The Fiio M11S does an excellent job of gently undercutting its closest rival, the Astell & Kern a&norma SR25 Mk II. There's lots to love here including an Android 10 operating system with a touchscreen that's smooth and responsive, a punchy, controlled and detailed sound and a premium build. The treble is perhaps a little on the bright side, but not so much that we'd consider it a deal breaker. It has more than enough headroom to dispatch the big dynamic shifts with no difficulty, and it can also describe a big, wide and properly defined soundstage.

The M11S is insightful enough to make minor or transient information apparent, and it can describe the most nuanced dynamic variations in a solo instrument with ease. In every meaningful music-making respect, it has skills – and in some areas, it’s a genuine expert. You don’t have to listen long, hard, or through especially accomplished headphones to realise the M11S is the real deal. If you want audiophile-grade sound quality while you’re out and about, one of the best MP3 players is the best way to get it. And phones aren't made with music in mind: the digital-to-analogue converters in smartphones aren't aimed at audiophiles and Bluetooth doesn't have the bandwidth to match a wired headphone connection. With a few exceptions, streaming services can't match the quality of high-res audio downloads. But not everybody thinks good enough is good enough, especially if you've invested in some of the best headphones: high quality headphones often expose the flaws in streaming music, and in poorly recorded music too. In fact, you should take a look at our best smart speakers guide and best music streaming services guide if you want to refresh the way you enjoy your favorite tunes.įor many people, streaming music sounds good enough.

Most people now turn to music streaming services, smartphones or smart speakers if they want to listen to music.

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