Why buy a $1,300 iPod? - FiiO M15 Music Player

Join us in War Thunder for FREE on PC, PS4, and Xbox One: gjn.link/ShortCircuitWT Get an exclusive bonus using our link - thanks for supporting the channel!
Aren't all smartphones essentially portable music players now? FiiO thinks they can do something better but is it worth $1300???
Buy Fiio M15 Music Player
On Amazon (Paid Link): geni.us/Bamtee
On BHPhoto (Paid Link): geni.us/941WbG
Buy Grado Hemp Headphones
On Amazon (Paid Link): geni.us/DSOO7q
On BHPhoto (Paid Link): geni.us/QkT7k
Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.
►GET MERCH: www.LTTStore.com/
►SUPPORT US ON FLOATPLANE: www.floatplane.com/
►LTX EXPO: www.ltxexpo.com/
AFFILIATES & REFERRALS
---------------------------------------------------
►Affiliates, Sponsors & Referrals: lmg.gg/sponsors
►Private Internet Access VPN: lmg.gg/pialinus2
►MK Keyboards: lmg.gg/LyLtl
►Nerd or Die Stream Overlays: lmg.gg/avLlO
►NEEDforSEAT Gaming Chairs: lmg.gg/DJQYb
►Displate Metal Prints: lmg.gg/displateltt
►Epic Games Store (LINUSMEDIAGROUP): lmg.gg/kRTpY
►Amazon Prime: lmg.gg/8KV1v
►Audible Free Trial: lmg.gg/8242J
►Our Gear on Amazon: geni.us/OhmF
FOLLOW US ELSEWHERE
---------------------------------------------------
Twitter: / shrtcrctyt
Instagram: / shortcircuityt
Facebook: / shortcircuityt
FOLLOW OUR OTHER CHANNELS
---------------------------------------------------
Linus Tech Tips: lmg.gg/linustechtipsyt
TechLinked: lmg.gg/techlinkedyt
Techquickie: lmg.gg/techquickieyt
LMG Clips: lmg.gg/lmgclipsyt
Channel Super Fun: lmg.gg/channelsuperfunyt
Carpool Critics: lmg.gg/carpoolcriticsyt

[@mdukasa]

DankPods: Someone's been in here

[@KudosK42]

Aight gonna throw my 1 Grit through their window BRB

[@christophermorin9036]

@@KudosK42 oh no....my pkcell...

[@samwoollatt]

Haha, was thinking this exact thing. Nice one, Ukasa

[@YamiSpyro2011]

@@KudosK42 no need to do something that crazy

[@exernal8969]

"it was me!"

[@vansubagja]

"Your phone doesn't even have a headphone jack, we have three here" Ouch.

[@jarnold1789]

Erik Lol yep

[@monarrez95]

Jokes on him, my phone has a jack.

[@jamescruz8678]

Zenfone 6 gang where you at

[@Jdogg4089]

All of my phone's have had a headphone jack

[@jonnyOysters]

Honestly I refuse to buy a phone without one lol

[@x-streams7499]

Audiophile: thats a good cheap DAP

[@evshrug]

I mean, it’s no Sansa Clip+, but it’s “cheaper” than a Sony WM1z or Astell & Kern Ultima.

[@raineheartily3875]

@Shinidoshi Using BTR5 now, as move from Dragonfly Red. BTR5 is freakin awesome. pretty close to Xduoo XD-05 in sound but much smaller.

[@fabianmayer]

Does it go well with hd 600? I am thinking of buying one, and am asking if it is good to only use the FioO insead of another dedicated amp for my desk.

[@raineheartily3875]

@@fabianmayer You need balanced cable to use it with HD600. I tried the 3.5mm jack with HE4XX it only make proper audible sound at max volume. But its decent on balanced cable --- The only impression i can give is compared to my Dragonfly Red is how clean the sound is. DFR is coloring the sound a bit much, it may tried to bring up the vocals but i much prefer the clear cut sound from BTR5. It may lack a bit openness of XD05 but its getting there. I you need a portable for your phone also your pc, get BTR5. But if you only need for your PC and you don't need the bluetooth? Get one of Xduoo XD05 family

[@fabianmayer]

@@raineheartily3875 yea K kinda need Bluetooth, since I travel a lot, and I have a Laptop. Thanks for the advice on the Hd 600.

[@JT-wf7ou]

James - "If you're the kind of person that wants to spend $1300" Me, an audio engineer - "Want is a very strong word"

[@TheCod3r]

Audio engineer, the posh words for "I make fruityloops beats" 🤣🤣🤣 jokes BTW lol

[@DarkPortall]

@@TheCod3r ew emojis

[@shiskeyoffles]

Means?

[@campkira]

unless you work for hollywood audio engineer.. you don't need this...

[@Merkkc]

@@campkira uNleSs yOurE A rAcInG DriVer, YoU dOnT neEd A spOrTs cAR

[@mrbulldog8849]

I feel like James brings so much personality to his role in the lmg. Always entertaining when him or Riley come on a show

[@CheapBastard1988]

Definitely! Not many manage to do this. He's doing great! Though he could never replace Luke (AKA Slick) because he originated from back when LTT still had its innocence. Looking back at those CSF videos from back in the day is such a great nostalgia trip.

[@jacobstamm]

Honestly I think James has mad comedy chops. I find myself cracking up just about every minute when he's on the screen. His hosting of Linus's roast is absolutely top notch. If he ever did stand up, I bet he'd knock it out of the park.

[@haziqshams]

tbh most LMG staff are able to move on and make their own YT channel.

[@johnpeterson99]

Linus is a humble genius for hiring (becoming partners with?) James the audiophile. Such a great talent who could make good money by himself but lucky to have found LMG to showcase himself. If I were a TV exec I would send my best headhunter!

[@AFpaleoCon]

No, Riley is an annoying child.

[@jiehfeng]

"64 gigs isn't even that much". Funny how a few years ago we used to dream of having 64 gigs.

[@romainehaye3469]

Its alot for a mp3 player

[@user-xg6zz8qs3q]

For the target audience who only listens to the highest quality lossless digital music files (i.e. FLAC), 64 GB is minuscule. The average size of an album is around 350mb.

[@isaachaze1]

64 gig sucks, especially for that price point. my music library far exceeds 100 gigs. i guess the sd card makes up for it as long as there is no latency

[@MarkPharaoh]

Don’t mind the 64Gb. Shouldn’t really matter unless it’s your first DAP. You have your SD card with your library and the 64Gb is nice when you want to offline some streaming music

[@user-xg6zz8qs3q]

@@MarkPharaoh The issue with SD cards is that they're much slower than internal storage. And that matters when you're scrolling through thousands of songs. For the price, 256 gb would have been nice.

[@chocolatehusky]

5:40 Are you complaining about lack of bloatware? I think it's good they let you choose what software you want to download, so that you don't have to uninstall all the crap you don't need.

[@No-xl9zd]

Agreed

[@joshg9773]

Do you know what complaining is?

[@HiFiGOAudio]

The main benefit of getting an M15 is its driving power, no smartphone can power up demanding headphones while the M15 headphone mode powers demanding headphones with ease. Also not to mention the flagship-grade AK4499 DAC and Amplification circuitry is no where to be found in smartphones!!

[@skringardhildegard4000]

Uhmmm ever heard of LG V60?

[@trainslife5638]

jes what do you want to say with that?

[@aldebaran0_]

@@skringardhildegard4000 storage bloat, lack of future support, shorter battery life, lack of balanced output, etc. plus not everyone wants to have their phone be their pmp

[@mst4001]

@@skringardhildegard4000 it cant even drive 32 ohm properly wht d u expect

[@honestloez]

@@mst4001 Pfft... It drive 100 Ohm IEM easily... Seems like you dont know what you talking about...

[@jinluffy]

As a Hi-Fi fan, I can assure you, $1300 is just a tip of the ice burg.

[@roman2holub225]

Yup, bought this and the tracks/music cost me over 3k

[@FiniteCS]

Yeah, I wish it was easier to get into Hi-Fi, but sadly most people see no reason to do so when they mainly just stick to badly compressed audio from KZbin and Spotify due to the ease of streaming, thus meaning the market doesn't have enough demand to get competitive enough to lower the price on their items. Right now the cheapest AMPs that aren't complete garbage are still over $100, but getting a very nice DAC with the AMP will cost even more, especially if you want to get a balanced output since the cable alone with be more than $50 at the cheapest. Luckily, headphones have at least some competition and demand, so you can get some nice audiophile cans for as little as $70 or cheaper, but if you want a truly neutral sound for critical listening, then the cheapest there is would be the $300+ Sennheiser HD 600s, and those aren't even as good as the $1,000+ headphones that require even better AMPs to run them. Sadly, due to ease of use of streaming music, we'll have to wait until Internet connectivity becomes fast and cheap enough to warrant streaming of high quality audio like FLACs for even the most mediocre of services like KZbin and Spotify so that Hi-Fi can become more mainstream for those who realize that their shitty IEMs and "gaming" headphones aren't good enough now that 128kbps MP3 audio is no longer the norm. Oh well, we can only hope for a day like that to come while we spend more money on our audio than we did on our computers.

[@FiniteCS]

@Kartoffelbrei KZbin audio _is_ bad by default since the max it will upload at is ~128 Kbps AAC no matter if the source was lossless or 320 Kbps MP3 or whatever. I was wrong about it being MP3 on KZbin since I forgot that it converts it to AAC for MP4 video, but my statement about it being 128 Kbps isn't wrong (might actually be lower).

[@FiniteCS]

@Kartoffelbrei True, but my original point still stands: due to the lack of lossless audio streaming, the majority of people will never have a need or desire to get into Hi-Fi since the benefits from a really good DAC, amp, and neutral headphones don't outweigh the cost for people who get their music from streaming sites like KZbin and Spotify. Maybe in the future once we have 10+ Gbps Internet via satellite and cell tower and most streaming sites have servers capable of storing such huge amounts of data without consequence, then we can get lossless audio streaming to make Hi-Fi worth it to more people than those who make sure to get WAV, FLAC, etc. audio files and CD or even vinyl record quality recordings of their music. Of course, you still gain benefits from having audiophile equipment no matter what, but to the vast majority of people, it isn't worth it sadly.

[@evshrug]

@@FiniteCS You should check out Sennheiser’s new HD 560S, very neutral for $200. Baby HD 600.

[@articularspark224]

New soundbyte: James saying "This is an OK knob."

[@PratyakshAgarwalForReal]

That's what she said.

[@DavidFrostbite]

"Camfer - Chamfer? The edge... The bezel? The _bevel._ Whatever."

[@evshrug]

I’m honestly not sure if it’s pronounced “Champfah” or if that’s just a Johnny Ive idiosyncrasy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@Xerpocalypse_]

Just a note on the "dual MicroSD" thing. I've seen in other Fiio music players where they were designed originally with two cards and reduced to 1 in later, newer revisions. Apparently the power draw of two large MicroSD cards can cause issues with the stability of the storage controller, and with 1tb+ and larger cards coming to market, having two cards starts to become less necessary.

[@RedFenceAnime]

*"Delete currently playing song" is the best button!* But needs to keep track of the deleted songs in a file. The list would also be useful when you want to deleted those songs on your PC (or NAS).

[@screenoholic]

Yeah, give a Recycle Bin support 😁

[@urugulu1656]

no its not that is what rsync is good at.

[@RedFenceAnime]

Just $ rm -i "$(find ~/Music -type f -name "$(cat delete_songs_list.txt)")"

[@screenoholic]

@@RedFenceAnime Oh, yeah 😎😎. But I recommend moving the currently playing song to ~/.Trash-0000/ and giving an option to recover it back.

[@D3nn1s]

@@RedFenceAnime is that an android command or where would you enter it? I would love to have an app that hekps me sort my library, just select a folder and have two options to either keep a song, move it to the recycle bin, or just add it to the queue again if you do nothing. Id like to make that app at some point but i heard its quite hard to program for android and i have no time :(

[@franklingoodwin]

I never thought I'd see the day when James said "pause 4 porno"...but that day has arrived 😆. And yes, nobody wants to hear that or be caught hearing it either

[@dr.martinlroberts1908]

What does that mean?

[@LIKEcommentANDsubscribe]

@Prem Cooper 9:02

[@ilovef1forever]

@Prem Cooper 9:01

[@ilovef1forever]

@@dr.martinlroberts1908 thats a dr dre song

[@elbrunoloco00]

Dr. Martin L Roberts ✓ a doctor such as yourself should be aware of the works of Dr Andre Young. He's referring to a track on 2001. After that treat yourself to The Chronic. 👍🏽

[@haris525]

I have this, it’s pretty sweet! It’s the heart of my 2.1 channel system. The only issue I have is that it runs hot, does not support airplay 2, and still uses android 7.0. However the audio quality is TOP Notch!

[@dustysparks]

"Delete the currently playing song" Good for podcasts that you can remove once you've listened to them or realize "Oh that's not who I thought it was, I don't wanna listen to this... ever. *BOOM* gone"

[@hakim6158]

You're getting an audiophile niche music player to listen to podcasts? Lol

[@danielmiron7031]

This is the single best function. I knock a song off an album like nothing.

[@danielmiron7031]

@@hakim6158 I think one gets good player to listen to EVERYTHING, right? I mean, I don't switch back to my phone for music that I only have in .mp3.

[@philipsoo5451]

Hi sirs , the reason why only one SD card slot is available is because most SoC only supports one memory card slot expansion, and if they were to add another card , FiiO would have to add another voltage conversion chip or circuitry which could have made memory speeds slower as well as that extra space could have went into crystal oscillators which would theoretically made the music better, which was the aim of the device in the first place. There were also issues with android detecting 2 memory slots at the same time as well, because android was not built to accept 2 cards at the same time, I think this was also mentioned by someone else in the comment. The explanation was given by one of the big shots at FiiO themselves on the headfi forums, FiiO’s PR is pretty legit, u can ask them anything on the forum even super technical, or business decision related and they will answer you with a really good answer.

[@123Jeenie]

his issue was more that it had a second SD sized slot but with no ability to open it. If what you say is true why bother to put anything there at all?

[@philipsoo5451]

@@123Jeenie thank you :) it was mistake on my end of not understanding it fully

[@jumpinjehosephat1877]

@@philipsoo5451 a wild Filipino appears

[@911canihelpu]

i do agree, fiio is one of the lesser known brands but ive been using its q1mk2 and its amazing. the customer support was very helpful as well, i diy-ed its microusb repair and the support actually helped me instead of the usual 'propierary' bs.

[@ashwinrawat9622]

I don't think you know what you're talking about.

[@jojogpt]

The best thing about investing in a DAP is that it remains relevant and useful even after years of usage. I have been using mine for about 4 years now and the device works as it worked on the first day. The only reason I'm thinking of upgrading is because I have upgraded my headphones and I want a better DAC.

[@ziggyjuarez8544]

you trynna slap that 711 music.

[@jojogpt]

@Farhan Siddique That will be there case for any device with a battery. And from my experience of using DAPs for over 15 years, they have one of the best battery longevities among electronics.

[@evshrug]

I agree that DAPs can easily outlive smartphones and even computers, as long as you don’t get upgraditis! However, the best thing about a DAP in my mind is the separation from a smartphone (notifications, storage, and battery usage), followed closely by the fact that there are options that sound better and drive the best headphones better than a smartphone (even the lauded LG V series).

[@KristianH1986]

the ''mikey i think he likes it' reference had me tormented for hours trying to recall where it was from. thanks for that

[@jasdanvm3845]

"Look at that Rainbow, that's pretty badass" Now that's a phrase I never thought I would hear...

[@embergabor]

Please do more of these music player reviews. I like James' presentation and the fact he knows something about these devices. Also like the lack of "punchy base and rich midtones", which is how most KZbinrs describe any audio player. Keep it up.

[@evshrug]

He did get parts of the balanced amping description wrong, but we all make mistakes and at least he tried! Yes, he seems to have a nice personality for the camera. He certainly should keep making reviews! To be fair, many DAPs have more punchy bass and richer mid tones than smartphones that still have headphone jacks (like the LG V series) and especially more than laptops and desktop motherboards. I think other KZbinrs could have more granular degrees of describing the sound, but at the same time it’s weird to have a review of a $1500 portable audio player and almost lack any description of the audio quality. Do you see my point?

[@lupsik1]

@@evshrug He got more than that a tiny bit wrong like calling wireless interference "crosstalk" which is a term for a similar phenomenon but reserved for when it happens between wires/cables, but it didnt bother me one bit because each time it was pretty obvious what he meant and theres no reason to be picky about words.

[@BenulPlays]

someone at LTT clearly watches DankPods XD Wow, Thanks guys for the appreciation, A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all you nuggets

[@snp..]

Linus also has the Huh Duh Six Hundgeos by Senn

[@Livingmeerkat68]

Watching Dank review this and watching James review this is like they're reviewing two different products

[@potato_mk.2161]

Yeah Mate😂

[@xadithy9116]

DankPods is the best channel man

[@thegloriouspotato6223]

Thinking the same.

[@gopukrishna521]

11:11 Fluctuating magnetic field is not produced by DC lol It's AC that is fluctuating with time and induces noise.

[@mhtmhn]

Well, switching noise is a thing unless you're using a battery.

[@slimeyslim]

@@mhtmhn what’s switching noise

[@TheMartino77]

@@slimeyslim a common way of converting dc voltages is done with a switched mode power supply. These switch the supply on and off really fast to create a different voltage. For example to go from 10V to 5V, you switch the voltage on 50% of the time. This switching creates noise called switching noise. If you want to know more you can always google SMPS.

[@JCML63]

Yes, you are correct and I have made the same argument. This guy has lost all cred since he is just making stuff up.

[@JCML63]

@@mhtmhn What ARE you talking about?

[@sirscropi9723]

Thanks LTT for covering portable media players! Please do more in the future. Or cover phones that may have these features.

[@joshlewis9692]

This man just went from Hans Zimmer Blade Runner soundtrack to the skit from Chronic 2001 in one video. A god damn renaissance man right here.

[@highvis_supply]

If this thing had a SIM card slot, I would just replace my phone with it

[@Krankynator]

Same here.

[@TJCCBR47]

And a cheap 8mp camera, I am sold!

[@kek353]

@@TJCCBR47 😉

[@joaopedroaguiarfmatos1473]

It does not have gsm

[@realtvw]

There is a market i think for a high res dap- phone. I would get it.

[@Notpoop906]

the "delete the currently playing song" actually resonates with me tbh. It seems weird but I often find myself skipping certain songs every single time they come on and INTENDING to delete them, but just never doing it in the moment. If it was a press of the button, it would be a lot easier to clean out the trash from your library.

[@strom99nonce]

Delivered with a lot of passion, and real knowledge of your stuff !! Thx, great video !

[@snaptrak3680]

I used to only like when Linus hosted but I've been loving both James and Riley lately, they're awesome!

[@palmerochs2989]

Them and Anthony are such great additions to hosting

[@kennhern]

Someone's got to be a successor when Linus retires

[@iielysiumx5811]

i own fiio FH5 earphones and fiio always nail the packaging, they have the most premium packaging of any electronics company. they make AirPods look like cheap crap for poor people

[@chenvictor7916]

FH5 is legendary at its price range!

[@grunchidetrap476]

Okay...

[@Mico605]

Well thats great to know, that the packaging is great as if anyone is ever gonna use it once they open it.

[@AndrewAHayes]

Are you more interested in the packaging than the product? You can wrap a turd in gold but it's still a turd.

[@hlacoille]

That’s what I always looks for in my electronics from electronic companies, the packaging

[@riothero313]

Hell yeah with the Grado's, I love mine(not the hemps lol). They aren't the most comfortable thing for long listening if you have glasses on but, my god do they sound gorgeous. btw 2tb sounds like a lot until you actually look into lossless media. Kinda like shooting raw on a DSLR, memory goes quick.

[@gersprungled]

Brilliant informative review. Especially on the M15. And balanced cables. For me the free button I set up for on off. Its at the bottom and you find it everytime. I have an M15 and it's the best I've found to date.

[@ccovemaker]

Linus moves on Zeos' turf while he is offline.

[@camelapodo]

I'd love to see LTT try and replicate a full Z review, it'd be hilarious

[@ccovemaker]

@@camelapodo Linus's screensaver is just Yvonne. He drops a pair of Stax and breaks them...

[@annihilatorg]

@@camelapodo I just don't see LTT putting "At this point i'm rock hard" in a video.

[@mitchhifi9192]

He is to reliant on advertising to do a z review.

[@OtakuSanel]

Zeos has led me astray, he almost never sais anything negative about anything. I can't know what to buy when everything sounds amazing according to him.

[@gar_ee8884]

One of the best features pretty much never mentioned anywhere about these Fiio media players, pretty much every one with bluetooth, is the bluetooth transmitter mode. Being a bluetooth adapter for your pc isn't all that special, but these Fiio media players are the only bluetooth transmitters that can actually use LDAC, so your Windows or Mac computer can finally use something other than SBC. Even if you don't need a portable mp3 player, it's still worth it to pick up a little Fiio M6.

[@m-w-y7325]

so can I use it as an external Speaker for my gaming laptop and literally get awesome clean sound with it with that Bluetooth module?

[@josephdevera7283]

funny you should mention the M5, I got my hands on one about a month ago and it's become part of my everyday-carry. Love that lil thing.

[@realcartoongirl]

why pc only have sbc and ldac

[@aidanknotts1090]

Joseph Devera I didnt really understand the first comment, what does it do in simple terms?

[@realcartoongirl]

@@aidanknotts1090 he say ldac is better quality than sbc (used in many bluetooth audio)

[@tomcanty8856]

The explanation of what balanced is and how it works was appreciated greatly! Just getting into the audiophile scene, so to speak, and everyone always over complicates it and adds BS, you said it how it is, straight and simple in 10 seconds (not even), thanks LMG and James for once again being one of the best in the industry for information and content!

[@DeceLatina]

well it was completely wrong, each driver gets its own ground so one driver can't influenced electrically by the other

[@Strawberrymaker]

Sidenode: The same technique used for balanced output is also used for USB, HDMI or PCIE to reduce the noise and get higher speeds :)

[@obim4108]

as someone who does audio for a living it's great seeing you do stuff like the grado headphones and now this media players. Audio for a lot of people is some black magic so they never really get into it and I hope this gets more people interested

[@kaankucuk1612]

Hello, can I ask lets say a high-end IEM has frequency response between 5hz-40.000lhz. So, if I connect this IEM to a dap/dac player, the frequency response still will be between 5hz-40.000khz or if it depends on if dac/dap have frequency response between 20hz-20.000khz, the frequency response of IEM will only be between 20hz-20.000khz not 5hz-40.000khz?

[@jkhmonkey_kfp_pentium_ii_cpu]

M11 had 2 SD card expansion slots, but it had issues with the device being able to detect both. With M11 Pro, instead of fixing the dual slot issue, they said fuck it and limited you to one expansion slot. I expect this is the same case with the M15.

[@Krankynator]

It is.

[@lewie1234567891011]

I found that the M11 only had Micro SD card detection issues when plugged into the PC, which honestly, I wouldn't recommend anyways. It's much faster to just take the card out, place it in a reader and transfer like that. It's the same when your Micro SD card is placed in your phone, It works if you leave the card in, but it's like it adds some terrible overhead when transferring.

[@eugeniofolatre]

I have the m11 with two cards installed and I have no problem with the detection or even connecting it to the pc

[@jkhmonkey_kfp_pentium_ii_cpu]

@@eugeniofolatre comes down to China QC standards and consequently luck of the draw I think. I have issues with my Hiby R5 with its single SD card slot in that it doesn't work properly if I try to connect it to my PC through the device itself, but no issues if I use a reader instead. On the other hand, plenty of people who don't have that issue.

[@confusinggameplays1687]

Hey a Australian audiophile/music enthusiast also reviewed those Headphones and That Media his name is DANKPODS

[@Zvxers7]

Not my pkcell

[@hoppysport2872]

Superlative review! I'd love to see it compared to other hi-res players. Right now I use the 32-bit Hi-Fi QuadDAC on my LG G8...and it sounds pretty sweet. I especially enjoy the Master files on Tidal.

[@codyday8089]

Fun fact the 3.5 output only gets one of the dacs powering it. Use the balanced output to get both

[@gravedaisy]

"if you watched this far, then you like me." Damn, he got me.

[@BloodyIron]

Okay that explanation of balanced audio is actually awesome. Thanks James!

[@soulzzplaysgames]

Just a little side note. The front should already have a screen protector on. The extra one is for the back glass, because that one's a bit softer.

[@johnnygeorgopoulos4072]

It's not a "portable music playing device" and you guys should know this, it's an extremely high end DAC and amp along WITH fast storage and high definition playback. It's for people who have higher end headphones that need the power to drive them cleanly and efficiently on the go or wherever else one would want to experience music in a better way with better equipment...but personally, you can get similar results for much less money just with fewer features and slightly lesser materials or without screen ECT.

[@MRbasthor]

Go grab some USB dac/amp portable and use the extra money on headphones

[@dadanardi5541]

There are products for every kind of consumer out there.

[@mosesantonio5949]

You forgot to mention the shit warranty fiio offers. And don't even mention them what you do if the batteries die cause they'll ignore you.

[@flameshana9]

Why would music files need "fast" storage?

[@InfernalEmperor09]

Mosès Antonio i refuse to buy Astell and kern because of this shit and Fiio do the same thing?, I think i will keep listening music trough my pc, it’s not fair, you pay a premium price for the device you wait a premium customer service and support in return. This is sad :c

[@AliAdam80]

that "delete currently playing song" option legit scares me.... and I'll never even own this device XD

[@kevinperry8837]

I feel like it needs something like a quick double click after clicking it the first time to confirm.

[@Those2menoverthere]

Kevin Perry smart idea.

[@tjl2836]

it should just move the song to a special folder in case u messed up

[@UNSCPILOT]

@@kevinperry8837 or just an option to turn that off in settings, I'm sure a little software modding/folder diving could find a way to remove that

[@evshrug]

Trying to find the volume button without looking... whoops!

[@1stLuis]

"Fluctuating magnetic field" and a DC power cable shouldn't be really related AC power cable, yeah, for sure. A DC switching power as well, yeah. The former changes direction constantly (not necessarily 60 Hz, but usually), and this creates a magnetic field, which can induce what you mentioned. The later interrupts the power. This is done to interrupt the energy and generate the change in current, hence creating magnetic fields to charge/discharge a coil and a capacitor. But a linear DC power supply shouldn't add any noise. (These are usually preferred for applications where noise is a problem.

[@1stLuis]

@*S U C T I O N* Not sure to get the point. The circuitry wouldn't receive noise from a linear power supply, as coils are worthless with continuous DC. Now, if your point is to actually move the circuitry through magnetic fields, which basically are everywhere, that's another topic. For combating this you have different strategies, such as GND layers (multi layer PCB), a Faraday cage, etc.

[@1stLuis]

@*S U C T I O N* on that one I agree. And I also agree that a constant DC power supply is ideal and there's alway fluctuations. As mentioned, wherever there's electricity flowing there will be a magnetic field. However, if considered a constant, which could basically be, the capacitance/impedance from the board, plus it's design could handle the noise generated by the board itself. Summarizing, if there's a constant power supply, should be pretty much noise free. Noise from the power supply could be considered non existent. Noise from the ambient can be dealed with shielding and PCB layout And noise from the current flowing within the board by adding filters to the analog sources and devices. At the end the main point remains, DC is not totally related to noise. A switching power supply will be.

[@Thessdjr]

@*S U C T I O N* won't get noise off DC

[@Thessdjr]

@*S U C T I O N* how fast do you think you're gonna be moving a headphone cable? I don't know how you listen to music but I don't generally sit there flicking it back and forth as fast as i possibly can

[@Thessdjr]

@*S U C T I O N* so you admit you won't get noise, but you're still saying theres noise????? yeah adds up

[@mikelisteral7863]

great job talking about the delete currently playing song option.

[@felixf4378]

Wow. I haven't seen audiophile hardware (and prices) in years. Still have my HD 600s that I bought when I was 17. I'm 24 now.

[@gwynbleiddroach2589]

25 and own the Mr.Speakers Aeon flow C and the HD700.

[@antonhelsgaun]

It's cheaper than ever

[@FiniteCS]

Oh man, I can't wait until I finally take the plunge (both financially and metaphorically) into Hi-Fi and get myself a nice Amp+DAC and some HD 600s or the HD 58X Jubilees. Been stuck using closed back cans for the longest time and want to finally experience music correctly, even if I'll mainly use it for 128kbps quality MP3 audio from KZbin, lmao. Been worried about how bad the noise bleed can be, but I feel like it's something I need to do, especially since it's either that or I stick with closed backs and just get some DT 770 Pros (best audiophile closed back headphones for under $500, but still not as good as open backs are apparently).

[@Nadia1989]

Hrr drr six hungeos

[@ryanmiskin]

@@Nadia1989 old mate senny.

[@rackneh]

The 'Delete from library' function is fucking sick, I wish my phone had that damn Edit: Also, I normally wouldn't really go for a DAC but if it doubles as a dedicated Ipod with a PHYSICAL VOLUME KNOB we're talking. Please review a cheaper one! Also also for future reviews of these things, please tell me you can also use it as a pocket distortion device for guitars. The amount of possibilities of effects you can apply WHILE you record. If you're real nifty you could record Mick Gordon's BFG Division in one sitting if you use the DJ method of composing

[@Syn741]

you can try the fiio m11 or m11 pro. it's around 600 to 700 USD. there are a couple of reviews online. fiio products have a crazy amount of standby time. and shutting down and turning on the device is really quick as compared to something from Astell and kern. Astell and kern do make really good DACs with superb build quality. but the downside for me is that they drain really quickly and is way more expensive as compared to fiio.

[@JDS_im]

I've got the M11 Pro and it's fantastic. You can go for the regular M11 if you're not too concerned about microscopic differences in sound, that's their cheapest model that's truly worth having imo. For me I found the jump from M11 to M11 Pro to be worth it, but the jump to the M15 was not.

[@rackneh]

@@JDS_im @clay Thanks guys!

[@metalvideos1961]

Get a good music player. I can delete songs through media player. That button Is useless

[@harrison00xXx]

@@JDS_im or you go fully crazy with that amount (or more haha) and go instead for mobile hi quality sound to proper home hifi sound with a nice stereo amp and 2 good speakers, preffered floor standing speakers. I have very high demands on sound quality, but as much i also wanted good sound on the go.... i was mainly sticking to closed headphones because of noise elimination of the surroundings, therefor at home im enjoying a superb sound at home with my (around 3k$ worth) stereo setup (instead of small overpriced mp3 players!) I mean, even my stereo amp and CD player are already "overpriced" af with 700$ for the amp and 600$ for the CD player.... but cmon, a small mp3 player for 1300$? More than a nice (real!) Amp and CD player? Easily dont support such products, thats not ok!

[@jacobmartinez4031]

kinda of an important think that you skipped is that it supports up to 600 ohms which is crazy considering the size and all the things that you can use it for, if you see some DAC's some cost as much but they aren't as small nor cool, I think is a very cool product, for more technicalities maybe you want to see Dank Pods review on this

[@P.J.Hon4]

That is one of the best portable music players for Audiophiles cause it supports a 600 ohm headset and he just tested it on a 38ohm impedance Grado Hemp for reference the basic Airpods 2 is also at 38ohm try using a a 600ohm headphone like the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Edition or a Sennheiser 600HD you'll see the difference.

[@brettgoldsmith8584]

I feel like James, in a different role at LTT, could bring the EE knowledge sorely missing from the channel's more ambitious projects.

[@SuperNmos]

He’s an EE?

[@sovietry4944]

@@SuperNmos whats EE?

[@Pepino_Leonardo]

@@sovietry4944 I think they're talking about electrical engineer

[@mookiecookie44]

Sovietry eager elementalist

[@TJGibson0]

@@sovietry4944 Earth Elemental

[@josuefreire4442]

Credits: "Editor Who's Did?!" Wtf

[@kye3k1]

It's a challenge

[@TheTimSpankie]

Usually means a new member of staff, not passed probation yet so name isn't released

[@nicksrandomness2774]

Tim Spankie probation? Like out of jail

[@clarity8951]

It's probably Nicole. If you check their website, she's the newest editor on the list.

[@arvindravindranath]

@@clarity8951 Nicole's name has come in the credits for a few videos now. I think she edited the recent vids with Riley.

[@djsnowpdx]

Not in the market for a music player this expensive, but the explanation of balanced audio cables was very good and very relevant to me. I, like many viewers of this channel, have more than one computer. Ever since I ended up with more than one computer, I've been trying to make switching between them painless. I bought a $1,000 32:9 monitor (I mention the price so you understand I'm willing to pay for a solution that works!) which can either fill its 49 inches with one input or quickly enter a picture by picture mode and display both computers side by side. I tried, and ultimate retired, Synergy and ShareMouse as a means of connecting them (now I just use two keyboards, a trackpad and two mice). Most recently, I purchased a $50 RCA mixer to bring the audio on both machines to the same set of speakers. At first, that mixer was great, but it's so crazy susceptible to interference! I have cables all over my desk, many running power. I frequently tax the GPUs on both my computers by zooming in on the whole screen with a keyboard shortcut or trackpad gesture. At random times, as well as every time I zoomed in (either on my Windows tower or my MacBook), my speakers would whine. So it looks like my next step is to get balanced audio cables. All this just to make two computers work on one desk. Stupid, but also kinda cool.

[@Nightelvee]

Man I had never thought to see FiiO ever again. I've used their cheapish headphone amps about 13 years ago on my iPhone 3G and [random MP3 player]. This is incredible!

[@morgan1168]

James: "This thing is ballin"....Yea well at $1300 so is my wallet 😭😭

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

Yeah for $1300 I think I'd rather get a freestanding amp, DAC and a nice set of speakers than this brick to carry around.

[@beoeve]

@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 I'd rather buy PC shit personally.

[@SwaggerUltimate]

😂😂😂

[@allansh828]

@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 How do you get anything decent for just $1300? It barely covers room acoustics treatment.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

@@allansh828 You're right, $1300 for new equipment is a really small budget, but if you hunt around for used gear you can find some amazing deals.

[@ushdhyxywb]

Hmmm

[@elsyvien]

stonks go brrrrr

[@robertjusic9097]

Thats hilarious

[@allansh828]

M15 is meant to compete with mid-tier desktop solutions. It can drive pretty much any headphones.

[@castaway2044]

Anyone remember the size of Energizer’s phone?

[@PixelatedWolf2077]

@@castaway2044 The ice cream sandwich phone

[@muto6633]

The slot is still there because the case is designed for it, but for reasons like stability issues the feature were not implemented.

[@TheCod3r]

At $1300, I'd expect this thing to know what musical mood I'm in automatically

[@frankenstein_colt_98]

Dank pods says yes

[@dannybos7024]

We love Dank Pods

[@jyln.n]

He just uploaded too wow

[@frankenstein_colt_98]

He did xD

[@Weneedaplague]

USB DAC of that quality you can just pick up and go why did why just skim over this part

[@majorbogart3476]

Right? As a standalone music player, it's definitely ballers only... But as a USB DAC too it's actually super useful and reasonable to consider.

[@realcartoongirl]

you can also double as a headphone jack for ur overpriced phone

[@Katzelle3]

Go with the BTR5 instead!

[@redvivid]

@@Katzelle3 get it. It's worth it but the Bluetooth isn't that reliable when using LDAC or Aptx HD

[@forbes646]

Guys I have a question I have been wondering for quite a while. I have the second generation Westone W60s with the Bluetooth cable. I also have the Galaxy Note 10 plus, which is capable of playing aptX over Bluetooth (the westone cable adapter also supports it). As long as my music is high quality, would there even be a point in me buying a DAP if I I'm just going to use Bluetooth? Since I'm not using a cable that physically connects to the DAP, wouldn't my phone sound just as good?

[@mobilepsycho]

Great review and hands on. FiiO's product line has evolved towards premium over the past couple of years. One of those Chinese brands that delivers 'blue ribbon' quality in their DACs, Amps, and DAPs. I added a simple K3 DAC/Amp to my MacBook Pro 2017 and it makes all my headphones deliver more power and depth with significant enhancement. Not bad for $99. For more budget conscious audiophiles, the M15 is certainly out of reach (me for example) but I do get exceptional mileage from my M9. There's still a kick ass DAC in there. I don't listen to music on my iPhone any more unless I don't have a choice.

[@memoryman51]

Thank you for explaining balanced audio in a way I could understand.

[@niko-wski]

"Editor: Who's Dis?!" Whats that about?

[@CaptainXLAB]

10:27 "Hah, your phone doesnt even have a headphone jack, WE'VE GOT THREE HERE!" xD

[@zakmorgan9320]

Having a button for add to favourites is actually extremely useful. I want a button like that for when I listen to discover weekly on Spotify!

[@jasonmelo9379]

Why would you listen to Spotify on this?

[@santiagomenesescruz5265]

I just been blessed watching this, balanced audio, OMG !

[@RinoAP]

Me : watching this video James : starts explaining things My brain : *Emitting smokes*

[@z1mke]

I've been using Fiio x1 for about 5 years now. As the portable lossless players go, for me, this was the sweet spot as you don't want a too big or too expensive player which you risk losing everyday but you still want a better sound quality (better than the usual players and phones offer). Secondly, you are not using your biggest and baddest headphones as they are not comfortable or portable enough.... And even if you are... the experience will be underwhelming. If you don't care about portability and daily usability, you shouldn't be buying portable lossless players at all.

[@dohboson7500]

I have the 1st gen FiiO X3 since 2013, love that quirky thing😍

[@SHENRAR]

i had the first gen X1 for a long time, was really happy with it. But as I have the k5 dock and wanted to use the player as my DAC as well as my portable audio device, I gave the old one to my oldman and got the x3 (first gen as well). They are good quality and versatile, without being expensive.

[@z1mke]

@@SHENRAR Yeah...true ... in your case that was the right decision... i didnt feel i need the x3 ... especially as I have a dedicated amp and dac at home. X1 for me was purely for lossless on the go...at least as much as it is reasonably possible to enjoy sound details while outside.

[@z1mke]

@@dohboson7500 I don't leave the house without mine 😂 ... started to carry a fanny pack just to make room for it 🤣

[@SHENRAR]

@@z1mke it worked this way for me without having planned it much. My reason to buy the k5 in the first place was to use as headphone amp for my record player , so it would serve two purposes (amp and to dock the fiio while at home) and when I started setting my home office, I wanted to have the music from my pc out off a DAC so I decided to upgrade, and now I use my X3 everyday as dac, my k5 everyday as amp and all my music system is simple and understandable, as I am not made of gold and I hate to overbuy stuff. My system is far from audiophile level (and will stay this way as I dont want to fall into the rabbit hole and end up selling my organs to buy a new streamer XD) but sounds pretty good and makes me happy, which is the only good reason to have it I guess.

[@connerkubitz7208]

The delete playing song feature is actually something I'd use like all the time. When I hear a song I like by an artist I put all of their music on my device and then delete individual songs off of I find I don't like them, and I always do that while it's currently playing. I almost want to buy this thing just for that feature.

[@Bolerophon]

Thanks for explaining how Shuffle works

[@gigihanmandarin]

When a tech reviewer tries to do an audio review: 1min for sound quality description in a 14min video. Damn.

[@badbadbadkarma12]

Now watch this video imagining James drunk. James is entertaining because he has slightly tipsy mannerisms and vocal tics. Tis great.

[@Cesar-kj2sc]

First time watching this dude and he really knows his stuff. Subscribed !!!

[@Acp731]

Finally! Thank You James for explaining about balanced cables

[@DarKNesS7026]

7:29 James explaining what "shuffle tracks" is for a whole minute

[@veematoo]

I think you might have missed the point. It isn't a normal "shuffle tracks", it is "shuffle next". So if you're listening to your entire collection and you're in the middle of a soundtrack and hit "shuffle next", it will play a random song from your collection, but then continue playing in the normal mode after that. So if you "shuffle next" to "misty mountain hop"... well then you know the next track is going to be "four sticks". Seems like a small difference, but I think it's a really cool feature and I never see it.

[@EmpathVibe]

Chronic 2001! That good sir, was the most legendary album name drop ever.

[@JonathanGreene]

Great explanation on balanced audio!

[@drewhuscher496]

Bought this sucker after my X7 finally couldn't hold a charge. Totally worth it bc I don't stream and love the high quality sound it outputs without having to eat up my phone's storage or battery.

[@soupistasty5]

James, the FiiO M15 is a bit overpriced for what you get (outdated UI, literally uses a 2 1/2 year old mobile chip, etc) and doesn't sound as good as their own lower model the M11 Pro (likely due to it's THX certification). For $100 less than the M15 - the iBasso DX300 gives you a modern mobile Cpu, UI and display with a fast, snappy interface just like your latest flagship mobile phones & the incredible sound of a Quad-DAC ! Best of both worlds.

[@lamefart]

I guess for those who wanted more versatility and battery life among others they'll get this. I think it supports up to 600 Ohms...

[@adirmugrabi]

"allows you to not be able to touch the screen" yes, very much.

[@MakisOfEquinox]

Man, i miss my Zune and the Zune Software. It was ahead of its time letting you download your whole library and still better than what we have now with the song credits that let you keep songs if you stop your subscription.

[@PCftvv]

One would expect Creative, a SoundBlaster brand maker to come up with something like this but definitely would love to have a trial for a months use with balanced headphones no matter who manufactured this dual DAC monster.

[@theDudeOfDudes]

James, my dear boy. NEVER apologize for liking the best music.

[@samasher5370]

"It's like a powerbank with ports" ,powerbanks have ports on them for charging

[@max.demayo]

I learned a lot from this. Thanks, James!

[@Pencilneckgeek216]

This feels more like an actual product review than a short circuit episode, except that it's very casual. Nice

[@ClaraRenway]

"It costs as much as a phone, a nice phone" I think you mean It costs about as much as the best phones money can buy.

[@UltimateAlgorithm]

Sadly not these days, full spec iPhone and Galaxy cost well above 1100 USD.

[@seyley2901]

Love the device, great sound, superior to the others in the FiiO line-up. You didn't mention how hot the device can get. You didn't mention that 'apps' are available from the playstore, didn't mention that album art can be found whilst track is playing, that device can retreive lyrics if required. Plus as fr as capacity is cncerned I have 10, 000 uncompressed flac files and still have 100 gb space available on my storage. Oh! good review by the way....

[@the_big_niz11]

I mean short circuit isn't really meant to be a full review

[@ziggy7360]

He’s referring to microphone balanced. For headphones, balanced completely separates the left and right channel to use the device’s dual dac- one dac per channel

[@walter_marcus]

man they really do belong in the big leagues.they do a great job when it comes to bt receivers and usb dacs.hopefully they get into AI upsampling and stuff like the sony walkmans

[@josevalenzuela142]

James: "it's basically like a power bank.." (a $1300 power bank) FiiO: dude STFU :S

[@MaxRamos8]

Yeah it's a glorified preamp with gizmos

[@herrk9237]

@@MaxRamos8 it makes 600ohm headphones mobile stfu

[@kappasike]

11:06 AC not DC lol

[@billlodhia5640]

Me, looking at my $350 X7 Mk2... yeah, I don't NEED to upgrade. The USB DAC mode is janky af but the player works fantastic. It's hooked up to a massive power bank in my backpack. James, one thing you could've really explored further is the music app. It has a GREAT function for using it the way I do, which is remote play mode. You can use your DAC as a server (via WiFi or BT) and connect to it with FiiO Music Player app on another phone in client mode. It'll bring up the player controls for your DAP and you can change tracks, navigate to different albums, and all that jazz. I would definitely like to know if the volume POT still works after a year, mine sucks balls now and the remote control feature really saves my skin.

[@akifhossain5122]

This is actually really neat with multiple functions. Would definitely buy it in a few decades when the price drops and I have enough pennies saved up.

[@christophermorin9036]

"64gb isn't actually all that much." *looks at my 16gb Moto E4.*

[@evshrug]

“64 GB isn’t all that much” •I remember the iPod launch keynote where Steve Jobs touted “1000 songs, in your pocket!” “Look at that rainbow on the box. That’s badass” •Badass used to mean bold, tough, and maybe brave “You can switch vibes easily, which is badass” •As like the 5th time he’s used the term badass, I guess I’m just old 😂 “...you’re going back in time to the early 2000’s, possibly before many of you were born.” •I remember when my dad paid $500 for a 2GB SCSI harddrive ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ “Holy Crap Brittany Spears’ Instagram is insane, if you haven’t seen it.” •She’s older than me, so I guess I’m not that old 😂

[@Ian-dy6cf]

DankPods would love this.

[@kquote03]

James really hit us with that “get out of my room I’m playing minecraft” 😩

[@jedikraft1655]

This is For audiophiles they have an extremely high ohm count and that intro that is similar to dankpods it’s so they can run like akg 720s and still have it sound great so thank you for explaining that kind of