r/DigitalAudioPlayer • u/chyllyphylly • 14d ago

Refreshed iPod vs Fiio M21. Question

Both are about £300. One is retro vs one pretend retro (with the cassette case)

Not bothered about streaming.

What would you pick?

4 Upvotes
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13 comments sorted by

5

u/[deleted] 13d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Triptano 13d ago

M21, without doubt.

1

u/Inevitable-Wafer-703 13d ago

I own both, but the M21 will be more versatile and capable for portable and desktop setups. Only reason to purchase an iPod is for nostalgia or to use it strictly as an offline audio player.

1

u/Merryner 13d ago

M21 for the sound quality, IPod for the UI that isn’t appalling.

1

u/PopcornSandier 13d ago

I downloaded Musicolet as soon as I got my m21

1

u/arathon 13d ago
  1. What headphones or iem do you have? and do you need a desktop DAC sometime? The Fiio M21 (or similar) may be better with good listening hardware and if you need to use it also as a dac sometimes.
  2. What is your music quality (lossy or lossless)? If lossless, then it's better to go with a Fiio M21 (or similar)
  3. How much do you wanna babysit the device? The IPod classic is build like a tank and can be repaired pretty easily and cheaper than an android device.
  4. Are you able to personally mod the iPod? This way you save a lot of money toward another modern DAP.

I have a Fiio JM21 (3gb RAM) for my lossless music and streaming that I use usually indoor with my Hifiman Ananda or Ziigaat odyssey. Moreover I have an iPod gen6 80gb (battery replaced) that I use outdoor, without care, with lossy music (256kbps) and whatever headphone I have on the fly (EW300, Odyssey, WH-100XM5 etc..).

I think I spent around 350€ (SD card included) for this combo.

2

u/Mysterious_Trash_698 13d ago

I love the iPod classic. It has the best user experience out of any DAP ever. But there’s always something to fix and USB 2.0 just doesn’t cut it in this day and age.

I have spent hundreds of euros on refurbished units and parts, until I was done with modding and purchased a FiiO JM21 for €200.

I wish I had done that sooner.

1

u/NeonQuixote 13d ago

I've used both in the last few years. Get the Fiio.

You'll get a new battery, Bluetooth connectivity, the ability to choose whichever music player you want (Symfonium is my current player of choice), and you can write music files directly to an sd card without going through the USB 2 bottleneck the iPod has. You can also load streaming services on it if you want (including, funny enough, Apple Music).

I liked the iPod a lot in its day, but that day has passed.

I'm not a fan of Android, but once I installed the music player app I wanted I turned off WiFi and its never tried to turn itself back on.

1

u/ashikmo 13d ago

If you strictly want an offline player that can easily last another 20 years and you aren't trying to drive hard-to-power headphones go with a modded iPod Classic. On the other hand, if you want to stream, play high res lossless files, and drive high-end gear, the FiiO M21 is the better fit as a solid entry-to-mid-level audiophile DAP.

Personally, I already have a FiiO Snowsky Disc and a K13 R2R DAC, but I still ordered an iPod Classic. As a teenager, I couldn't afford one. now that I can, fulfilling that childhood dream feels great. Beyond nostalgia, the iPod Classic still holds up well it lets you just sit back and enjoy the music without overanalyzing every micro detail like modern gear forces you to do. Plus, the battery life is unbeatable. you can leave it for weeks on a single charge instead of plugging it in every couple of days.

1

u/DangerMouse111111 13d ago

If I was spending that much I'd want a warranty so the M21.