Half term report on the FiiO M9.
So I've had my M9 since October 2018. Along the way I got the FiiO M6 too, which has the most perfect form factor. In terms of hardware the value and build of both is exceptional. In the 'early' days FiiO were very slow at whitelisting suitable apps, but since the release of the M11, to their credit, they have released almost any relevant app for nearly all users of the M9. Nowadays I use the M9 all the time. For various reasons I am home more and the balanced output of the M9 is so very good. I have tried quite a few amplifiers with it and,in honesty, the power and sound quality of the M9 does not really need tampering with. Balanced output on high gain will run virtually all headphones with some spare power left. I always use upgrade cables for my IEMs/Earbuds, mainly the ISN Audio S16 balanced 2.5mm and the ISN Audio C16 single ended 3.5mm. At the moment my favourite IEMs are the TFZ No.3 and the TFZ My Love 3 and my favourite Earbud is the Rose Masya Mk 2 which, with a little treble lifting on the M9, is superb and my daily home use earbud. I find having Android on it has lifted the DAP experience for me. Although many have now migrated to the M11, for me, the M9 fulfills my needs and I listen to it for long periods. Again, for me, having WiFi streaming, APTX-HD and LDAC makes this little DAP one of the best purchases I have ever made. Half term score 90%.