A new toy has been added to my audio equipment collection: the FiiO M33 R2r Digital Audio Player.
Early last year I started on my R2R DAC journey by picking up the inexpensive FiiO K11 desktop DAC/headphone amp. which I found myself enjoying enough to buy the larger and more expensive FiiO K13 desktop DAC/headphone amp upon its release last summer. While the sound of the K11 is very good, in spite of its low price, the sound of the K13 (and its greater power output) takes the sound quality to much more refined level than the K11. Okay so now I found myself enjoying the lush and warm sound that is typical of R2R DACs so much that I purchased a Gustard R30 DAC for my main audio system, which I’m enjoying immensely.
At the CanJam NYC show earlier this month I got the chance to listen to the new FiiO M33 R2R and I was hooked. I managed to find the M33 (with a decent discount) on AliExpress and less than a week later I now have my very own M33 to enjoy.
To those of you who have one of the other FiiO DAPs, the M33’s form factor is very similar to the M11Plus since the M33 is basically the same size and weight as the M11 Plus. The layout of the buttons, controls and ports is somewhat different but the basic operation of the device is very similar.
And of course the M33 does present that smooth, velvety R2R DAC sound perfectly but now in a portable package. If you are curious about what all the hype about R2R DACs is about then the M33 R2R might be your best entry into the R2R world. The M33 features a “desktop mode”, so it can operate as an all in one desktop unit: streamer, desktop headphone amp and even a preamplifier.