Is the FiiO DM13 worth buying?

FiiO

FiiO DM13

Ranked #6 in CD Players

495 LP on the category ladder what's LP?

Compact yet durable with excellent DAC.

Consolidated from 25 cited sources across 21 outlets

Where the cited sources landed, as we read them

13 positive sources
7 neutral sources
2 unconvinced sources

See the sources

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Pros & cons

✓ Small footprint
✓ Solid construction
✓ Excellent DAC performance
✓ Portable form factor
✓ Bluetooth connectivity

The sources behind this ranking

We searched the web and YouTube for what has been published about this product, then read the articles, video transcripts and comments we found.

Evidence 13 articles, 7 video reviews and 5 community sources

13 positive sources

Apos Product Category · reviewer

"The main reason I bought the DM13 was to enable Bluetooth pairing for headphones and automobile CD play. After reading the instructions on pairing, I tried connecting both Bose and Sony headphones. Even though the DM13's display was saying PAIRING, each headphone's pairing amp said otherwise. Also, after each attempt, the display would try reading the CD, and then say V35 NO DISC!

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Richer Sounds Richer Sounds · 20.7K subscribers · Apr 2025

The DM13 sounds really great. It's actually got proper DAX digital to analog converters built in. Two of them actually, one for each channel for left and right, meaning it processes the sound really cleanly and you can actually hear all of those little details you may not have heard in your CDs before. Even when I used wired headphones with this on the go, the headphone amp is pretty powerful.

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BGR Sydney Louw Butler · reviewer

Unfortunately, most portable CD players you'll find for sale are, frankly, cheap junk. Luckily, that couldn't be further from the truth for the FiiO DM13 . With its gorgeous retro industrial design, this looks more like a portable CD deck than an actual portable player, and indeed, you can just use it as a desktop player at home by hooking it up to a larger stereo system.

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Audio Zone Audio Zone · 13.4K subscribers · Oct 2025

Sleek, versatile, and seriously impressive, the DM13 feels like the perfect bridge between past and present, the Shanling EC0T feels like a trip back to the golden days of late8s and early '90s. Stereoss, glass panels, bronze accents, square buttons, and a retro themed UI that instantly sparks nostalgia. But don't be fooled by the classic look.

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Good Housekeeping Simon Cocks · reviewer

As a CD player though, it’s a great budget option. We were pleasantly surprised with the performance. It’s a touch bass-y for our taste, but clarity is good overall and it’s a perfectly good sound for easy listening. The display doesn’t show the CD track name though – only a small inconvenience if you’re looking for something on a budget.

10best Picks 10best Picks · 3.5K subscribers · Sept 2025

The sound is clean, detailed, and engaging, breathing new life into your CD collection. One of the standout features is the incredibly precise volume control. The CS43198 handles volume adjustment with 99 levels, ensuring smooth transitions and crystal clear audio at any listening level. Whether you're using sensitive IM or power- hungry headphones, the DM13 has you covered.

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Z Reviews HiFiDawson · owner

I've had my DM13 for a while now, great little CD player! Couple things to note: 1. Connecting it to a computer does not allow it to act like CD drive, it shows up as an audio device where you can use an audio recording app to record the audio output 2.

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Forever Analog Sarge_72 · owner

Loving the balanced headphone output so it can power hungrier cans. I don’t currently have any such headphones but it’s nice to have the option! Currently running the DM13 via analog to line in on my Sonos 5 stereo pair.

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HIFI Daydreaming ducurguz · reviewer

DM13 is an amazing value device. It comes for 180 euros and as such it is really hard not to try your luck with this kind of device.

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Peter Tyson Article

The combination of dual DACs and dual amplifiers allows the portable CD player to exhibit truly high-quality sound.

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Av Article

Beyond its main purpose as a portable player, the bottom line is that it’s pretty impressive for what it is.

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Forever Analog belgaofc · owner

I've made my decision. For me, FiiO DM13 is way much better!

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Tapeheads.net Ferguson · reviewer

It’s early days, but I’ve been quite impressed.

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7 neutral sources

Bhphotovideo Michael Rated · reviewer

CD player has awesome sound and solid battery life. However, the player is known to skip a bit on longer CDs at the end, regardless of if the device is stationary or not. Even with the ESP (skip protection) mode active, latter tracks often skip. May be a mechanical issue with the laser mechanism. It also is unable to do gapless playback with enhanced CDs.

Read C r/Cd_collectors u/BaterWottle1 · owner

🙋‍♂️ For the most part it’s awesome. Sounds incredible (especially considering it doesn’t have any of the ‘tubes’ of bigger players e.g. DM15) - consistently sounds better than lossless on Apple Music (using a wired connection). It could be a 10/10 out of the bag, but there’s a couple of quirks that hold it from being truly exceptional to me.

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Revista Gadget Article

Dicho esto, hay una ausencia que conviene señalar: el DM13 BT no incluye LDAC , el códec de Sony ampliamente adoptado en el ecosistema Android.

Read H r/hifiaudio u/clemenswennersmusic · owner

Gapless playback absolutely works, but on my player a least it does skip randomly once per CD for a couple of seconds.

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I thought mine was skipping, but I think it was the actual cd. Use it all the time now and love it.

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SoundGuys Brady Snyder · reviewer

The Fiio DM13 is less flashy, but more practical

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Av Article

Great sound quality from such a small CD player

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2 unconvinced sources

F Facebook Jordi Vives · owner

I am writing to request assistance with an issue affecting my new FiiO DM13 purchased brand new only 5 days ago. During normal use, while the device was connected to my audio system, I experienced an electrostatic discharge when touching the volume button. The unit continues operating well on mains power but is unable to function on battery power mode.

View post F Facebook Michael Angelo Florendo · owner

Sound is just okay but not going to compare with higher end DAPs.

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3 stance not read sources

Louder Article

✅ Buy if you’re a hi-fi enthusiast: The DM13’s cavalcade of outputs enable it to speak to practically any system, and sound very good while doing so too. It’s a true versatile player, equally at home on the road or at home.

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