fridge

blog about contact projects music

I bought an MP3 player

13 | 14th Apr 2025

Hey gang! Been a moment. I had the intention of making more frequent posts, but in all honesty, there's simply nothing going on. Everything worth mentioning doesn't really deserve an entire blog post, so here's a brief list of what I've done since the last post:

• Made some adjustments to the websites (new font, brighter dark theme, etc.)
• Bought a Cherry Stream keyboard (it's membrane but the keys feel great)
• Moved the website to its own dedicated server
• Started work on a very cool university project (that I can't share due to copyright)
• Switched to Linux Mint (it's great)
• Bought an MP3 player

Slight lie with the last one since at the time of writing, I haven't actually bought it yet. But I have a plan!

See, a huge problem that I come across when listening to music stems from the release of the iPhone 7, when the funny guys at Apple thought it would be funny to remove the headphone jack. And of course, since Apple decided to do it, every other phone manufacturer thought it would be a good idea to do the same. So now, I have to use Bluetooth headphones to listen to music on my phone.

This naturally shouldn't be a problem since most headphones are wireless now anyway, but can you even COMPREHEND how often I simply don't have any charge on my headphones?? The amount of times I've left them on overnight and woken up to find them dead is insane.

I simply NEED to have my beautiful headphone jack back, so with the money I was refunded for the Clockwork Pi (which would've made an awesome blog post, but after 6 months I had no update on shipping) totalling almost £200, I had a tiny bit of cash to spare on a cheap player.

So, what should I get?

Do people even make mp3 players anymore?

Turns out, they do! Wonderful. To begin with, I do what I always do when I have a choice to make and consulted the almighty digital oracle of knowledge, ChatGPT.


Alright, ignore for a moment the fact it speaks like a teenager. I think it's funny.

The first suggestion was the Sony NW-A306, which is actually a member of the Walkman family that came out around 2023. They still make Walkmans!! Who knew. Unfortunately this player is outside my price range and it also doubles as a phone, which isn't what I want. I just want a raw, basic mp3 player that only does what I want it to do.

Next up is the AGPTEK A02, at a shocking £30! With 32GB of internal memory and a microSD slot, this is a great option for someone like me who has a lot of music. It even has Bluetooth if I really want! Definitely a good option, but can I be so sure without looking deeper?

HiBy R3 Pro Saber came up next, which is a bit more expensive at £200. This is a high-end player with a lot of features, even including web radio support which I've recently become a fan of. I'm not a huge fan of the fact it comes with Tidal/whatever support because I don't use it, and it has no internal storage. Crazy that something substantially cheaper has more storage.

Alright, there are so many options and nothing's really hitting the mark yet. Instead of listing them all here, I'll just come back when I find something I like.

30 Years Later

It took me a while to find something I liked

Alright, I've made a choice. The FiiO JM21 is an android-based player that comes with 32GB storage, a case + screen protector, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD slot. It also has a 3.5mm line-out port, which is great for something probably.

I also LOVE the size of it. I love small phones and I'm kinda gutted they aren't manufactured so much anymore, so having this feels like quite a treat.


Alright! I bought it. I'll see you all again in 6 days, when it arrives. Can't wait!

4 Days Later

It arrived early!

Mind the mess in these pictures, I am filth.

Wow, this thing is small! Well, at least compared to my phone.

It came with a Japanese startup guide and a USB-C cable, and it had its screen protector and case already applied. When I first had a look at the device, the first thing I thought was "wow, this screen is like a mirror!" because it's really reflective. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it looks nice.


As I said before, it runs Android 13 which allows you to download apps for whatever service you like, but a touch that I really like (and one that shows the developers care about their product) is that signing into Google Play is completely optional. Out the box, they provide you with their own app store that allows you to download other APK stores such as AppPure with a single button. Seeing as there's plenty of people who wanna just listen to music without being bound down by Google's ecosystem, this is a great touch.

The device comes with dedicated media buttons for play/pause, next and previous track, and of course, volume. You can actually turn the volume up to 120%, which is such a nice touch for people who like to listen to music at volumes that give them brain damage. There's also an SD card slot, and 28GB of unused internal memory. More than plenty for storage to ever be a problem.


The version of Android it runs is pretty great too, with most of the options being oriented towards sound and it being very easy to use despite the small screen. It has a built in "Pure Music" mode that disables most other functionality within Android except for the built in music player, which is a great touch for people who just want a distraction-free experience. It has four other modes for different functionality, including AirPlay, USB DAC mode for using your device as a DAC, and Bluetooth Receiving mode which does whatever that means. Oh yeah, and the last mode is just Android mode. :P

Enough yapping, what's the verdict?

i'm starting to think this guy likes it

I love it! It's a great little device that does everything I want it to do. The sound quality is great, the battery life is great, and the size is everything I wanted. Hopefully there's a phone out there with similar form factor..?

It's definitely worth the money if you're looking for a small, portable music player that does everything you need it to do. I can't recommend it enough. Seriously. Buy it. Now.

I wish this was sponsored.

Official fridg3.org Certified Rating

"Nothing beats a British man whistling into my ear, but this is close" - fridge

Summary of the FiiO JM21

• 32GB internal storage, with SD card slot
• Android 13
• Allows installation of any app you'd need for music
• Fully supportive of third-party apps, giving the option to install them out the box
• Two headphone jacks: 3.5mm (line-out, coax, headphone out) and 4.4mm (balanced headphone out)
• Bluetooth also supported
• Pure music mode for access to the built-in player only
• USB DAC mode for using the device as a DAC
• USB Type C
• SO many options for customizing how each headphone port handles things
• Great battery life
• Control over how much power is outputted to headphone jacks
• Great build quality
• Preinstalled case + screen protector, and a small loop to attach a cable

There are so many other things I'd love to mention, but to keep this post under essay length, check out FiiO's website for more info:
https://www.fiio.com/jm21

This post is not sponsored! I just really like this device and can't enough recommend it to anyone looking for a small, portable music player.

Thanks for reading!