It’s easy to listen to music on your phone or laptop whenever you want. But hardcore audiophiles and musicians need more than that.
Digital Audio Players are the way to go for them. And those of them who know their stuff know FiiO. It has been making some of the best DAPs in the market. But-
Which one’s the best among FiiO M17 vs M11 vs M11 Plus?
Thee M17 and M11 Plus use a very similar chipset with M17 being slightly better. Even in terms of THD+N, M11 Plus wins. When it comes to battery capacity, the M11 falls short than the rest. Despite having the most capacity, the M17 has the lowest battery life.
Well, there goes a brief among these three devices. Are you still looking for more information?
We’ve gone into further details in the article below. Scroll down to find out more!
Contents
FiiO M17 vs M11 vs M11 Plus: Notable Differences
Before we go into the detailed differences, let’s see the key differences first. You’ll get a better understanding if you go through these first.
Let’s go through the basic distinguishing factors in thai Fiio dap comparison first-
| Category | FiiO M17 | FiiO M11 | FiiO M11 Plus |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core | Exynos 7872 14nm | Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core |
| DAC chip | ESS ES9038PRO x2 | AK4493EQ×2 | ESS ES9068AS x2 |
| Amp chip | THX AAA-788+ | OPA926x2 | THX AAA-78 x2 |
| Bluetooth chip | QCC5124 | SAMSUNG S5N5C10B01-6330 | QCC5124 |
| RAM | 4GB | 3GB | 4GB |
| Bluetooth version | 5.0 | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| Max output power | 1.4W @16Ω | 480mW @ 16Ω | 400mW @16Ω |
| Volume potentiator | Analog knob | Digital slide or button control | Digital slide or button control |
| FiiO Link | Yes, Wifi and Bluetooth control | Yes, Wifi and Bluetooth control | Yes, Wifi and Bluetooth control |
| Battery capacity | 9,200 mAh | 3,800 mAh | 6,000 mAh |
| Max average battery life | 10 hours | 13 hours | 14 hours |
| Screen size | 5.99” | 5.15” | 5.5” |
| USB port | USB Type-C 3.0, USB Type-C 2.0 | TYPE C Two-way USB2.0 | Type-C |
| Max SNR | 123dB | 115dB | 120dB |
| Max THD+N | <0.0007% | ＜0.001% | <0.0006% |
| Charging time | 4.5 hours | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Total storage | 64GB | 32GB | 64GB |
| Expansion storage | Up to 2TB | Theoretically 4TB (dual micro SD card slot) | Up to 2TB |
| Gain modes | Low, medium, high, enhanced headphone mode | L/H | Low, medium, high |
| Outputs | 6.35mm headphone, 4.4mm balanced, 3.5mm headphone/line out, 2.5mm balanced, RCA coax | 3.5 mm headphone jack+2.5mm balanced headphone jack+4.4mm balanced headphone jack | 2.5mm balanced, 3.5mm SE, 4.4mm balanced, 4.4mm balanced line out |
| Inputs | RCA coax, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| WiFi | 2.4GHz/5GHz | 2.4/5G | 2.4GHz/5GHz |
| Weight | 1.3lbs | 0.465lbs | 0.65lbs |
| Check Availability | Check Latest Price | Check Latest Price | Check Latest Price |
Well, this is a pretty big list. But if you’re a musician, these details will most likely be necessary for you to decide.
Now that you’re done looking at the notable points, let’s see them in detail.
FiiO M17 vs M11 vs M11 Plus: Head-to-Head Battle
Digital Audio Players or DAPs are the go-to items for musicians. These things are like phones, except you can sample your music on them.
There are tons of items to choose from. But FiiO brand, in particular, has dominated the market. So much so that you’re here confused between 3 of its products.
If you look closely, you’ll see a lot of similarities between the three DAPs. But they’re still quite different and you’ll find out here which one to buy.
Anyways, that’s enough introduction. You’ve already seen the key differences. Now, let’s not wait any longer and look at the differences in detail-
Chip Set:
When we say set, we’re talking about CPU, DAC chip, Amp chip, and Bluetooth chip. If you look closely, you’ll see that the M11 is completely different in every aspect here.
But the other two have some similarities. The only difference they have is in the DAC chip. The DAC chip is the Digital to Analog Converter chip.
And the DAC chip on M17 is better. But that doesn’t make much of a difference, to be honest. After all, they decode at the same max sample speed.
The specs on M17 and M11 Plus are better than M11 overall. So, the winner in this section is both M17 and M11 Plus.
Even if you compare M17 to Hibby R8, M17 still has a better chipset. And gearing Fiio daps with Fiio IEMs, like the FH3 can produce even better sounds. As the Fiio IEMs are highly compatible with Fiio DAPs.
Winner: M17 and M11 Plus
THD+N:
THD+N stand for Total Harmonic Distortion Plus Noise. It’s almost similar to THD, but they’re not the same.
Although the chipset of M11 Plus is inferior to M17, it outperforms the other two sometimes. Like if you look at the THD+N, M11 performs very low at 0.001%.
Whereas, M17 performs at 0.0007% and M11 Plus performs at 0.0006%. The difference here is very little.
This also reminds us that the best DAC chip can perform badly sometimes. Even when you have a spotless THD+N but there are other noisy parts.
But with the inferior chipset of M11 Plus, this is still pretty good. So, the title of the winner of this section goes to M11 Plus.
Winner: M11 Plus
Battery:
Here we’re going to talk about the battery overall. Like the battery health, run time, charge time, and capacity.
The Fiio M17 battery capacity is around 9,200 mAh. And for M11 and M11 Plus it’s 3,800mAh and 6,000mAh respectively. You can see that the Fiio m11 battery capacity is very low comparatively. But let’s not jump to conclusions just yet.
The charge time for them is 4.5 hours, 3 hours, and 3 hours respectively. M17 has the highest battery capacity so the high charge time is understandable. Nothing a good portable charger can’t help with!
The maximum average battery life of all three is 10 hours, 13 hours, and 14 hours respectively. Even with the highest battery capacity, M17 has the lowest maximum average battery life.
This alone can put the M17 at disadvantage in this section. But there’s a reason for this. And that is the maximum output power.
The maximum output power is 1.4W @16Ω, 480mW @ 16Ω, and 400mW @16Ω respectively.
You can see here that M17 is able to use power almost 3 times of M11. So M17 is allowed to have less average maximum battery life.
If we had to announce a winner from this section, it’ll be a tie. M17 is able to use more power but not enough battery life.
M11 and M11 Plus can last longer but they can’t use enough power. So, it’s a tie.
Volume Potentiator:
Now this isn’t something that’s highly important, but it’s still worth talking about. Both M11 and M11 Plus come with buttons and digital control.
But the M17 comes with an analog knob. Now, this might sound old school to you but there’s a catch to this.
Due to this analog knob, there’ll never be any software lag. Besides, there’s a great hand feel to it.
There are always people who struggle to choose between digital and analog volume potentiators. But we’d always go with the analog one. There’s no lag after all.
Due to the analog knob, we’d say the winner is M17 here.
Winner: M17
Input/output:
The input and output system is very important here. After all, you’ll be plugging in a lot of things.
Both M11 and M11 Plus use only USB C here. Sure it’s modern and there’s USB-C in everything now.
But the best thing about M17 is, RCA coax input/output, USB 2.0, and USB-C. Not only can you connect them with modern devices, but you can also connect older generation headphones. The ones that are eating dust at the corner of your everyday.
RCA coax input/output on the other hand let’s you modify your audio chain with analog components.
So, the winner of this section will have to be M17.
Winner: M17
Looking to pair up the DAPs with top-quality IEMs to test their abilities? Check out these amazing IEMs you can get from Linsoul! Take your listening experience to the next level by pairing up your DAPs with these IEMs:
| Product | Features | Price(Amazon) | Price(Linsoul) | Price(Aliexpress) |
THIEAUDIO Elixir | High-Quality Litz Cable3-Dimensional Velocity TransducerBalanced and Neutral Tonality | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
| 7HZ Timeless | 14.2mm Planar DriverFrequency response range: 5-40000hzImpedance: 14.8ohm | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
| Tripowin Leá | LCP Dynamic DriverPowerful Bass, Enhanced PerformancePremium Detachable Cable | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
These IEMs are some of the most popular launches of the last few years. You can get a good deal from Amazon and Linsoul with quick delivery. We consider these IEMs to be the best IEMs to pair with Fiioo M17.
However, Aliexpress can provide you an even better deal. But in the expense of lengthy delivery time.
Which DAP Comes Out on Top?
Now that you have come this far, you know all the differences there are to know about. Since we have three items let’s drop one first before we choose a winner.
And the one that’s going to be dropped is M11. we dropped M11 due to low specs overall in everything comparatively. Now let’s move on.
From all the comparison’s above, you might want to know:
Is Fiio M17 better than M11?
Yes, the Fiio M17 outperforms the M11 in many different aspects. The M17 and M11 Plus have almost similar chipsets. M17 chipset is slightly better. But even with inferior chip sets, M11 Plus outperforms in some sections comparatively.
Like with THD+N. Their numbers are very close.
In terms of battery health though, M11 Plus can last the longest. But its maximum energy output is also the lowest. Whereas, M17 has the highest power output, in exchange of low battery life.
In terms of volume potentiator and Input/Output, M17 wins due to a variety of choices. But in terms of price, M17 costs around $1,100 more than M11 Plus.
Taking all these into account we’ll say it’s a tie. M17 is obviously better in almost every way. But M11 Plus is a better value for money.
So, if you something that gives value for money, go with M17. But if you want the variety in options and the best at everything, go for M17.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does The M17 Support Android Auto?
Yes, the M17 supports android auto feature. But it’ll be a lot of hassle for you. You’ll have to download multiple Google apps only to get it to work. The interface might not be that great either. Also, you won’t be able to change songs or volume through your car.
Do I Have to Pay for a Subscription on FiiO devices?
No, you don’t have to pay for a subscription on any FiiO devices. Doesn’t matter which model you’re using. You can transfer songs from your PC which were already downloaded. But you can even get Apple Music or Spotify or other stuff. And then pay a subscription to them to listen to music.
Is FiiO Any Good?
The products made by FiiO are great. You get to listen to high-quality music on the go in real-time. You can even do some level of audio mixing. But you won’t be able to do much serious audio mixing on it though. You’ll be able to gather music from if you suddenly feel the need for it though.
Wrapping Up
Now you know which one to get among FiiO M17 vs M11 vs M11 Plus. We hope all this information was useful to you.
A word of advice though. Don’t depend on them for your primary audio mixing. The HiBy R8 can be a great option for that instead.
Good Luck!
