#Review Test : Fiio M21 Audiophile Music Player
- Jean-Philippe Burgos
- May 15
- 5 min read
FiiO M21: the new high-definition portable companion
For over fifteen years, FiiO has occupied a unique place in the portable audio universe.
This Chinese brand, which could almost be called a "digital artisan," has made its name through audiophile portable players with formidable price-to-performance ratios, but also through portable DACs, headphone amplifiers, and more recently, more ambitious hi-fi solutions.
With the M21, FiiO continues to push boundaries by combining design, power, ergonomics, and compatibility with high-resolution streaming services like Qobuz, my favorite playground for judging the true value of a player.
I spent several days with this new portable player, and here are my impressions.
Design and ergonomics
The first contact with the M21 is impressive. The finish is impeccable, with a streamlined metal chassis and a large screen reminiscent of a high-end smartphone.
In hand, it inspires confidence: it's solid, designed for travel, without neglecting elegance. The physical buttons fall naturally under the fingers, and the volume controls offer a real sense of precise control.
FiiO understood that ergonomics should not be sacrificed for minimalism, and it's a real pleasure for daily use.
The interface, powered by Android 13, offers direct access to audio streaming applications like Qobuz, Tidal, or Spotify.
But it's obviously the pairing with Qobuz and its Studio quality that reveals the machine's full potential.
Navigating through hi-res playlists, finding favorite albums in 24-bit/96kHz or better 192 kHz, and launching playback in seconds...
You truly feel equipped to enjoy music without compromise.
Technical focus: architecture, filters, and upsampling
Behind its elegant look, the FiiO M21 packs serious technology, well beyond what's typically found in this segment.
Its secret weapon is the quad DAC architecture using Cirrus Logic CS43198 chips, configured to work in balanced mode, served by a proprietary fifth-generation FPGA.
The result is jitter (temporal deviation in audio signal transmission) reduced to a bare minimum, improved channel separation, and ultra-low noise floor.
Each analog stage has its own power supply line, isolated from digital parts to avoid any interference.
The amplification offers two audio outputs: 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm unbalanced.
In desktop mode (connected to USB-C power), the power climbs to 950 mW per channel at 32Ω, easily rivaling true desktop headphone amplifiers...
A 10-band parametric equalizer and three gain levels perfectly adjust listening according to the headphones, from the most sensitive to the most demanding.
But what really makes the difference for the discerning audiophile is the digital filter management and the quality of the integrated upscaling. The M21 allows selection of several digital filters - "Sharp," "Slow," "Short Delay" - to adapt reproduction according to taste and music type, a rare feature on an Android player.
The FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), which acts as conductor, also enables internal upsampling (up to 384 kHz) capable of breathing new life into files from lower-quality sources, preserving the nature of the soundstage without introducing artificial harshness.
Additionally, the player also supports bit-perfect on certain apps, ideal if you want to avoid any signal reprocessing: the purist's choice.
Via USB, the M21 becomes a high-performance desktop DAC, compatible with PCM up to 384 kHz and DSD256, and can also serve as a wireless gateway thanks to bidirectional Bluetooth with support for audiophile codecs LDAC, LHDC, or aptX HD.
Listening experience with Qobuz
My first test with the track "Yellow Brick Road" from the album Down The Way by Angus and Julia Stone in CD quality 16/44 on Qobuz: the acoustic guitars are strikingly clear, the mix is highly refined, the voice natural, delivering strong emotional energy here.
In a more modern register, "Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk takes on particular amplitude: electronic details are perfectly outlined and voices gain a depth often absent in more conventional listening, without excessive coloration or listening fatigue.
The power reserve allows effortless driving of demanding headphones, while remaining smooth and nuanced with more sensitive IEMs.
Comparative listening in 4.4mm balanced with Meze Silva and Focal Clear
I wanted to test the FiiO M21 under conditions similar to "critical" listening in a home setup, but in portable mode, opting for the 4.4mm balanced output, renowned for its ability to provide more detail through physical separation of signal processing, especially with demanding headphones.
©Jean-Philippe Burgos
Morceau choisi sur Qobuz :
The Flight to Neverland (From "Hook") 24 bits 96 kHz
John Williams & Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Track chosen on Qobuz: The Flight to Neverland (From "Hook") 24-bit 96 kHz John Williams & Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
First test with the Meze 105 Silva: the reproduction is incredibly airy, each orchestral section takes on authoritative amplitude, John Williams' extremely rich score is perfectly legible, each phrase from violins, flutes, brass, and counter-melodies interweave with clarity. The soundstage is wide and deep; from 3:26 then 4:04, the violin exchanges are incredibly precise up to the crescendo and spectacular finale.
I then continue with the Focal Clear: again, the M21 reveals all the naturalness and transparency of the headphones. Piano attacks are precise, micro-dynamics magnified; bass/treble transitions suffer no strain.
Listening to "No Sanctuary Here" by Chris Jones, the bass flexibility and layering of sound planes make the listening particularly immersive. Briefly switching back to the 3.5mm unbalanced output, the musicality remains good, but the power reserve, as well as the soundstage amplitude, are a notch below.
It's really with the balanced output that the FiiO M21 rises to the level of small desktop DAC-amps, offering remarkable balance.
Technical specifications
4.7-inch touchscreen, 750x1334 pixels
Qualcomm Snapdragon processor optimized for audio
Dual DAC architecture (CS43198) with PCM conversion up to 32-bit/384 kHz and native DSD256 support
Balanced output stages (3.5mm and 4.4mm)
Android 13 system, integrated FiiO Music overlay
Connectivity: dual-band Wi-Fi, bidirectional Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX HD, LDAC), USB-C
64 GB internal memory expandable via microSD up to 2 TB
Announced battery life of approximately 12 to 15 hours in hi-res playback
Weight: 193 g
These specifications show genuine technical maturity, with rare versatility for a player of this size. Having multiple audio outputs including a balanced one is a real plus for owners of compatible headphones.
Conclusion
With the M21, FiiO strikes hard once again. This portable player is clearly aimed at those who want to combine practicality and audiophile performance without yielding to stratospheric prices.
Full compatibility with Qobuz in hi-res, DSD formats, ease of use, screen size, well-placed control buttons, and power reserve make it an ideal companion for both daily commutes and long, studious listening sessions.
As a passionate audiophile, I find in this FiiO M21 what I expect from a modern portable player: respect for music, usage flexibility, and that ability to fade away to leave all the space for the pleasure of listening.
For a truly reasonable budget when evaluating all its qualities.
And ultimately, isn't that what we're all looking for?
Plus d’infos sur : fiio.com et sonvideo.com
