29. What are the main differences between M11 Plus and M11 Plus LTD?

The difference in hardware:

1. The DAC chips have been replaced from dual AK4497 to dual ES9068AS;

2. The volume IC has been removed in M11 Plus. And the volume adjustment method has been replaced by adjusting the built-in volume of the DAC;

3. The side panel has been updated to carbon fibre panel.

Why does the M11 Plus not have an independent volume IC, while the M11 Plus LTD has?

The main purpose of adding an independent volume IC to the M11 Plus LTD is to solve the impact sound problem with AK4497EQ chip during switching tracks. Since the volume IC has some limitations in its performance specifications, after improving the impact sound problem, it will also bring higher noise floor and some other problems for the player.Considering the low impact sound for ES9068AS chip during switching song, it is not necessary to add an independent volume IC to deal with the impact sound problem.Moreover, after removing the volume IC, the parameters such as the Noise floor, SNR could have better level.

This is one of the reasons why the M11 Plus is better than the M11 Plus LTD in some parameters.

The difference in sound tuning:

The AKM or ESS versions M11 Plus is using the respective sub-flagship products DAC chips in this two companies.So there is no big difference in the audio parameters and the main difference is the sound style of the two companies. According to the feedback of most audiophiles, the AKM version is more musical, while the ESS is of better parameters. We could not tell which is better and the other is worse.And due to individual preferences, you could read the professional reviews and comparisons, as well as try out by yourself.