[MarkF786]

Has anyone compared the BTR3 to the Q5? I’m curious if stepping up to one of the larger Bluetooth amps brings much improvement in sound quality. Maybe for high impedance headphones it would, but my primary use case is IEMs.

 

[speedingcheetah]

But what about the statements that Bluetooth 5 has presumably 2X the performance/throughput, 4X the distance, and more stable signal. I mean, it's probably not that much of a difference in real life, but still.
I've read some controversial posts about LDAC, and if it also has bluetooth stuttering, and can't handle the maximum 990kbps bandwidth, it's probably not worth it to me. There are people saying that at the lowest setting 330kbps, LDAC sounds worse than SBC. And unfortunately Pixel 3 defaults to that setting, for some reason, I have a Pixel 2 XL. That doesn't exactly boost up my confidence, and yes, I know that you can change it.

The lowest 330Kbps in NOT the default setting on Pixel phones. Best Effort mode is.

I have had no issues with my 1st Gen Pixel XL and now my Pixel 3 phone with LDAC set to the best quality setting(annoying that setting does not stick, and reverts to default when you disconnect)
Keep in mind, and this should be common sense/obvious point, but in order to successfully push that much bandwidth, you must stay at close range...so you will get studding/skipping if you move to far away.
That is the point of the default mode, "Best Effort" setting, where it dynamically adjusts.

The BTR3 and my Pixel 3 set to Highest Quality in Dev settings is amazing. I have 2 different sets of Sony built in LDAC headphones, and they will cut out when i walk out of the room, but the BTR3 connected to the same headphones via wired, works with no issues around my entire medium sized 4 room apartment unit.

 

[digititus]

The BTR3 and my Pixel 3 set to Highest Quality in Dev settings is amazing.

Agreed.

 

[rkw]

But what about the statements that Bluetooth 5 has presumably 2X the performance/throughput, 4X the distance, and more stable signal.

Bluetooth 5 didn't update audio streaming, which continues to operate with the same performance as before. The improvements were for devices such as wearables and IOT devices that do short bursts of data, not continuous streaming. Improvements for Bluetooth audio won't happen until they update the audio protocol. Meanwhile, manufacturers are using chipsets that happen to support Bluetooth 5, and they are happy to advertise that their product supports BT5 even though there is no improvement in audio streaming.

 

[Darkestred]

Anyone run any tests for battery usage difference between LDAC and APTxHD? I mean for my use LDAC sounded a little better but nothing to go hog-wild about. But, i do like a litle more sound in the mix.

 

[Yukicore]

Bluetooth 5 didn't update audio streaming, which continues to operate with the same performance as before. The improvements were for devices such as wearables and IOT devices that do short bursts of data, not continuous streaming. Improvements for Bluetooth audio won't happen until they update the audio protocol. Meanwhile, manufacturers are using chipsets that happen to support Bluetooth 5, and they are happy to advertise that their product supports BT5 even though there is no improvement in audio streaming.

Yeah, I was thinking about this too, when I wrote the comment. I wonder if it's the same case with Fiio too. But to be fair, as much as it could be codec related more than range, I saw a video of a guy testing this, both of the Fiios were there, and BTR1K really had ~30m signal, while BTR3 had the advertised ~10m, I think he was using LDAC and probably the default best effort mode.

 

[FiiO]

in addition to using the BTR3 via Bluetooth, I am looking to use it wired with my Pixel 2. If I use this device via USB-C as a wired DAC, will the BTR3 stay charged via my Pixel 2's battery? Also, how is sound quality when using as wired DAC vs Bluetooth?

Dear friend,

We could not confirm whether the DAC function of the BTR3 could be compatible with your mobile phone.

But there is a Charge option (ON/OFF) for BTR3 in FiiO Music.

Note: After the setting is changed, it will take affect after re-plugging the USB cable. The Charge option will be set to ON automatically if BTR3 is in low battery condition.

You could turn on this function for not charging the BTR3 when connecting to usb apply.

Best regards

 

[Huxley]

Couple questions, what's the battery life like for each codec?
Also did anyone have trouble with apps, works fine with most codecs but on hwa or ldac if i change players or apps it didn't always carry the audio, i find myself having to disconnect to wake it up.

 

[FiiO]

Couple questions, what's the battery life like for each codec?
Also did anyone have trouble with apps, works fine with most codecs but on hwa or ldac if i change players or apps it didn't always carry the audio, i find myself having to disconnect to wake it up.

Dear friend,

For LDAC or APTX, the battery life is 1-2 hours shorter than AAC generally.
What's the firmware version of your BTR3? You may try to update the firmware to see if it helps.

Best regards

 

[Huxley]

Dear friend,

For LDAC or APTX, the battery life is 1-2 hours shorter than AAC generally.
What's the firmware version of your BTR3? You may try to update the firmware to see if it helps.

Best regards

How do i go about updating the firmware?

 

[BenKatz]

I'm wondering, did anyone compare it, with sound coming from direct USB or LDAC BT, to the Dragonfly Red?

I know the Dragonfly should be superior, but i'm wondering how it compares, how far back is it in terms of sq (especially soundstage).

 

[highlightshadow]

Anyone in UK after one of these...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FiiO-BTR...h=item4b5995bcfe:g:Ts4AAOSwCtNbzxH8:rk:3:pf:0

AdvancedMP3Players have it for £54 and eBay have POWPOW15 site-wide discount ... so a BTR3 for £46!

 

[archy121]

Anyone in UK after one of these...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FiiO-BTR...h=item4b5995bcfe:g:Ts4AAOSwCtNbzxH8:rk:3:pf:0

AdvancedMP3Players have it for £54 and eBay have POWPOW15 site-wide discount ... so a BTR3 for £46!

It expired at 8PM and I jumped in at 7:59PM lol

Cheers

 

[highlightshadow]

It expired at 8PM and I jumped in at 7:59PM lol

Cheers

AWesome - winner!!!
Was a total bargain at that price

 

[archy121]

AWesome - winner!!!
Was a total bargain at that price

I had planned to stop buying anything else for a good while after my recent audio spree that went out of control... but at this price was too good to ignore. At least no more confusion to buy this or es100.