FiiO JM21 Hi-Res Music Player

Defective and Ignored

Must edit this review. after 6 weeks of gentle usage (I use it to fall asleep at night), the JM21's screen will flicker and jump. The player becomes unusable. If I turn it off by resetting, I have to wait about 90 minutes for it to return to normal. They are based in Brooklyn NY which is on brand for ignoring an issue.

First, the 4-64 model is the way to go. It is very responsive, but it takes 37 seconds to fire up. Not a major concern for me, but 1/2 star deduction. The os is not the most intuitive and it doesn't update any additions to the sd card automatically. You have to scan for new music, so another 1/2 star deduction. The manual is not easy to understand and the translation to English is not great. No deduction. Please don't misunderstand. The few bugs should not prevent anyone from buying the JM21. As I said, very responsive, sound is good, equalizer can spice up your listening experience if you care to use it. I listen with HiFiMan Arya with the balanced 4.4 cable, so I listen without any fussing, just flat, no EQ. WiFi, although I don't use it much is another big plus. As my title says, overall very satisfying. Worth the money!!

Back is Peeling - No response from FiiO

I love the performance of the player but I have an issue that is really bothering me.

The coating on the back of the player is peeling quite badly and pieces keep coming off on my hands.

I reached out to Fiio directly and asked if they had any suggestions to make this situation better and I have had no response at all.

Super producto genial

El fiio JM21 es espectacular salió muy bueno tiene un sonido brutal estoy enamorado de este producto me gustó mucho lo necesitaba gracias

Better than an iPod and better than filling up your phone.

I absolutely love this thing. I decided that I need my phone storage for photos and my iPod finally went out. The amp in this thing gets LOUD! The music is clear, especially if you are making your CDs into a minimum of 320kbps MP3s. If you plan to make the most of the player, don’t cheap out on your Micro SD card. I put in a good and fast card and I have yet to see the player slow down. Scanning in new music is quick as well. The fact that it is an Android player also allows for more custom options. I am using an app called Symfonium in place of the stock music app and it allows you to get extremely custom but I also have the stock player to fall back on. I also got the hard case for this (the FIIO Nest Pro) with a tempered glass screen protector from Ali Express. As far as the battery life, I am used to connecting power when I am away from the house since I drive so much, so I am not sure how good or bad the battery is. Also, on great speakers, this thing even sounds awesome over Bluetooth! I am very happy with this MP3 player!

The DAP That Flew Too Close to the Sun

All in all, my time with the FiiO JM21 was good, but it was flawed. I docked one star because the buttons, especially the power button, were a bit too big and would actually press against my pant pocket while moving sometimes. I'd have to be careful when squatting or fumbling in my pant pocket for other items (keys, AirPods case, etc.) lest I press a button by mistake. The other star got docked because the screen isn't flush against the case and juts out *just* enough to be susceptible to cracking (photo attached). I had the included screen protector on and in its case, but if there's anything else in your pocket or bag, it's liable to get damaged. I'm willing to look past the occasional Bluetooth connectivity hiccup as well as its battery life if the Wi-Fi connection is left on as both may be remedied in time with firmware and software updates, but the hardware design is not as practical as it could be long-term. I'm glad I had insurance protection on it and got a full refund, but I'm also sad that the screen couldn't be repaired.

If you're looking for an affordable at-home/stationary DAP, I still highly recommend it as it is a solid piece of tech. If you're more on the go, maybe reconsider.

Jiio stopped charging after 2.5 months

The music sounded great, but the device stopped charging after 2.5 months. So now it is a brick and useless. The picture is with the charger connected.

After 3 months of constant use.

At first use I gave this 5 stars. Nice display screen and user friendly once you get it figured out. The battery does drain quickly but it also charges fast. Realistically in 2026, no one is ever away from some kind of charging port long enough for this to be an issue.

I’ve been running this constantly for about 3 months .ive had it connected directly and Bluetooth to multiple sources. My biggest complaint about this is the fact that it loses BT signal all the time lately. This wasn’t an issue at the start.

Bang for the buck, this MP3 player is actually the best one I’ve found dispute the losing signal daily issue. Also, do NOT connect this to iTunes. My entire playlist disappeared after connecting. Apple and Android are not compatible with this player.

Monica

March 17, 2026

Very Satisfied

After 10 years of monthly streaming subscriptions, I realized I had nothing to show for it, so I went looking for a standalone device to own my library again. Being new to the DAP and audiophile world, I did a lot of research and quickly learned that DAPs usually do one thing well which is digital audio conversion—while the OS and hardware are often something you just pick your poison with.

As a newcomer to the DAP world, here’s my take on this FiiO player:

The Interface: I was worried about it being Android based (I’ve seen some bad, laggy cheap phones) but it’s actually a huge plus for a beginner because it’s familiar and easy to navigate using a touchscreen. Plus, you can switch to a "Pure" mode to turn it into just a digital player without all the tech distractions.

The Tech: It has both 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs, LDAC support, and handles album art/lyrics that it can pull from the web (absolutely love this because my iTunes music didn’t move over with album art). Super easy to create playlists. Easy button to scan sd card for new music. Tons of other features too in the settings.

I found the full manual online then uploaded the PDF of the manual to NotebookLM…trust me, it makes troubleshooting and getting over the learning curve way faster than reading through a 40 page manual.

Music Experience: Downloading my Qobuz library was seamless. The chrome browser is also essential because it lets you buy music directly from websites, bypassing the Apple/Google App Stores tax that blocks digital music purchases in-app. I do hear a sound upgrade from streaming (definitely more immersive sound) but obviously results are only as good as your weakest link whether that’s the wired connection or the headset or the DAC.

I like the dedicated fiiO player app, I find it very intuitive to use. It’s been fairly easy to download music via Qobuz app on this DAP or move iTunes music to the sd card from my MacBook. Only hiccups I had was things that are not the fault of the player, most of my issues have been with Apple products like I had to reformat my SD card because my MacBook didn’t like the format (this DAP could read any format fine). Getting my iTunes music in general was hard because Apple wants to keep everything in their ecosystem. Also had issues with not being able to buy music on certain apps but like I said earlier that has to do with them trying to avoid paying Apple Store or Play store so I’ve had to buy on a browser then download from the apps.

Battery Life:

Active use in Android mode: I got about 10% drain per hour.

In the “pure” music player only mode it drains closer to standby.

Standby: Amazing. Only 2% drain over 8 hours.

Charging: Went from 8% to 80% in under an hour while I was using it.

That was all without battery saver on. On battery saver I get a lot more run time and haven’t had any problems with Bluetooth connection (I don’t stream, only playback from the SD card). Regardless I would say to just keep it plugged in for charging as much as possible or turn it off when not in use because it will die on you eventually. Mine mostly lives in my car but on rare occasions where I’m out and about with it I carry a mobile charger for it

Etc: it’s as wide as my iPhone 16 Pro but not as tall.

Overall I’m very happy with this DAP. I feel like for the price I got all the basic entry level stuff a newcomer would want plus extras that will future proof my purchase. Extremely happy that I got an android based player because it reduced the learning curve significantly and provides a lot more features and settings to tinker with.

Open android most powerful 700 mw +700mw

Awesome sound and alot of custom tuning and a open android fantastic value for the price definitely has alot of bells and whistles of a higher end or priced DAC so a great value for the price

Decent battery tons of features and pushes anything you've got would recommend to anyone from first-time DAC to experienced audiophile...

Jeison Brea Rodríguez

December 21, 2025

Buen Dap para "Entry Level"

Es un increíble DAP con muchas funciones, trae consigo lo bueno de FiiO y recibe actualizaciones de la marca. El único detalle es la batería, han actualizado el dispositivo a lo largo del tiempo, pero aún así la batería dura lo justo.

Worked for 10 minutes and broke down

The player worked for 10 minutes. I logged into my account, it asked to update, updated, turned on, worked for a minute, and started rebooting. Now it won't turn on at all. How can I send the device now if it contains personal data from my account?

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koogz

August 21, 2025

It's a good price, great specs, but plastic. It's the feel...

I'm not going to knock the device for it's all plastic build, but it was a little clunky in the setup process and I wasn't especially impressed so back in the box it goes after 10 minutes. I would rather pay more for a solid build device, and would maybe give the M21 a try.

Put it right back in the box after taking some pics.

It's ready for the next person that may love, it. I

Just not for me.

Incredibly disappointing purchase...

I was so excited to receive this device after reading so many good reviews online, but after receiving it I'm so incredibly disappointed.

First, even though the manufacturer's website says this device is Mac compatible if you download the Android transfer tool, this is a blatant lie. I tried multiple transfer tools, multiple data cords including the one that shipped with the device and it is not recognizable on Mac. After more digging online, it seems like I'm not the only one to discover this. This device will not work on Mac, full stop.

Second, I decided that since I can't just connect the device directly like I wanted to, I would try loading my songs onto a micro SD card manually. I formatted the card and everything seemed to be going fine until I tried removing the card. It absolutely will not come out. I tried everything from my finger, to credit cards, to paperclips, and finally to tweezers. The micro SD is hopelessly jammed so now I have not just one, but two items I have to return.

I'm not sure what digital audio player I'll try instead, but I will definitely steer clear of all FiiO products in the future. I'm shocked at how this purchase has turned out.

Significantly better than Hiby R4

Hiby R4 can't be compared to FIIO. HiBy 3.5mm sounds as FM radio, useless. FIIO sounds good 3.5mm and Bluetooth. There is some difference. 3.5mm has more bass but for some reason I prefer Bluetooth.

Fiio android 13 is simplified but works OK. I instaled Footbar2000, Spotify, Audacy.... HiBy internet is all Chinese.

I ordered digital cable SPDIF.

0:14

Not a good device at all

Delivery A++ and I like that it came in it's own case, size is comfortable not too bulky non annoying. But, software is too slow. They set the worst app for it. The buttons location are terrible. Sadly the headphones I bought with it were defective too, but I tried with multiple headsets and there's something odd to the sound, like is boxed far away. I thought they were my files until I tried them on another device, they are not the problem. Every now and then it just auto speed the tracks and it takes about 5 solid minutes to turn it off and on and closing and opening to get them back to normal speed instead of hearing the chipmunks sing. I tried multiple settings for the equalizer to no results, it kept sounding like a box. And the button placing, they would be practical if they were only on one side, but having them in both sides is very annoying because just grabbing the device from your pocket activates all the buttons. I was expecting a better quality but sound is not that good no matter what headset I use and the whole construction is messed up by the button placing. Plus can't replace the lame software and the website is glitchy and it doesn't recognize the accounts after registering, I can only recover the password from the device but in the website it does not recognize my account. Too much troubles with it I would not recommend. 2/10 Will be returning.

Easy buttons

Could be a 5 but gave 4 for button issues and lack aftermarket cases. Unit itself took 3 weeks to arrive but thus far it is really quite amazing. I am sure I have yet to put it through its paces. The one thing I read was that the buttons were too sensitive, which is true due to the design of the included case. I found a solution though and that is you carefully cut the buttons on the case out. Then you don’t accidentally go forward or backward or stop play on tracks. Same with power button if that annoys you accidentally turning on or off. I find less issue. Volume button is also not so much issue. See pics. I don’t have before and after but I didn’t cut out power button so you should get idea.

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