Fiio BTR 5 Bluetooth Headphone Amp: The CURE for a Missing Headphone Jack!
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- TEAM SGG PATREON / somegadgetguy
TREAT YOUR EARS! What are you supposed to do if your phone is missing the headphone jack? What do you do if your laptop has a mediocre headphone jack? Fiio has a Swiss Army Knife Bluetooth DAC that might be right up your alley! The BTR5 is a monster audio gadget. Let's take a look!
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Seriously this little guy is super nifty. I am shocked people don't talk about fiio more. I had audiophile friends completely rag on them at my University. Seems like a solid audio company.
Legit. It's a GREAT little audio solution.
FiiO also make what may (or may not) be the best DAP you can buy for money these days, their M15.
Audiophiles hate them for telling what is really the price of quality...
I've been using the BTR5 predecessor, the BTR3 for almost 2 years. Love it for it's utility & awesome sound. When it breaks down probably will go either with the BTR3K or BTR5 as replacement.
good to know this thing is durable. ive been using Earstudio ES100 for a year and a half and now its starred to have some issues
don't do it, find something with better bluetooth performance
so i have a question, can i connect to the phone via caple and connect the headphone to the dac via Bluetooth?
I've had the BTR5 for a couple of months now and couldn't be happier with it, it truly will surprise you on the number of headphones it can drive with ease. One of my favorite use cases is hooking it up with IEM's, no more dongle life and it certainly can push IEM's to their full potential with excellent sound quality.
I was so happy that it more than loved up to its reputation.
I have a big disappointment in bluetooth performance, to the point where i want to sell it asap
@@Guitareye90 dude, how much you wan to for your BTR5?
Gonna have to restructure my loans after this week given all the dumb purchases I want to make
This is a great solution for those of us that carry a DAP around besides our phone, this much more portable (and less expensive)
The trouble is, the phones etc. don't sound nearly as good as a good lossless portable player with any quality. Fiio is the one I use, it's fantastic and does have BT. But it sounds
best wired.
I am delighted by how good these devices are. I was a little skeptical before I used it, when it paired straight away to my Sony Xperia phone using LDAC I was very impressed. The device maintains a stable connection all day and sounds great. I used my AKG K550 with it and they were plenty loud at about 60%. If I had no idea how much it cost and was allowed to try it out for a few days I would assume it cost a lot more than it actually does. The excellent Fiio Control app is easy to use and allows you to get the most from the device. The device allows me to use a wider range of headphones without the nuisance of a wire going from my ears to my phone or player.
The BTR5 is a bit underpowered when driving planars but it can. But once you pair this with a portable headphone amp, you pretty much have a wireless planar headphone, its nuts.
Why the heck would I want to lug around two devices just to drive some big planar headphones though? Not worth it. Wired will always sound better, anyway. Esp. with planars.
An adapter for your dongle! Love it!
I've been using the BTR3 for quite a while, and I got the BTR5 as soon as it came out. The BTR5 is incredibly good. I paired it with the FiiO LC.2.5BS cable too, 40cm long with MMCX connectors for IEM's that have those. End result, a headset usable to talk with, and ludicrously good audio for music.
I have used my BTR5 for a few years now. I just love it! Great sound and great for phone calls.
It's a MONSTER little DAC. Genuinely one of the best audio tech buys I've ever made.
Wow, I was just looking for some new audio solutions. This is definitely interesting, thanks Juan.
well its smth that makes my job easier haha, for most prob lejardin more safer, and cheaper
One cool thing about the BTR 5 is that it is powerful enough to drive 300 ohm headphones. While having a microphone.
You know what that means?
HD 600 PHONE CALLS!!!
Yes, that was a Dankpods reference.
Looks interesting :) I have had an Audiolab M-DAC Nano for a year or so - check it out. These little DACs are brilliant for quality up scaling and driving bigger headphones. You can also hook these up to your amp/speakers via a 3.5mm cable and stream to your HiFi.
Been using this for a month now and it's the best solution for me, i had the fiio x7 mk 2 which was their 800€ flagship musik player from 2017 to 2019 from fiio and this tiny boy can hang with it and i am using this more than my x7ii, this is just much more convenient and the sound is ridiculously good for it's size and price
Agree. I've got many fantastic DAPs, and this sounds pretty darn good without the bulk. Shanling Up 4 is also a great option!
Fiio, I actually love the design. Great Review.
Love seeing you showing this with the Surface Duo. The Duo is why I am buying this. I don't want the wear and tear on my USB-C connection on the DUO but love my Sennheiser HD and IEM headphones. Great review - thanks
👍
I love the BTR5 and the earstudio es100. I've enjoyed an array of cans and IEMs on them. From Audezes to Sennheisers they power them well enough to forget you are listening to bluetooth; even if you might look more than a little silly with gigantic planars, dancing around your house. They are my go to for high quality portable audio.
how does BTR5 compare to ES100. ive been using an ES100 for around 2 years but its started having some issues recently
@@Ranodeep014 it's a little fuller sounding, but the es100 is ever so slightly more resolving. The es100 is slightly more neutral/clinical. The BTR5 is slightly warmer and has slightly more impact.
Giving a thumbs up because you have great taste in music if your phone's display at 4:09 in is correct! Tool is amazing!
😎👍
shoutout to RTJ at 3:15!
Great review Juan. Sounds like a great device. 👍Up sir
👍😎🎧
Wow, pretty cool solution, very simple. Nice review, a potential gift for family members.
Thanks for the good review man, good content as always.
Another great review. Thanks! I've been surprisingly impressed with the Oppo Find X2 Pro's internal DAC - Powers my big Sennheiser cans and sounds respectable. Maybe not LG V60 great, but real good. This FindX2 just keeps me surprised. Thanks again Juan.
I'm glad to hear that. Find X2 looks like a BEAST.
@@tigersonni6289 , I don't have either but have heard great things about the newest version..
That's awesome. I have still been loving my V60, but it's nice to know there's life after the V60.. Lol..
LAtency? Can it be connected to a guitar amp without noticeable lag?
Did you try the balanced output? It should be significantly more powerful driving even harder to drive Audezes, with even lower noise and distortion numbers.
I'm so glad I came into the musicophile/audiophile league just recently. I wish I didn't lose, break, or give away a lot of the headphones I considered amazing (mostly Sony, and SkullCandy). I'll have to look at the BTR7 since that's out.
Thank you for the detailed review. You helped me make a purchasing decision.
Speaking of which, my lecturer in university recommended me to get BTR3s instead of BTR5s. He said that it's warmer and more fun to listen to because the BTR5s are more neutral. I suppose that depends on the genre of music because they are a bit of a bass head, but can anyone attest to that idea?
You can EQ it on presets on the BTR5 itself or use the app with 5-10 bands of EQ
Hello! If using my galaxy s22 device and amazon music hd, will I get any better sound quality over UA-cam? Right now I simply connect my phone to my monitors via a USB c to aux cable which plugs into my speakers. Again, is this going to be any better than UA-cam? And what can I do to step it up?
Thanks!
If you use the balanced out, this thing will run planars just fine...
I really do need to cable up that 2.5mm...
Have you tried the Earstudio ES100? It's not as powerful as the BTR5 and it don't come with USB-C, but it has better battery life and plenty of audio settings to fiddle with.
Fiio is a great company for audio enthusiasts
I love my btr5!
Lost my 3 and got the 5.... man oh man.... really close but it’s a must have if you have the headphones
Personally I'd choose the (wired) ibasso dc03 over this for my phone. It's a souped up USB c dongle for about the same price and I don't have to worry about battery in the long term. Less things to charge as well. Audio gear should last a lifetime, not a few years until the battery dies
You're using the iBasso dongle? If so, how do you think it compares to other portable audio sources? I picked up the Lotoo USB DAC dongle and it's merely ok despite how great I find Lotoo DAPs. I also got Audioquest Cobalt which kicks all the other DAC dongles and Bluetooth DACs I've tried to the curb.
I’ve used a dongle from CSPRO audio, the CS43131. I just upgraded to the BTR5 and let me tell you how it’s just way better and more convenient ig every conceivable way…
That little dongle drains the battery from my iPhone 13 Pro very quickly. I have to listen near max to feel any serious punch from my 16ohm Sony MDR-1AM2 overear headphones.
With the BTR5 I can just clip it to my waist and tuck the cable in my shirt and my Sonys become a workout machine.
+ They get loud enough to pop your eardrums if you wanted to. + a low noise floor and a whole bunch of other benefits that I don’t fully understand but are well and good
I mean when the battery dies out, you can still use it as a wired DAC
we shouldn't need a cure for missing headphone jacks. also, can you use both the 2.5mm balanced and the 3.5mm at the same time?
That little Zippo lighter size thingey can drive my big 32 ohm over ear Sennheiser HD600XE cans with real quality and for 9 hours? Incredible.
You should also try out the ES100, since it features the geeky software that you'll love to tinker while featuring the same functionality of the BTR series
I just got one and I love it
great video, you should try the radsone es100 i think it's the best for sound quality
Sorry but btr5 is better in sound quality. Have both and like both but btr5 is ahead. Only one plus of es100 its their eq possibility with ldac. But it is built cheaper. Btr5 is more premium and better sounding and better power.
The cure is putting the headphone jack back into phones. My lord what are they gonna remove next the screen? It will run 4x more and have more valuable space for parts. But it's unusable.
Nailed it. No notes. This comment is spot on.
This is good for using a decent quality open back wired headset while listening to music from a phone or computer.
Coming to portable dacs..as bluetooth dac codecs has a limit over unfolding sample rate of a lossless audio file... considering only audio quality which one do you recommend
A USB dac or a bluetooth dac ??
Can you use this as a wireless headphone splitter?… one thing I’ve never been able to understand is why, in the world of Bluetooth and wireless connections that we live in today is that we can’t play audio across 2 different sets of headphones at once (aside from only on Apple with AirPods)
noone will ever know the sounds i made when i heard that this thing uses your headset mic
ive heard the mic on this thing in a video and its pretty mediocre and im so happy that i dont have to be forced to use it
Will it surpass my LG V20 in performance? I use wired headphones and im looking for something as good for my Note 10+. Would you recommend a unit thats not to much $$. Great videos buddy!
Can these DAC/AMP drive Marshall Killburn 2 bluetooth speakers and car audio system through 3.5 mm audio jack ?
Great review as always... but i have a few stupid question as m new to the audiophile world...
1. How much ohms output does it provide in the wired mode
2. Does it use the inbuilt battery in the wired mode or get its power from type c port of the phone or the laptop
Still sporting my BTR3 after 2 years. Thinking about getting this but it has the same DAC as my LG G8, with 2 DACS in this little thing I can't utilize it unless I have 2.5mm.
I have been keeping my eye on this little file Gadget they've been waiting patiently for somebody to do a review on it for a long time with your words I'm impressed that might be adding it to my to buy list next few months brand upgrade for all my old wired headphones that don't have bluetooth capability my Sony xba2 with them darn balance Armature drivers and 16 mm driver for the Bass combo headphones with high res capability I spent $200
thank you. I'm gonna buy this
Thx. Ordered
Can i use this product via USB-C to Lightning with my iphone?
I have the btr5 and the k3 and big ass wow. With the 1000mx3. Was listening to Soundgarden black hole sun in flac and it's clear as hell.
Never into dac but I ruined so many dongle I'm considering buying a dac.
please give us a review on Shanling UP4 too. :D
The btr5 is better than it. I listened to both of them. And I use the btr5 daily.
@@hmm2928 Thanks for your opinion on it, I listened to both and I prefer UP4's sound signature. :) Kudos!
@@Reznov9185 in what way is it better? can u elaborate a little bit in the sound quality of each
Great review! How does it do for phone calls? Decent call quality and noise cancellation for, say, my Koss KPH40 Utilities?
Nice video. I have one and it works well.
Can it be connected to the phone and wireless headphones via bluetooth at the same time?
Yes that's what I want to know also?!!
Why nobody has video of it being used with an actual headset?
This could be the perfect solution for driving my Sennheisers, and right around $100 is very reasonable for everything it does.
I went with the qudelix 5k my self as I read the fiio software could be a problem some times. Best move I made.
Personally never had issue with FiiO software issue. It’s working fine for me. Idk why many say that, although yes there are shortcomings of it, but the software has been strong of it (except the iOS app)
Does the qudelix do Bluetooth in-digital out also?
@@Joe-yi8xj I'm not sure tbh... It is a usb dac as well so may be. Their forums are pretty good so it might be worth having a look
Can we use as a Transmitter??
Hey Juan, are you able to disable the inbuilt mic on the fiio, either on the device or in android settings itself? I plan to use this in the car into my aux port (no Bluetooth in car, switching to pixel 7) but it won't be in a great position for voice calls, so I want calls to use my phone mics. Can't seem to find the answer to this anywhere!
I don't BELIEVE so, but I haven't tried to do that. Might be worth reaching out to Fiio?
@@SomeGadgetGuy I will do, thank you for helping! Really appreciate it
@@SomeGadgetGuy just to update you, Fiio got back to me and it isn't possible unfortunately. I picked up a Fiio KA1 dongle DAC instead which does what I need (and sounds killer!)
Thanks again for trying to help :)
Why doesn't anyone use these as a wireless microphone option for on the go phone video recording? Wouldn't it be great to use with an extra lav mic instead of a Rode wireless mic and play double duty?
Tool fan, let's go 🙏
This is what I wanted vs the earstudio.
Whats your take on fiio vs earstudio.
I'm not Juan, but I've got many years of experience with audiophile-grade portable gear and have what I consider to be this generation's best bluetooth DAC/Amps Fiio BTR5, Earstudio ES100, and Shanling Up 4. Out of these three, I'd easily pick BTR5 or Up 4 over ES100. BTR5 is a bit more feature rich than Up 4 due to BTR5's (fairly rudimentary) OLED display and ability to switch Bluetooth codecs off in Fiio's app. Up 4 has no display and you can't turn Bluetooth codecs off in the Shanling app. Fiio sound is more in the energetic side where Shanling sound is more on the smooth side. Both are great. You just need to pick the sound you're after and which best compliments your ear/headphones. In comparison, Earstudio sounds a bit flat lacking the engagement and refinement of the other two. Just by two cents...
@@nmatheis oh ok thats sounds like I should go with FIIO. I've wanted the BTR5 for a while now cause the opinions ive heard of the sound profile is right up my alley. This is great. Thanks😎
@@jrod8574 No problem. BTR5 is great. I switch off listening to both BTR5 and Up 4 about 50/50. Just depends on the mood in in. If I want to rock out, it's BTR5. If I want to relax, it's Up 4.
If you've got the cash, I'd also suggest considering Audioquest Dragonfly Red or Cobalt. Red has similar sound to BTR5 whereas Cobalt is on another level with more refined sound and larger soundstage. They're both USB DAC/Amps, though. So you'll be wired to your phone. Might be worth the trade-off if you're after best sound quality, though.
@@nmatheis hmm🤔 I'll definitely have to look at these other offerings. Thanks for the headsup👍 very interesting stuff.
@@jrod8574 Good luck on your audio journey!
Great job, Juan. I'd also suggest looking at the Shanling Up 4 Bluetooth DAC/Amp. It's similar to BTR5 but has a smoother, more relaxed sound.
Audioquest Cobalt is also very nice. On another level than BTR5 and costs more. It's not Bluetooth, though. It's a USB DAC/Amp dongle.
I see you have RTJ on deck 👍
Would this improve the quality of my Sony wh-1000xm4s?
I also have this question!!
Any idea if this thing has better range than the BTR3K? Range isnot so good with it
No use for amazon ultra hd, it only plays 24 bits/48Hz
Is this, by itself enough to drive the focal Elex?
This may be a silly question, but is the BTR5 worth using with low impedence headphones such as Sennheiser's Momentum M2? (18 ohms)
What are the earphones he connected ?
Great video, thanks Juan. Stupid question but is this something that would connect to my phone (Note 9) wirelessly to allow my Cambridge Melomania's to handle better calls as well as brilliant audio?
Is it worth for using mostly wired on a laptop?
Mine goes everywhere with me. It's a USB DAC connected to my PC at home when I'm browsing the internet, watching UA-cam or listening to music... When I get in the car, it's connected via Bluetooth to my phone and 3.5mm into the aux port on the car... Then when I go into work, it gets slipped into my pocket and my IEMs connected to it streaming BT from my phone.
It's seamless to transition, super portable and hassle-free. It sounds great, and has plenty of power through Bluetooth and as Juan said, everything gets even better when it's plugged into the source with USB. The vast majority of tech think of audio as an afterthought, the vast majority of dedicated sound cards for PCs aren't even as good as a purpose-built budget DAC... Not to mention they don't supply nearly as much power to drive headphones in most cases. The BTR5, in my opinion, is pretty much no brainer for any application.
sound quality wise Shanling UP4 better.
Can I plug in an audio jack from my amp 'phones output' and transmit to my bluetooth headset ?
Not really but hey if it reduces that lossyness and still be able to listen to clear sound with no distortion and have LDAC support meaning you can turn Bluetooth headphones into a better pair of Bluetooth the future of better Bluetooth is to make a Bluetooth DAC amplifier
If phones go portless then true wired headphones are generally dead on future phones meaning we are stuck with slightly lossy sound but it's not as bad as standard Bluetooth as it is was dreadful this will make it more tolerable but for those true audiophiles may just stick to there home setup's because that will never change at home wired connection wired everything
Thanks for the review! What amp would you recommend for driving sony mdr-xb950? I'd like to boost the bass and fidelity.
What will produce louder audio this FIO BTR5 or the HELM DB12 AAAMP? Is because my car was a RCA Connection and My stereo place loud music on a cd but not with my auxiliary cord?
Do the new version sennheiser hd 280 pro review. The passive noise isolation in that is exemplary. Hd280 pro and btr5 would be a great travel companion with with way better audio quality than flagship ANC cans at 2/3rd the price. 😁
Good call! I should take those for a spin!
Will any of these work on a device that requires nonwireless noice cancelling headphones? Looking to use wireless headphones on my Sena headset helmet communicator. I only has a wired jack for headphones???
So this us the first video ive ever watched about a dap.. I just learned there was such a thing today. I have a phenomenal pair of earbuds (status audio between pros) that just aren't cutting it over Aptx on my samsung phone. I am looking for something that can stream tidal at the max capacity of what Aptx can provide. Do you know what I'm looking for? Or if it exists? Because I sure don't, but I'm hopeful it's out there 😅
How does this compare to the original Dragonfly DAC?
IMO better. Better than the black for sure, although I did hear the black for a brief amount of time longtime back.
Could it run a pair of dt 880 600 ohm edition headphones???
Ooof. I think youd get an ok sound out of it, but it might be struggling at that point. Solid maybe?
i just got one and ive been trying to figure out how to get it to use LDAC on my s22 ultra but its only using sbc 😭
"In a world where... I just realized it's been more than 12 years, but I still miss Don LaFontaine..." 😣😢 I really wish Juan will use that voice in one of his reviews. If (When) they make a disaster movie entitled "2020", I hope the trailer will be narrated by an AI trained specifically with Don's voice.
Hal Douglas was my favorite, but we haven't found any voice as ballsy as The Don.
Is this compatible with Apple Music Lossless Audio?
Dankpods said this can make.....wired IEM's wireless? How? I dont get it. I watched this video to try to learn but I dont get it at all
Hook up your IEM to the BTR (wired). Then connect your BTR to your phone with Bluetooth (wireless). I think that's what he meant with 'wireless'.
i wish if you can review the fiio lc-bt 2
and the shanling mw200.
Both are neckband bluetooth dac amp
and oh... the fiio utws1 true wireless iem dac amp
ES100?
Sub'd, liked. Thank you for speaking good english :) Need a good (detailed) review on the software, too.
How does btr5 compare with lg g8x?
Is it a worthy upgrade?
Well it can go wireless, but otherwise, Quad DAC is tough to beat...
Will I be able to use the buttons on my headset aswell as the microphone of my headset with the Btr5 while it's connected via USB to my phone, or will it switch over to the built in mic if the device?
Seems like many of these dacs don't work well for answering calls which is a deal breaker for me.
How do you get it into LDAC mode, all im getting is aptx
Still on V60, no need for "cabled devices" 😬
I have an apple ipod... I need more volume and better quality sound over a bluetooth headphones... can this device do that ??
It would be one of my top picks to try. If it's not enough, you could also look at an amp paired with this, but that'll start getting bulky and pricy.
can i use it like a bluetooth dongle of my pc? for HIFI AUDIO Output to an TWS? (like connecting it wired through usb in the pc then connecting a bluetooth TWS in it?)