HIFI Diary: FiiO DM13 Portable CD Player Simple Review

I. Introduction

Unexpectedly, there are experts out there. Just finished testing the DISCDREAM 2ULTRA from Aquarius, and unexpectedly, FiiO has also released their first portable CD player. The blogger of the previous review just mentioned that there aren't many similar products on the market and there's no choice, but the face-slap came so quickly. So, without further ado, let's try the DM13, which outperforms the DISCDREAM 2ULTRA in terms of "appearance," "weight," and "design," and see how it fares in the most important aspect, "sound quality"!

II. Preparation for the Evaluation

This review focuses on the FiiO DM13 portable CD player. The headphones used for testing are the Nestsound ZERO. All CDs tested are genuine. Additionally, there are other models for comparison testing. If you're interested, you can click to jump to their reviews, which should provide significant comparative value for many people.

III. Evaluation Pieces/Scoring Method

The track selection is based on the BLOG owner's usual listening preferences, which are approximately 70% Japanese music and 30% large-scale orchestral works. Therefore, the selection will lean significantly towards Japanese music. The scoring criteria are derived from the simplified version of Liu Hansheng's "Twenty Essentials for Audio," with a maximum score of 10, though generally, the highest score given is 9. A score of 8 indicates a clear advantage in the scoring category, 7 signifies excellence in this category, 6 means it can be normally appreciated, 5 means it can be normally listened to, and scores below 5 are not commented on. For a more detailed evaluation plan, please refer to here.

IV. Test begins

项目	DM13	DISCDREAM 2 Ultra	DISCDREAM	EC-MINI
Integrity	6/10	7.5/10	6/10	6/10
High frequency	5.5/10	7/10	5/10	5/10
Medium frequency	6/10	7/10	6/10	6/10
Low frequency	5.5/10	7.5/10	6.5/10	5.5/10
Analysis, separation	5.5/10	7.5/10	6/10	6/10
Sound field, density	6/10	7/10	6/10	5.5/10
Drive, dynamic	6/10	6.5/10	6/10	6/10
Total score	5.8/10	7.1/10	5.9/10	5.7/10

1、Song：Last Song, Singers：LiSA, Album：Last Song

"Last Song" is a relatively obscure album in Angelbeats!, but its recording quality is equally outstanding as the others. You can hear the youthful, powerful cry of a young girl, infused with the elements of wind, frost, rain, and dew. The opening of DM13 was quite disappointing for the blog owner. Although DM13, like Moondrop DISCDREAM 2ULTRA, uses two 43131 (43198) chips, its resolution, especially in the low frequencies, is significantly worse, with sluggish speed and slightly insufficient dynamics. There is a clear gap in overall hard quality. The only thing worth mentioning is the vocal performance, which is relatively close, with a linear and slightly thin sound. Although it's not particularly outstanding, compared to the high and low frequencies, the midrange is the best.

2、Song：永久に (永远) (Acoustic)，Singers：AQUAPLUS，Album：Pure AQUAPLUS LEGEND OF ACOUSTICS

Switch to the album Pure with higher production quality. Since this SACD has a CD layer, the DM13 can read it normally. The main purpose of choosing this CD is to further determine the issues with the DM13. The most obvious problem is the drum sound at the beginning, which lacks depth and has excessive reverb. Although the instrument tones in the entire track do not deviate significantly, the lack of control makes the music sound quite chaotic. What should have been a poetic and prolonged piece ends up making one feel restless. It can be concluded that the DM13 is basically unsuitable for large or small ensemble music and might only be passable for solo performances.

五、总结

Halfway through writing this review, the blog owner silently added the word "simple" before "review" in the title. It's not that the sound of the DM13 is truly unbearable to the point where the blog owner couldn't listen to several tracks to complete the test. The main issue is that the blog owner realized it's not feasible to spend hours testing every single product, especially when the product itself shows no sincerity towards the user. The blog owner genuinely has little to say about the DM13. In terms of design, size control, weight control, and material craftsmanship, it far surpasses both Shuiyueyu and Shanling, making it the only truly portable CD player among the current crop of domestic portable CD players. However, looking good is by no means the goal of HIFI, and what we aim to please is certainly not just the eyes. A CD player is not merely a combination of a CD drive and a large tail, nor is it a product that can be assembled successfully by just throwing together some random components. Although the number of CD users is indeed far less than that of digital users, if a HIFI manufacturer wants to venture into a new field, it would be hoped that they would at least possess some level of professional capability, rather than trying to deceive with subpar products and exaggerated marketing.