INTRODUCTION

   Although today most people use their smartphones to listen to music there's an increasing demand in the market for standalone music players (evident by not only sales but also the increasing number of manufacturers). Now if you happen to ask someone why that is the first reason that probably comes to mind is simply because people don't want to risk running out of battery for such a task and although a valid reason in most cases it is the superior performance of the hardware components found in good music players that has people looking for one. Size of course is also rather important to some people and with the majority of music players being far more compact than most smartphones it makes sense. FiiO has been leading the music player market for the past decade or so and after testing their award winning M3Κ and M7 high resolution (Hi-Res Certified) music players today with us we have the latest M6 model.

   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 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. 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.

   The M6 Portable High Resolution Music Player by FiiO is based on the same Samsung Exynos 7270 SoC (Cortex A53 Dual-Core 1GHz 64-bit CPU with Mali T720 MP1 graphics and integrated memory and power management IC) and ESS Sabre 9018Q2C Reference DAC (32-bit HyperStream architecture with Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, 2-channel audio D/A converter, headphone amplifier) combo just like the M7 we reviewed previously. It also has the same 3.2 inch IPS touchscreen (2.5D glass - 480x800p resolution with a pixel density of 292ppi), the same Bluetooth v4.2 chip by Samsung (S5N5C10B01-6330) and also comes with 768MB RAM and 2GB of built-in storage. Both players also feature metallic enclosures (although they are different in shape with the M6 clearly winning in terms of size) and support the same file formats (ISO/DFF/DSF/APE/WAV/FLAC/WMA/OGG/ACC/ALAC/MP3). However these two players are far from identical so the M6 comes ready with a custom Android v7.0 OS (the M7 came with Android v5.1), smaller capacity lithium polymer battery (1200mAh for the M6 and 1880mAh for the M7) which gives it enough juice for over 13 hours of music playback (up to 26 days of standby time) and a microSD card slot which is compatible with models up to 2TB in capacity (the same however should now apply for previous models released by FiiO like the M7). What makes the M6 stand out however compared to most players in its price category are its 2.4G WiFi connectivity (via which you can also perform firmware updates) and its noise floor of <3uV which practically makes it impossible for you to hear audio noise regardless of what headset you end up using.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture of the product is placed at the front of the box along with the Hi-Res Audio logo, company logo and some of the main product features.

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

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.

FiiO has once again placed their logo on top of the interior box.

The M6 is wrapped inside a synthetic cover and placed in a piece of foam.

Inside the box you will find the M6 Portable High Resolution Music Player, clear TPU water resistant case, screen cover, USB type C charging cable, warranty information papers, user manual and a quick start guide.

THE M6

With a size of 92.5mm in length, 53.3mm in width and 11.5mm in height the 83g heavy M6 is very compact.

We placed the M6 next to the M3K and the M7 music players and as you can see it's quite more compact compared to the latter.

The bezel less 3.2 inch IPS screen by LG has a ppi (pixels per inch) count of 292 and a resolution of 480x800p (2.5D curved glass).

The volume control buttons are placed on the left side right beneath the play/pause button.

FiiO has placed the USB Type-C port on the base of the player.

On the right side of the enclosure we find the microSD card slot.

The company logo is placed at the rear of the player right over the Hi-Res logo and several certifications.

USING THE M6

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 (firmware updates) and enter the settings menu.

The very first thing you will need to do once you start using the player is to scan for available tracks (you can enable the auto scan function afterwards).

We were surprised to see that the volume level indicator of the M6 climbs all the way up to 120.

You can display available songs as a list or based on their albums or artists.

In the M6 album art takes roughly 60% of the total screen.

Of course, you also have access to two different pages with information on the track.

Leaving out the custom/flat equalizer preset you can switch between the pop and rock ones.

Via the file management tab, you can open, delete, copy and move files between the internal and microSD storage areas.

You can also load pictures in the player which you can access from the gallery tab.

Inside the settings screen you can access everything related to the device including WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

The wireless protocol and digital filters used are available in the audio screen as is the maximum and fixed volume settings, balance, in-line remote support, USB DAC function and airplay support.

Under the general screen you can find the current firmware version, set the power-off timers, check installed apps, set the brightness levels (by default the screen is at 40%), choose a wallpaper, set the sleep timer, adjust the date/time and select the preferred language.

To install the latest firmware update you will either need to download it or connect to the internet via WiFi (to make your choice you must enter the Technical Support tab).

CONCLUSION

   We compared the latest M6 Portable High-Resolution Music Player by FiiO (updated to version 1.0.1) with the M7 (updated to version 1.0.5) and M3K (updated to version 1.2.1) models along with several smartphones (SONY XZ2, Samsung S7 EDGE, Huawei P9/P10, iPhone 6) and the results were actually pretty good. Surprisingly enough however (since both models share many components) ccompared to the M7 which offers accurate audio reproduction and very good balance between mids, highs and bass levels (thus producing clear/detailed results) the M6 falls back a bit since it seems to focus quite a bit more on mids rather than on highs and bass (still that may come down to personal preference but we do like the M7 more - worth pointing out is that the SONY XZ2 also scored high in our tests). The addition of WiFi helps a lot especially when it comes to how easy it is to perform firmware updates (although wireless connectivity isn't that fast to be honest) and I have to add that we were also a bit surprised to see that the volume of the M6 reached all the way up to 120 (the volume of the M7 goes up to 60) but in the end its volume levels are almost identical to that of the M7, only the increments increase. Size and controls of course also matter and the M6 is not only very compact but it also offers very easy to use controls (we do like the volume roller on the M7 more but its size makes it more difficult to carry around). FiiO also preloads the KKBOX app in the M6 but we really didn't end up using it for our tests (the M6 also supports installation of the following APK's: Spotify, Qobuz, Roon, Deezer, QQ Music, Xiami Music, JOOX, ES file manager, Bandcamp, Sony headphones, Himalaya, Amazon Music, Radio World, SoundCloud, TuneIn Radio). As for battery life although FiiO claims you can listen to music for well over 13 continuous hours we hardly went over 12 when the player turned off (still even 12 hours for such a small player is a great result).

   Currently the M6 Portable High Resolution Music Player by FiiO retails for USD149.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for around 159Euros inside the EU so its roughly 25% cheaper compared to the M7. Of course, if we had to choose between the M6 and the M7 based on audio performance and battery life we’d go for the M7 but the M6 has other extras including a more compact enclosure and WiFi connectivity. Long story short the M6 may not be quite as good as the M7 but it’s more affordable and still packs most of the features found in the M7 (and then some) which is why it deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Aluminum Housing)
- Audio Performance
- Compact Size
- LDAC & AptX HD Codecs
- 3.2 Inch Touch Screen
- WiFi & Bluetooth Connectivity
- 2GB Onboard Storage
- Supported Audio Formats (ISO/DFF/DSF/APE/WAV/FLAC/WMA/OGG/ACC/ALAC/MP3)
- 1200mAh Rechargeable Battery (Up To Over 13 Hours Of Playback)
- Supports Micro SD Cards Up To 2TB In Capacity
- Customized Android v7.0 OS

CONS

- Highs & Bass Levels (Compared To The M7)