Fiio M9 Compatibility & Uploading Content

2020-01-06 18:13:51

I just ordered a Fiio M9 DAP. The documentation that comes with it is “sparse”. I found a few vague mentions that Foobar 2000 was an easy to use program with which to load music onto the M9. Can anyone suggest any published material on this topic? A few of the questions I have are:

1. Must the card be formatted in the M9 before use?
2. After I upload the initial content, let’s say I add a few songs. Must I reload the entire collection, or can I update just the changes?
In advance, Thanks!

Re: Fiio M9 Compatibility & Uploading Content

Reply #1 – 2020-01-07 17:24:53

As far as I know, FiiO players work like any other Android device. If you insert an SD card that isn't currently readable by the device, it will ask you if you want to format it. You should be able to manipulate your player's filesystem from Windows Explorer, if connected via USB.

Once you get foobar2000 installed, you can use foobar2000's features (FTP server, TuneFUSION) to upload & manipulate music on your device, over your wifi connection instead of USB.

foobar2000 will automatically detect changes in its configured library folders, no need for manual rescanning.

I have not specifically tested foobar2000 on FiiO M5, I do however have an older FiiO X5 and have tested foobar2000 extensively on it, works without issues as of current firmware.

Re: Fiio M9 Compatibility & Uploading Content

Reply #2 – 2020-01-07 17:47:35

I would like to thank you for taking the time to respond. So, a bit of background and one additional question.  I’m switching over from an old 40GB iPod that I converted to 80gb. It’s old and starting to give up. File uploading was done with iTunes which was its own PIA.

From the research I’ve done it appears that I can write directly to the SD card (inserted into my PC) and manually create folders (using Windows File Explorer) for each artist. Within each folder, separate folders for each album. So, if my understanding is correct, it’s not using any special file format.

Next, I can read the SD card with Foobar2000 and create playlists, saving them as .m3u files. Is this correct so far? Adding a song, artist or album should be as easy as just adding the files / folders to the card and reinserting it into the M9.

Is my understanding correct?

Re: Fiio M9 Compatibility & Uploading Content

Reply #3 – 2020-01-08 07:55:55

Your understanding is correct.

FiiO player in Android mode works like any other Android device. It supports SD cards so you don't have to rely on any specific software to copy music to it. Just point your foobar2000 mobile media library at SD card folders once the card is ready and inserted.

On top of that, foobar2000 mobile has its own file management features (FTP server, TuneFUSION), mainly aimed at devices with no SD card slot.

Re: Fiio M9 Compatibility & Uploading Content

Reply #4 – 2020-01-13 15:06:32

Got the M9 and I'm really enjoying it! One last question. When  create the "playlist" (.m3u) file(s), does it have to be placed in any specific location or folder?