[FiiO]

HiFi Portable DAP Development Trend--From @JamesFiiO

More than ten years ago, the portable HiFi player began to appear in China in the image of "brick" (both heavy and huge in size). How time flies. For the past decade, my greatest feeling is that such a niche product can still survive till this day. However, life seems to be getting harder for us. Because products like TWS, Bluetooth amps, and dongle, are rising as time goes by, which have caused a great impact on DAP.

So is there a future for portable DAP? I don't know. Let me just summarize the development trend of such product from the perspective of an insider.

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 1 the helpless yet higher and higher price of DAP

The video shows that in 2013, the retail price of FiiO's first player X3 was 169.99 USD. In 2021, the retail price of FiiO M17 has risen to 1799.99 USD.

Many users are also complaining, why can't the player be cheaper?

In fact, it's not that we don't want small profits and quick turnover. On the contrary, we have released a low-end HIFI portable player M3 Pro at the price of 79.99 USD in 2021. But the market sales turned out to be far from our expectations. In the same period, the sales of BTR5 and the dongles of other brands are quite handsome. After our quick analysis, there are several reasons:

1. In the era of streaming media, a simple music APP cannot meet the needs of users. Dongles and Bluetooth amp are all used with mobile phones. Specifically, the core functions are completed by the mobile phone, while the core part of the sound quality is by a dongle and a bluetooth amp. They just complement each other's advantages.

2. Compared with dongles/Bluetooth decoding amp at the same price level, it is indeed difficult for DAP to compete in audio configuration. This is because dongles/Bluetooth decoding amp can use most of the money to keep the DAC and analog amplification part, and the dongle does not even need a battery. While a DAP needs a display screen and a master control. Therefore, it also makes sense in some ways that a 80USD dongle can beat a 160USD DAP (of course, the power consumption of mobile phone is ignored here).

3. For users, the price of the dongle/Bluetooth decoding amp is more competitive. For example, the 80USD KA3. To be honest, if we make a player with a similar configuration, the retail price will definitely be higher than 160 USD. The higher the price, the smaller the market. This is the simplest principle in economics.

4. Normally speaking, especially for the products like dongles that are easy to use and small in size, portability is the biggest advantage. We don’t need to charge it.

Therefore, the player cannot directly compete with dongle products. DAP can only excel and bridge a gap with dongles in terms of sound quality, the core competitiveness. In this case, the highest-end configuration like the 9038PRO and better audio components should be equipped in a DAP, and its power supply should be stronger, too. As a result, the cost is soaring, which makes the sales volume lower with higher price. And the cost of R&D, management and sales promotion will go higher as well.

That's why DAPs are getting more and more expensive.

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 2 the stronger and stronger driving power (output power)

I remember the first FiiO player X3, with an output power of only 220 mW. Today, this is the same level as the balanced output of FiiO Dongle KA3 and Bluetooth amp BTR5. It can be said that the X3 becomes least competitive now.
However, most of the mainstream MP3 players at that time were only at the level of more than 20 mw (iPod, typical example). Therefore, compared with common MP3 players, 200 mW is already ten times stronger.
However, with the promotion of market competition and user demand, the driving power of player is also increasing.
On the one hand, as a more expensive and professional player, it is necessary to constantly widen the gap with dongles and bluetooth amps on the core audio performance. Otherwise, DAP will lose its key competitiveness in the market.
On the other hand, the greater the driving power, the more suitable scenarios for users and more headphones can be used with. Therefore, the development of players in the past ten years is also a history of continuous breakthroughs of DAP in output power.
And the portable desktop-class DAP M17 that we launched last year has even achieved a driving power of 3000 mW under the DC power supply. Compared with the old X3, it has increased by almost 15 times.
Some people may say that I usually don't need such a strong driving power. But based on the hot sales of M17 and user feedback, the biggest factor for the success of M17 is its leading driving power among portable players. In my opinion, the M17 is like a sports car like Porsche 918. It can be driven to commute, whether it is on urban roads or high-speed, you can enjoy the whole way with strong power. Even if Chinese regulations stipulate that you can't drive more than 120 kilometers/hour, you will still benefit from it when you start and overtake. Moreover, if you occasionally drive at the track, you can also be thrilled and satisfied.