Synergy
The M11 Plus’s output is more towards the “HiFi” direction. That means uncolored with low output impedance and an effective amping circuitry that boosts plenty of current in the output while emphasizing treble details, and it powers well most IEMs around.
The AKM DAC chips have added some extra texture to the higher register and there is excellent air that makes music lively sounding. The mid-treble range has good presence and energy, but it never gets boomy or uncontrolled.
I prefer pairing IEMs that are more textured in the mid-bass, with some boosting in the 6-7k area for extra clarity and texture to get a better balance. With some bass-light IEMs, it may sound less lively on the stock settings, though there is good room for distortion-free equalizing that will help the output to be more engaging with just a few clicks.
On a side note, the 3.5mm output on the M11 Plus LTD captures good detail and smooths out the mid-range. However, the staging is more restricted and the treble sounds less extended.
It sounds less resolved in the mids and rawer in the upper vocal, but that helps it to be more forgiving with lossy files and works better with IEMs that are harsh in the vocal range.
Multi-BA
Multi-BAs will not sound flat and dull on the M11 Plus LTD. Revisiting the FA7 and the Final B3, the M11 Plus LTD is able to drive them well and deliver a balanced tuning with fast and punchy bass.
The output sounds energetic and textured in the mid-treble region with good space rendered. Hi-hats and snares sound sharp and snappy on both IEMs and the vocal is exceptionally clean, extended, and carefully controlled before it gets too hot. There is enough air along with a well-defined and separated instrumental performance.
The M11 Plus LTD is able to power the bass on the Final B3 to sound fast and impactful and has enough control such that it will not sound harsh or flat.
The bass and midbass region punches solidly, also sounding quite layered, displaying different elements in the music with good precision. You also get a well-defined and clear image when instruments pan around. A bit too clean for pop but sounds great with violins and high pitching vocals.
On the FA7 it is a more balanced presentation with the bass having more presence and sounding more full-bodied. There is enough current to get the bass moving with high dynamics and good layering. The overall output is quite balanced, lean-toned, and with plenty of air that makes it works great with Jazz and bossa nova.
Dynamic IEMs
Dynamic IEMs will get plenty of output power sounding controlled and textured. Throwing in the single driver options, the Final A8000, as well as the Etymotic ER2SE the M11 Plus LTD, offers a clean and highly resolving presentation as well as sounding exceptionally airy.
Both male vocal and female vocal sounds great on both IEMs. Nothing sounds skewed and the positioning is exactly right to make vocals sound not too far nor intimate.
The sub-bass response has a good presence with a treble extension that is quite energetic, articulating swiftly with additional crispiness and texture. This is reinforced by the character of the AKM chipset where you can pick up on a very clean and dense treble. It is precise yet not irritating.
On the more capable A8000, the stereo imaging is strong. The vocal is well separated from the backing instruments, which keeps jazz singers well defined from the guitars and drum sets sounding clean and well separated from each other.
The highs are brilliant, extended while being very finely controlled. Combined with a slightly laid-back mids performance it is perfect for some classical tunes. Larger ensembles will sound smooth, opened up, and very airy, engaging with various genres of music.
The ER2SE is also driven well to sound very airy and smooth in the treble and vocal range, with rather linear, uncolored output. It works well with vocal works and the texture, power, and control from M11 Plus LTD allows it to handle some chamber music with good authority too.
Hybrids
With hybrids IEM there is enough power in the M11 Plus LTD 4.4mm output to let the dynamic driver keep up with the speed of the BAs.
With the Earsonics STARK on you can hear the vocal image being pushed more upfront than with the A8000. Outputting richer bass energy the lower frequencies radiate densely with stronger punching power, which makes drumming more impressive and euphonic.
The control in the lower frequency spectrum is decent, lining up the bass to the mid-treble range nicely so that it does not sound bloated. With the mid-range slightly pushed back, it sounds very immersive and swift in presentation with electronic music, woodwind instruments.
Paired with the Final B1 the stage is accurate, the vocal positioned like in a small hall, and instruments are separated clearly. While the output is spacious and the vocal is slightly pushed back it does not sound curtained. The vocal is sweetly extended, clearly positioned, and rich in airy micro detail.
This combo works well with opera works, chamber music, or some small live show recordings. Overall, the combo is a little bit bass shy but may suit those who prefer to focus on instrumentals.
Select Comparisons
M11 Pro
Technical
The hardware upgrade is quite a big leap when compared to the M11 Pro, as well as the new cyberpunk design with enhanced low-profile functionality such as the volume touch panel.
New features cover a wide range of areas including a fast new MCU with 8 cores, roughly 10% higher output power in the balanced output, and 4GB ram compared to 3GB on M11 Pro.
The M11 Plus LTD also has a bigger IPS screen, a femtosecond crystal upgrade, Android 10, and Bluetooth 5.0 compared to the M11 Pro’s 4.2. You also get proper 4.4mm LO support, compliant USB3.0 write speed, longer battery life, and better MQA unfolding.
The M11 Plus LTD is indeed an enhancement compared to the M11 Pro for software also including UI/UX with a deeper level of customization on the cooler Android 10 platform as well as including Apple Music out of the box.
It may however be questionable if the M11 Plus LTD is as handy as the M11 Pro when you need to adjust the volume on the go. I do like the new swipe buttons that are very innovative and practical. However, mainstream turning wheels are straightforward and dumb proof. On a side note, the larger battery is a more obvious advantage on the M11 Plus LTD
Performance
The M11 Plus LTD is audibly superior in control and power. There is a more resolving sound even though the main DAC chip and the amping module are relatively untouched.
The dual femtosecond clock upgrade that is also featured on the M15 seems to be the reason why it sounds more accurate. By lowering the jitter and putting together a denser, more focused level of energy in M11 Plus LTD’s output it sounds more similar to the current flagship.
The tuning is more mature and complete on the M11 Plus LTD. This is more like a mini M15, not as meaty and punchy in the output but almost as euphonic. The staging size is similar to the M11 Pro but there are more micro details that bring up the resolution in the whole picture.
The dynamic range is also stronger on the M11 Plus LTD. The bass kicks are more solid with higher resolving texture, better separation, and headroom. The enhanced control in the treble may as well give you an impression there is quite a lot more power on this new rendition and overall, it is a clear step up over the M11 Pro.
HiBy R6 2020
Technical
One of the strongest rivals to the new M11 Plus LTD is the HiBy R6 2020, which also houses a Snapdragon 660 CPU, but with Android 9 and an ES9038Q2M DAC implementation.
Both DAPs are equipped with BT5.0 and technologies that skip the internal sample rate conversion. The processing speed of the two is similar but you will notice the M11 Plus LTD being more customized throughout the UI with the R6 2020 offering the vanilla Android experience.
The R6 2020 has 16x MQA unfolding power while the M11 Plus LTD unfolds at 8x, both workable globally on other MQA supported apps, not just their own player.
Side by side the M11 Plus LTD does not look much bigger but the screen is 0.5 inch larger, which makes subtitles during media playback easier to read.
The pixel density is higher on the HiBy R6 2020, and the screen is slightly sharper. Quality-wise the screen on the R6 2020 is nicer but the M11 Plus LTD’s larger screen at a similar housing size is lovely as well.
Performance
With 750mW in the output, the R6 2020 is able to offer a deep and strong performance. When comparing the R6 2020 to the M11 Plus LTD the R6 2020 sounds more straightforward, delivering more raw power, and an expanded soundstage with good depth.
The M11 Plus LTD sounds more defined, sharp but polished, and nicely rounded off in the treble that makes the overall output sound more linear and densely textured. The staging on the M11 Plus LTD is not as expanded as on the R6 2020 but everything is positioned in a more precise manner with a stronger stereo image.
Instruments are imaged more precisely and layered, and you can hear clearly from what direction the sound is radiating from. This gives the M11 Plus LTD more vocal authority and extra sharpness in the treble range although it may not sound as energetic and as smooth as the R6 2020 with pop music.
I personally prefer the stock tuning on M11 Plus LTD which I find more refined, euphonic, and stronger in stereo imaging. Especially laterally as well as more delicately tuned in the treble. Yet some may like the more expanded staging on R6 2020, its flatter and cleaner way delivery of vocals, and its MSEB tuning panel for user tweaks.
Shanling M6 Pro
Technical
Another strong rival in this price range is the M6 Pro that also features the AK4497EN, and has an exceptionally clean output as well as plenty of power. When it comes to hardware the M11 Plus LTD is just too new with most other DAPs offering weaker SoC solutions at the same price tier including the M6 Pro.
The M6 Pro does not feel lacking on its own but when you place the M11 Plus LTD next to it the FiiO DAP is so much faster. It has stronger multitasking, faster song indexing with was less lag when loading album art previews.
With additional upgrades including Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.0, Android 10, the M11 Plus LTD looks and feels more advanced than the M6 Pro.
Performance
Between the M6 Pro, R6 2020, and M11 Plus LTD the M6 Pro has the most intimate mid-treble and also the deepest bass, also the M11 Plus LTD is on the cleaner side in terms of instrumental and vocal timbre.
The M6 Pro offers excellent vocal definition with good resolution but with Shanling’s house coloration. You can well feel the pressure when listening to opera where the glass-shattering treble will penetrate with more energy, especially under high gain.
The M11 Plus LTD has some similar high-frequency texture from the DAC chip, but with a lighter impact and cleaner tone. The M6 Pro sounds livelier and more polished in the vocal range, while the M11 Plus LTD sounds cleaner, smoother in articulation with its slightly laid-back vocal, so the focus is different.
Overall, the M11 Plus LTD is a tad bit ahead in resolution and overall dynamics, while Shanling’s more “analog” tuning and solid punch work very well with powerful voices and tunes that have strong bass texture.
Our Verdict
The M11 Plus LTD marks a new milestone for FiiO that combines a cool, original industrial design, but also packing in all the most demanded features at the sub $1000 price range.
The new Android 10 UI/UX experience is engaging and fun, with enhanced battery size and top-notch software. At the same time, the sound performance steps up nicely from the M11 Pro. The M11 Pro is already a decent choice however, the M11 Plus LTD is an excellent evolution rather than a quick tinker in terms of features and excellent sound performance.
FiiO M11 Plus Ltd Technical Specifications
- DAC: AK4497 x 2
- Amp: THXAAA-78 x 2
- SoC: Qualcomm 660+4G RAM+64G FLASH
- Display: 5.5-inch 720, 18:9 LCD screen
- Operation: Innovative physical volume button supporting sliding and pressing controls
- Internal design: Femtosecond crystals and upgraded shielding design.
- Battery capacity: 6000mAh
- OS: all-new Android 10
- Outputs: 2.5+3.5+4.4 PO output, 3.5 LO+4.4 LO output
- Dimensions 136.6mm * 75.7mm * 17.6mm
- Weight:
- Aluminum Alloy edition 310g
- Stainless Steel limited edition 405g
