Portable audio should by all rights by extinct, such is the ubiquity and ease of streaming music and podcasts from one’s smart device. Yet scan through the list of manufacturers supplying pocketable mp3 players and the like on Amazon, and you’re greeted with a huge number of unfamiliar names – Pusokei, Timmkoo, Vikye, Annadue, Elprico, Naroote – supplying an even greater number of devices.
So what’s going on? The short answer is that the bulk of these new brands are an attempt to give shape and distinction to China’s industrial might. New names are emerging from this Tolkien-esque soup of confected tech nomenclature and some of them will ultimately stick. Our pick is FiiO, or Guangzhou FIIO Electronics Technology Co, to give it its full name. Whereas generic mp3 players can be picked up for less than the price of contemporary vinyl record, FiiO and its ilk are pushing into the middle market and above.
These myriad devices come up against a surprisingly thin showing from the established names. For example, Sony still offers highly effective but hugely overlooked personal audio players, of which our choice would be the NW-A306. However, the Japanese audio giant will charge approximately ten times for its super high-fidelity NW-WM1ZM2 model, competing with the likes of South Korea’s Astell&Kern for a small but lucrative luxury slice of the market.
As regularly noted, digital devices are enjoying a welcome push back from analogue, with products like FiiO’s CP13 cassette player and the revival of the cultish Sound Burger from Audio Technica offering up new ways to enjoy old formats. Up until now, no one has made a high-profile play for the portable CD market (despite the ongoing comeback of standard CD players).
Read on to find out the best new phone-free ways of listening to music and more.
Portable audio without your smartphone
FiiO DM13 CD Player
In the absence of any surviving Sony Discman models, FiiO has slotted its new DM13 CD player into the gap. Straight out of the box, the DM13 offers things that no Discman ever managed, such as HD Bluetooth connectivity and a rechargeable battery offering eight hours of playback. There are also two different headphone outputs, USB output, SPDIF output and a dedicated analogue line-out to connect to other audio gear. Available in silver, red, blue, titanium, or black, the DM13
FiiO DM13 CD Player, £179 / $179, FiiO.com
Activo P1 Digital Audio Player
Activo is another new player in the mp3 player segment, only this time it has the support of long-standing high-end suppliers Astell&Kern. This affordable sub-brand is launching with the P1, a WiFi-enabled player that uses the Android operating system for its 4.1in touchscreen and has 64GB of onboard storage. A MicroSD slot let’s you expand that to 1.5TB, enough for a sizeable haul of lossless music downloads (over five months of audio, to be precise). Elegant, unfussy industrial design, 20 hours of playtime and personalised sound options make the P1 a welcome option to the genre.
Activo P1 Digital Audio Player, £399, Amazon.co.uk
FiiO M23 Digital Audio Player
In addition to its debut compact disc player (above), FiiO is also launching the new M23 Digital Audio Player. Available in aluminium or stainless steel, the M23 is a solid-looking player with a 5.5in screen, Android OS and the ability to fast-charge and also operate in a desktop mains-only power mode (lengthening battery life). There’s an array of connectivity, wired and wireless, and the player has 64GB of storage and can support up to 2TB microSD cards.
FiiO M23 Digital Audio Player, £649, FiiO.com, Advancedmp3players.co.uk
SanDisk Clip Jam
Inspired by the ultra-compact form factor established by the iPod Shuffle nearly 20 years ago, the SanDisk Clip Jam is low cost and no nonsense. Made by the venerable American data storage manufacturer, the Clip Jam has an acceptable amount of storage (8GB) and a simple display. Upgrade to the SanDisk Clip Sport Plus for a colour screen and more functionality.
SanDisk Clip Jam, £37.39, WesternDigital.com, Amazon.co.uk
Shanling M0 Pro
Weighing in at less than 37g, the tiny Shanling M0 Pro has support for 2TB microSD cards as well as a tiny 240x240 pixel touch screen and a high-quality aluminium and glass shell. Packing in Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C into this compact package (with a neat bespoke leather case available as an option), the M0 Pro is truly pocketable audio.
Shanling M0 Pro, £139, Shanling.com, Amazon.co.uk
