Why would you buy a portable music player? In this age of smartphone ultra-convenience, bolstered by access to so many streaming services and extensive hi-res Bluetooth codec support, what's the point of having a dedicated digital device when you could just listen to streaming apps on your phone instead? Isn't that like buying a four-poster bed and then choosing to sleep on the floor?
Hopefully not. If your goal is simply to enjoy music to the highest portable standard you can, a dedicated digital audio player should help you to make the most of your library of tunes, especially if you've got plenty of downloaded hi-res music files that you want given the royal treatment.
High-end examples such as the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 will leave your smartphone completely in the dust, but you'll have to fork out around £3495 / $3699 / AU$5499 to get one of those.
Like: better sound quality
Thankfully for FiiO, we’re starting with the obvious: a good dedicated player sounds better than most run-of-the-mill smartphones.
That’s not a guaranteed truth, and it would have been a kick in the teeth for FiiO had it been beaten by a standard iPhone, but the M21’s quad Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chips and hi-res support for PCM files up to 32-bit/768kHz alongside DSD512 mean it is primed and ready to give your music the proper treatment.
It’s always nice to break out those proper hi-res files and let them shine on a player that’s generally capable of doing them justice, and there’s no question that a decent source combined with good quality tracks makes for a far more rewarding sonic experience than simply a smartphone and some wireless earbuds.
Switch from your phone to a dedicated player and you’ll discern far more textural detail, clarity and spaciousness from your tunes. As we said in our review, the M21 offers a “smooth, weighty balance that still packs a punch when required”, granting meaty guitar tracks plenty of bite and texture without getting overly sloppy.
Tracks such as Alice in Chains’ Lesson Learned can easily sound like an ill-defined block of noise through lesser devices, yet the FiiO has the poise and insight to bring out the distinct textures hiding away within those crunchy power chords.
It's not entirely perfect, and you'll get a more dynamic and involving experience from more premium portable players, but as a step up from what your phone can do, the M21 makes sense as a savvy sonic investment.
Like: any excuse to bust out the best wired headphones
As much as wireless earbuds might be convenient, wired headphones will always deliver better sound quality. For me, there’s no excuse for having access to some of the best wired headphones in the business and not allowing them to stretch their legs once in a while.
Okay, while it may be overkill to hook up a pair of high-end Yamaha YH-5000SE to what is still a reasonably budget digital player, the M21 provides a powerful partner for the likes of the superb Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X (£189 / $199 / AU$399) and the ever-dependable Grado SR325x (currently £247 / $295 / AU$425).
Those happen to be two pairs of wired headphones on which I’m particularly keen. Hooking either five-star pair up to a smartphone (via an adapter) isn’t getting the best out of them, so it’s nice to give yourself an excuse to really revel in some great cans, safe in the knowledge that you’re feeding them a proper source.
My iPhone does nothing but breed laziness and complacency thanks to the convenience of Bluetooth, but when there’s a proper portable player involved, I’m far more motivated to crack out the wired Beyerdynamics and really get into my tunes.
Like: a break from my smartphone
Do you know what listening to music used to be? It used to be special. When you listened to full albums on a dedicated hi-fi system (and hopefully you still do), or on a dinky little CD player in your bedroom, or even on your first-ever iPod, you were only ever doing one thing: listening to your music.
Now, your tunes are an afterthought, just one of the many prongs on the infinitely versatile Swiss army knife that is your Samsung Galaxy S21, iPhone 16 Pro or Sony Xperia 10 VI.
It’s incredible to be able to access an infinite galaxy of songs on your favourite streaming service as you order your Ocado shopping, check your Instagram and then ping out a few emails, but it’s also in danger of relegating your music to a sort of tertiary background afterthought.
With a dedicated player, the music takes centre stage. The M21’s octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset does offer decent Android OS performance that goes beyond mere streaming (and you can even play Angry Birds if you’d like), but for the most part, you boot up your FiiO when you want to spend some quality one-to-one time with your tunes.
That’s a precious ritual, and one that should be protected at all costs.
Don't like: not another device
There is a flipside, of course, to the apparent benefit of tearing me away from the shiny umbilical cord that is my precious iPhone.
We’re so used to living in a world of multi-functionality. There was a time when you’d have to own a separate calculator, compass, spirit level, watch, music player (probably an iPod or Walkman) and camera. Now, they’re all housed in something slightly bigger – and certainly far slimmer – than a standard pack of cards.
The joy of your smartphone is that everything is all there in one place and easy to access in your hand, and while that might mean compromises in quality when compared with dedicated tools designed to do a specific job, that convenience is an unparalleled boon.
I know I just espoused the need for keeping your music separate from everything else, but when push comes to shove, resisting the urge to just pick up your phone and your best wireless earbuds is such a tough habit to break. I know that giving all my time and attention to my music is right and proper, but in practice? It's just so much easier to boot up Tidal on my phone. I'm not proud of that fact, that's just the way it is.
The problem with having another device, especially one as chunky as the FiiO M21, is that, well, you’ve got another device. That’s another thing to have to carry around if you’re planning on taking your tunes on the road; another thing to worry about getting damaged or scratched or lost; another thing that you need to keep charged and updated; another thing taking up space in your satchel.
It’s just more… stuff.
Don't like: not as slick as a smartphone
It’s easy to take your smartphone for granted. We’ve become so used to how incredibly slick, quick and precise the latest generations of devices are, it suddenly becomes jarringly apparent when a cheaper alternative just doesn’t have the same speedy functionality and usability as, say, the latest iPhone.
The M21 is still simple and effective to use, but it just doesn’t have the intuitive nature of my ever-dependable iPhone 15, nor does it have the same precision when it comes to those fiddlier controls or commands.
The responsiveness of the screen isn’t in any way bad, but it just feels so soft and slow when compared with the lightning speed of an Apple or Samsung heavyweight, and after a while, it's hard not to hanker for the familiarity of your supercharged smartphone.
A slightly unresponsive touchscreen? I might as well be back in the Middle Ages...
Don't like: I'm sold on portable players, just not this portable player...
Having spent a good deal of time with a dedicated portable music player, I can say that I’d definitely consider investing in one in order to take my wired listening to the next level. There’s just one caveat: it wouldn’t be the FiiO M21.
Much as I enjoyed my time with the wallet-friendly M21, and as much as I can patently see the advantages of a portable player over pinging Spotify or Tidal files to your smartphone via Bluetooth, it’s still slightly lacking in the key areas of musicality – namely rhythms and dynamics – to give me that proper immersion in my musical catalogue.
Whether you're spending £200 or £2000, if a product can't handle those core musical elements, it's hard to justify it as a worthwhile investment.
The M21 does so much so well, and it's a step up from a smartphone, but there’s still something rather meat and potatoes about the way it sounds – perfectly tasty and appropriately filling, but lacking a little bit of spice. I like the M21 very much, but do I love it, and does it make me love my favourite music? I'm not so sure.
Were it my own money, I’d splash the cash (and by that I mean, wait for a decent discount) on the Award-winning Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 instead. This is where you really begin to see the benefits of a dedicated hi-res player, and while I might not fork out £799 at full price, the A&K’s oft-discounted figure of £599 does make for a seriously tempting proposition. Having heard it side-by-side with the M21, there's little question which one I'd rather have hooked up to my favourite pair of wired headphones.
The thing about the SR35 isn’t just that it’s better than the FiiO, but that it’s better in the key areas that really make your music shine. Clarity, detail and cohesion are all correct and present, but the SR35’s subtle dynamic handling, its rhythmic spark and its fluid, effortless nature make for a hugely engaging listen.
Exceptional sound that makes you appreciate your music and gives you a great excuse to really get those wired cans firing? Now that’s something worth paying for.
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