through Spotify which is a lower quality OGG, yet the OGG sounded clearer and with more separation than your flac version. Possibly it's the track rather than the M9? Check it on another DAP maybe. I'm sure it did not clip on mine though.

 

[Daiyama]

As reported here earlier in this thread clipping happens quite often when using the replay gain function.

 

[zls88]

Hmm, interesting! I'm lucky enough to have a local store that sells M9s so I'll try it out there and see if I can reproduce the problem on a different M9. Other DAPS (shanling, A&K, hiby...) play the same file on the same SD card fine. I did notice that I can play the track through the M9 as a USB DAC with no issues, which makes it seems like a software issue, so I'd be very surprised if it was somehow just one defective unit. Which firmware are you running?

I'll double check the settings again but I'm pretty sure I tried to turn everything off, including replay gain.

 

[Richter Di]

Dear friend,

Thank you for the kind interest on our products.

Regarding the white list of 3rd-party apps on M6/M9>>>More information

Best regards

A clear and honest statement. Thank you.

 

[Sound Trooper]

Hey guys, would it be possible to use roon with the Fiio M9? Thinking of incorporating the Fiio M9 to an existing roon based setup.

 

[Sven2015]

A clear and honest statement. Thank you.

... but when we get the latest information about new apps?
I hope in near future, cause I the FiiO music app does not support many things....

 

[gLer]

to be honest I don't know enough about audio engineering to understand why it happens, but @Sven2015 explained that it has something to do with the preamp not being set to -6dB. It seems like something that should be fixable via firmware and I've alerted FiiO but again I'm surprised that the device made it live like this.

If you have an M9 you can try this track to see if it clips: https://www.dropbox.com/s/512kto98uozyj6t/02 Long Road No Turns.flac?dl=1

I've also noticed it to a lesser degree on music of varying different genres, e.g. the new Earl Sweatshirt release. but on this song it's particularly jarring.

Questionable music taste aside, there's definitely something up with that file of yours, and I think I know why. I've heard this 'clipping' before with some of my high-res (24/88.2 files, same sample rate as yours). It's not clipping, but rather a constant click-click-click in the sound, which can only point to some sort of software decoding error (one hopes). Listening to the same track on Tidal (M9) or on my Mac, the click-click-click is no longer there. Also, downsampling the original file from 88.2/24 to 44.1/16-bit (using software on my Mac), it plays back fine on the M9 (no clicks). To test my theory, I've took one of my own files (an easy listening new age song, where any playback problems will be obvious), and resampled the original from 44.1/16 to 88.2/24 and 192/24. The 44.1 file plays perfectly on the M9, the other two are a garbled mess. I invite you to try them for yourself on your M9: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bjyagiu9mgn4xgq/twinkle_test.zip?dl=0

Fiio urgently needs to look into why some high-res files are problematic on the M9...

 

[Sven2015]

Remember, there are many open issues @FiiO music app
For example: glitches / micro gaps in tracks -> I never had that issue before (Sony Walkman, squeezeboxes and different other devices).
It seems, the software or any other part of the M9 make noises like clicks, gaps, distortions etc. pp.

btw. I have the same problems @M7, but not @Sony Walkman.....
That's the reason why FiiO has to open the M9 for 3rd party music apps for testing or in my situation for a better music playing /app.

 

[Pro-Jules]

In qobuz some of the 192k files I downloaded crackle on M9

 

[Dobrescu George]

Under what conditions is there clipping with the FiiO M9? Is it a generic problem or just with some units?

Are you listening at maximum possible volume?

This shouldn't be happening (?)

 

[dharmasteve]

Are you listening at maximum possible volume?

This shouldn't be happening (?)

I listened to the track but there is no way that that track can be listened to at maximum volume. It would be the end of my hearing. Zls88 gave this address. https://www.dropbox.com/s/512kto98uozyj6t/02 Long Road No Turns.flac?dl=1 for the track. Maybe you could use some hardware to test whether it's clipping. It's not clipping as far as my ears can tell on my M9 at a safe (loud) volume. Personally I think it is the file itself and not the M9. When I played the same track on Spotify 320kbps it sounded much cleaner, clearer etc and definitely no clipping. There are a some on this thread who think some hi-res tracks have artifacts when played on the M9 (possibly). Unfortunately my older ears cannot distinguish, in general, between hi-res FLAC and Spotifiy's 320kbps OGG files. A little conundrum for you. What sounds better to my HIFi? Hi-res Flac over Bluetooth APTX-HD or 320kbps OGG over WiFi (DLNA)?
Steve

 

[Dobrescu George]

I listened to the track but there is no way that that track can be listened to at maximum volume. It would be the end of my hearing. Zls88 gave this address. https://www.dropbox.com/s/512kto98uozyj6t/02 Long Road No Turns.flac?dl=1 for the track. Maybe you could use some hardware to test whether it's clipping. It's not clipping as far as my ears can tell on my M9 at a safe (loud) volume. Personally I think it is the file itself and not the M9. When I played the same track on Spotify 320kbps it sounded much cleaner, clearer etc and definitely no clipping. There are a some on this thread who think some hi-res tracks have artifacts when played on the M9 (possibly). Unfortunately my older ears cannot distinguish, in general, between hi-res FLAC and Spotifiy's 320kbps OGG files. A little conundrum for you. What sounds better to my HIFi? Hi-res Flac over Bluetooth APTX-HD or 320kbps OGG over WiFi (DLNA)?
Steve

Regarding your question, it would be hard to say. Theoretically, 500kbps OGG (level10) would over DLNA would be better than flac over APTX-HD

 

[dharmasteve]

Regarding your question, it would be hard to say. Theoretically, 500kbps OGG (level10) would over DLNA would be better than flac over APTX-HD

Although the Fiio app cannot cast WiFi, Spotify can if a little app called HiFy is put on one's mobile on the same WiFi as the M9. Then streaming to my Arcam Airdac I can switch from Spotify on the M9 to APTX-HD or DLNA quickly. I can change within seconds. There is no way the highs on APTX-HD can match WiFi DLNA. Same with Flac files on APTX-HD from the FiiO app. It's quite clear that WiFi is still ahead of APTX-HD in sound quality. Not by much, there is a definite improvement, but there is a clear difference. I will try to get an LDAC receiver to do the same. So this poses a question, because even the best hi-res files over Bluetooth cannot match lower res files over WiFi soundwise, why is WiFi streaming (casting) not more in the forefront with DAPs? As home and mobile WiFi streaming (casting) becomes cheaper and easier will Bluetooth become outdated?

 

[gLer]

Are you listening at maximum possible volume?

This shouldn't be happening (?)

It’s for sure an issue with the high-res file itself (and many other high-res files I tried). It has nothing to do with volume. It’s a bit hard to hear in the OP’s file because it’s such a loud and noisy track. Download the files I linked a few posts up, load them on your M9, and you’ll hear what I’m hearing. It’s a bug...hopefully a software bug that can be fixed in firmware, otherwise we have a problem.

 

[gLer]

So this poses a question, because even the best hi-res files over Bluetooth cannot match lower res files over WiFi soundwise, why is WiFi streaming (casting) not more in the forefront with DAPs? As home and mobile WiFi streaming (casting) becomes cheaper and easier will Bluetooth become outdated?

Couldn’t agree more. Wi-Fi streaming is true lossless. DLNA to my Plex server via Fiio music is well ahead in terms of quality than even Tidal lossless. That’s because you can actually stream high-res files at high bitrates without any dropouts. That said, Bluetooth is more ubiquitous in more devices, so sometimes it’s more a matter of convenience and availability rather than pure quality.

For maximum quality nothing beats local storage and wired IEMs/headphones, full stop.