What I like about the M-Audio M-Track Duo HD Producer Pack

The M-Audio M-Track Duo HD Producer Pack includes just about everything you need to start recording at home: the Duo HD 2-channel interface, M100 large-diaphragm condenser mic with cardioid pickup pattern, a pair of HDH41 headphones, and an XLR cable, complete with zippered case and XLR cable. Just add a microphone stand (not included) and you’re good to go.

The Duo HD interface connects to your computer via USB-C. It offers two channels with dual 1/4″ / XLR input jacks, complete with phantom power, some output options for your monitoring source, and two 1/4″ outputs on the back to connect to a set of monitors. The top plate is metal, which is nice, and that’s where you’ll find your gain knobs and volume controls. The rest of the housing? It’s plastic, but it feels sturdy enough for a desk setup.

The M100 features an all-metal design.

There’s no plastic on the included M100 condenser mic, though; it’s got a full metal chassis, which gives it a nice, solid feel. Once you’ve connected the XLR cable, make sure to hit the phantom power button on the front of the interface so the mic gets the power it needs. The included HDH41 headphones aren’t anything fancy, but they’ll get the job done, especially if you don’t have a set of monitors yet. Fire up your favorite DAW, and you’re ready to start setting your levels.

I recorded a few demos using the M-Track Duo HD Producer Pack and my MacBook Air in a small, untreated home office. It’s just a regular bedroom setup. I tracked everything in Reaper, my go-to DAW, with the included M100 pointed at the 12th fret of my acoustic guitar.

Audio recordings

Acoustic Guitars Demo:

For this track, I used my trusty Yamaha FS830 acoustic guitar. It’s a relatively affordable, smaller-bodied acoustic, costing less than $400. There are three tracks in total: two rhythm parts panned hard left and right, and a “lead” acoustic that enters near the end, panned straight down the center. I didn’t apply any processing to the rhythm tracks; you’re hearing straight from the microphone, but I added a touch of reverb from a stock Reaper plug-in to the centre lead track for some added texture. Sounding pretty good!

Vocals and Acoustic Guitars Demo:

Here’s a quick take of one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs, “So Doggone Lonesome”. The acoustic guitars are panned hard left and right, while the vocals sit straight down the center. As before, the acoustic guitars have no additional processing, but I added some reverb to the vocals, which is fairly standard practice. Again, I have no issues with the quality of the recording. The M100 can handle some vocals no problem.

Speaking Voice Demo (for podcasting, streaming, etc.):

Lastly, the M100 performs well for capturing speech, and while it handles sibilance without issue, you’ll notice some popping on my P’s when I say “podcast” and “producer pack.” This wasn’t a problem when recording vocals, but I’d recommend using an external pop filter if you plan to use the M100 as a dedicated microphone for podcasting or voice-over work.

What I don’t like about the M-Audio M-Track Duo HD Producer Pack

The Duo HD interface is about as basic as it gets, which I understand is part of its appeal for new recording artists. Sometimes, less knobs and switches is the way to go when you just want to get your musical ideas down.

That said, your input meter is essentially a tiny white LED light that flashes at you when you have a signal and then turns red when you start to clip. I would much prefer a VU meter that shows your gain levels gradually as you adjust. It’s a helpful way to set your levels before firing up your interface, ensuring you’re starting your recording with a healthy signal.

Additionally, having a simple LED to indicate that the interface is powered on would have been nice. You do get one that shows when phantom power is engaged, but right now, there is no easy way to tell at a glance if it even has power. Lastly, while the faceplate is metal, the rest of the enclosure is plastic. It is not the most exciting design, especially compared to something like the Scarlett series with its brushed aluminum red finish. But as long as it sounds good and works, that’s what really matters, right?

Should you buy the M-Audio M-Track Duo HD Producer Pack?

The Producer Pack will undoubtedly get you started, but its components don’t exactly scream long-term quality.

The M-Audio M-Track Duo HD Producer Pack is a solid starting point for anyone testing the waters of home recording. It is easy to use, includes just about everything you need to get going right away, and I was satisfied with the results of my recordings. That said, some components, especially the headphones and the mostly plastic interface, are not built for the long haul. They are designed to keep costs low.

If you are serious about music production or ready to invest a bit more upfront, you might want to consider something more robust. A larger interface with more I/Os like the Focusrite Scarlett 4i4, a dedicated condenser microphone, and a higher-quality pair of headphones will take you further. But if you just want to get your ideas down and have some fun tracking guitars and vocals, the M-Audio M-Track Duo HD Producer Pack is a reliable and affordable way to start.

M-Audio M-Track Duo HD review: FAQs

What I like about the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit

Hercules Stream Essentials kit includes the HXD-700 microphone and Stream 200 controller.

Starting with the included HXD 700 microphone, it’s the typical podcast mic look with a hard-to-remove foam pop filter. Unlike most other mics that use a friction fit that can get loose over time, it has a groove that catches on the lip of the mic, similar to a ball catch system. This means it’s highly unlikely that it’s accidentally slipping off. The build of the mic is solid and made of mostly metal. The same goes for the included stand, incredibly heavy for the size, though I wish it were a little taller.

The mic comes with a pre-amp to increase the gain. You won’t need it if you project your voice, but it is convenient for those who are typically quiet. The included XLR cable isn’t bad either. It’s stiffer than premium cables, but it’s definitely better than the cheap cables you get from Amazon that break all the time. I can see both accessories being used with another mic if you decide to upgrade to a different mic in the future.

The Hercules Stream 200 XLR audio controller itself has a great number of input and output options. From optical in, line in, and line out, with obviously an XLR input. Most companies don’t bother with optical in or line in and out. This makes it capable of being used with almost anyone’s setup.

The biggest feature that stands out is the large screen. The user interface is friendly and pretty intuitive. The input levels are split into the creator and audience mix. You will need to have the Hercules stream control running to see it. You can customize the background and colors of the levels to your particular taste, which I have turned to black for ease of use. The levels themselves can be turned into 2-tone gradients of your choice, which is great for an easily readable user interface.

When setting up the Hercules Stream 200 XLR, the included tutorial doesn’t do a bad job of explaining how to use the kit. The software includes a noise gate, compressor, and equalizer. The icons of popular streaming apps are already included; no need to fish for them yourself. You also have the option to set up shortcuts or mute specific channels with the 4 extra buttons.

Unlike most of its competitors, like the popular Elgato Stream Deck, the Hercules Stream 200 XLR is a hefty unit with slightly sticky feet. I haven’t found myself needing to hold on to the top of the device in order to press the buttons. The buttons themselves are easy to activate and are made of a nice-feeling, soft-touch silicone. Regardless of which button I press, including the mute button all the way at the top, the Hercules Stream 200 XLR doesn’t slowly shimmy backwards.

What I don’t like about the Hercules Streamer Essentials Kit

Hercules HXD-700 on stream desk.

The included mic is alright, but is nothing special. Despite the stand being heavy and well-built, it’s way too short at just under 3 inches tall. This could be solved if they added a riser to the kit. Around 3 to 6 inches of extra height would have been great. Not only does it not reach close to my yapper, but the cable going into the microphone is practically touching the desk. This limits the angle quite a bit.

The Hercules Stream 200 XLR is horrible to set up; it’s not plug and play. When connecting to the Hercules Stream 200 XLR, the logo shows up, disappears, and then stays blacked out. This makes it feel like I’ve gotten a defective unit, but it’s because the software Hercules stream controller isn’t installed. Without the application, the controller is just a black box with knobs. For the shortcut keys, it doesn’t detect the difference between numpad inputs and regular number inputs, which can be confusing to some, as many streamers have actions tied to numpad buttons.

The user interface isn’t horrible, but it isn’t great either. Despite the applications being labeled well and easy to find, the Hercules stream controller uses some user interface controls that are not intuitive. This forced me to open the instruction manual from time to time. While it wasn’t a struggle, I can see people getting lost easily in this interface. I don’t like that the XLR options are hidden in a settings page. Oddly, all of these options are tied to the XLR port only. Unless you go directly into your streaming app, you wouldn’t be able to add these as options for the in and out audio.

If you wanted a better controller, then you would be better off getting something like an Elgato Stream Deck, or like me, using a custom numpad with a bunch of dials. Keep in mind that all you need to stream is a microphone and a camera. At the MSRP of $399 for both the microphone and controller as a kit, you’re probably better off only getting the Hercules Stream 200 XLR. Currently, the kit itself has a free 3-month subscription to voice mode. Nice addition, but not valuable.

How does the microphone in the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit sound?

It’s not bad out of the box, but you’ll definitely need to use the included pre-amp. The HXD-700 leans towards sounding dark. The vocal pickup isn’t very detailed, but it is not a bad starter mic.

We recorded a few microphone samples using the Hercules HXD-700 in the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit. Take a listen to the audio samples below and let us know what you think.

Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 3 inches from my mouth, in a treated room:

Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 3 inches from my mouth in an untreated room:

Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 6 inches from my mouth in a treated room:

Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 6 inches from my mouth in an untreated room:

Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 12 inches from my mouth in a treated room:

Hercules HXD-700 with 5dB pre-amp gain, 12 inches from my mouth in an untreated room:

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Should you buy the Hercules Streamer Essentials Kit?

Hercules Stream 200 is similar to the Elgato Stream deck.

If you’re starting out as a streamer, don’t bother with the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit, as there’s a huge learning curve just getting the setup running. Get a cheap USB microphone and a cheap camera, and start streaming for some time before considering controller knobs and XLR microphones with preamps. On the other hand, if you’ve been streaming for a while with said cheap camera and mic, the Hercules Streamer Essentials Kit is pretty much stuck as an in-between choice against the much more popular gear at the same price, without doing anything particularly better. Sure, there’s a large screen, but it’s not something you pay attention to unless you have to. If you want to use something other than Elgato, and the large screen is a must-have, the Hercules Stream 200 isn’t a bad pick. The included HXD-700 microphone is a decent starter microphone, though professionals will find themselves wanting to upgrade.

What should you buy instead of the Hercules Stream Essentials Kit?

The Elgato Stream Deck has a simple interface.

For streamers, the Elgato Stream Deck + XLR is technically easier with the amount of tutorials and support online. The Stream Deck is a great stream controller, and with the XLR adapter, you don’t have to clutter the rest of your already busy desk to add XLR capability. The Elgato Stream Deck is currently going for

The Scarlett Studio bundle includes interface, headphones, and microphone.

If you want the cleanest vocals, for singing streams or recordings on YouTube, you’re better off checking out the Focusrite Scarlett Studio bundle (). In our Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio (4th Gen) review, we found this bundle contains everything you need to start recording at home, including headphones, a microphone, and a great audio interface.

If you want to stick with Hercules, you can try their lower-priced option the Stream Starter Kit. It has a smaller controller, but has a friendlier USB Mic instead. The smaller size saves you some space, and it only costs .

What I like about the Novation Launchkey 61 MK4

61 keys means you can easily play chords and a melody at the same time.

The Novation Launchkey 61 MK4 is a MIDI keyboard designed for all major DAWs, including Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, Reaper, Reason, Ardour, and more. I tested the Launchkey 61 MK4 with Ableton Live 12 Suite and found I could start playing simply by plugging in the USB to my computer. That said, for other DAWs, you may need to download the script integration from the Novation website.

Since you get 5 octaves to work with, and the keys are both full-size and semi-weighted, I felt right at home playing piano parts. If you are serious about performing or composing piano parts, you’ll want to look for a full-size keyboard, but for bedroom music producers like myself, the Launchkey 61 MK4 is the perfect size. You can split the keyboard into two channels, to play a bass sound with your left hand and a completely different melody sound with your right hand. Despite that functionality, at a length of only 35 inches, I find the Launchkey 61 fits well on my L-shaped desk setup, making it easy to go back and forth between the keyboard and monitor.

In addition to more (and larger) keys, you get a few other hardware upgrades when you go from the Launchkey Mini to the full-size Launchkey. Instead of a touch-strip for pitch and modulation control, there are tactile wheels that provide more control. You also get faders with dedicated fader buttons, which is great for live mixing and performing. While the keyboard is made from plastic, the build quality feels solid, and I really like the modern, minimal design aesthetic Novation has adopted. The faders and encoders feel especially nice with a soft, matte texture.

The Launchkey 61 MK4 has all it needs to be the center of your music workflow.

For my use as a music producer, the standout feature of the Launchkey MK4 is the Chord Map mode. You can select a scale that you want to work in on the keyboard, and then map chords from that scale to the performance pads. By pressing a few of the pads, you can quickly build a chord progression. Looking for more complex chords beyond a basic triad? You can twist the knobs above the pads to scroll through Adventure, Explore, Spread, and Roll, each of which tweaks the chords generated. This makes it extremely easy for anyone to start writing music. If you don’t know much music theory, but want to produce music, the Launchkey MK4 series is a great choice.

Another reason the Launchkey MK4 is a great choice for new musicians is the plethora of production software that comes with the keyboard. Included with the Launchkey 61 MK4 is:

• Ableton Live Lite (DAW)
• Cubase LE (DAW)
• Klevgrand plugins for mixing, effects, and drums
• GForce heritage synth instruments
• Native Instruments instruments (with NKS support for seamless integration)
• Melodics lessons (to teach you how to play the keyboard and pads)

This gives you all you need to get started making your first track using your Launchkey 61 MK4, your laptop, and nothing else.

What I don’t like about the Novation Launchkey 61 MK4

There’s MIDI Out, but no CV/Gate.

Unlike the Akai MPK Mini Plus, the Novation Launchkey 61 MK4 does not have CV/Gate outputs. While this means the Launchkey isn’t quite as flexible at controlling modular synth setups, it does have a 5-pin MIDI output, so you can still use this keyboard to control all your MIDI gear. While we’re on the topic of outputs, I’m disappointed by the USB-C to USB-A cable included with the keyboard. If you are like me and have a modern Macbook Air, that means having to use a dongle to connect the keyboard to your computer.

While it might seem obvious from the name of the product, it’s worth pointing out that this only a 61-key keyboard. If you are a piano player and you want a full-size keyboard, you’ll need a Launchkey 88. Unfortunately, the Launchkey 88 is still only available in the outdated MK3 version, and not the updated MK4 spec. That means sacrificing the new Chord Map Mode, updated sequencer pad modes for Ableton Live, the Arp Rhythm feature, and a few other upgrades that come with the latest model.

The low-res monochrome display doesn’t scream “premium”.

With these larger Launchkey models, I would love to see a larger onboard display in the future. If the screen was bigger, it would be easier to see context on what mode you are currently in, and all the features available to you in that mode. There is a steep learning curve to discovering all the features of the Launchkey 61 MK4 that involves diving into the (93-page!) user manual. Perhaps with a larger display, I could skip the user guide and learn all the functionality of the keyboard directly on the keyboard itself.

Should you buy the Novation Launchkey 61 MK4?

The Novation Launchkey 61 MK4 is an excellent MIDI keyboard option for music producers. Even if you have limited music theory knowledge, you can have a lot of fun creating music with it using the Scale and Chord modes. It is the perfect size keyboard for bedroom music producers, as it is large enough to play both chords and melodies, while small enough to fit on a desk. I like the design and build quality of the keyboard, and didn’t run into any major issues while using it. While the price is a bit high for a MIDI keyboard that can’t be used standalone, there are enough features here to justify the price for serious music producers.

Novation Launchkey MK4 vs Akai MPK Mini Plus: Which should you buy?

You get a lot of flexibility with the programmable pads, buttons, knobs, and joystick on the Akai MPK Mini Plus.

If you want a keyboard that is a bit smaller, more portable, and more affordable, consider the Akai MPK Mini Plus (). While you only get 37 mini-keys with the Akai MPK Mini Plus, it offers CV/Gate control, which is great for studio professionals with modular synth setups. The XY joystick also offers an additional input of expression while playing. On the other hand, I don’t find the display or Chord modes of the Akai controllers as intuitive as the Novation Launchkey MK4.

Novation Launchkey 61 MK4 review: FAQs

Whether you want to use it standalone with THX Spatial Audio, as a dedicated rear channel paired with your existing desktop speakers, or even a larger 7.1 surround sound setup, the Razer Clio promises to have you covered. However, one major design oversight might prevent you from integrating it into your gaming setup.

What I like about the Razer Clio

The Razer Clio head cushion speaker is comfortable and lightweight.

The Razer Clio performs admirably as both a head cushion and a wireless speaker. While it’s not as comfortable as the memory foam head pillow that came with my SecretLab Titan Evo gaming chair, nor does it provide neck support, it’s plush enough to rest my head against without discomfort. Despite housing two 43mm full-range drivers, it remains relatively lightweight and isn’t overly bulky. The angled speakers create a near-field listening experience that feels more personal and discreet than traditional desktop speakers.

The Razer Clio is dual-wireless, meaning it comes with a USB-C dongle to support a low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection for PC or console gaming and Bluetooth 5.2 for other devices. Switching between the two is as easy as pressing a button, and I often took breaks between gaming sessions to lie back and stream music from my phone. The physical controls on top of the cushion are well-positioned and responsive. Beyond source-switching, volume and EQ cycling are easily accessible. There are three EQ presets (Gaming, Movie, Music) as well as a custom equalizer within the Synapse app. Gaming mode cuts bass to emphasize tactical audio cues, while Movie mode boosts the low end for more immersive content.

Speaking of Synapse, you’ll need to download it to use the speaker in 2.4GHz mode and connect it to any front-firing speakers you have. Synapse 4 makes switching between Primary Speaker Mode and Surround Speaker Mode straightforward, with independent EQ control for front and rear speakers when running surround setups.

The THX Spatial Audio implementation genuinely works when paired with front speakers like a soundbar or desktop speakers, and performs even better when you add a subwoofer. I paired the Razer Clio with the Razer Nommo V2 Pro to get the complete package, but again, you don’t need to use Razer products; you can use anything. Testing the initial THX demo in Razer Synapse revealed convincing positional audio—gunshots, footsteps, and environmental sounds clearly came from different directions around you. The left/right and front/back localization is notably better than traditional headphone surround processing, creating a more authentic spatial experience for immersive single-player games.

Cyberpunk 2077 convinced me that this was how the game was always meant to be heard and played.

Real-world gaming performance varies significantly depending on the type of game and how well it’s optimized for surround sound. In fast-paced, chaotic titles like Doom: The Dark Ages, the constant barrage of combat audio tends to wash together, reducing localisability and making the spatial benefits less noticeable. However, games specifically designed with immersive audio in mind truly shine. Cyberpunk 2077 became incredibly engaging with the full 7.1 surround setup, where ambient city sounds, dialogue, and effects created convincing spatial depth and envelopment. The immersiveness of walking through Night City’s bustling streets, with traffic passing from left to right and conversations happening at various distances, convinced me that this was how the game was always meant to be heard and played.

The controls are easy to access along the top of the head cushion.

Competitive gaming sees more practical benefits. In Halo Infinite, the superior localisability allowed me to clearly detect enemy footsteps approaching from behind, giving me the tactical advantage to turn around and eliminate unsuspecting opponents. The rear positioning creates excellent width in the soundstage, making it much easier to pinpoint directional audio cues compared to traditional gaming headsets, where sounds can feel more internal.

The Clio enhances the atmosphere for more relaxed gaming experiences, which is nice to have but not essential. Expedition 33’s immersive soundtrack benefited from the enhanced envelopment and spatial depth, though as a turn-based RPG, precise localizability wasn’t crucial for gameplay. Even arcade-style games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 became more enjoyable—I found myself switching to Music EQ mode just to vibe to the excellent soundtrack while skating, where the width of the stereo field made the music feel more open and natural.

What I don’t like about the Razer Clio

The adjustable straps are way too short to fit popular gaming chairs, such as the SecretLab Titan Evo.

Razer advertises the Clio to attach to “most high-back gaming and office chairs,” but unfortunately, that didn’t match my experience whatsoever, and it seems I’m not the only one. Using the SecretLab Titan Evo, one of the most popular gaming chairs on the market, the “adjustable” straps on the back of the Clio are just too short to fit around the 12-inch-wide chair back. I could barely hang the speaker by the top strap, which was precarious and not at the ideal height behind my head. I also tried strapping the Clio to another gaming chair in our office with a 10-inch-wide headrest, but the straps were still inadequate.

Because the straps are built-in and not detachable, swapping them out for longer third-party straps is impossible. There also aren’t any magnets on the head cushion to help secure it to compatible chairs that way. This design oversight is a significant limitation that will prevent many users from integrating the Clio into their gaming stations unless they already own a Razer chair.

The straps don't fit most popular gaming chairs, despite Razer's compatibility claims.

Even if you manage to mount the Razer Clio speaker on the back of your gaming chair, I found that volume balancing required a lot of tinkering within Synapse. The cushion speakers are noticeably quieter than typical desktop speakers, requiring significant volume increases to match. However, pushing the system volume above 80% makes distortion apparent from both the Clio and the paired speakers. At its 85dB max SPL, the Clio can get reasonably loud but lacks the headroom of quality desktop speakers. Because these are open speakers positioned near your head, sound leakage is inevitable and significant. Anyone in the same room will clearly hear your audio, making this unsuitable for shared spaces or office environments. This becomes particularly problematic for multiplayer gaming and streaming.

The USB port is easy to access on the back of the speaker, but you’ll likely need to remove it to charge it.

If you’re using an external microphone, which you’ll need since the Clio doesn’t have one, that mic will pick up the audio from the nearby speakers, creating feedback loops during voice chat. Content creators and streamers will find this especially frustrating, as the sound leakage can ruin audio quality for recordings or live streams. Even gamers using push-to-talk might struggle with ambient audio bleeding into their communications. Essentially, the Clio forces you to choose between immersive surround sound and clear voice communication, making it impractical for most multiplayer scenarios where teamwork and coordination are key.

Despite Razer’s advertised 14 hours of playback, I achieved only about 9 hours of actual use during testing. The USB-C port is located on the back of the cushion, making charging while mounted awkward unless you have an exceptionally long cable to run up the chair. Most users will need to remove the cushion entirely to charge it, interrupting gaming sessions when the battery runs low.

Should you buy the Razer Clio?

For the right games and the right-sized chair, the Razer Clio can be a valuable addition to your gaming setup.

The Razer Clio delivers on providing surround sound gaming audio without the expense and complexity of a full home theater system. The surround sound experience is genuinely convincing, and the head cushion is comfortable for extended gaming sessions and casual music listening. However, significant practical limitations prevent it from being an easy recommendation.

At $230, you're paying premium prices for a product that may not even physically work with your setup.

The chair compatibility issue alone makes this product unusable for many gamers, despite Razer’s claims of broad compatibility. At $230, you’re paying premium prices for a product that may not even physically work with your setup. If your gaming chair has a back wider than 9 inches, the straps simply won’t fit—and that includes most popular models like the SecretLab Titan Evo.

For those with compatible chairs who primarily play immersive single-player games like Cyberpunk 2077, the Clio genuinely enhances the experience with convincing spatial depth and envelopment. For the right user, the ability to game for hours without headphone fatigue while maintaining surround sound positioning is compelling.

I can only recommend the Razer Clio to gamers with narrow-backed chairs who prioritize single-player immersion over multiplayer communication. For everyone else, the mounting limitations make this an expensive experiment that likely won’t work with your existing furniture.

What I like about the Fiio JM21

The JM21 has 2 connection options, a 3.5mm line out and a 4.4mm Pentaconn out.

The reason JM21 is effectively a Swiss Army knife of the audio sphere is the 6 different built-in modes. There’s the default, Android mode, running Android 13, for ease of use and the ability to use music streaming services. Then there’s Pure Music mode, effectively the Fiio Music player pinned to the screen, for the hardcore audio enthusiasts who want to listen to their hi-res music files. The USB DAC mode is for connecting to another device that may not have a headphone jack, for those who would like to potentially upgrade their listening experience. In Bluetooth receiver mode, you can connect wired headphones wirelessly through a Bluetooth source, for the convenience of wireless listening despite using wired audio gear. Finally, for the audio enthusiasts, Roon Ready mode, to connect with the Roon service. Effectively, everything an audiophile would need in a single audio device.

Unlike your phone, there’s no internet access without a WiFi connection. This helps in being intentional with what you’re doing. Chances are, if you’re outside, and asking “Does anyone have the WiFi password?”, that’s your cue to ask yourself “Do I really want to be consuming content right now?”. You’re likely hanging out with friends, possibly touching grass on a hiking trail, or working out at the gym. The inability to have constant internet access is a good wake-up call, though you might still want to kepp your phone with you for emergencies. The Fiio JM21 comes in that familiar old-school phone shape and has Android OS, for that familiar feeling of using a phone. There is even a charm or lanyard loop on the bottom corner, familiar to millennials like me. This only adds to the nostalgic feeling of simpler times when the internet wasn’t easily available. Do people still remember phone charms? I had a Flareon charm at one point.

Everything an audiophile would need in a single audio device

The Fiio JM21 is made of plastic, but it comes with a protective case. Both the texture of the case and body of the JM21 feel like cheap plastics, though still solid enough to handle some minor drops. There’s a little bit of heft that gives that well-built feel. With or without the case, the buttons on the side are tactile and easy to find. There’s no need for a tool to insert the micro SD card. You might need to remove the case, since it’s a little difficult to push in, but it’s a once-and-done situation, which makes it acceptable. On the left, there are three buttons, the lock button, and a separate volume rocker. On the right, there are three buttons, the next track, play/pause, and previous track buttons. Because there are three buttons on both sides, it took me a couple of days to get used to them. Once I did, I realized that the small size meant that I could reach every button without shifting my hand position.

After using the JM21 for a few weeks, I like the way it has impacted my life. While I did install some of the usual social media apps, YouTube, and Instagram, I’ve been using them less and focusing more on my music. The small screen size is easier to hold in one hand compared to a lot of phones. While the screen resolution is acceptable at this size, it’s small enough that it isn’t the best when watching a bunch of content. That’s the point, it’s a music player. It plays music, and has a headphone jack, both a regular 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm Pentaconn. With three modes of gain, I was able to use lots of hard-to-drive headphones with gain mode, sensitive IEMs with low gain mode, and most others with the medium option. The output volume is more than enough to handle any headphones I threw at it. There isn’t any coloration added to the sound the JM21 is outputting, but I found it slightly compressed compared to a desktop DAC. I appreciate the equalizer app that allows me to adjust the sound to my liking.

What I don’t like about the Fiio JM21

It’s difficult to remove and insert a microSD card from the Fiio JM21.

While the tactility of the buttons is enjoyable, it’s a little too easy to press, where once in a while it would pause or skip tracks while in my pocket. This may not have been a problem if it were recessed, and I found the accidental inputs happen more often when it’s in its case. The case also hinders the insertion and removal of the micro SD card, despite having the slot accessible through the case.

Despite being able to do many things, just like every jack of all trades, there are a lot of drawbacks that don’t make it the best to use for every scenario. Both the Bluetooth receiver modes and USB DAC modes have a noticeable amount of lag. The lag is at a point that it’s not ignorable, the moment you use it other than listening to music. The default SBC connection already has lag, and when moving the Bluetooth codec to LDAC, that lag increases. The same lag exists when in USB DAC mode, I lowered the bitrate to base-level CD quality of 16-bit at 44.1 kHz. This makes the Fiio JM21 a dedicated music-only device.

There was no equalizer out of the box, but during an update, the Fiio equalizer app was installed. I appreciate that it now has an equalizer, but it’s not the most intuitive to use. When first opening the app, there weren’t any instructions, with seemingly no way to add a custom eq. Trying to slide any of the options has the app notify you that “It is not a custom EQ”. To create a custom eq, I had to press the retro button. How was I supposed to know? This could be alleviated by adding some sort of a list icon to the side of the currently applied EQ button.

Should you buy the Fiio JM21?

Fiio JM21 is a better choice for music listening than most smartphones.

The Fiio JM21 is for both audio enthusiasts and people who want to stave off their scrolling, social media addiction without having to completely go offline. It does very well in being a music player, and that’s the point. Intentionally listening to music when an album drops, or if your favourite artist puts out a new track. Just like the technology of old, such as handheld cassette players and MP3 players, it’s all about the music. The Fiio JM21 is great for listening to music, but with the wireless latency, it’s not ideal for watching a movie, or playing video games. It’s a nice-looking, well-built, physical reminder that you could be enjoying some music. That said, for $179, you could also just buy a brand new smartphone that has a headphone jack, like the Samsung A15.

Fiio JM21 review: FAQs