[BenF]

yes there is!! if I set it on more than 27/32 SE , I can clearly hear noise when connected as USB DAC.
though I can only hear it with one of my IEMs (34/105)

If you only experience the noise with a single IEM, this may be a problem with the IEM, not BTR3K.
Also, if you only experience this over USB and not Bluetooth - your USB port might be exceptionally noisy.

generally speaking , if I volume match both SE and balanced, which one has lower noise (on paper!!)

Balanced has a higher SNR, but they are both well out of audible range (~100dB).

 

[JackTorrence]

hi everyone, as i understand i can connect this amp to ps4 via usb. if i want to connect it to ps4 or tv is there going to be any issue? input lag or anything else? what may be other options if not btr3k.

I need to apologise for misinformation. Today I checked by myself and I can tell - it works via usb. Yet stil it's bit quiet. Not super quiet but reasonable loud enough. Similar to results with creative bt-w3 which i tested ealier. If you connect to ds4 - it will be louder.

Games - reasonable loud enough. I got feeleing that it's little lack of volume
hbo/netflix - same thing

youtube/spotify - it can go loud. I don't get it.

there are three solutions
- brt3k + amp
- other combo dac/amp ( i have chosed one)
- leave it as it is and use ds4 connection

I tested it on ps4 pro (firmware 9.51) and btr3k (firmware 1.3)

 

[BenF]

I need to apologise for misinformation. Today I checked by myself and I can tell - it works via usb. Yet stil it's bit quiet. Not super quiet but reasonable loud enough. Similar to results with creative bt-w3 which i tested ealier. If you connect to ds4 - it will be louder.

Games - reasonable loud enough. I got feeleing that it's little lack of volume
hbo/netflix - same thing

youtube/spotify - it can go loud. I don't get it.

there are three solutions
- brt3k + amp
- other combo dac/amp ( i have chosed one)
- leave it as it is and use ds4 connection

I tested it on ps4 pro (firmware 9.51) and btr3k (firmware 1.3)

Have you tried making BTR3K louder by raising all the ranges in EQ 3-6dB?
I think BTR3K should save the EQ settings, but not sure it's activated over USB.

 

[JackTorrence]

I can do it on laptop. Later I will check on console.

 

[BenF]

I can do it on laptop. Later I will check on console.

I'm not sure that this would result in a flat FR - probably good enough for games, but could affect music negatively.

 

[JackTorrence]

I can confirm. EQ was enabled on ps4 and dB booster did the trick. But I stil think that there is no point in using it in usb mode. For ps4 pro - better go with dac/amp with optical input

 

[darfk fear]

If you only experience the noise with a single IEM, this may be a problem with the IEM, not BTR3K.
Also, if you only experience this over USB and not Bluetooth - your USB port might be exceptionally noisy.


Balanced has a higher SNR, but they are both well out of audible range (~100dB).

just tested it with my phone in dac mode and there's no noise to be heard even at 32/32 .. bluetooth is also noise free .. so I think you're right .. there's probably sth wrong with my pc usb output or it has some interference.. though it's weird because only BTR3k picks up this much of noise and my other (similar) devices are fine

 

[JackTorrence]

@FiiO - Question for You. If I use btr3k or btr5 as a desktop DAC, how much will it affect the battery? Will this reduce battery life?

 

[FiiO]

@FiiO - Question for You. If I use btr3k or btr5 as a desktop DAC, how much will it affect the battery? Will this reduce battery life?

Dear friend,

When using as a DAC for computer, the device would not discharge and use the power supply from USB port. Meanwhile the computer will charge the device.
While the device is charging
Because the computer USB port has limited current capacity, the battery is given priority for part of the charging current while the rest powers the device directly. But if the current draw by the device is high, the battery participates in powering the device as well. Hence, both the battery and the USB port take part in powering the device while the device is charging.
2. After the battery is full
Because there is no need to charge the battery anymore, the USB port would power the device directly. The battery would neither be charged nor discharged.
In summary of the above, the powering scheme of the device ensures that the battery may be fully charged while at the same time guaranteeing proper function of the device. Finally, the battery will be at rest after it is fully charged, thus guaranteeing extended battery life.

But if you are still worried that keeping charging the battery for long time may damage the battery, you could switch the charge option for the Bluetooth amp to off option.

Best regards

 

[RingingEars]

Dear friend,

When using as a DAC for computer, the device would not discharge and use the power supply from USB port. Meanwhile the computer will charge the device.
While the device is charging
Because the computer USB port has limited current capacity, the battery is given priority for part of the charging current while the rest powers the device directly. But if the current draw by the device is high, the battery participates in powering the device as well. Hence, both the battery and the USB port take part in powering the device while the device is charging.
2. After the battery is full
Because there is no need to charge the battery anymore, the USB port would power the device directly. The battery would neither be charged nor discharged.
In summary of the above, the powering scheme of the device ensures that the battery may be fully charged while at the same time guaranteeing proper function of the device. Finally, the battery will be at rest after it is fully charged, thus guaranteeing extended battery life.

But if you are still worried that keeping charging the battery for long time may damage the battery, you could switch the charge option for the Bluetooth amp to off option.

Best regards

I recently bought one of these and did a specific search on here just for this answer. Thank you very much.
BTW I've been really enjoying this little wonder. Great power for IEM's, it sounds fantastic, and super compact. Also the balanced out is icing on the cake...

 

[mihau]

Hi @FiiO !

The BTR3 suffered from an issue where it would not work with "better" USB-C to USB-C cables, like 100W capable charge cables. Has this issue been fixed in BTR3K? It's extremely annoying to have to carry an extra cable just for my BTR3 when all my other devices charge just fine with the better cables.

Some more details: The BTR3 suffered from a common USB-C design flaw where there was just one 5.1kOhm pulldown resistor shared between both CC pins in the USB-C connector. This is incorrect as the USB-C spec requires there to be two separate resistors pulling down each CC pin to ground. This issue causes inorrect detection when these better cables that contain E-markers are used, and causes the power supply to not provide any power. A teardown photo would help a lot to determine if this issue has been finally resolved.

Thanks

 

[mihau]

So I ended up taking my BTR3 apart and prodding it with a multimeter Turns out there are actually two Rd resistors on the CC pins, as required by the spec. The problem is, the CC pins are indeed shorted and the resistance between CC and GND measures 2.54kOhm, so exactly half of the required 5.1kOhm. So there's a short somewhere Unfortunately I can't find it anywhere on the board and I suspect it might actually be internal.

Could be a defect or damage, I guess. But yeah, there are actually two resistors, as the USB spec requires.

 

[digititus]

2 week old BTR3k has lost sound in the left channel on both connections (single / balanced). At first, restarting the device would fix the problem. Now it seems to be permanent. I have factory reset and upgraded firmware to 1.3. Tested with multiple devices and headphones. Any other suggestions? @FiiO

 

[FiiO]

2 week old BTR3k has lost sound in the left channel on both connections (single / balanced). At first, restarting the device would fix the problem. Now it seems to be permanent. I have factory reset and upgraded firmware to 1.3. Tested with multiple devices and headphones. Any other suggestions? @FiiO

Dear friend,

Sorry to hear about that.
The issue happens with the USB connection or the Bluetooth connection? For USB connection, please try another usb cable to check again. And does the issue remain when using the BTR3K with other device?

Best regards

 

[digititus]

Dear friend,

Sorry to hear about that.
The issue happens with the USB connection or the Bluetooth connection? For USB connection, please try another usb cable to check again. And does the issue remain when using the BTR3K with other device?

Best regards

Thanks for the reply. I never tested the USB DAC connection as this unit will be BT only. However, in the interest of science I tested it and it worked! However, after a few minutes the right channel stops working again. Maybe a bad contact somewhere? I will try some contact cleaner