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FiiO BTR5 2021 US$85.77 (~A$134.71) Delivered @ FiiO Official Store AliExpress

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FiiO BTR5 2021 US$85.77 (~A$134.71) Delivered @ FiiO Official Store AliExpressAffiliate
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LurkingLurker on 01/11/2022 - 21:05 aliexpress.com (1281 clicks)
Last edited 01/11/2022 - 21:27 by 1 other user
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Original Coupon Deal

This thing has been sitting in my cart for a year now and finally decided to pull the trigger. AU retailers has stock at $195, and OzBargain's last deal was $161.23 for the original BTR5. When adjusted for inflation and the horror of USD to AUD conversion rate, makes this deal appoximately a lot better than the last.

I am sure the audio experts of this community can provide better insights than me on how good or bad this thing is. All I know is that I can now annoy everyone in the house with my open back headphones wirelessly.

A snake man gave a quick rant about this thing. (skip to 13:30ish)

Thanks Jeo for providing useful information!

This is part of Singles' Day Sales for 2022.
Electrical & Electronics Amplifier Bluetooth Amplifier DAC FiiO Headphone Amplifier Singles Day

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closed Comments

  • Spacexyz on 01/11/2022 - 21:14
    +2

    At least tell us what it is?

    • trippy on 01/11/2022 - 21:15
      +2

      Bluetooth DAC-amp.

    • LurkingLurker on 01/11/2022 - 21:25

      An amp that let's you use your wired headphones via bluetooth. You can also use it as a desktop amp by plugging it into your phone or computer.

  • simonizmaster on 01/11/2022 - 21:18

    Is this any good?

    • ihfree on 01/11/2022 - 21:40

      Yes, as long as you have suitable headphones that would benefit from being driven by it.

  • TheRealCher on 01/11/2022 - 21:20
    +3

    Frank approves https://youtu.be/MAevLnhaU68

  • jeo on 01/11/2022 - 21:24
    +13

    I've got a Qudelix-5k (the equivalent/competitor Bluetooth DAC-AMP) with a pair of Moondrop Variations so can share a few thoughts.

    For anyone who doesn't know, this is a Bluetooth Digital-Audio Converter (DAC) and also an amplifier (AMP), which has both 3.5mm Unbalanced (normal aux) and 2.5mm Balanced ports for IEMs and headphones. The way this works is you connect it to your phone/computer/device via bluetooth OR cable, and you connect your headphones/earphones to the BTR5, then music is streamed from your phone to your earphones through the BTR5 as sort of a half-wired, half-bluetooth experience. The advantages of this are that you can get the superior sound of wired headphones but with (almost all) the convenience of bluetooth. An advantage of using this over say, a dongle setup, is that the earphones aren't connected directly to a dongle then the phone, which frees up your phone completely (I found this a much bigger advantage after using the IEM-dongle-phone setup).

    As for the product itself, can't say much for sound quality but it would be almost indistinguishable from any other dac/amp/dongle/source etc. (I can't hear a difference between my 5k and iPods, phones, desktop amps, laptop headphone jacks), the physical interface and build quality is a bit nicer than the 5k, but the 5k has built-in AutoEQ and other parametric EQ functions, while I don't think Fiio has that in-app yet (correct me if I'm wrong). Battery life is also a bit better on the 5k I think, and the 5k has a smaller form factor.

    As the RRP is $195 and these types of products don't go on sale that often, so I'd say this is a pretty solid pickup.

    • tonyjzx on 01/11/2022 - 23:30
      +2

      this is a pretty good explanation… i consider myself quite the idiot in that i indiscriminately buy audio stuff that i dont need and i was asking myself without being 100% clear if i need a BTR5

      for my use case i would mainly use it as a dac… but i have dacs that wipe the floor with this anyway… granted for $135 this is best goddamn dac you can buy for that money

      but to me the convenience of BT is not have to carry anything except whats on your head so this doesnt suit my use case

    • jjcf on 02/11/2022 - 10:03
      +1

      I’ll add a vote for it. I use it to lazy-mode enable my Focal Clear/Elear and Beyer T1s. Battery life is solid, sound is clean and it has plenty of power (although these are all pretty easy to drive).

      Interface is kinda wack, especially the default double press functions. But for the price, it’s a brilliant little piece of kit.

    • whyisave on 04/11/2022 - 00:14

      When streaming data via Bluetooth from, say,
      a smartphone to this DAC , is there a loss in 'quality' ?

      I mean, can the bitrate match the Bluetooth transfer rates ?

      For the price of AU$ 135 , I'm actually intrigued by this DAC
      and so I have my curiousities
      (especially, when I'm also owning several DACs and IEMs right now,
      and question, do I need one more? haha)

      • jeo on 04/11/2022 - 12:47
        +1

        These can stream in 24bit 96kHz using the LDAC codec so pretty good although not lossless. Most likely indistinguishable in a blind test as it's the same as going from say Spotify 320kbps to a FLAC file, you can either hear the difference or you can't. I'd recommend this if you want possibly the most portable way to listen to IEMs other than things like the Fiio UTWS5.

        • whyisave on 04/11/2022 - 14:53

          say Spotify 320kbps to a FLAC file, you can either hear the difference or you can't.

          I don't have or use any streaming services,
          and I definitely can hear a difference
          between a CBR 320kbps and a FLAC (0 or 8).

          I was more interested of using my earphones (Moondrop Blessing 2),
          to connect "wirelessly" to a source, and listen to music in a bit-perfect way,
          ie. no lossy streaming of data , that's why I had this curiosity about the FiiO BTR5.

          • jeo on 04/11/2022 - 15:23
            +1

            @whyisave: The wireless function is definitely unparalleled, I'd recommend going to Minidisc or Addicted to Audio if you're Sydney based to try the BTR5 (or BTR7) out with your library. Unfortunately bluetooth audio hasn't gotten to the point of completely lossless streaming yet, but these get really close imo.

            • whyisave on 08/11/2022 - 01:15
              +1

              @jeo: Lossless audio over Bluetooth,
              ( 44.1kHz, 16bit CD-quality lossless audio )
              using Qualcomm AptX , in a NuraTrue Pro

              • jeo on 08/11/2022 - 11:33
                +1

                @whyisave: Interesting, have heard of the brand but not this product. AptX seems legit, I'm curious to see how well this is implemented and if the quality is even worth $500. I'm probably more curious to see how other brands will be able to use this tech. Good find!

                • whyisave on 08/11/2022 - 14:43
                  +1

                  @jeo: I only found out last night, by accident,
                  and surprised to know of "lossless Bluetooth audio" myself.

                  Still, I'm not as keen to try out, even though I had owned
                  the Nuraphone and the Nuraloop, in the last few years.

                  The Nuraphone is the most exciting and greatest audio experience I had,
                  due to the way it transmitted the sound, ie. "IEM" and bone-conduction, in tandem.

                  I just had to let it go, since it's Bluetooth and I wasn't using it enough.
                  (Also, it could be 'heavy' on the head, but that was not the determining factor for me).

                  The Nuraloop was bought just to try it out, and the sound is 'OK',
                  but I could not justify keeping it either, after very light use of them.
                  Mind you, the battery life was fantastic, and that's the great thing about the Nura products,
                  ie. the engineering behind them and the 'oto-acoustic' science behind it (which was spot on, about my hearing).

                • whyisave on 17/11/2022 - 18:20
                  +1

                  @jeo: FiiO UTWS5
                  Bluetooth v5.2
                  Qualcomm AptX

                  • jeo on 17/11/2022 - 21:43

                    @whyisave: Not sure if the UTWS5 is lossless, I think the AptX codec which is lossless is 'AptX Lossless', which I'm not sure UTWS5 supports. These look pretty goofy though imo, I've never seen someone wear any of these bluetooth over-ear adapters haha

                    • whyisave on 17/11/2022 - 23:13

                      @jeo: Yes, you are right.
                      Qualcomm AptX Adaptive is not the same as Qualcomm AptX Lossless.

                      According to this,
                      that NuraTrue Pro earphone is the "the world’s first aptX Lossless-supporting wireless earbuds".

                      I've never seen someone wear any of these bluetooth over-ear adapters haha

                      There are actually several reviews of people swapping their cables on their decent ChiFi models,
                      with this FiiO UTWS5, and then loving the 'freedom' and enjoying the sound quality.

  • scottySK on 01/11/2022 - 21:38

    Great video

  • ihfree on 01/11/2022 - 21:40
    +1

    Thank you, OP. I've been looking to pick one of these up for quite a while.

  • krammis76 on 01/11/2022 - 22:04
    +2

    I absolutely love my BTR5. I had the older version and upgraded to the 2021 version about 6 months ago. Only reason i updated is that i sold my original BTR5 and bought an IFI go blue thinking it would be better. I didn't like that at all so returned it and got the BTR5 again. It feels super premium and had worked absolutely flawless since day one. Mainly use it to power my Sennheiser HD560s's (150ohm) and it powers them great. Also use it for all my other cheaper headphones and earphones and it works perfect. My main use is with my phone but you can pair it to more than one thing so i also use it with my apple tv and chromecast and i don't hear any delay. Honestly it's my favourite piece of tech that i have.

    • thegamerulez on 02/11/2022 - 00:47

      Quite funny you say that but I like my btr3k more than my ifi go blu too! Sure, ifi can handle 4.4mm but for some reason, I feel the fiio to do the job so much better than the ifi go.

      • krammis76 on 02/11/2022 - 00:53

        Yeah i felt the go blu didn't feel as nice to hold and use. But to me it didn't sound as good either to my ears. Sounded way too flat and boring. I guess that's a personal preference but i'll stick with the BTR5!

  • Zippy7 on 01/11/2022 - 22:16
    +1

    Yeah, Dankpods approved. I was looking at these, but then realised the BTR7 is out now.
    I expect to see more used BTR5's for sale as supply of BTR7's increase.

  • tor on 01/11/2022 - 23:10

    Are these multilink, or better; allows audio from two sources simultaneously?

    • krammis76 on 01/11/2022 - 23:52

      I've got one and i can connect to my phone and my apple tv at the same time. But i think the audio switches between the two depending on what's playing on what device. I don't think if you are using it with the apple tv that if you got a phone call you it would switch over. But i know that you don't have to manually connect to either one. Hope that helps.

  • zoe main on 02/11/2022 - 01:47

    Very good price. Managed to get this (and also the previous gen btr5) at ~180AUD last year. Great device

  • thegamerulez on 02/11/2022 - 11:24

    For those looking for a non bluetooth DAC with a far greater output, I would suggest looking at FiiO KA3. I just ordered it for ~$99 with 5% cashback.

  • Techhit on 14/11/2022 - 19:59
    +1

    Mine arrived today. I love it but I bought the IOS version which doesn't work for use as a USB DAC as the cable or device isn't MFI certified. The Fiio manual says it only works through the Fiio music app but that can only read music from iTunes and local library which isn't useful for me as I only use Spotify. Apparently the only way to get this working is to use the Apple USB to Camera Adapter.

    Overall I'm happy as my primary use is to use this to listen to audio from my TV over Bluetooth when the kids are sleeping. Drives my 300ohm Sennheiser HD600 and HD800S without any issues. Loud enough for me at low gain setting and 50% volume.

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