FiiO JM21 Portable High Resolution Digital Audio Player (Light blue)

Great little dap, cheapest one out there, great sound, all the whistles and bells included, wi-fi and Bluetooth work perfectly unlike on my A & K £700 machine. Maybe battery life could be improved but it’s ok. If you are used to using your phone for music you must try one of these!!

This little gem of a player is one of my best buys ever. When paired with a good set of wired earphones or headphones, the sound is truly a whole universe above anything you can get from a phone. I currently use Grado 325x headphones at home for my moments of musical bliss, and Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro 2 earphones when out and about. Both are perfect with the JM21 player. Streaming top quality files from both Spotify and Tidal is easy too. Storage via SD card makes it super convenient to use all my CD rips too. All in all, my set up is now complete and I finally have musical nirvana. I would buy another JM21 in a heartbeat if anything ever happened to this one. Do your ears a favour and go buy one now !!

Bought for my adult son, quality good, sound very good, comparable with ones at much higher price.

It's decent enough. Feels well made, light, fits in the hand nicely. I sent it back though, as it didn't feel like it had the juice for some of my IEM's, and it had no hope of running the 300ohm HD660S2, especially as I could watch the battery drain whilst powering them. But, for low impedance, low sensitivity kit it's probably fine. I upgraded to the M21 and it's night and day, M21 is simply an upgrade in every department.

Great quality, easy to use especially in amdroid mode, nice clear screen, lightweight, keeps charge well, shame doesn't do android auto

Do not buy this. I had the device for about three to four weeks and had been using it normally but now it will not charge. I've tried every plug and charger I own and tried using power banks and my laptop - it will not charge. The device is now a €250 ornament that does nothing (the problems started after the 30 day return window allowed by Amazon). This is not an isolated issue as other users online are having the same experience. I contacted FiiO but beyond a reboot (which I did) and a factory reset (which I also did) they had no other useful suggestions. Extremely disappointing and I'm down over €250.

I have rated this device at 3 stars not in order to imply that it is mediocre but only that it does not fulfil my personal expectations for a DAP. A few years ago I owned and enjoyed a FiiO DAP and based on that experience I had high expectations of this device I terms of usability. Only some of which were met as I try to explain here. Press reviews of the JM21 are generally positive about the build quality and, of course, the sound which at this price point is very good indeed. It is a nicely produced device that feels good in the hand, has a solid, slightly weighty feel to it and two headphone outputs (although I don't have balanced 4.4 headphones so couldn't sample this aspect). In addition, a very nice, thoughtful production detail is that it arrives with a fitted, clear silicone backside case and fitted screen protector. What's not to like. But, while admiring almost everything about this device and, bottom line, the sound output is terrific, I found much to disappoint me in the user interface. This feels too complex, occasionally confusing, awkward to navigate, and generally seems over featured (for example I have no need for a VU meter). Too often I could not easily backup to the choice point I was at beforehand so got lost or arrived at a choice that was unexpected. For me, in regular use a good DAP should provide simple and reliable methods for locating tracks, albums, etc. and going on my experience with the early model FiiO that I once owned that is what I expected here. I have spent quite a few hours uploading files, trying out the various functions, editing metatags etc. to help with file organisation but I have come to the conclusion that the interface for managing music files is it weakest feature if, like me, you want good quality sound with a straightforward play-me-this-music-now interface. Other devices on the do this although the price point of the JM21 is a key, and important, selling feature. Also, this is a device based on Android so some of the features that you will find here look like more mainstream computing resources and some users may well find these useful (e.g. the ‘safe’ folder) and because it has WiFi internet updates are routinely notified. Having said all this I do not want to diminish the quality of this device. It is great and for the money you are getting a device that will play your music to a quality level that may cost at least a hundred pounds more (assuming you are using a high quality file format in the first place). It would certainly suite users who really want to drill into some of the subtleties of managing music files … and for whom a VU meter might be a useful tool! In other words this is a device that would please that school of users known as audiophiles, an audience that is FiiO’s main focus these days. Note: (i) I have no comment about battery life. It lasted quite well while I was using it. Some reviewers have reported that it does not last as long as specified, but of course there are many usage variables at play for battery usage. (ii) My comments are mainly based on the use of the Pure Music Mode. Android Mode also provides playback tools. (iii) Online help for the device (what we used to call a User Manual!) seems limited.

I was always interested in DAPs, but having since long transitioned to full streaming, DAPs seemed too expensive for me, so I was using Smartphone + USB DAC. I am a Tidal user for further context. I was hesitant towards purchasing a DAP given my use case, but now that I have finally decided to go for a Fiio JM21, and very happy with it, I would like to list the advantages of DAPs if you're a streaming user only as I find relatively lttle content from this perspective online. The JM21 at its price point, really makes the investment worthwhile and I believe more people with my use case should consider it. - Undistracted listening: this has to be the primary reason, when listening from the phone, doesn't matter how much I actively tried, just by handling it, it was to easy to get distracted by an email, a notification, etc. Sure ther are way to manage this with software, but having a physical device dedicated to the one activity makes it so much easier. - Memory Card: with most phones not allowing SD cards, I can now have a huge offline selection, that I can take anywhere with me, especially considering the next factor - Pocketable form factor: I can now take my music a lot more easily on the go and on runs, and I can listen to my favourite IEMs while running! - Car audio: this one depends on whether you have an AUX port, but for me that I have, there is an improvement in the audio quality. Also much easier to take the dinky JM21, plug it in and go than using the phone - Bluetooth codecs: getting into niche territory here, but for example I have a pair of Oneplus Buds 3 that use the LHDC codec, not available on my phone - More battery: as much as people complain on some reviews I am perfectly satisfied with the battery on my JM21, I can still listen to music even after a long day, much more important when cosidering that a USB DAC would occupy the charging port of your phone.

This is a great device, the audio quality is excellent and it can drive even the most demanding headphones. This was my way of stepping away from streaming once and for all, and it works really well. The app for playing music is excellent. Although this device does run android, it's best to consider it a dedicated music player than a general purpose tablet. The device can slow quickly when running two apps at the same time. It has the ability to run in music only mode, which I think is best. The main consideration is price. Even though this is a budget offering, the price is still quite high. Keep an eye for discounts and deals.

The product is fantastic. Before I have the hiby M300 and this one is way batter. The Amazon did a fantastic job as always.

I fell in love with it after only a few hours. This is my fourth Fiio player and I mostly knew what to expect when I purchased it. For the most part I am very satisfied with the JM21. My disappointment is with documentation and support from Fiio (more on that at the end of the review). The size and weight of the JM21 feels comfortable. It feels solid like my other Fiio players (X1, X3, and X5). Those players have held up to heavy usage and survived getting dropped too many times and all of them are still functional. I can't in all honestly say that the JM21 is easy to get used to and easy to use because I have used a Fiio Android based player before and find very few differences with the old interface. That said, I didn't have trouble adjusting to the old interface so I don't see most people who are used to android devices having much trouble. I have never used the iOS so I can't advise on the difficulty for those who are not used to Android devices. I like that it came with at least a silicone case and a pre-installed screen protector. I ordered a second protector but passed on a better case. I had the leather case for my X5 but found that it made access to the edges of the screen difficult without a stylus. The technical details of the audio processing capabilities are a bit much for a review but I can tell a definite difference in audio quality when comparing the JM21 to that quality of music on my phone or on the no-name player I have been using. I have tested it with JBL 770 Live headphones connected with Bluetooth and with Status CB-1 headphones connected with a cable. An added bonus is that as unlike when listening on a phone I don't have to worry about the music cutting out if a text or call comes in. I have mostly been satisfied with the battery life. I recently listened to an 8 1/2 hour audiobook on the Audible app and maybe an hour of music using the Fiio app (without using a headphone amp). I used wired headphones for the music and the Bluetooth connection for the audiobook. Wi-Fi was only turned on long enough to download the book. At the time I started listening the battery had a 100% charge. After about 9 1/2 hours of use and sitting idle overnight there was still 34% battery power left. For some reason the player dropped to 9% over the next 11 hours while it was sitting idle. Hopefully turning on battery saver and using the "Enter Sleep" app that is pre-installed will help with that. I do not have the feature that turns the player off after a certain time enabled but will do so if necessary. The JM21 has Android 13 (customized) installed and uses the Google Play Store as well as Fiio's app store. This opens up options to use most any software you want. I use my player for listening to audiobooks and podcasts in addition to using it for music and have been able to install my favorite podcast app, a player for local audiobook files. The Audible app was preinstalled. The JM21 does have a micro SD port for expandable memory (up to 2TB). Even if I wasn't concerned with audio quality finding a modern phone or with enough storage to keep my music on it isn't possible. I have more than 400GB of music in FLAC format and over 100GB of music purchased from services that don't offer lossless files. iPhones and the newer Galaxy phones don't have the capability to expand storage with a memory card. I listen to a lot of music digitized from old albums or from independent artists that are not available on any streaming service so the extra storage is a must. Even if all of it was available streaming there is always going to be a time when Wi-Fi isn't available. I have heard the argument that I don't need carry all of that with me but if I get the urge to hear a song I don't want to have to wait to be able to move it from my computer to be able to listen to it so the storage is a must for me. I gave the player a 5 star rating only because 4 1/2 wasn't possible and I feel it is too good for a 4 star rating. My reason for wanting to give it 4.5 is not because of dissatisfaction with either hardware or software but for lack of support from Fiio. There is no manual available for the JM21 at this time. Yes, it ships with a quick start guide and there is a FAQ on Fiio's web site but they don't list all of the features. I needed to find a way to lock some of the side buttons when the screen is off. I have not been able to find how to do that in any available documentation. I finally stumbled across how to do it when looking for something else in the settings. As soon as I got the JM21 I sent a request to Fiio asking for an actual manual and got a reply that gave links to the quick start guide, the FAQ, firmware download, two different trouble solutions, and an apology for being slow because of a higher than normal volume of help requests. This also happened when I contacted support for a problem with my X5 player about six years ago so if you purchase this be aware that you will need to rely on third party information for anything that is not in the in the FAQ or quick start guide. The quality of the player itself, however, makes the lack of direct support and information from Fiio worth the trouble. If you are looking for an affordable portable player with sound that is equal to that of the high end, expensive players and better than you'll get from any phone give the JM21 a try. It's not perfect but I doubt you will be disappointed.

Wow. Bought the JM21 thinking I was getting an MP3 player….yes….it is but it is much much more. Apart from playing many types of music file formats it’s pretty much a smart phone that is not a phone. More like an Android mini tablet with beefed up audio playing capabilities. It sounds better than my iPad for the same files and has a very complex equaliser which you can adjust and save as your own personalised configuration. Works well with Spotify and any Android App you can download from Google Play. It was easy to do the initial set up and downloads. Make sure you buy decent earphones. It doesn’t come with any but can be configured from a pull-down menu for just about any headset.

Incuriosito dalle recensioni, l'ho acquistato e ne sono soddisfattissimo. Avevo un vecchio Fiio X5 III, col quale non si può nemmeno fare un paragone. È snello, leggero, velocissimo e ha tutto per l'ascolto da file, on line, wired e wireless. Unico neo (perdonabile) è l'USB 2, oggi un po' lento se si trasferiscono molti files hd nella memoria centrale; naturalmente basta usare una card SD e un lettore/scrittore esterno. Nel complesso un ottimo acquisto. Consigliato.