It's 2026 and you're excited because you got a new... mp3 player?
Weird times calls for old solutions apparently.
I already have a smartphone and yes, it handles music (and music streaming) just fine.
Let me tell you the reason for getting a separate device to play (not stream) music, it's simple: Distraction
It really is that simple. I'm 53, there's no way I can hear the difference between streaming from Qobuz compared to playing a FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) or DSD (Direct Stream Digital) file from the memory of my device, so fidelity is not a huge factor for me. Spec-wise it supports up to 32-bit 768Khz PCM, DSD512 and the audiophile MP3 format MQA.
The particular DAP I chose is a mid-tier offering from Fiio named M21. It runs Android (13, so neither ancient nor especially new) on an octa-core Snapdragon 680 with 4GB RAM and 64GBs of internal storage (and takes SD cards up to 2TB) and it has 4 (4!) digital-to-analog converter chips in the form of Cirrus Logic CS43198. The unit is Google Play certified meaning you get the full Google Play store to play around with and you can download pretty much any Android app you so desire should you want to. I have been very cautious with this feature since it's very easy to be back in distraction land if you load to much on it. I need my listening distraction free!
You can go really hard core with Pure Music Mode, a setting that basically drops Android to the background and launched the Fiio music player as the only app running, turning the device into a, I guess, pure audio player.
It has 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone jacks but lacks a SIM tray (of course) and cameras. It does have wifi and bluetooth though enabling you to not just bring music via an SD card. Streaming while on wifi works perfectly fine with Qobuz, Roon and PlexAmp and you can download music from them and keep playing once you leave your wifi zone.
In short, it's kind of a beast for an audio player, and quite a chonker, about double the width of my phone.
The front is dominated by a 4.7" touch-screen display that works fine. It's not OLED but it does the job and the Snapdragon 680 makes sure it doesn't lag as so many DAPs do. I think the CPU is pretty much the sweetspot for DAPs right now.
Because it is a DAP it has physical buttons for play/pause, previous track, next track as well as a lock button. I would have liked for the buttons to be easier to feel when not looking at the device but they work fine.
It sounds great to me, as it should, and it has EQ to bring the sound signature in line with what you like and what fits your headphones if you don't care for the default sound.
And if I want a different flavour to the sound I can attach a dongle DAC via USB-C. Overkill sure, but it's nice to have the option.
As a bonus it can act as a DAC (that's a Digital to Analogue Converter) for any desktop computer by connecting via USB-C - and it has a separate USB-C port for charging and a toggle for desktop mode. In desktop mode the battery isn't used and the headphone outputs have more power - not that you'll really need it, it gets plenty loud!
Speaking of power to headphones, the 4.4mm balanced output gets louder by design but as I have already pointed out, you can go deaf by just maxing the volume and put the player in high gain mode on the 3.5mm output. In short, power isn't a problem. I've never really understood the need for a balanced output and very few of my headphones even have a balanced connector. In short, it doesn't really matter to me - but if it's important to you it's there.
Getting music over to the unit can be done in the obivous way, just copy your files to a microSD card (up to 2TB) and plop it in, but my move to Linux recently has armed me with KDEConnect, a magical piece of software that makes your android devices easily connect to your PC and it's dead simple to use to transfer files, your Android device shows up as a file system in the file manager. KDEConnect was one of thise nice perks I didn't know existed and now I find it hard to live without.
One of the coolest things about the M21 isn't included in the package, instead it's a case called SK-M21C (catchy!), if you put your M21 into this magical case it will totally look like a portable cassette player from the 90s. I adore it and let's not pretend it didn't influence my choice of DAP, it clearly did. Note that the M21 actually comes with a case, a slim silicone one, that is way more practical than the SK-M21C. But I choose retro-aesthetics over practicality at every opportunity apparently.
While I followed SuperReviews guide to seeting up an Android DAP I find myself mostly using Fiios own music player app. It's nothing fancy for sure and sometimes the click targets in the UI are just a tad too small/insensitive but I stick to it which is something, I guess. But besides it I also have PowerAmp, PlexAmp, Qobuz and Roon for listening to music.
Other essentials include Overlay Battery, the Niagara launcher and Fiio Roon (which makes the player a Roon Endpoint).
Should you rush out and get a DAP, and in particular this DAP?
First, no and no. If you think you're doing just fine with your phone, you probably are. If you just want higher fidelity you can bring a dongle DAC into the mix with your current phone and that will most likely live up to your expectations. But, if like me, you want that distraction-free listening and the joy of curating your own music library i'd say the M21 is a good choice. It has the HiFi chops, Fiio is one of the “ChiFi” brands that have turned out to be just plain great, beating the prejudice.
Just before posting this it occurred to me that I have one more reservation: This still doesn't feel like an iPod, mainly down to it running Android and therefore able to be many more things. The key here is discipline, I think. Keep the device simple, don't load much more than your preferred music listening app and be content; but be prepared to not really get that iPod feeling.
Here’s a link to the User Guide.