Fiio JM21 digital audio player review: it’s hard to believe it sounds this good for so little money
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FIIO JM21: One Minute Comment
If all of us rely on FIIO for anything, it is specifications and performance, which is out of place with the amount it requires for a given device. The latest product that demonstrates this joy trick is the FIIO JM21 digital audio player.
It is compact, its build and finishing capabilities are far from enough, it is designated as a more expensive device, and is easy to set up and use. For this type of product, battery life is much higher than average, and price is much lower than the price. You can spend twice the amount of money you spend Sony Equally, it won’t buy anything more if it involves construction quality or specification standards.
So, is it sitting together The best MP3 player In the market? This is our clear affirmation.
FIIO JM21 Review: Price and Issue Date
- Release in January 2025
- Price is $199/£179/au $369 (approximately)
this FIIO JM21 Digital Audio Player Announced at CES 2025 And launched at the end of January 2025. In the UK, the current price is around £179, while in the US it costs $199. Australian customers will most likely have to allocate around $369.
FIIO JM21 Comment: Features
- 2 x Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACS
- Balanced and unbalanced headphone socket
- Bluetooth 5.0 with SBC, AAC, APTX HD, LDAC and LHDC codec support
You have to hand it over to FIIO – it may have already started to produce the most affordable digital audio player it can actually manage, but that doesn’t mean it feels necessary to sketch out the features in functionality.
This means that the FIIO JM21 is ready for any possible situations. It comes with a dual cirrus logic CS43198 DAC chipset, which is compatible with resolutions up to 32-bit/384KHz and DSD256, and these resolutions are paired with high-performance OP-AMP in a fully balanced layout. Its main control, DAC and headphone amplifier parts are shielded and isolated in their own area to reduce signal interference and crosstalk.
The wired output consists of 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone sockets – The 3.5mm socket is a hybrid digital that can be used as a SPDIF output and can be used with an external DAC. The USB-C slot between them can be used for data transfer as well as battery charging and a 2400mAh battery, playing for more than 12 hours between charges. Of course, this is what you use unbalanced output without going into the town at the volume level.
The JM21 has three “gain” settings, each with a different volume curve. If you plan to use FIIO as a source for the source with an amplifier or powered speaker – set the output to “LO” and will not cause any harm to your device – it also means that there is no problem with the JM21, which is especially useful even if you drive the headphones. And if you connect FIIO to your laptop via its USB-C socket (for example), it can be used as a USB DAC and enhances your listening pleasure. In this way, it can handle 32bit/768kHz and DSD512.
In terms of wireless connectivity, the JM21 is both a Bluetooth transmitter and a receiver. Its Bluetooth 5.0 is compatible with SBC, AAC, APTX HD, LDAC and LHDC codecs when it is sent to headphones, wireless speakers or what does it mean. Use it as a receiver and can handle SBC, AAC and LDAC. Of course, dual-band Wi-Fi is also on board, and the JM21 is DLNA compatible and supports apple The same goes for playback.
Filtering from custom crystal oscillators (with ceramic gold-plated bases), there is more to ensure that the main processing modules are separated into a dedicated “digital audio purification” system equivalent to a merged dedicated “digital audio purification” system to ensure that the main processing modules are separated. But so far, I think a broad view has been made: compact form factors and the relatively low price of JM21.
Function score: 5 /5
FIIO JM21 Review: Sound Quality
- Open, detailed and composed speech
- Good tone balance and quite a bit of vitality
- Not very comfortable in the highest volume
Of course, everything is relative and everything needs to be put in context, but it’s hard to spot meaningful mistakes when you keep the price of the FIIO JM21 in your mind. This doesn’t mean I won’t give good, you get it, but between you and me, I’m struggling…
Whether you hear something like wirelessly via APTX codec Bowers & Wilkins PI6 True wireless in-ear or Dali IO-8 Using APTX HD, use a pair Sennheiser IE900 Connecting to the 4.4mm balanced output of the player, or connecting it to the Naim Uniti Star with an unbalanced 3.5mm output, makes it the FIIO part of a full-size system, it is a composition, lively and admirable listening. Whether you listen to Mike Oldfield’s DSD256 file or not tubular bells, 24/96kHz FLAC Where are we going when all of us fall asleep? 16bit/44.1kHz file by Billie Eilish or De La Soul 3 feet tall, riseJM21 is not wrong. This is an amazing little device.
It really balances the frequency range well – from low frequencies of depth and texture to polite shiny tops and all the points in between, with even emphasis and lack of chopping performance, illustrating a correct classification of players. It’s hard to hit at the bottom, but due to lack of control: its right-angle attack means that rhythmic expressions are confident and convincing. The top has biting and driving, but it is constructed without even suggesting to be hard or edgy. In between, the mid-range is open and revealing, so the singer can fully express the role and motivation.
Tone balance is also listed as good. It’s in neutral coolness, but not so, and doesn’t hurt the music it’s playing. Meanwhile, the attention to detail proved by JM21 is indeed admirable—even those brief details in the recordings can disappear almost once they arrive and put it in the proper environment.
The fact that FIIO builds a fairly large and easy to understand sound field does not cause any harm either. Even the boundary-like phases created by Mike Oldfield are opened by JM21, and the amount of correctly defined spaces that can be placed between each element recorded is important. There is plenty of room on the “left/right” axis, and even the stabbing has a proper “front/rear” feel. Dynamic headroom is quite considerable, so when recordings are addicted to large changes in intensity or volume, players are free of difficulty in keeping and making it absolutely obvious.
Actually, as far as I know, the only way to make the FIIO JM21 sound is something that is totally comfortable and confident, which is to raise the volume to a “unwise” level. When it plays on the upper limit, some of the three-dimensional nature of its presentation goes astray, dynamic changes flattening, and overall sound becomes quite loud. However, you should focus on parents/doctors/self common sense – you really shouldn’t listen at this volume anyway.
Sound quality score: 5 /5
FIIO JM21 Review: Design
- 121 x 68 x 13mm (HXWXD)
- Aluminum and plastic structures
- 156g
You can’t see many “two-color” digital audio players, right? However, FIIO JM21 is one of them. It is made of a combination of high-quality plastic and aluminum, with the upper half being sky blue and the bottom being silver. The bottom is also very interesting, although you may not be able to experience this, as FIIO provides the player with a pre-equipped protective clear plastic case.
The top of the machine is basically a touch screen – it’s a 4.7-inch, 750 x 1334 event, and big enough to show a lot of information yet difficult to recognize. Despite the relatively large screen, at 121 x 68 x 13mm (HXWXD), the JM21 is even smaller than the most compact smartphone, while 156 grams, which doesn’t have any burden on the pocket.
Design score: 5 / 5
FIIO JM21 Comment: Availability and Settings
- Android 13
- 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM (of which 22GB is available)
- 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor
FIIO JM21 uses an extensive adaptation of Android 13 as a operating systemand due to the stable operation of the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor. FIIO is open enough to admit that Android 13 is quite eager, and given that JM21 only has 3GB of RAM available (to keep both costs), this only recommends loading only those basic music streaming apps and avoiding peripheral content. It also recommends avoiding running multiple applications at the same time as possible.
The 22GB of available ROM won’t last long, but there’s a microSD card slot on one side of the player – it can handle 2TB of memory cards, which is enough to store all the HI-RES content you might want to listen to.
Physical controls are also arranged on the edge of the player. On the left (when you look at it) there is a power on/off button with the LEDs below it telling stories. Below is a volume up/down rocker. Meanwhile, there is play/pause on the right, skip forward and skip backward. In other words, everything you need is as reliable and positive as a touch screen control.
Setting up JM21 is simple for anyone with a smartphone. Charge the battery (it takes about two hours from “flat” to “complete”, put the player on the local network, install the app you need to install (only the essentials, remember), and leave. I’m trying to think about it might be more direct.
Availability and Settings Score: 5 /5
FIIO JM21 Comment: Value
I’ll say it as straightforward as possible to avoid doubt: FIIO JM21 is worth the money, $199/£179/au $369 (approximately). It’s well made and like any digital audio player you’re going to mention for under £500, it specifies a price that’s beyond its asking price and sounds great when playing in the real world.
Yes, it can be implemented with more internal memory – but the physical size, as well as the price, is likely to increase. So make sure to budget for a microSD card worthy of your ability – you still have a big value portable music player.
Value score: 5 /5
Should I buy FIIO JM21?
If…buy it
if…
FIIO JM21 Comment: Please consider it too
How do I test FIIO JM21
- Tested for two weeks
- Listen to streaming and downloading content
- Test with wired and wireless headphones, Bluetooth speakers and amplifiers
First, I’m using The Presto Music and Tidal Music Streaming Services Google Play StoreI also plugged in a 512GB Sandisk microSD card with a lot of high resolution content into the player’s slot.
Then I used a variety of wired and wireless headphones (including but not limited to some headphones). Sennheiser IE900 Through its 4.4mm socket and a pair of in-ear monitors Bowers & Wilkins PX8 Connection via Bluetooth) and connect the player to Bose Soundlink Max Bluetooth speakers and full-size stereo systems enable full-size stereo systems by connecting their 3.5mm output to line-level inputs on NAIM Uniti Star Amplifier/network streaming.
At each stage, I listened to many different types of music, stored in many different file types, and used various Bluetooth codecs when I connected wirelessly.
- First reviewed in February 2025
