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FiiO JM21: One-minute evaluate
If we’ve all come to depend on FiiO for something, it’s for specification and efficiency that’s out of proportion with the amount of cash it’s asking for a given gadget. The most recent product to show this glad knack in motion is the FiiO JM21 digital audio participant.
It’s compact, it’s greater than adequately constructed and completed, it’s specified like a way more costly gadget, and it’s easy to arrange and use. Battery life is effectively above common for a product of this sort, in a lot the identical approach that the worth is effectively under. You’ll be able to spend getting on for twice as a lot cash on a Sony equal and it gained’t purchase you something extra the place the standard of development or the usual of specification is worried.
So, does it sit amongst the best MP3 players available on the market? It is an unequivocal sure from us.
FiiO JM21 evaluate: Worth and launch date
- Launched January 2025
- Priced at $199 / £179 / AU$369 (approx.)
The FiiO JM21 digital audio player was announced at CES 2025 and launched in direction of the top of January 2025. In the UK it at the moment sells for round £179, whereas in america it goes for $199. Prospects in Australia are more likely to must half with AU$369 or thereabouts.
FiiO JM21 evaluate: Options
- 2 x Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs
- Balanced and unbalanced headphone sockets
- Bluetooth 5.0 with SBC, AAC, aptX HD, LDAC and LHDC codec assist
You need to hand it to FiiO – it could have got down to produce essentially the most inexpensive digital audio participant it may realistically handle, however that doesn’t imply it’s felt the necessity to scrimp on the options.
Which suggests the FiiO JM21 is prepared for any eventuality. It’s fitted with twin Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chipsets for compatibility with resolutions as much as 32bit/384kHz and DSD256, and these are paired with high-performance op-amps in a totally balanced structure. Its fundamental management, DAC and headphone amp sections are shielded and remoted in their very own zones in an effort to scale back sign interference and cross-talk.
Wired outputs consist of three.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone sockets – the three.5mm socket is a hybrid quantity that can be utilized as an SPDIF output to be used with an exterior DAC. The USB-C slot that sits between them can be utilized for knowledge switch in addition to battery-charging and the 2400mAh battery is sweet for greater than 12 hours of playback between fees. That is so long as you’re utilizing the unbalanced output and never going to city with quantity ranges, in fact.
The JM21 has three ‘acquire’ settings, every with a unique quantity curve. That is particularly helpful in the event you intend to make use of the FiiO as a supply hard-wired to an amplifier or a powered speaker – set the output to ‘LO’ and no hurt will come to your gear – and it additionally means the JM21 should not have any drawback driving even fairly demanding headphones. And in the event you join the FiiO to a laptop computer (as an illustration) by way of its USB-C socket, it could possibly operate as a USB DAC and improve your listening pleasure greater than considerably. Used this fashion, it’s capable of cope with 32bit/768kHz and DSD512.
The place wi-fi connectivity is worried, the JM21 is each a Bluetooth transmitter and receiver. When it’s sending to headphones, wi-fi audio system or what-have-you, its Bluetooth 5.0 is appropriate with SBC, AAC, aptX HD, LDAC and LHDC codecs. Use it as a receiver and it could possibly cope with SBC, AAC and LDAC. Twin-band Wi-Fi is on board, in fact, and the JM21 is DLNA appropriate and helps Apple AirPlay, too.
There’s a lot extra, from the customized crystal oscillators (with ceramic gold-plated bases) which are screened on the femtosecond degree to make sure constant, secure output to the proprietary ‘digital audio purification’ system that separates the principle processing module to the co-processing equal. However by now I believe the broad level is made: the compact form-factor and comparatively low worth of the JM21 just isn’t mirrored in its specification.
Options rating: 5 / 5
FiiO JM21 evaluate: Sound high quality
- Open, detailed and composed presentation
- Good tonal stability and a good quantity of dynamism, too
- Not completely comfy at highest volumes
The whole lot is relative, in fact, and every part must be put into context, however whenever you maintain the worth of the FiiO JM21 uppermost in your thoughts, it’s onerous to search out significant fault. That doesn’t imply I’m not going to present it an excellent go, you perceive, however between you and me I’m struggling…
Irrespective of in the event you pay attention wirelessly by way of the aptX codec to one thing just like the Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 true wi-fi in-ears or the Dali IO-8 utilizing aptX HD, utilizing a pair of Sennheiser IE900 related to the participant’s 4.4mm balanced output, or make the FiiO a part of a full-size system by connecting it to a Naim Uniti Star utilizing the unbalanced 3.5mm output, it’s a composed, vigorous and admirably detailed pay attention. Irrespective of in the event you take heed to a DSD256 file of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, a 24/96kHz FLAC of When We All Fall Asleep, The place Do We Go? by Billie Eilish or a 16bit/44.1kHz file of De La Soul’s 3 Ft Excessive and Rising, the JM21 doesn’t put a foot improper. It’s a outstanding little gadget.
It balances the frequency vary actually properly – from the deep and textured low frequencies to the politely shining high finish and all factors in between, there’s an evenness of emphasis and an absence of choppiness that speaks of a correctly sorted participant. It hits onerous on the backside finish, however with no lack of management: its straight-edged assault means rhythmic expression is assured and convincing. There’s chunk and drive on the high finish, however it’s composed and by no means even hints at turning into onerous or edgy. And in between, the mid-range is open and revealing, so a vocalist is allowed full expression of the character and motivations.
The tonal stability is equally well-judged. It’s on the cool facet of impartial, however not by very a lot and to not the detriment of the music it’s taking part in. In the meantime, the eye to element the JM21 demonstrates is de facto admirable – even these transient particulars in a recording which are gone virtually as quickly as they arrive are picked up on and put into acceptable context.
The truth that the FiiO establishes a fairly giant and simply understood soundstage doesn’t do any hurt, both. Even a borderline-chaotic stage like that which Mike Oldfield creates is opened up by the JM21, and the quantity of correctly outlined house it could possibly put between every factor of a recording is sort of one thing. There’s loads of house on the ‘left/proper’ axis and even a stab at creating a correct sensation of ‘entrance/again’, too. Dynamic headroom is appreciable, so when a recording indulges in massive shifts in depth or quantity, the participant has no problem in maintaining and making them completely obvious.
The truth is, so far as I can inform the one approach to make the FiiO JM21 sound something apart from fully comfy and assured is to wind the amount up in direction of ‘ill-advised’ ranges. When it’s taking part in at its higher limits, a number of the three-dimensionality of its presentation goes astray, dynamic variations develop into flattened, and the general sound will get fairly shouty. However it is best to take note of your mother and father/physician/personal frequent sense – you actually shouldn’t be listening at this kind of quantity anyway.
Sound high quality rating: 5 / 5
FiiO JM21 evaluate: Design
- 121 x 68 x 13mm (HxWxD)
- Aluminium and plastic development
- 156g
You don’t see many ‘two-tone’ digital audio gamers, do you? The FiiO JM21 is one, although. It is impeccably constructed and completed from a mixture of high-quality plastic and aluminium, is sky blue on its high half and silver on the underside. The underside is sort of curiously textured, too – though it’s possible you’ll not get to expertise this, as FiiO provides the participant pre-fitted with a protecting clear plastic case.
The highest of the machine is mainly all touch-screen – it’s a 4.7-inch, 750 x 1334 affair, and it’s large enough and shiny sufficient to show plenty of data with out turning into illegible. Regardless of the comparatively giant display screen, although, at 121 x 68 x 13mm (HxWxD) the JM21 is smaller than even essentially the most compact smartphone, and at 156g it’s no form of burden to a pocket.
Design rating: 5 / 5
FiiO JM21 evaluate: Usability and setup
- Android 13
- 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM (of which 22GB is usable)
- 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor
The FiiO JM21 makes use of an extensively tailored model of Android 13 as an operating system, and due to an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor it’s quick and secure in operation. FiiO is open sufficient to acknowledge that Android 13 is pretty memory-hungry, although, and given the JM21 has simply 3GB of RAM accessible (in an effort to maintain each prices down) it suggests solely loading these important music-streaming apps and avoiding peripheral stuff. It additionally suggests avoiding operating a number of apps concurrently if in any respect potential.
The 22GB of usable ROM isn’t going to final lengthy, however there’s a microSD card slot on one facet of the participant – and it could possibly deal with reminiscence playing cards of as much as 2TB, which is sufficient to retailer all of the hi-res stuff you may presumably wish to take heed to.
Bodily controls are organized on the sting of the participant, too. On the left facet (as you take a look at it) there’s an influence on/off button with an LED tell-tale just under it. Beneath there’s a quantity up/down rocker. On the fitting, in the meantime, there’s play/pause, skip forwards and skip backwards. The whole lot you want, in different phrases, and simply as dependable and optimistic of their motion because the touchscreen controls are.
Organising the JM21 is simplicity itself for anybody who’s ever owned a smartphone. Cost the battery (from ‘flat’ to ‘full’ takes round two hours), put the participant in your native community, set up the apps that you must set up (solely the necessities, bear in mind), and away you go. I’m struggling to consider the way it could possibly be any extra simple.
Usability and setup rating: 5 / 5
FiiO JM21 evaluate: Worth
I’ll say it as straight as I can, for the avoidance of doubt: the FiiO JM21 is large worth for cash, at $199 / £179 / AU$369 (approx.). It’s as well-made and -finished as any sub-£500 digital audio participant you care to say, it’s specified past its asking worth, and it sounds nice when taking part in at real-world volumes.
Sure, it may do with extra inside reminiscence – however then the bodily measurement, in addition to the worth, would very in all probability improve. SO ensure that to finances for a microSD card of worthwhile capability – you’ll nonetheless be in possession of a great-value transportable music participant.
Worth rating: 5 / 5
Ought to I purchase the FiiO JM21?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
FiiO JM21 evaluate: Additionally contemplate
How I examined the FiiO JM21
- Examined for 2 weeks
- Listened to each streamed and downloaded content material
- Examined with each wired and wi-fi headphones, Bluetooth speaker and amplifier
First issues first: I put in the Presto Music and Tidal music streaming service apps by way of the Google Play store, and I additionally inserted a 512GB SanDisk microSD card loaded with a number of high-resolution content material into the participant’s slot.
Then I used quite a lot of wired and wi-fi headphones (together with, however not restricted to, some Sennheiser IE900 in-ear displays by way of their 4.4mm socket and a pair of Bowers & Wilkins Px8 connected by way of Bluetooth), in addition to connecting the participant to a Bose SoundLink Max Bluetooth speaker and to a full-size stereo system by connecting its 3.5mm output to a line-level enter on a Naim Uniti Star amplifier/community streamer.
And at each stage, I listened to a number of several types of music, saved in numerous completely different file varieties, and used quite a lot of Bluetooth codecs when the FiiO was related wirelessly.
- First reviewed in February 2025