Fiio is launching merchandise quicker than Xiaomi, and that is a sizeable feat in and of itself contemplating simply what number of issues Xiaomi rolls out on a month-to-month foundation.
The newest launch is concentrated on the digital audio player class, one which Fiio has dominated in recent times. The model’s M collection of merchandise are extremely regarded, and having used the $499 M11S for just a few months now, I can attest to its sound high quality.
The M15S sits one tier larger in Fiio’s portfolio, and it’s out there for $999. That’s loads of money for a music player, however the M15S is packed stuffed with helpful options: it is principally an Android machine with out the cellphone bits, and as a substitute you get a high-end DAC and all of the connectors you want for hooking up your audio gear.
I used the M15S for over a month now, and this is what you have to know concerning the music player.
Fiio M15S: Pricing and availability
Fiio launched the M15S earlier within the yr, and the music player is now out there on the market in all international markets the place the model has an official presence. The audio player retails for $999 on Amazon (opens in new tab) in North America, and it’s out there at most main audio retailers. It’s offered in a single coloration possibility, and there is a single variant that features all of the equipment you have to get began.
Fiio M15S: Design
Fiio has a definite design aesthetic that focuses on angular strains and daring styling, and the model outdid itself with the design of the M15S. The machine has a curvier design than its siblings, with flowing curves on all sides and rounded buttons, and whereas that is completely different to the likes of the boxier M11S, Fiio went with an etched diamond-cut sample on the again that appears fabulous.
This sample jogs my memory of comparable designs utilized by Chinese cellphone producers just a few years in the past, and it seems to be simply as hanging on the M15S. The chassis of the M15S is made out of aluminum — as you’d think about for a product on this class — and it feels sturdy and sturdy. To shield the entrance and rear panes of glass, you may discover a luxurious leather-based case bundled within the field. In truth, the M15S is tucked into the case on the manufacturing unit, and it’s delivered that means — making certain the machine would not get broken whereas in transit.
Image 1 of 5
The leather-based case offers you entry to all of the ports whereas offering a further layer of safety, and whereas I typically do not use instances usually, I did not thoughts utilizing the one Fiio bundled with the M15S. It feels nice in-hand and provides to the upmarket look of the player.
Continuing with the design, the M15S has a quantity knob on the high, and it features a tiny LED ring mild. You’ll discover the ports subsequent to the amount knob, and there is a single-ended 3.5mm port together with balanced 2.5mm and 4.4mm ports.
Both sides of the M15S have rounded buttons; the left consists of the facility and music playback controls, and the correct facet homes the amount rocker and a customizable button that can be utilized for any motion you want. There’s additionally a Hold toggle that locks the display, stopping any mistouches.
Image 1 of 3
You’ll discover the USB-C port on the backside, and this can be utilized for charging in addition to connecting to focus on gadgets. There’s additionally a MicroSD card slot on the backside, and the M15S homes MicroSD playing cards as much as 2TB in dimension, so in the event you’ve obtained a big offline music library and also you wish to carry it with you, that is attainable right here.
Fiio is thought for being beneficiant with equipment, and it is no completely different with the M15S. You additionally get all of the cables you want, together with USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to Lightning, and there is a USB-C to USB-A dongle if you wish to join the player to your Windows machine to make use of as a DAC.
Image 1 of 3
The most attention-grabbing addition is a DK3S foldable cooling stand that is meant to be used with the M15S. The stand sells for $39 by itself, and with the M15S operating sizzling beneath load, it is comprehensible that the model is bundling the fan with the bundle — it did one thing comparable with the Q7 DAC as nicely.
I just like the design of the M15S fairly a bit; it feels far more premium than the $499 M11S, and that sample on the again is a sight to behold.
Fiio M15S: Screen and {hardware}
The M15S is Fiio’s flagship digital audio player, and it’s packing loads of attention-grabbing {hardware}. The player has a 5.5-inch LCD panel with a decision of 1440 x 720, and whereas I’d have points with that on an Android cellphone, it really works rather well for this use case.
The display itself is vibrant and has zero points with regards to outside visibility, and there isn’t any latency right here. That’s right down to the {hardware} on supply; the M15S is powered by the 14nm Snapdragon 660, and when you will not discover it on any cellphone at present, it’s greater than sufficient for the music player. There’s 4GB of RAM as nicely together with 64GB of built-in storage (45GB is usable), and I did not see any points switching between music streaming companies.
You simply get 9 hours of battery life because of the 6,200mAh battery, and it hasn’t been a difficulty in my use case. Fiio says it’s optimizes battery charging instances to extend longevity, and seeing as how this can be a sealed unit, that is factor. What is not nice is the charging time itself — it takes over 3.5 hours to completely cost the M15S. While it is not anyplace near even mid-range Android telephones, you are unlikely to wish to cost this factor in the course of the day, so I do not thoughts the sluggish charging instances.
There’s additionally the power to make use of the M15S in a desktop configuration by connecting it to a USB PD charger, and on this mode, it would not use the inner battery in any respect, and also you get the next energy restrict.
On the entire, there’s nothing to fault when it comes to the {hardware}. Fiio did a stellar job on this space, and whereas I’d have appreciated to see extra battery life, 9 hours of music playback over the balanced 4.4mm port must be respectable sufficient for many customers.
Fiio M15S: Software and connectivity
Fiio did not change too many issues on the software program entrance. The M15S nonetheless runs Android 10, and that seems like an oversight contemplating there are gamers these days that characteristic Android 12 out of the field. I can perceive the reasoning for persevering with with Android 10; Fiio made loads of audio-related customization to the vanilla Android interface to take full benefit of the audio {hardware}, and it must rework all these components if it had to make use of Android 12 as a basis. Still, I’d like Fiio to do higher on this space.
That mentioned, the interface is fluid, and there isn’t any bloat to be discovered. Fiio has its personal app retailer that permits you to set up standard music streaming companies, and because of Google Mobile Services, you get full entry to the Play Store. The interface would not have any customization, so it’s equivalent to vanilla Android 10, and meaning you get the older notification pane with rounded toggles and a card-style overview menu. You’ll discover a system-wide darkish mode right here, and navigation gestures.
Thankfully, there’s nothing lacking on the connectivity entrance. You get all of the ports you want, together with the single-ended 3.5mm jack, balanced 4.4mm and a couple of.5mm ports, and USB-C for connecting to different gadgets. There’s line out for all of the ports, and you should use the three.5mm as a coaxial interface.
It’s the same state of affairs with regards to wi-fi connectivity. The M15S has Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6, and it consists of all of the wi-fi codecs you may ever want: SBC, AAC, AptX, AptX HD, LDAC, and LHDC. There are completely no points on this entrance, and one characteristic that I significantly like is Roon integration.
I just lately began utilizing Roon to handle my music library, and it has been a revelation. I’ll do an in depth characteristic on the service very quickly, however Roon is actually one of the best answer for managing massive music libraries. It has a contemporary UI that is straightforward to navigate, kinds your library mechanically by artists, albums, genres, and different metadata, and has its personal set of codecs that ensures you get one of the best audio high quality.
I wasn’t fairly positive why a music player that does not have any streaming of its personal prices $15 a month, however I now perceive its potential. If you will have a big offline music library, it’s best to give Roon a attempt. The M15S works seamlessly with Roon, and it has been an absolute pleasure to make use of the machine to stream tunes from my music assortment.
Fiio has its personal music consumer bundled out of the field, and it does a good sufficient job in its personal proper. To spherical out the options, the M15S has six modes on supply: Android mode is the default, and it has the total Android interface. Pure Music Mode switches to Fiio Music, and you do not get entry to the Android UI. You may use the M15S as a USB DAC, or use it as a Bluetooth receiver, as an AirPlay goal, and as a Roon Ready machine.
Basically, the M15S is without doubt one of the most feature-rich music gamers round, and in the event you’re already utilizing a price range or mid-range possibility and wish to swap to a flagship, it will serve you very nicely.
Fiio M15S: Sound high quality
Coming to the audio facet of issues, the M15S options the flagship ESS ES9038Pro 8-channel DAC, the identical that is present in a slate of the model’s merchandise, together with the Q7 DAC and the K9 Pro. Unlike the K9 Pro, the M15S has a single DAC module, and it goes as much as 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256 in USB DAC mode and 32-bit/768KHz and DSD512 in USB audio mode. There’s additionally MQA right here — permitting you to make use of Tidal with the player — and it unfolds at 8x.
The key distinction with the M15S over among the different Fiio merchandise is that it misses out on THX amps, as a substitute utilizing twin OPA926 amps. Now, this will probably be a degree of rivalry for some customers because the THX {hardware} produces a clear sound that grew to become a attribute of Fiio DACs during the last 18 months, however the M15S nonetheless retains the model’s signature tuning, and the tonality befits a flagship product.
There’s far more readability within the low-end versus the M11S, and I discovered mids to be extra partaking, with vocals coming by way of with loads of airiness. The treble is clear and particulars, with no trace of sibilance or harshness. The finest a part of the M15S is the low-end tuning; you get a extremely partaking bass that pairs nicely with a number of genres, and the player really shines when used with planar headsets just like the Audeze LCD-X and Moondrop Venus.
Imaging and dynamics are wonderful, and the M15S brings one of the best out of your audio gear. On that word, there’s greater than sufficient energy to go round right here, and with Fiio providing 5 achieve ranges in complete, the M15S can drive any IEM or headset available in the market at present, no matter how demanding it might probably get. Of course, you’ll be able to flip that as much as 11 by connecting it to a wired energy supply.
Fiio M15S: The competitors
If you desire a high-end music player, the Shanling M6 Ultra is a good various to contemplate. It retails for $919 on Amazon (opens in new tab), and a key differentiator is that it makes use of AKM’s AK4493SEQ in a quad-DAC configuration. It is powered by the Snapdragon 665, runs Android 10, has a 5-inch 1080p display, and has an evocative design. It consists of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 6, and comes with a 3.5mm and balanced 4.4 port, and delivers the identical 9-hour battery life because the M15S. It misses out on Roon integration, however you get MQA unfolding at 16X, and it’s marginally extra inexpensive.
If you do not wish to shell out that a lot money, Fiio’s M11S continues to be a stellar selection for $499 (opens in new tab). Sure, you miss out on among the niceties, but it surely delivers implausible sound that is practically on par with the M15S, and it additionally has Roon integration and all of the connectivity choices. There are respectable financial savings available right here, and what the M11S misses out in magnificence it makes up for in worth.
Fiio M15S: Should you purchase it?
You can purchase this if:
- You need one of the best transportable music player
- You want all of the wired and wi-fi connectivity choices presently out there
- You desire a transportable player that may drive any IEM or headset
- You want a clear sound that is partaking
- You want Roon integration
- You desire a player with a hanging design
You should not purchase this if:
- You want a music player with a current model of Android
- You need over 10 hours of battery life
With the M15S, Fiio is continuous its streak of launching one nice product after one other. The M15S delivers many of the options of the flagship M17 whereas costing $800 much less, and the sheer variety of options make it a straightforward suggestion. The design is elegant whereas nonetheless being according to the model’s total aesthetic, it’s lag-free in day by day use, has a clear Android interface with helpful customizations to get essentially the most out of your audio gear, and delivers respectable battery life.
The tonality and steadiness on supply with the M15S ensures you may get one of the best out of no matter IEM and headset you connect with the player; that has been the case in my utilization during the last month. I additionally should reiterate simply how good the bundled leather-based cowl is; it makes utilizing the M15S that rather more fulfilling. And after all, Roon integration is a giant differentiator for my very own use case, and it has been a delight to entry the service on the M15S.
If you are available in the market for a flagship digital audio player, you may discover few choices which might be pretty much as good because the M15S. Sure, you will get the M11S for half the money, however in order for you the best possible that Fiio has to supply proper now, the M15S is the apparent selection.
The M15S combines a chic design with a sturdy chassis, and also you get a big display, nice {hardware}, and all of the ports you want in a high-end music player. Fiio completely nailed the tonal steadiness, and the M15S will carry one of the best out of your audio gear.