Disclaimer: The FiiO M3K sent to us for this video is a sample and does not have to be returned. Thank you to FiiO for giving us this opportunity.
The FiiO M3K is a real whirlwind of a new DAP on the Audiophile market. Being the first time I’ve heard of any portable player with an AK4376A inside, I am happy to report that I like what I am hearing upon my initial impressions.
FiiO has always offered fantastic deals in the past. Naturally, this new M3K falls neatly in line with the newest generation of ultra-portable music sources in the budget tier. I am a little offset by the vertical touchpad, but I do find it refreshingly interesting and a new motor pattern.
The stock EQ needs some work. But, what is there, is just fine and sounds good. I am impressed by the build quality and the hefty density factor in weight that the M3K offers.
Software Impressions
Beyond pleasing visuals, the interior UI is well set up and easy to navigate. Although, the vertical touchpad is very sensitive and can scroll too fast at times.
The M3K is shockingly fast with a manual microSD scan, which likely comes from the “powerful” X1000E CPU. And yes, I fully agree it is powerful.
Battery Life Impressions
For such a price, the M3K is one of the fastest ultraportable and budget music players I’ve used in a while. The battery life is also excellent with superb standby time.
It is one of the only “newer” portable players that I didn’t have to charge up after a day of just letting it sit out on my desk. FiiO claims an entire week of standby time, so I look forward to testing that.
By the looks of it, the battery depletion after just one day is hardly noticeable. Great news so far and upon initial trials.
First Thoughts
For now, I think the M3K is a wonderful little player with a good sense of tonality. However, due to the lack of EQ functions in there, I will likely not be using it with my bass-heavy IEMs for any personal usage. But, it seems moderate enough to enjoy if you are a purist and your gear isn’t specifically set up for bass.
Beyond that, I am extremely impressed by the top-end offered. The treble experience is gorgeous. It feels very dense, well-tailored, and tonally interesting, all the while never feeling sibilant in the short time I’ve had with it so far.
This is shaping up to be an excellent player all around and I cannot wait to dive further into it over the next few weeks.
FiiO M3K Technical Specifications
- CPU model Ingenic X1000/E，40nm
- CPU operating frequency 1GHz
- Keyboard Touch button
- Special features Long battery life, Deep sleep, Recording, Repeat
- Chips used SoC: Ingenic X1000/E, DAC AK4376A
- Operating System Linux
- No. of cores Single
- DAC AK4376A
- Input method Touch the physical button
Connectivity
- WiFi N/A
- USB Micro USB2.0
- Bluetooth N/A
- LDAC N/A
- Display screen
- Display size 2.0 inches
- Display type IPS TFT
- Resolution 240×320
- Touchscreen N/A
- Number of colors 262K
- Viewable angle Full-view
- Pixel density(PPI) 200
Storage
- RAM 64MB
- Storage expansion type Micro SD
- Maximum storage expansion Theoretically 2TB (only one micro SD card slot)
Buttons and ports
- Buttons Touch button+Physical button
- Headphone out (PO) Standard 3.5mm stereo jack decorated with a metal ring
- Line out (LO) N/A
- Multifunctional button Playback control/Repeat
- USB Micro USB2.（Charging/Data transfer/OTG/USB DAC）
General
- Color Silver (might have more colors coming out)
- Weight About 77.5g
- Recommended headphone impedance 16~100Ω
- Balance control ±5dB
- USB DAC Asynchronous USB Dac, up to 192kHz/24bit supported
- Dimensions 90.8mm×44.2mm×12mm
- Volume control 60 steps digital potentiometer
- Equalizer 5-band EQ (±6dB)，7 presets
- Highest sample rate supported 384kHz/32bit
Power specifications
- USB power adapter DC 5V/2A Recommended
- Charging indication Large charging icon shows on display when it’s off, small charging icon shows on the upper right of the display when it’s on
- Battery capacity 1100mAh Li-polymer battery
- Charging time <2.5 h (DC5V/2A)
- Battery indication Yes
Others
- Recording Supported
- Date & Clock Supported
- A-B Repeat Supported
- USB OTG Supported
Headphone out specifications
- Output power 1 ≥42mW（16Ω / THD+N＜1%)
- Output power 2 ≥25mW（32Ω /THD+N＜1%)
- Frequency response 5Hz~90 kHz（-3dB）
- SNR ≥117dB (A-weighted)
- Output impedance ＜1Ω（32Ω）
- THD+N ＜0.004%（1kHz/32Ω）
- Noise floor ＜2uV
- Peak output voltage 2.46Vp-p
File format support
- Lossless: DSD： DSD64（.iso, .dsf, .dff）
- APE(Fast): 192 kHz/24 bit
- APE(Normal): 96 kHz/24 bit
- APE (High): 96 kHz/24 bit
- FLAC: 192 kHz/24-bit
- WAV: 384 kHz/32-bit
- Aiff：192 kHz/24 bit
- Aif:192 kHz/24 bit
- WMA Lossless: 48 kHz/24 bit
- Apple Lossless: 192 kHz/24 bit
You can read more on FiiO product reviews on Headfonics here.
