FiiO M6
James Tan 2019

FiiO M6 Review

James
DAP

Sound Impressions

Summary

To be honest, I don’t expect much from an entry-level device. In my opinion, what defines a good entry level player will be a smooth and friendly interface for a considerably large music collection and better noise control and power. Generally a better performance than your average phone. The M6 surprised me in that regard for its performance.

The M6 sounds quite controlled and dynamic out of the box with sensitive IEMs. Unlike some phones that output thick bass, harsh treble or V-shape signatures the resolution of the M6 is good for the price point though the treble is a bit shy. Instrumental separation is satisfactory for sparser tracks without complex arrangements or modern pop music.

Vocals are noticeably a bit warm with what seems to be a mid-range boost. On higher-end FiiO players, you will find more resolution and power but the M6 will probably make users jumping from phones to DAPs feel the difference, let alone phones with dedicated audio chipsets and optimizations.

Bluetooth Audio Performance

It’s more down to the earphones’ signature than the connection standard in this case. When the M6 is used as a receiver and set to HWA/LDAC it delivers a very similar presentation to M6’s wired sound.

FiiO M6

Matchability

Testing was done with the M6 using the latest Fiio FA7, Brainwavz Koel, and the Final E3000 IEMs. For headphones, we chose the excellent Meze 99 Classics.

FiiO FA7

Pairing with FiiO’s higher-end end model FA7 it seems to require more power and control. The presentation was a little bit congested and the lower frequencies are emphasized. I assume the FA7 is tuned for higher-end devices or more powerful outputs. The M6 still sounds decent with the FA7 when you playback nicely mastered tracks or genres like Jazz that has fewer instruments in the mix and more bass texture

Brainwavz Koel

Brainwavz KOEL/Final E3000

With the KOEL it sounds fairly open to my ears and the Final E3000 sounded equally as good. With that slightly bass-boosted tuning, you will have the feeling the IEMs are quite well driven. The performance with lower impedance IEMs or single BAs is actually fairly respectable and I never got the impression I was missing any dynamic range or headroom in terms of power.

The M6 would be a good pick if you are looking for a back-up device or if you are new into this hobby, considering the very mature system and the safe tuning.

Meze 99 Classic

Meze 99 Classic

Testing with Meze 99, the M6 can push it quite loud. The output power is enough to give some decent body to the presentation, especially the low-end.

However, I did feel there would definitely be an upgrade in terms of dynamic range pairing the M6 with a portable amplifier using line-out mode or OTG to a small DAC/Amp/ FiiO’s own A5 with the M6 is a killer combination for power in that respect.

Select Comparisons

Apple iPod Nano Gen 7

This is the first device that comes to my mind when I powered up the M6. The long screen design allows you to read a few more lines and simply because of this reason I prefer such designs to squared screens.

The user experience is alike and with Android 7.0 equipped there are now way more options on the M6 such as streaming music, drag and drop files, and high-quality multiway Bluetooth connections.

I have been using the Gen7 for years and it has a cleaner and more linear tuning compared to the M6. However, the more mids focused sound signature on M6 makes the singer’s voice stands out more. You will also find a bit more resolution in M6’s output compared to the Gen 7 thanks to the newer chipsets.

Shanling M0

Shanling M0

The Shanling M0 has a similar form factor to the M6 also a similar price tag. Navigation is easier on the M6 with the larger screen and you don’t need to scroll down every time to look at the whole album when the screen is longer.

The sound on the M0 is flatter and cleaner while the M6 emphasizes the midbass. Singers with a darker voice fit the tuning on the Mo better due to the lighter body in its timbre. The resolution and power are similar for both devices. The M6 is a step up in terms of the user experience and streaming options unless all you want is a player to randomly play the playlist at gym.

FiiO M6

Our Verdict

The ease of entry into streaming on M6 makes this an ideal entry-level DAP for those who want music on the go and plenty of it. If you are new to the hobby or looking for something to new the M6 could possibly be the most modern first-time DAP out there.

We have seen many brands equipping their flagship devices with streaming features and higher-end Bluetooth options. However, it is very unexpected for Fiio to include these features on a DAP at this price point. I guess I should not be surprised given FiiO has always punched above the price points on most of their gear down through the years.

FiiO M6 Technical Specifications

Name / Model No. M6 Operating System Customized
CPU model Exynos 7270 14nm No. of cores 2
CPU operating frequency 1GHz DAC ES9018Q2C
Keyboard Virtual QWERTY keyboard Input method Multi-touch screen
Special features WiFi Streaming，LDAC/HWA/aptX/aptX HD/SBC Bluetooth support，Airplay with Apple devices，FiiO Link User interface Customized/FiiO Music
Chips used SoC: Samsung Exynos 7270 ， DAC：ES9018Q2C,，Bluetooth chip：SAMSUNG S5N5C10B01-6330

Connectivity
WiFi 2.4G，WiFi transmission supported Bluetooth 4.2
USB TYPE C Two-way USB2.0 Bluetooth transmit LDAC/HWA/aptX/aptX HD/SBC (HWAAvailable when playing on M6, other codecs available when playing on M9 and using as USB DAC)
HWA（LHDC） Available when playing on M6 Bluetooth receive SBC/LDAC to be supported
AirPlay To be supported DLNA Supports Windows for now, will support more in the future
FLYLINK To be supported

Display screen
Display size 3.2 inches Number of colours 1600W
Display type LG IPS screen Viewable angle Full-view
Resolution 480×800 Pixel density(PPI) 292
Touchscreen 5-finger multi-touch

Storage
RAM 768MB ROM 4GB
Storage expansion type Micro SD card ROM available to user 2GB
Maximum storage expansion Theoretically 2TB (only one micro SD card slot)
Buttons and ports
Buttons Physical button+Side volume scroll+Touch screen Button customization N/A
Headphone out (PO) 3.5 mm headphone jack USB Two-way TYPE C  USB2.0（Charging/Data transmisson/USB DAC/USB Audio）
Line out (LO) 3.5 mm port（shared PO） SPDIF output N/A

General
Color Black Dimensions 53.3mm×92.5mm×11.5mm
Weight about 83g Volume control 120 steps +/- button control
Recommended headphone impedance 16~300Ω Equalizer 10-band EQ (±6dB), 9 presets+custom preset
Treble control N/A Bass boost N/A
Balance control ±5dB Gain control N/A
USB DAC Asynchronous 192kHz/32bit USB Audio DSD64/128，DoP/D2P

Power specifications
USB power adapter DC 5V/2A recommended Battery capacity 1600mAh Li-polymer battery
Charging indication Large charging icon shows on display when it’s off, small charging icon shows on upper right of display when it’s on Charging time ＜2.5h（DC5V/2A）
Battery indication Yes (accurate battery % readings) Deep sleep time 26 days

Battery Life & Test Conditions
3.5mm headphone output：＞13h
Volume 57 Load M3 open earbuds (27 Ω)
Screen OFF Test File MP3 44.1kHz/16bit
EQ OFF
Bluetooth output：＞15h(SBC)
Volume 120 Load BTR1+FH1
Screen OFF Test File MP3 44.1kHz/16bit
Others
Firmware Upgrade Supports both via zip file and OTA Font size N/A
Firmware Upgrade Supported Third-party apps support Preinstalled：FiiO Music, Netease Music, MOOV, Tidal, KKBOX
APP whitelist：Spotify、Qobuz、Roon、Deezer，QQ Music、Xiami Music、JOOX、ES file manager、Himalaya (copy the apk file to Micro SD card or internal storage to install)

Line output specifications
THD+N ＜0.002%（1kHz/10kΩ） SNR ≥117dB (A-weighted)
Frequency response 10Hz~80 kHz（-3dB） Noise floor ＜3uV
Channel separation ＞112dB Line level 1.5V
Headphone out specifications 1（3.5mm port）
Output power 1 ≥110mW（16Ω / THD+N＜1%) Output impedance ＜2Ω
Output power 2 ≥70mW（32Ω /THD+N＜1%) THD+N ＜0.002%（1kHz/32Ω）
Output power 3 ≥7mW（300Ω / THD+N＜1%) Separation ＞75dB
Frequency response 10Hz~80 kHz（-3dB） Peak output voltage 4.245Vp-p
SNR ≥118dB (A-weighted) Noise floor ＜3uV

File format support
Lossless: DSD：DSD64，128（iso”“.dsf”,“.dff”）
APE(Fast): 192 kHz/24 bit
APE(Normal): 192 kHz/24 bit
APE (High): 192kHz/24 bit
(Extra High) APE: 48kHz/24 bit
APE (Insane): 48kHz/24 bit
FLAC: 192 kHz/24 bit
WAV: 192 kHz/64 bit
Aiff：192 kHz/24 bit
Aif:192 kHz/24 bit
WMA Lossless: 96 kHz/24 bit
Apple Lossless: 192 kHz/24 bit
Lossless: MP3，OGG，WMA，AAC…

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James
Reviewer
Asian engineer and a tech lover who listens to Cantopop, jazz, and JPop genres. I have been reviewing audio products with Headfonics since 2018. I love to travel, never in one place for a long time though a bit hard these days due to the pandemic. Be warned, my humor is dry!

Related Posts

26 Responses

  1. Ah yes, and I should mention that the list of android apps the M6 can install has grown fairly long more. There are a lot more apps than listed in this review.

    Owners should check back here now and again: https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/139014.html?templateId=1133604

    I found that the Youtube clone did not work in July 2020. It always crashes, so I uninstalled it again. I have not checked for an update, the M6 screen is tiny anyway.

  2. I own the M6. I bought it because I was sucked into the “high res” hype. I had hooped to see a significantly better sound quality compared to my Samsung S9+, but I was disappointed. The quality of headphones, and then, of course, the quality of the music makes a much bigger difference than the player.

    One difference is that the M6 goes a lot louder. With my 9+ I have occasionally used a headphones amp, simply because with some sound files in noisy environments I found it difficult to hear clearly.

    The M6 will make sense for the utility, especially BT utility. I sometimes plug one of my full-size headsets into the M6 which I use as a BT receiver, so I can move around.

    The M6 may make sense for people who want to play music from another device to save their phone battery. But I guess a power bank is a good alternative.

    My best advice for someone who wants to upgrade phone sound is to go for something like an AudioQuest Dragonfly. I personally would not buy a separate DAP again.

    1. La diferencia entre un Samsung S9 y este aparato es abismal las frecuencias a las que tienes acceso no son comparables en lo absoluto. Por supuesto que los audífonos son el eslabón mas débil de la cadena y sin ellos no hay nada, la calidad de la música no es un problema con M6.Si no puedes distinguir la diferencia con unos buenos audífonos entre estos dos, ¡felicidades, no eres alguien a quien le atormenten estas cosas!

  4. Does the FiiO M6 have enough juice to drive the venerable AudioTechnica M50x for a decent amount of time? I have one that’s a real trooper; it’s chugging along real well after five years with two earpad replacements and a racket overwrap mod for the headband, and I really like its sound signature.

    Thanks!

    1. Do get a small amp or a higher end player with higher output if you are with big cans!
      M6 can make it loud but you will easily get better dynamics and quality from sources with more power!

  5. Hi,
    I am looking for a portable device, that can play tidal master (MQA) files via Bluetooth to true wireless earphones, so I can enjoy master quality files.

    Can you recommend m6, or something better?

    I use true wireless earphones: Lypertek tevi

    Best regards

    Peter

    Ps: So far I am using iPhone and iPad as tidal player.

    1. You need aptX up to LDAC capability and BT does not really transmit MQA, the unfolding is at the source side so I would pick the HiBy R3 Pro, R5 or iBasso DX160. The Tevi will be fine with all 3.

    1. The UI and casing design on the A55 is more professional, while M6 can stream online musics and navigates like normal android devices. If you want to stream to your speakers or get a secondary device for sports I would pick the M6 over the A55, and A55 will give you more freedom to tweak the sound with all the digital effects which is a hit & miss for me. A55 has up-sampling that smoothen the sound and give it more texture yet it will sound a bit more artificial. However there would be more resolution with the Sony DAP and control is better especially when you play jpops!

  9. Looking into getting the Fiio M6. New to the Dap community, so not to sure if this is good for beginners. I am coming from the apple IPod touch 6th gen. Will this work with an mac laptop? If so what program would I use. Also is it easy to create playlists on the computer or?

  10. it can drive it up to listening volume but if you want good dynamics for relatively power hungry cans like the 6xx, get an amplifier for better results!?

  12. Could you please elaborate on the sonic differences between the M6 and Shanling M0? I have the M0 and it sounds terrific with all of my IEM (F9, FH1 and RE400). I would consider the M6 if there were some noticeable improvement in sound quality. But based on this review, I’m not sure. Any additional thoughts? Thanks.

    1. The M0 sounds clearer than the M6. I find the M6 excellent in every way except sound, which renders the M6 to a “collectors” status. I keep trying to accept the M6 as a listener, but I will never be happy with its flat sound. Too bad too because it’s truly an excellent player in every other regard (for its price point).

      1. Synergy is always important, iems that have more character and resolution in the treble paired with M6 could be your solution to make it more enjoyable! M0’s tuning is great for me too, I just hope there could be more power.

  13. I’ve found that the FiiO FA7 is fairly efficient, but benefits from some mid-bass attenuation, in the neighborhood of -3 dB between 63-250 Hz. The M6 has a 10-band equalizer. Perhaps using that would help.

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