thanks for your honest comparison between the three DAPs. I ended up getting the LG V60 and only using it for streaming/offline Qubos and I am happy with it. Long Battery Life, microSD, big screen, 4 DACs. and best of all 3.5mm jack!. It is really a rabbit hole getting to this hobby. I wish you prosper more in the future and stay honest.👍
I wish LG would come back to making their phones. Today and tomorrow their phones would be even greater. If they only wanted they could just own a DAP market! Such a phone would be superior to any DAC that has no cellular data, thus no true portability for streaming on the go (car, walk in a park, etc)
@@trubadyr99 totally agree with you. A lot of low-mid hifi enthusiast will be happy. The LG V (30,40,50,60) and LG G (6, 7, 8) series are really good as a DAP. More of personal preferences I.E. size (6.1 or 6.8).
Thanks for this very honest and real comparison. I’ve been buying these digital Walkmans for a long time, the X series, Z1000, ZX1, ZX2, ZX500 and most recently been able to buy a 2nd hand Japanese WM1Z. Most of these had a faint audible noise floor, except the ZX500 and WM1Z which are dead silent. If this is unacceptable to you, of course return the WM1AM2. You should be happy with your listening experience, these are expensive devices. To counterpoint, I tend to stick with Sony because despite a very faint white noise, there is a certain musicality to their players, even if they are often underpowered. And overall Q/A and interface is also much more robust than all the Chinese devices, like you are experiencing with the FiiO. Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
hiby r4 is buggy mass. Got mine about a month ago. It is frozen on black screen, won't reboot with hard reset. Just stuck in black screen. Searched online and It seems I am not the only one with this problem. I live in Korea but I have to send it back to China to get it serviced, not sure how long it will take. I won't buy hiby dap in the future.
Nice, I had been curious about the impressions on the m23. Are the Sony deviced the first featured DAP on your channel in which you found noise floor? Still new to all this but since my m300 had the back fell off and the battery arrive in terrible state, currently thinking of the zx707 or the new ibasso dx180. But since you never seem to be able to tell too much of an audible difference no matter the price point, I should go for whatever is cheaper which would be the ibasso, and still fairly portable at its size and weight.
With certain IEMs the Hiby R3 Gen 2 has a slight noise floor, better/less than every Sony though. The A55, A305 & WM1AM2 all have a noise floor. The ZX707 has a better battery than the ibasso devices but will also have the Sony noise floor.
My experience of budget to mid price DAP's is the sound performance is very similar. You are paying extra for added features, build quality, more RAM and better screens etc
Hello... I am using a 5v 1a charger to charge the walkman sony wm1am2 and I noticed that it takes 2 hours and 30 minutes from zero unlike the computer where it took the 4 hours advertised. Is it normal that it lasts less or is the charger inadequate?
Nice comparison. Would be interesting to compare M23 to LG V60. Just to share my experience. For the last 7 years I kept my Note 8 as a main music player which is similar to Note 9. But recently I tried the old LG V30 which is not much different from LG V60 (ES9218P QuadDAC instead of ES9219 QuadDAC) and the difference between Note 8 and LG V30 is just staggering - especially in the low base region. I have a feeling that Note 8 cannot reproduce deeper sound than ~50Hz, but V30 goes down to 30Hz or even 20Hz. One track where this is very noticeable is Unfinished Sympathy from Massive Attack - that base in the background is barely audible on Note 8 (it sounds like tiny blips), while on V30 the base feels like a breeze going through my whole head (no, its not because my head is empty - LOL) . Just amazing. OK, my earphones are Ikko OH10 which are quite bassy, but not too much different tonally from ThieAudio Hype 4 - except in the midds where OH10 is lacking a bit. Would be interesting to see if such audible differences or similarities exist between all these players - Note 9, M23, Hiby, V60 or Sony... Cheers
oh that sucks.. it seems like you waited a good bit to receive it.. and this issue.. so sorry... I hope it gets replaced. I just picked up the Ibasso DX180 still getting use to it... its growing on me in a big way.. but the M23 was my first choice but the price of the ibasso was too good to pass up.. I hope Fiio takes care of you and does the right thing.
@@PerputuallyCensored Yes. I grow more enamored with it day by day. Sound is so subjective but I do think you would enjoy this DAP. Build quality is excellent. Is actually surprisingly not heavy. Just right in weight. You’ll know what I mean when you hold it. DACS used are the CS 43131 x4. To me it leans warm neutral. Again for the money build quality is excellent. Feels great in hand. Intuitive and sounds good. But like you said these DAPS are still overpriced for what’s on offer.
I was going to buy the M23 but having watched your video I think I will buy the Sennheiser IE600 earphones instead as you say in this video (and others) DAPs sound basically the same. I currently have an aging Astell & Kern Jr DAP and a Ifi Hip-Dac for my laptop.
Damn that's a bummer with the broken volume level button. If the case for the M23 is made from the same material as the ones for the M10, The case will be changing colour in no time (extreme yellowing just from the UV of sunlight). Just after a few months I had to buy a different one from ebay that was tinted grey/dark. The plastics are really bad. If I get a M23 I'll buy a leatherette case or something. You're right, every player should have this wall-power feature, to preserve the battery when listening a lot at home.
Why the hiby R6proii is so bad? I’m trying to get my first device mostly because of storage and I don’t want to be using my phone for music, I want something that feels like a phone not slow or laggy the R6proii looks very nice but the battery makes no sense, Sony is nice but so overpriced for what it offers. Any other options similar to the hiby6proii ? I can. Go with the hiby R6iii but idk how less performance difference is on that one
Plugging in and not degrading a battery… I would prefer plugging in and using a battery at the same time, like you do with a laptop. Why? Battery doesn’t introduce noice the switching power supply does.
For any UK buyers interested in purchasing the Fiio M23. I got the letters wrong in the video:
I used this retailer: www.otic-audio.co.uk/
thanks for your honest comparison between the three DAPs. I ended up getting the LG V60 and only using it for streaming/offline Qubos and I am happy with it. Long Battery Life, microSD, big screen, 4 DACs. and best of all 3.5mm jack!. It is really a rabbit hole getting to this hobby.
I wish you prosper more in the future and stay honest.👍
I wish LG would come back to making their phones. Today and tomorrow their phones would be even greater. If they only wanted they could just own a DAP market! Such a phone would be superior to any DAC that has no cellular data, thus no true portability for streaming on the go (car, walk in a park, etc)
@@trubadyr99 totally agree with you. A lot of low-mid hifi enthusiast will be happy. The LG V (30,40,50,60) and LG G (6, 7, 8) series are really good as a DAP. More of personal preferences I.E. size (6.1 or 6.8).
Thanks for this very honest and real comparison. I’ve been buying these digital Walkmans for a long time, the X series, Z1000, ZX1, ZX2, ZX500 and most recently been able to buy a 2nd hand Japanese WM1Z. Most of these had a faint audible noise floor, except the ZX500 and WM1Z which are dead silent. If this is unacceptable to you, of course return the WM1AM2. You should be happy with your listening experience, these are expensive devices. To counterpoint, I tend to stick with Sony because despite a very faint white noise, there is a certain musicality to their players, even if they are often underpowered. And overall Q/A and interface is also much more robust than all the Chinese devices, like you are experiencing with the FiiO. Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Nice review Luke.
It would be great if you can try the Hiby r4 as well.
Wondering how that one compares to these expensive daps
Unfortunately I won't be buying another Hiby device for the foreseeable future.
hiby r4 is buggy mass. Got mine about a month ago. It is frozen on black screen, won't reboot with hard reset. Just stuck in black screen. Searched online and It seems I am not the only one with this problem. I live in Korea but I have to send it back to China to get it serviced, not sure how long it will take. I won't buy hiby dap in the future.
Did you keep the LG? I remember that you said you will compare it with M23.
Yes, I just forgot to mention it here.
Lol that was the main reason I subscribed to his channel m23 compared to the lg v6o
Nice, I had been curious about the impressions on the m23. Are the Sony deviced the first featured DAP on your channel in which you found noise floor?
Still new to all this but since my m300 had the back fell off and the battery arrive in terrible state, currently thinking of the zx707 or the new ibasso dx180. But since you never seem to be able to tell too much of an audible difference no matter the price point, I should go for whatever is cheaper which would be the ibasso, and still fairly portable at its size and weight.
My m2 does not have a noise floor. Its completely black. I have a good micro sd card as well. An industrial one used for cctvs
With certain IEMs the Hiby R3 Gen 2 has a slight noise floor, better/less than every Sony though. The A55, A305 & WM1AM2 all have a noise floor.
The ZX707 has a better battery than the ibasso devices but will also have the Sony noise floor.
Have you had the chance to look at the ibasso dx180 and dx260? How would this compare to those daps?
My experience of budget to mid price DAP's is the sound performance is very similar. You are paying extra for added features, build quality, more RAM and better screens etc
Not necessarily. The Hiby M300 is only £200 and has Android 13, good screen and a quick chipset.
@PerputuallyCensored I think the new Hiby R4 is a compelling option and has balanced output too 👍
No
@@luissandoval1071No?
No
FIIO m23
Puissance
Qualité de finition
Connectique très intéressantes et très complète ✌️
Fiio all the way.
Great review ..I wish you would review the Shangling M6 ultra also throw an LG V50 or G8x in the mix for sound comparison
Send me them and I'll review them. That's the only way those specific devices will be reviewed by me as I won't be buying either.
Hello... I am using a 5v 1a charger to charge the walkman sony wm1am2 and I noticed that it takes 2 hours and 30 minutes from zero unlike the computer where it took the 4 hours advertised. Is it normal that it lasts less or is the charger inadequate?
What app are you using on the DAP's?
Usb Audio Player Pro.
Can you put up exact name of that ofic site you said you got the discount from, I put a search for it but can't find it.
www.otic-audio.co.uk/
I said the wrong letters in the video I think. Whoops.
Nice comparison.
Would be interesting to compare M23 to LG V60.
Just to share my experience.
For the last 7 years I kept my Note 8 as a main music player which is similar to Note 9.
But recently I tried the old LG V30 which is not much different from LG V60 (ES9218P QuadDAC instead of ES9219 QuadDAC) and the difference between Note 8 and LG V30 is just staggering - especially in the low base region.
I have a feeling that Note 8 cannot reproduce deeper sound than ~50Hz, but V30 goes down to 30Hz or even 20Hz.
One track where this is very noticeable is Unfinished Sympathy from Massive Attack - that base in the background is barely audible on Note 8 (it sounds like tiny blips), while on V30 the base feels like a breeze going through my whole head (no, its not because my head is empty - LOL) . Just amazing.
OK, my earphones are Ikko OH10 which are quite bassy, but not too much different tonally from ThieAudio Hype 4 - except in the midds where OH10 is lacking a bit.
Would be interesting to see if such audible differences or similarities exist between all these players - Note 9, M23, Hiby, V60 or Sony...
Cheers
oh that sucks.. it seems like you waited a good bit to receive it.. and this issue.. so sorry... I hope it gets replaced. I just picked up the Ibasso DX180 still getting use to it... its growing on me in a big way.. but the M23 was my first choice but the price of the ibasso was too good to pass up.. I hope Fiio takes care of you and does the right thing.
Any good?
@@PerputuallyCensored Yes. I grow more enamored with it day by day. Sound is so subjective but I do think you would enjoy this DAP. Build quality is excellent. Is actually surprisingly not heavy. Just right in weight. You’ll know what I mean when you hold it. DACS used are the CS 43131 x4. To me it leans warm neutral. Again for the money build quality is excellent. Feels great in hand. Intuitive and sounds good. But like you said these DAPS are still overpriced for what’s on offer.
@thedar7164 I have the DX170 and my UM Multiverse Mentor's sound great with it. The DX180 is definitely worth considering 👍🙏
@@warrensnookI love my Unique Melody Mest Mk3, best Sound quality and Sound stage 👍
I was going to buy the M23 but having watched your video I think I will buy the Sennheiser IE600 earphones instead as you say in this video (and others) DAPs sound basically the same.
I currently have an aging Astell & Kern Jr DAP and a Ifi Hip-Dac for my laptop.
Something like the Hiby M300 will do the job as a dedicated DAP at a reasonable price.
Not sure I understand the 'laggy' complaint. Surely if you are buying a DAP you are only interested in the sound v cost comparison?
No, I'm not only interested in that aspect. If you are great, you can buy the worst, least responsive sound producing gear.
Damn that's a bummer with the broken volume level button. If the case for the M23 is made from the same material as the ones for the M10, The case will be changing colour in no time (extreme yellowing just from the UV of sunlight). Just after a few months I had to buy a different one from ebay that was tinted grey/dark. The plastics are really bad. If I get a M23 I'll buy a leatherette case or something. You're right, every player should have this wall-power feature, to preserve the battery when listening a lot at home.
The volume slider/button does feel plastic and is the cheapest feeling part of an otherwise quite premium, well built player.
Why the hiby R6proii is so bad? I’m trying to get my first device mostly because of storage and I don’t want to be using my phone for music, I want something that feels like a phone not slow or laggy the R6proii looks very nice but the battery makes no sense, Sony is nice but so overpriced for what it offers. Any other options similar to the hiby6proii ? I can. Go with the hiby R6iii but idk how less performance difference is on that one
It isn’t bad at all.
Plugging in and not degrading a battery… I would prefer plugging in and using a battery at the same time, like you do with a laptop. Why? Battery doesn’t introduce noice the switching power supply does.
Come on man , before you do a review do some homework , you should know the prices of what you are reviewing .
Feel free to do better yourself. The price was correctly stated, by the way. I just covered myself incase I made an error. "do some homework.."
@@PerputuallyCensored lol you gave round abouts never said actual price
@@Angel-AbC9 I literally said “£650”. If you didn’t hear or listen properly there’s not much I can do for you.
U said 650 maybe 700 then 750 and then 500ish with discount code
I prefer Sony
Fiio is hires whit Thx and mqa, us much better
пол видео о шипении у sony, что за отстой. ну это правда очень слабый обзор.
Бесполезное видео, ни сказал ни чего нового. Зачем вообще видео делал?