Product Review Of FiiO Products---From James
Chapter Fourteen: BTR1
There are so many products in 2017, so I was not writing in the order of their releasing date. Today, I would like to share the story of the BTR series, our first Bluetooth DAC/Amp, BTR1 in the past three years.
Earlier in the 2016 Guangzhou Headphone Expo, the BTR1 which was still a pendant design was first introduced to the public. However, when we started to develop it, we had to make it back to a common design style due to limitations of battery life, battery, antenna, and connection mode. But we had continued the stereo wave texture of the K1 to the BTR1.
The development of the BTR1 is actually driven by two factors. The first factor was that the wireless trend of digital electronic products has entered a climax. The last stubborn bastion, headphones, has gradually begun to be completely wireless for the cancellation of the 3.5mm port on mobile phones. The second was that with the popularity of the Bluetooth codec, aptX and the development of Bluetooth chips, it become possible for the Bluetooth audio protocol and Bluetooth chips to transmit lossless-level audio signals in software and hardware.
It was in this background that the BTR1 came to the world. In fact, the structure of the BTR1 is not complicated which is mainly composed of a Qualcomm Bluetooth receiving chip coupled with an independent DAC/Amp integrated chip. Although Qualcomm 8645 itself is an integrated chip with all functions including DAC and amplifier, it is often an extra more DAC/Amp chip with better performance and stronger driven capacity that differentiates a HiFi product from a common consuming digital electronic one.
Thanks to the AK4376, the sound quality of the BTR1 has basically reached an entry-level HIFI player. If we simply connect it to a mobile phone via Bluetooth, it has smooth operation and performance experience as a mobile phone yet with obviously improved sound quality. Combined with excellent sound performance, compact size and very friendly price, the BTR1 immediately became a hit once it entered the market. It was popular among consumers in both the domestic and foreign markets.
Besides, in just two years since the birth of the BTR1, FiiO has quickly launched 3 generations, 6 versions of products, consisting of the uBTR, BTR3, BTR1K, BTR3K, BTR5 which have helped to get support and good reputations from a majority of users.
We are very relieved. The reason why we named the BTR series Bluetooth DAC/Amp is that we want to continue the life of the A series of headphone amplifiers. After being feature with new souls, it can accompany and support FiiO all along the way in another form.
