Audiophilepure

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/fiio-m11s

It’s suitably heavy for such dimensions, presenting a reassuring sense of build quality, though the fact that the chassis corners are pointed and much of the player’s front is a 5-inch touchscreen display (albeit with a factory-fitted tempered glass protector) wouldn’t leave us in any doubt as to whether or not to use the supplied clear case. It’s not pretty exactly, but neither is scratched aluminium.

The FiiO saves itself from being a boring rectangular chassis by being almost a boring rectangular chassis, save for its left-hand side angled protrusion, on the outer edge of which you’ll find power and multi-purpose buttons as well as a nicely sized, slightly textured volume pad. Our eyes lit up at the sight of the latter, presuming it would be a slider control to allow for one-finger volume adjustment when the player is sat on a surface. Disappointingly it isn’t, but like the rest of the controls (pause/play and skip tracks on the player’s right-hand edge) it is reliably responsive and ergonomic while in the hand.

The DAPs I reviewed recently from Shanling have great designs. However, this might come to you a bit odd and out of place, mainly because of the three buttons on top of the screen. They’re there for play/pause, skip/previous track. This choice from Shanling is questionable. Maybe they thought about using the player without touching the screen for playback control.

Nevertheless, these buttons are a part of the design. But another problem here is that it sacrifices some space on the screen. And when it’s held in its original position, your thumb covers a lot of screen space as well. However, Shanling has a solution in which you can invert the screen upside down from the software, to place the buttons on the bottom. That works better overall.

To ensure the best performances, FiiO developed a fourth-generation FPGA chip with “more advanced algorithms, more accurate clocks, and even further reduced jitter”. Unlike Chord which uses an FPGA chip as a DAC, here it’s used as a middle-man between the SPDIF circuitry and the dual ESS DAC – working in I2S/DSD

I absolutely like the design of the SP3000 and the build quality here is excellent, as we’re used to from A&K. Lay-out wise, the AK SP3000 is simple. On the top of the unit, you from left to right find the 3.5mm output, the 4.4mm output and the 2.5mm output. To minimize contact noise from the output jacks, a gold PVD coating method is applied to the headphone connectors. The power button which also serves as volume wheel is located on the right side of the player. Underneath the volume wheel we find the SP3000’s LED. The LED’s colour either changes depending on the volume level, or you can let it indicate the bitrate (24bit is green, 32 is blue, DSD is purple). I have chosen for the latter option myself.

The Shanling M3 Ultra is a premium digital audio player with an attractive design and top-notch build quality. Shanling has been developing elegant-looking players using quality materials for years. They have the necessary know-how and they have a certain design language that is attractive and aesthetic. 

The M3U’s aluminum body feels robust and durable, and the smooth, curved edges provide a comfortable grip. It is quite portable as well, with its compact chassis. The 4.2-inch touchscreen is responsive and easy to navigate, with clear and sharp visuals, despite the lower pixel density compared to higher-priced units like the M6U. The device features a USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 4.4mm balanced output, all of which feels sturdy and well-made. 

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-nw-wm1zm2

On the surface, all that versatility seems like a good thing, but we’re not convinced. Anyone willing to spend this amount of money on a portable music player values music replay above all else. They, in all likelihood, already have a smartphone, so all that other functionality is already taken care of, and the last thing anyone deeply engrossed in listening to music wants is a random notification or similar interrupting their enjoyment. Of course, notifications can be switched off, but we think this kind of unit makes the most sense when it concentrates on music replay and nothing else. 

Our view is reinforced by the clunky way the NW-WM1ZM2 works when we swap between apps or use the touchscreen in general. Too often it’s the kind of slow and stuttering experience early Android phones used to suffer from, and is a world away in terms of slickness from current phone flagships, including those from Sony. There is no excuse for this given the unit’s price.

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-nw-wm1zm2

The Sony NW-WM1ZM2  is a cultured-sounding player and beautifully made. It is an immensely capable performer that verges on excellent, even considering the money. Our issue with this product is much more about the limited power output, which means we struggle to use our favourite headphones, as well as the lack of sophistication in the way it works. Sony, by all means improve the sound for the next generation, but what you really need to do is concentrate on making that version better to use.