Fiio M23's Review - Desktop performance in Portable Form Factor
General/Build/Packaging
Fiio needs no further introduction. I have tested and reviewed several products from the brand and I have good experience with their products in general. I have their latest DAP with me today, the Fiio M23 which houses AK’s flagship DAC, the 4191+4499EX paired with a fully balanced THX AAA 78+ headphone amplifier as well as a plethora of components within the unit itself.
The build quality is very solid and premium looking, no sharp edges, the volume can be adjusted via the touch panel or physically as well. A 3.5mm and 4.4mm output are located on top of the player, lineout is shared and switchable via the OS itself.
Specifications (Full Specs here)
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
RAM: 4Gb LPDDR5
Rom: 64 Gb (4Gb for the system)
DAC: 1x AK4191EQ + AK4499EX
Amp: 4-Way THX AAA-78+
Sample rate : PCM : 8Hz – 384Hz (8/16/24/32bits) native – DSD64/128/256/512
System clock: Full synchronization technology with 4th Gen FPGA processor and dual Japanese crystal clock
Outputs: 3.5mm TRS // 4.4mm Pentaconn // USB-C
Input: USB-C
Screen: 5.5″ 1440×720 IPS Screen
Micro SD: SDHC / SDXC (single slot)
WiFi: 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz support
Streaming supported directly – Full Google Play Support
Bluetooth support: SBC, apt-X, apt-X HD, LDAC, HWA, (AAC receive only)
Duplex Bluetooth: the player can emit and receive music
Battery: 3.8V 5000mAh Li-Polymer
Quick Charge: QC4.0, PD3.0
Battery life: 10.5h with wired headphones (3.5mm), 9h with a Balanced headphone
Charging time: around 3.5h
Size : 136,5 x 75,7 x18.1 mmWeight: 299g
IEMs/Headphones/Equipments used for this review
Sony MV1
Spirit Torino Twin Pulse IEM
Letshuoer EJ09
Fiio FT3
Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far
General Features (Battery Life, UI/UX)
Battery life largely depending on the volume and gain setting, as well as file format, on balanced output, using FT3 and volume level at 60/120, High gain, streaming Tidal, i am getting roughly 7-8 hours of battery life, on SE with similar gain and volume level, i gain an additional hour +- (this is a very subjective observation, no exact measurement done, hence please don’t view this objectively, rather a reference)
UI/UX is generally very good for me, the OS is very fluid and i encounter no lag/sluggish when scrolling through lots of titles in the Fiio Music Player as well as Tidal, Apple Music
Desktop mode enables you to run solely from the power source and will not drain the battery, however, when you use the M23 with any PD enabled charger, it will enable the super high gain mode
Wireless connectivity ( Wifi, Bluetooth) they are generally quite stable and i did not experience any disconnection from the Wifi nor Bluetooth (except when it is out of range for bluetooth)
Sound Impression (Slow Filter, High Gain Firmware 1.01)
The M23 has been run in for approximately 50 hours prior to writing this impression. The sound of the M23 is nothing but amazing, despite sharing the same DAC configuration as Q15 as well as K9 AKM which i have tested and reviewed, they sound nothing alike, which shows that having the same DAC doesn’t mean they will sound the same, it’s the implementation of the amplification as well as the circuit design that matters. I’m not saying it will make a bad sounding/ badly tuned IEM turn good, it simply makes what is already good a step further and eeking out every bit of hidden potential your IEM/headphone have. The M23 is quite neutral to my ears if you’re using the Fast Filter, i prefer it to be slightly coloured hence i’m using the Slow Filter as stated, there’s a slight lift on the lows, but the overall listening impression to me is that it is natural and the technicalities are very impressive.
Soundstage is largely dependent on the transducers and mastering of the songs, but M23 does render the soundstage very open and let you have a good perception on the stage size in terms of depth, width and height.
Imaging is absolutely excellent with very good separation and layering, instruments can be pinpointed easily and they sound like they each have a space of their own and not mushed together. With desktop mode on, and plugged into a fast PD charger/power bank, and enabling the super high gain mode, things have been taken up a notch, good dynamics as well as slightly better control in terms of the lows and also soundstage.
Pairings
Letshuoer EJ09
EJ09’s sound profile by nature is boosted sub bass with analytical sound, note weight is borderline thin
Pairing the EJ09 with the M23 is nothing but fun, the bass is slightly elevated, it has more punch now and better extension, it is tight and the texture is good as well, all these without messing with the mids and highs, this is evident when listening to Gojira’s Amazonia, the double paddle especially has more punch
The mids are slightly forward and doesn’t sound that recessed
The treble is slightly smoother, the imaging and detail retrieval is just amazing, i can definitely hear the notes that i need to focus more previously in order to hear it, the M23 renders it with ease, Hans Zimmer’s Why So Serious ( The Dark Knight )
Soundstage has more width and depth, doesn’t sound that 2D anymore
Note weight is slightly thicker and more musical overall, suitable for those who find the EJ09 a tad bright
Spirit Torino Twin Pulse IEM
The Twin Pulse is neutral with slight warmth on its own, based on my listening impression pairing it with M23, the soundstage is definitely “bigger” than before, especially on Super High Gain mode, Twin Pulse IEM scales really well with more power, imaging that is already good has been taken a step further with excellent separation as well as layering, simply amazing
Bass sounds slightly thicker but not slow by all means, the rendered texture is also improved
Not much changes on the mids, perhaps the vocal positioning is slightly being pushed forward
Imaging and separation is very good as you can clearly pinpoint the instruments easily
Sony MV1
This particular pairing is the most interesting to my ears
The MV1 itself is leaning towards neutral and slight warm, with a slight lift on the mid bass
Listening to MV1 with the M23, bass has better control and tighter, while retaining the punch, i also noticed a slightly better sub bass extension
Slightly better separation and imaging, in terms of detail retrieval, not much changes
Soundstage has very good width and depth to it and seems to image much better as well
The MV1 doesn’t need super high gain as the headphone itself is fairly sensitive and easy to drive
Fiio FT3 (32 Ohm Ver)
The FT3 by nature is slightly warm with fairly good technicalities
M23 on high gain mode does have plenty of juice to drive FT3 to its best, however, on desktop mode with super high gain mode, FT3 exhibits better bass performance, in the sense of control, tightness and texture, soundstage is slightly wider and also pinpoint accuracy in terms of imaging
Mids has slightly better texture and also better treble extension
Comparison (Cayin N3 Ultra)
Uses different DAC chip (AKM4493Sx2) and has lesser power output compared to M23, but it does have several timbre coloration that you can choose from (tube, solid state)
The sound signature is leaning towards warm and musical whereas M23 in my opinion is balancing between good technicalities and musical
Feature wise, the N3 Ultra is rather minimal and straightforward as they have decided to forgo android OS, they are still running on android OS but a customised one, which only allows offline music playback and no app installation is supported, M23 on the other hand is more versatile when it comes to the OS, you are able to install supported apps via the google’s playstore
In terms of power output, M23 does offers higher power output compared to N3 Ultra
N3 Ultra is a pure DAP as its sole purpose its to play music, without any other functionality
Final Thoughts
Having tested and used the M23 on a daily basis for a month plus prior to publishing this review, the M23 definitely has what it takes to make a statement in the fast moving market with various competition. The M23 is a very versatile DAP packing loads of features within the player itself. The M23’s sound will please most listeners out there who are looking for a sound signature that is natural with a slighty coloured sound.
The power output is definitely sufficient for most IEMs and headphones out there which are not power hungry. All in all, the M23 is a very capable DAP with loads of features as well as good power output, at the time of writing this review, the OS is Android 10, Fiio has mentioned that an update for the Android OS will happen sometime soon, so for those who are looking to purchase the M23, this is definitely a good news. The M23 gets a recommendation from me for sure!
*A big thanks to Fiio for sending this over for the purpose of this review. I thank them for their support.
Head over to their official AliExpress Store and official website if you are interested in getting one:
Fiio M23 Store Link - Non Affiliated
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