INTRODUCTION

   While obviously most people use their smartphones to listen to music regardless of where they are at there are always those demanding users who want better audio quality and this is where music players with their high-performance DACs come in. Unlike however the "basic" low-cost MP3/MP4 music players we used to see in the market 5 plus years ago (there are actually even more such models today in the market primarily aimed towards non-demanding consumers) most of the new Hi-Res Audio models share many interesting features with today’s smartphones such as touch screens, processors, RAM, wireless connectivity and even operating systems (Android). FiiO is among the most popular music player manufacturers in the market currently and after testing their "entry-level" yet quite interesting M3K model today with us we have their "mid-end" M7 Portable High Resolution Music Player.

   FiiO was established in 2007 and has experience in researching and developing countless portable music products of different types, and sell FiiO-branded products through sales agents worldwide. The brand name FiiO is composed of Fi (fidelity from HiFi) and iO (number 1&0), representing the real feeling and convenient life that digital brings to life. Meanwhile, the Chinese “??” is the transliteration of FiiO, indicating the positive and innovative spirit as thriving as spring. FiiO designs, produces and sells high-quality products at favorable prices to those who love music and style; our high-resolution digital audio players, portable headphone amplifiers, DACs and earphones have all received praise from the majority of users. Several products from FiiO have created record sales in their respective product segments and have received countless awards including iF Design Award, Reddot Award, EISA Award, VGP Award, etc. FiiO places great importance on users' needs and ceaselessly pursues perfection in product design and manufacturing, to supply users with the best audio products at the best prices. FiiO is focused on product quality, adheres strictly to ISO9001 standards in quality management and works hard to attain the lowest repair-related product returns rate.

   For the brand new M7 Portable High Resolution Music Player (currently available in black, silver, red and blue colors) FiiO paired the latest Exynos 7270 processor (Cortex A53 Dual-Core 1GHz 64-bit CPU with Mali T720 MP1 graphics and integrated memory and power management IC) by Samsung with the Sabre 9018Q2C Reference DAC (32-bit HyperStream architecture with Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, 2-channel audio D/A converter, headphone amplifier) by ESS (can deliver a DNR of up to 121dB, THD+N of –115dB and can handle up to 32-bit 384kHz PCM data), the Si4705 FM Radio Receiver (64-108MHz worldwide FM band support with automatic frequency and gain control) by Silicon Labs and 768MB LPDDR3 RAM. The M7 also features a 3.2 inch LCD touch-screen (480x800p resolution / 292ppi), support for 192KHz/24bit PCM audio (for most audio file formats including APE/WAV/FLAC/WMA/OGG/ACC/ALAC/MP3), 2GB of internal storage, micro SD card slot (for cards up to 512GB in capacity), Bluetooth v4.2 connectivity (via the Exynos SoC with support for apt-HD and LDAC), 1880mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack which can power the device for up to 20 continuous hours (30 hours via Bluetooth) and a modified version of the Android OS (v5.1).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Two pictures of the product are placed at the front of the box along with the Hi-Res Audio logo, company logo and some of the main product features.

Once again on the left side of the box we find the sticker via which you can check about whether or not this is a genuine FiiO product.

Two barcodes, the dimensions of the product and a copyright notice are all printed at the rear of the box.

The M7 is wrapped inside a synthetic cover and placed in a formed piece of cardboard.

Inside the box you will find the M7 Portable High Resolution Music Player, clear TPU water resistant case, USB type C charging cable, warranty information papers, user manual and a quick start guide.

THE M7

The M7 is a mid-sized music player made out of aluminum and plastic that weighs just 116g and measures 109mm in length, 52mm in width and 13mm in height.

As you can all see the M7 considerable larger compared to the M3K model again by FiiO (that being said they are both smaller than most smartphones).

FiiO has used a 3.2 inch touch-screen for the M7 which takes roughly 70% of its top surface.

A micro SD card slot is located on the right side of the enclosure.

The volume control knob along with the previous/next/play-pause buttons are all located on the left side.

At the rear of the enclosure we find a type-C USB connector used to recharge the unit, access its interior storage and use it as USB digital audio out.

As expected the power on/off button is located at the front of the player along with the 3.5mm audio out.

The company logo, model name, High Resolution certification logo and several certifications are all printed at the base of the enclosure.

FiiO bundles a clear TPU case with the M7 and although we didn't go as far to test its water resistant properties it does cover most of the unit.

USING THE M7

Prior to using the M7 i suggest checking online for a firmware update (our sample came with firmware v1.02 so we updated it with v1.03 for this review).

From the main OS tab you can choose to launch the music and FM radio apps, browse stored files, open available pictures, access technical support and enter the settings menu.

Starting with the file manager as you can see it detects all available file types (all audio in our case) stored both inside the device and the micro SD card slot.

The M7 OS lists files the classic way but what stands out is that you can even rename them.

As mentioned earlier you can access stored pictures from the Gallery tab.

When using the music app almost half of the screen is taken by the album art.

You can also access information about the file by swapping your finger on the screen (even lyrics are supported if included in the file).

The music app also has two equalizer presets (Pop/Rock) aside the custom/flat one.

FiiO has placed quite a few available settings for the music app including an off timer, gapless playback, fixed volume, replay gain and of course DoP USB audio.

You can also switch the theme from a white background to a black one (at night the black one is better).

Just like with smartphones in order to use the FM radio app you must have a pair of headphones connected to the device (or a standalone 3.5mm cable).

The OS settings screen contains the Bluetooth tab from where you can connect the M7 to your wireless earphones (for this test we used the Triple Driver BT by 1MORE which is also High Resolution certified).

Once the connection is established you can adjust various options like the type of playback quality and whether or not should the headphone controller work with the M7.

From the general settings tab you can check the current firmware version, set power off timers, adjust the brightness levels of the screen, change the wallpaper, adjust the sleep timer, set the date and time, choose the menu and input languages and set the screen lock/unlock feature.

You can also choose which of the buttons you'd like to work while the screen is off.

The volume level goes up to 60 and although not as powerful as we'd like still it's very good.

While the device is locked the album art takes the entire screen.

CONCLUSION

   To test the M7 Portable High Resolution Music Player we used the same methodology as with the M3K so aside using the Triple Driver BT Headphones by 1MORE (for Bluetooth tests) we also used the Triple Driver Over-Ear Headphones again by 1MORE the On1 Monitor Series by Thinksound and the TMA-1 Fools Gold by AIAIAI. We also compared the audio quality of the M7 to that of the M3K and several smartphones including the Apple iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Huawei P9 and P9 Lite. The end results using our wired headsets were impressive with the M7 delivering far my accurate and clear audio compared to the M3K and all the smartphones we have here (the difference is audio quality is very easy to notice especially in tracks with many instruments and vocals – for the best possible results do keep in mind that you will need to use lossless FLAC material). Unfortunately audio quality via Bluetooth connectivity was very similar to that of both the Samsung S7 Edge and the S8 and although that was expected (Bluetooth bypasses the onboard DAC after all) we may revisit this if we ever get an even higher end wireless headset model. Battery life is also great since with the M7 we managed to squeeze up to 17 hours with the default brightness settings, almost full volume and Bluetooth connectivity (with wired connectivity we almost hit 15 hours). That being said with the brightness of the screen set at max (just like the volume) we hardly hit 10 hours so battery life depends a lot on that. Of course the 3.2 inch screen can’t be compared with the screens of the smartphones we have here (not only in terms of colors and resolution but I also wouldn’t say no to a music player with a 6 inch screen) but for a music player that’s really not very important. We were somewhat surprised to see that although the lower-end M3K supports micro SD cards of up to 2TB in capacity the M7 supports only up to 512GB in capacity (we used three 256GB micro SD cards by Toshiba, Kingston and Patriot Memory without issues) but we reckon that for most people that will be more than sufficient.

   Currently the M7 Portable High Resolution Music Player by FiiO retails for USD199.99 inside the USA (Amazon) and for 178Euros inside the EU (Amazon UK) a price tag which may seem quite high for the majority of the consumer base but for audiophiles and consumers in general who know exactly what is contained in the M7 it’s more than balanced (also based on the price of competing products). At the end of the day if you’re looking for a very good all-around music player with plenty of features and crystal clear and impressively detailed audio clarity the M7 by FiiO should be at the top of your Christmas presents list and that’s why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Aluminum Housing)
- Excellent Audio Performance
- LDAC & AptX-HD Codecs
- 3.2 Inch Touch Screen
- 2GB Onboard Storage
- Supported Audio Formats (APE/WAV/FLAC/WMA/OGG/ACC/ALAC/MP3)
- 1880mAh Rechargeable Battery (Up To 30 Hours Of Playback)
- Supports Micro SD Cards Up To 512GB In Capacity
- Available Colors (Silver / Black / Red / Blue)
- Customized Android v5.1 OS

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Micro SD Card Capacity (Compared To The M3K)