Shozy BT-10

In a world gone wireless, why do we cling to our cables?

Audiophiles are famous for preferring older technology, with NOS DACs, tube amps & vinyl remaining popular long after the general public abandoned them.

Similarly, in an era when trains & buses are full of consumers with wireless earphones those of us in the audio hobby have stuck with wired IEMs for one simple reason... they sound better.

I was recently sent a Shozy BT-10 Bluetooth dongle in exchange for my thoughts and it prompted me to ask the question - has the time come to go wireless?

I'm skeptical that a wireless dongle will deliver the same rich experience one tethered to the USB port of my phone can provide, but it's nice to stay open minded.

Let's dive into this BT-10 review & discover if the time has come to cut the cord.

Packaging​

This particular BT-10 was supplied to me without retail packaging, so I don't know what's included.

Ergonomics​

At 58 grams the USD $199 Shozy BT-10 is quite heavy by dongle standards, and also pretty large. You can definitely feel that if its dangling from your phone, but I wouldn't say that makes it unpleasant to use.

There's glass on one side, the rest of the dongle is clad in gold-coloured anodised aluminium. Visually I don't mind that it's aesthetically quite distinctive with an interesting shape.

There's three buttons & one switch on the same side - High/Low gain switch, the usual Play/Pause & Volume Up/Down buttons, and the BT-10 features 4.4mm balanced & 3.5mm single-ended jacks.

Usability​

Holding Play/Pause turns the BT-10 on or off, and you need to turn it on before Bluetooth will connect.

Usage is straightforward once Bluetooth pairs with your device, which took under 10seconds for both my iPhone 15 & Macbook Air. Bluetooth connection is reliably steady and I'm impressed by the range.

The downside is because the BT-10 contains an internal battery (unlike most wired dongles) if you forget to turn it off the battery will eventually go flat, so it's another device to charge. The upside is it won't drain your phone's battery drastically like wired dongles can.

You get 10 hours of battery life in Bluetooth mode, and the BT-10 can also be used in wired mode - same any other USB-C dongle.

Sound Impressions​

The BT-10 is equipped with a pair of CS43131 DAC chips and provides 45mW @ 32Ω output power from its' balanced 4.4mm jack. I've tested it mostly with my Tahsin Sevgel Model2 Custom IEMs.

Overall I find the BT-10 is a fairly excited, bass-heavy source that may lack refinement compared with expensive wired dongles & entry-level DAPs, but excels with energetic music and delivers outstanding Bluetooth performance.



The first thing I've noticed about the BT-10 is that it's very punchy - it feels like sub bass in particular has been boosted to provide a satisfyingly hard hitting experience. If you're a basshead you won't be disappointed, because the BT-10 delivers plenty of slam and rumble.

Moving to the midrange, things are quite forward with vocals positioned fairly close to the listener. With poorly mastered material this can become fatiguing, but vocals are impressively articulated. There's a nice balance between the lower & upper midrange, resting just on slightly warmer side of neutral.

Treble is slightly dialled down so as not to be fatiguing. All the main details are there, without the tizziness of cymbals and such. That said I feel like a bit of treble resolution is sacrificed due to the Bluetooth connection, so it's a little on the simplified side without sounding dramatically unrefined.

Technical Performance​

This is where I find the limitations of Bluetooth (particularly paired with an Apple device limited to AAC) will tend to reveal themselves.

Starting with the good news, BT-10 dynamics are superb which I suspect is thanks to the quality of its' internal amplifier, and this is an attribute central to my musical enjoyment that I prioritise strongly.

Moving on to the soundstage, it's very wide by dongle standards though a little bit too defined into left/middle/right for my taste and quite flat also. Not boxy though, and expansive enough to feel satisfying particularly for a BT source - capable of fooling me into thinking a wired connection is being used.

Note weight feels a little on the limp side, I'd love it if vocals had a tad more weight behind them. Fair to say the BT-10 is about on par with all but the most expensive dongles here.

Similarly resolution. Capable, and far better than I'd hoped for from Bluetooth, but you're not going to be blown away. Let's call it "average". Imaging & separation are similarly middling. Not distractingly bad, but slightly down on many entry-level DAPs. For a Bluetooth dongle though.. I have no complaints.

Oh, and I should mention noise floor - not the quietest I've come across, slightly higher than I'd like.

Dongle Comparisons​

I compared the BT-10 to a number of other dongles to gauge its' relative performance & value.



Penon Tail (USD $74)



For a fair comparison I compared both dongles in wired mode, since the Tail lacks bluetooth capabilities.

The Tail is warmer and more mid-centric with quite a bit more midbass, but lacks the BT-10's sub bass impact and feels more muted at the lowest frequencies.

The BT-10's vocals are much more forward and dynamics are better, but the noise floor is higher.



Shanling UP4 (USD $99)



The UP4 is darker and less resolving with more rounded notes that have less attack & bite. Dynamics are weaker, bass doesn't go as deep & bass texture is mushier.

The UP4's soundstage also isn't as wide and feels more like a big blob with inferior instrument separation. It feels like a straight downgrade on the BT-10 in virtually every department.



FiiO BTR5 (USD $129)



The BTR5 is warmer with greater midbass emphasis and this does overshadow the midrange a little, whereas the BT-10's sub bass is much more pronounced and vocals are more forward.

Note weight is lower on the BTR5, which sounds more cohesive but this could be because separation is poorer and the soundstage narrower & flatter. The overall tonality is warmer, more relaxed and less dynamic than the BT-10.



Luxury & Precision W4 (USD $449)



I compared both dongles in wired mode, since the W4 lacks bluetooth capabilities. The W4 may be the most sonically impressive dongle I've tried, and so represents very stiff competition.

The W4 has a much more polite, smooth and laidback tonality, whereas the BT-10 feels more raw & exciting with harder hitting bass and a bit more digital glare but is also more dynamic, perhaps as the W4 can feel excessively smoothed at times.

The W4 has more midbass whereas the BT-10 emphasises sub bass more, vocals take a step back on the W4 and it boasts a wider, deeper soundstage, blacker background, much lower noise floor and slightly higher resolution, but of course there's no Bluetooth functionality.

Conclusion​

The Shozy BT-10 has made me re-evaluate Bluetooth audio.

In any sort of noisy environment I feel like the sound quality tradeoff here is worth it, since being able to keep this dongle in one pocket while you fiddle with your phone in another is super convenient.

The key factor is how little you give up - because the BT-10 sounds great even by wired standards.

Its heavy for a dongle, but using it for Bluetooth its not attached to your phone so that's less of a factor. I would've loved a tiny screen showing current battery life & volume level, just a minor quibble.

Sonically it's very punchy & engaging which will suit Pop & fast-paced genres perfectly, whereas if you're more of a Classical listener something with a bit more refinement might be preferable.

Its an impressive gadget, and now that I'm in the habit of pairing it to my Macbook whilst walking around the office without a cord it's hard to go back to being tethered!

It goes without saying the BT-10's also a window into the future as Bluetooth solutions become more sophisticated & sonically satisfying.

Bad news for the cable industry, good news for those craving wireless freedom without compromise.