maurizioalessandro
New Head-Fier
ciao a tutti ..acquistato btr3k su hifigo. oggi è arrivato in germania con dhl..io sono in italia.spero domani arrivi. non vedo l'ora di provarlo.saluti a tutti.
[FiiO BTR3K] Balanced High-Fidelity Bluetooth Amp(Questionnaire About Upgrading the BTR3K updated in 2023-6-14)
- Thread starter FiiO
- Start date
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- fiio fiio btr3k
hmscott
1000+ Head-Fier
Hifigo have been a great group to work with, and now they want me to review the BTR3K. HiFiGo have sent me a BTR3K to evaluate in their Sharing Circle program - and being so inexpensive the BTR3K would cost more than it is worth to return it China - so Hifigo are going to let me keep the BTR3K.
Of course I will be objective as always in my comments, but I wanted to disclose this before posting my comments.
My last HiFiGo shipment took 10 days from this kind of notice, so I should get the BTR3K around April 6th...
It's been weird here lately what with all the things going on, even a little weirder than normal...I may not be timely with my postings, but I will do my best to catch up when I do.March 27, 2020, 4:36 pm
Picked Up by Shipping Partner, USPS Awaiting Item
JAMAICA, NY 11434
Shipping Partner: NEWGISTICS
Your item was picked up by a shipping partner at 4:36 pm on March 27, 2020 in JAMAICA, NY 11434. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date.
Update: Still weird here...
Looking forward to the BTR3K arrival later in the week.April 5, 2020, 3:01 pm
Arrived Shipping Partner Facility, USPS Awaiting Item
LOS ANGELES, CA 90040
Shipping Partner: NEWGISTICS
Your item arrived at a shipping partner facility at 3:01 pm on April 5, 2020 in LOS ANGELES, CA 90040. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date.
Last time it took 3 days from that point to get here...so overall the shipping time is a bit longer than last time...
Amazon delivery has been great, even after the warnings of priority some things have gotten here way ahead of the projected delivery date. Some things are taking a ridiculously long time with delivery projections out into late May / Mid-June...and there's no delivery slots for Amazon Fresh (grocery delivery) so I've had to dash out and shop - mask and all - and it wasn't too bad actually. Even got toilet paper and paper towel (1 package each).
I didn't want to leave you guys hanging too long waiting for some kind of BTR3K hands on info, so here's my first 10 minutes with the BTR3kDelivery Update: The BTR3K arrived via USPS in a solid box on April 8, 2020 at 12:39 pm. Shipping took from the 27th of March to April 8th from HiFiGo in China to me here in Northern CA for a total shipping time of 13 days.
I'll check out the BTR3K and post an update asap.
Yup, 10 minutes, that's all it took to unbox the BTR3K, exclaim "How cute, it looks just like a little BTR5!", "OMG, the clear plastic clip is sooo tiny, wow it comes with a wrist lanyard, that's so cool!"
Then, I unplugged and turned off the BTR5 so it was offline and not connected to my PC via USB or BT. Wow, those bare naked BTR5 and BTR3k's are slippery suckers
I had just today installed the Fiio Hi Res Driver in preparation for receiving the BTR3k. I never needed it for the BTR5 as the BTR5 connected and was settable to 384k/32 bit in the Sound Control Panel for the BTR5 device in Windows 10 without the Fiio Hi Res Driver, so I never installed it.
The BTR5 does show up in the System Tray FiiO Control App initially as 41.1k and then when I start playing a youtube video the FiiO control panel shows 32 bit / 384k. I haven't had time to A/B listen to see if the Fiio Hi Res Driver makes any audible difference between running the BTR5 naked without it. The BTR5 sounds the same to me on initial listening.
After all that, the BTR3K doesn't show up in the FiiO Control panel Status when connected to the PC USB cable that the BTR5 was using. The FiiO Control panel Status remains empty showing nothing connected, and the extra tabs that show up when I connect the BTR5 don't show up with the BTR3k connected and yes I did trying rebooting with the BTR3k connected and the BTR3k didn't show up in the FiiO Control Panel Status.
So, it looks like the BTR3k doesn't need the Fiio Hi Res Driver for the BTR3k, or at least that's how it looks after 10 minutes out of the box.
Here's what the BTR3k shows for Advanced options in the Windows 10 Sound Control Panel:
The FiiO BTR3k powered right up and connected as a USB DAC to my PC (Same cable / USB connector on my PC as the BTR5 was using). The BTR5 lets you set the priority of BT or USB DAC - I have my BTR5 set to USB DAC priority to disconnect from BT after I plug in the USB DAC, allowing quick switching without making configuration changes on the PC or Phone. The BTR3k comes locked to BT priority so I need to disable BT on my PC / Phone before or after connecting the cable for USB DAC mode
Update: The FiiO App BTR3k control allows turning off Charging and setting BT/USB DAC priority like the BTR5, thanks to @cleg video showing the FiiO App connected to the BTR3k @ 08:50.
When the BTR3k arrived I was listening on Youtube with the BTR5 as I was in the middle of doing research, so youtube got the first listen on the BTR3k at the moment of unboxing. The headphones in use when I switched in the BTR3k are the Sennheiser HD 598 Cs connected unbalanced 3.5mm to the BTR5/BTR3k.
I've only had a few minutes listening with the BTR3k, but so far it "sounds good", not much different than I was hearing with the BTR5 just minutes before. Of course there is a difference, and I'll report back after burn-in of the BTR3k and after A/B with the BTR5 on a variety of sources.
The "front panel indicator" on the BTR5 is colorful and bright, and the BTR3k lit up looks so darned cute sitting in it's tiny plastic clip
Note that the BTR3k orientation for it's "Top/Bottom" are reversed from the BTR5. The BTR5 headphone connectors on the "Top" (in relation to the OLED display) with the USB-C connector coming out the "Bottom". The BTR3K has the USB-C connector as the "Top" (in relation to the FiiO lighted indicator LED) and the headphone connectors are on the "Bottom".
The BTR3k Control buttons are still on the right side as oriented with the USB-C cable on top and the FiiO LED logo right side up.
BTW, the accessories box #1 is the bottom half of the product box and it contained the plastic clip holder for the BTR3k along with the short USB-C to USB-A cable. There was a surprise in what I thought was the manual box hidden under the BTR3k - it also contained a nice camera style wrist lanyard, I haven't connected it up yet but I will at some point. I don't see a tie-down point on the BTR3k body itself, but the plastic clip has a small hole at the top of the back of clippy part that could be used to loop the tie-down end of the lanyard.
Ok, that's about it for my first reactions to the using BTR3k 10 minutes out of the box. I'll do listening / burn-in for the BTR3k over the next few days and sometime along that time I will A/B with the BTR5.
I'll also read the BTR3k manual (included in the box, I haven't even looked at it or checked for an updated manual online) to figure out how to use the BTR3k controls to change settings, and I'll check to see if the Android control app "sees" the BTR3k, and I will post discoveries along the way.
More later...
In case noone has mentioned it yet, FiiO has added the BTR3k to their Bluetooth products on their website, and there is more info about the BTR3k there.
https://fiio.com/btr3k
And, FiiO has a community forum thread for the BTR3k as well:
http://www.fiio.me/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=45464&extra=page=1
@FiiO - Thanks for updating the BTR3k FAQ and adding the Manual/QuickStart Guide.
Technical support for BTR3K
https://fiio.com/btr3k_faq
Quick update: I did notice the BTR3k had nice dynamics and good bass on voices - even on YouTube. I switched to DVD to take a break - I'm on Episode 5 of Season 1 of "Roswell - New Mexico" and BAM!! the intro Title sequence bass drop really took me by surprise - I had the BTR3k volume way too high.
I already miss the numerical readout of where the volume is on the BTR5, but I'll get used to it I suppose. The vocals and effects ring clear - lots of dynamics - I am enjoying listening to the BTR3k at normal volume.
I did think of it, but I'm not quite ready to start swapping back and forth with the BTR5 yet... I'm on a break
Nintendo Switch Update: Yes!, the BTR3k can connect to the switch via USB and it works great. Not unexpected since the BTR3 can do this as well, but after the disappointment finding out that the BTR5 won't connect to the Nintendo Switch (also PS4 per the BTR5 thread), it's a nice reason to keep the BTR3K around even though I've really enjoyed the BTR5... maybe I really do "need" both.
Last Update for the Night: Loving the BTR3k sound - it's great on the Switch, so I spent a bunch of time playing games and watching YouTube on the Switch,and the BTR3k worked great.
A couple of caveat's, the BTR3k doesn't appear to allow me to turn off "Charging" - the Switch was down to 43% when I was done - not a problem if I ran it docked - which it is now.
And, the BTR3k doesn't allow changing the BT / DAC priority - the BTR3k is always in BT priority - so I needed to make sure BT was turned off when moving between BT and DAC mode on my PC and when I was running in DAC mode on the Switch.
Both small annoyances solved by the BTR5's ability to change those options. Perhaps I am missing something, I haven't tried to look at the BTR3k in the FiiO app(s) or if the BTR3k actually shows up in the App. The BTR3k "manual" and "quickstart" don't mention either one(?)
For me neither baked-in setting on the BTR3k wasn't a problem, perhaps on the iPhone DAC mode that would be a problem? Does anyone use the BTR5 / BTR3 on iphone in USB DAC mode, is that even possible?
Anyway, back to watching "Roswell - New Mexico" and listening through the BTR3k...
"About an Hour Later...": So, I switched over to Netflix on PC USB DAC mode with the BTR3k - I'm moving gradually into experiencing the BTR3k - and the BTR3k sounds so much better than I remembered the BTR5 on the Netflix pre-view rolls when scrolling across movies - that I decided to listen to some Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour and I gotta say the BTR3k rocks! - so strange I don't recall having this reaction when I listened to it with the BTR5 - so I finally broke down and switched in the BTR5, and either something is wrong with my BTR5 - maybe installing the FiiO High Res Driver? - v4.47.0 - or maybe the 3.5mm output of the BTR3k just sounds better?...
Maybe it's because I've got the BTR3k's 3.5mm volume pinned to the maximum with my Sennheiser HD 598 Cs's. Rock On!!
It's probably because I normally don't turn up the BTR5 very high - no particular reason other than I'm usually doing other things. Cranking the BTR5 up to 42 on H gain kicks it fine, the BTR3k - maybe it's just the honeymoon phase, something different...
Maybe I need to Rock Out more often.
Good Morning Update: I discovered that the BTR3k has better BT reach in my home usage. In places where the BTR5 consistently loses connectivity - either directly or by having my body get between the BTR5 and the PC - the BTR3k is maintaining solid BT connectivity.
My BTR3k has much better Bluetooth reach than my BTR5. I was surprised I could control (start / stop the media) while listening to a YouTube video, walking out the door (wearing Beat's wired to the BTR3k) down the path toward the car with no breakup's. Through internal house clutter, wall / sliding glass door, shrubbery, with an otherwise clear shot between me and my PC (elevated about 3 feet) the BTR3k stayed connected about 25-30 feet away.
I'm still listening on 3.5mm USB DAC mostly - with some BT, maybe tomorrow / this weekend I'll move to 2.5mm balanced.
Update "Yup, there it is!": Moving to Amazon Music HD - on HD and Ultra HD tracks - the BTR5 lights up the room (between my ears), and while the BTR3k kicks it and is a blast to listen to, now the BTR5 takes my ears and won't let go.
On the previous materials - Youtube, DVD, Netflix, Disney+, Starz, etc for some reason the BTR3k beckoned me back every time and I listened to hours of media on the BTR3k without missing the BTR5 - both BTR3k/BTR5 driving 3.5mm.
I downloaded and ran the FiiO Control app on tablet, phone, and set the BTR3k USB DAC Priority + Charge On Always. I already had the FiiO Music app, but I liked jumping right into the FiiO control vs going through FiiO Music menus. I hope to start the 2.5mm listening soon.
Update Samsung S6: Love this tablet, and I'm enjoying the LDAC listening a bit more than USB DAC mode as it's at 48k - Samsung S20 Ultra at 192k is better. Both the BTR3k and BTR5 connected to the Tab S6 via BT LDAC sound great.
Update BTR5 glitch: IDK what's up with my BTR5, after pairing with the Samsung S6 tablet I'm having a weird 2nd "connection chime" with a "ghost" device, and the BTR5 shows APTX for that "device" and I can't get audio from the intended device I connected with.
Whenever I connect to a device I get the connection chime, then I get another connection chime immediately after the first, then I can't get audio from the device I'm pairing with
It started after I paired with my Samsung S6 Tablet using LDAC. I tried clearing all of the BTR5 pairings then cleared the BTR5 pairings on each device, powered down all the other devices (completely, not just turning off BT), and I still get a 2nd connection chime when pairing / connecting to a BT device with the BTR5 - PC, Samsung S20 Ultra, Samsung S6 tablet.
I've ordered a replacement BTR5 and I will continue to debug the BTR5 to see if I can get it working again, or if that doesn't work, I will RMA it.
The BTR3k is now my primary BT / USB DAC carry...
Last edited:
Hi,I didn't want to leave you guys hanging too long waiting for some kind of BTR3K hands on info, so here's my first 10 minutes with the BTR3k
Yup, 10 minutes, that's all it took to unbox the BTR3K, exclaim "How cute, it looks just like a little BTR5!", "OMG, the clear plastic clip is sooo tiny, wow it comes with a wrist lanyard, that's so cool!"
Then, I unplugged and turned off the BTR5 so it was offline and not connected to my PC via USB or BT. Wow, those bare naked BTR5 and BTR3k's are slippery suckers
I had just today installed the Fiio Hi Res Driver in preparation for receiving the BTR3k. I never needed it for the BTR5 as the BTR5 connected and was settable to 384k/32 bit in the Sound Control Panel for the BTR5 device in Windows 10 without the Fiio Hi Res Driver, so I never installed it.
The BTR5 does show up in the System Tray FiiO Control App initially as 41.1k and then when I start playing a youtube video the FiiO control panel shows 32 bit / 384k. I haven't had time to A/B listen to see if the Fiio Hi Res Driver makes any audible difference between running the BTR5 naked without it. The BTR5 sounds the same to me on initial listening.
After all that, the BTR3K doesn't show up in the FiiO Control panel Status when connected to the PC USB cable that the BTR5 was using. The FiiO Control panel Status remains empty showing nothing connected, and the extra tabs that show up when I connect the BTR5 don't show up with the BTR3k connected and yes I did trying rebooting with the BTR3k connected and the BTR3k didn't show up in the FiiO Control Panel Status.
So, it looks like the BTR3k doesn't need the Fiio Hi Res Driver for the BTR3k, or at least that's how it looks after 10 minutes out of the box.
Here's what the BTR3k shows for Advanced options in the Windows 10 Sound Control Panel:
The FiiO BTR3k powered right up and connected as a USB DAC to my PC (Same cable / USB connector on my PC as the BTR5 was using), and I then checked to see if the BTR3k will allow immediate switching to BT from USB DAC mode by disconnecting the USB cable - and sure enough after I paired the BTR3k with my PC's BT I can immediately switch between BT and USB DAC modes by connecting / disconnecting the USB cable to my PC just like I do with the BTR5.
When the BTR3k arrived I was listening on Youtube with the BTR5 as I was in the middle of doing research, so youtube got the first listen on the BTR3k at the moment of unboxing. The headphones in use when I switched in the BTR3k are the Sennheiser HD 598 Cs connected unbalanced 3.5mm to the BTR5/BTR3k.
I've only had a few minutes listening with the BTR3k, but so far it "sounds good", not much different than I was hearing with the BTR5 just minutes before. Of course there is a difference, and I'll report back after burn-in of the BTR3k and after A/B with the BTR5 on a variety of sources.
The "front panel indicator" on the BTR5 is colorful and bright, and the BTR3k lit up looks so darned cute sitting in it's tiny plastic clip
Note that the BTR3k orientation for it's "Top/Bottom" are reversed from the BTR5. The BTR5 headphone connectors on the "Top" (in relation to the OLED display) with the USB-C connector coming out the "Bottom". The BTR3K has the USB-C connector as the "Top" (in relation to the FiiO lighted indicator LED) and the headphone connectors are on the "Bottom".
The BTR3k Control buttons are still on the right side as oriented with the USB-C cable on top and the FiiO LED logo right side up.
BTW, the accessories box #1 is the bottom half of the product box and it contained the plastic clip holder for the BTR3k along with the short USB-C to USB-A cable. There was a surprise in what I thought was the manual box hidden under the BTR3k - it also contained a nice camera style wrist lanyard, I haven't connected it up yet but I will at some point. I don't see a tie-down point on the BTR3k body itself, but the plastic clip has a small hole at the top of the back of clippy part that could be used to loop the tie-down end of the lanyard.
Ok, that's about it for my first reactions to the using BTR3k 10 minutes out of the box. I'll do listening / burn-in for the BTR3k over the next few days and sometime along that time I will A/B with the BTR5.
I'll also read the BTR3k manual (included in the box, I haven't even looked at it or checked for an updated manual online) to figure out how to use the BTR3k controls to change settings, and I'll check to see if the Android control app "sees" the BTR3k, and I will post discoveries along the way.
More later...
In case noone has mentioned it yet, FiiO has added the BTR3k to their Bluetooth products on their website, and there is more info about the BTR3k there.
https://fiio.com/btr3k
And, FiiO has a community forum thread for the BTR3k as well:
http://www.fiio.me/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=45464&extra=page=1
@FiiO - there's a bad link for the BTR3k Tech Support "Firmware Download", it goes to the M11 firmware thread...
The "Firmware Download" link in the BTR3k FAQ (incorrectly pointing to the "M11-Firmware download" thread)
http://www.fiio.me/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=44290&extra=page=1
Technical support for BTR3K
https://fiio.com/btr3k_faq
Quick update: I did notice the BTR3k had nice dynamics and good bass on voices - even on Youtube. I switched to DVD to take a break - I'm on Episode 5 of Season 1 of "Roswell - New Mexico" and BAM!! the intro Title sequence bass drop really took me by surprise - I had the BTR3k volume way too high.
I already miss the numerical readout of where the volume is on the BTR5, but I'll get used to it I suppose. The vocals and effects ring clear - lots of dynamics - I am enjoying listening to the BTR3k at normal volume.
I did think of it, but I'm not quite ready to start swapping back and forth with the BTR5 yet... I'm on a break
Nintendo Switch Update: Yes!, the BTR3k can connect to the switch via USB and it works great. Not unexpected since the BTR3 can do this as well, but after the disappointment finding out that the BTR5 won't connect to the Nintendo Switch (also PS4 per the BTR5 thread), it's a nice reason to keep the BTR3K around even though I've really enjoyed the BTR5... maybe I really do "need" both.
Last Update for the Night: Loving the BTR3k sound - it's great on the Switch, so I spent a bunch of time working games, system, and youtube on the Switch and the BTR3k worked great.
A couple of caveat's, the BTR3k doesn't appear to allow me to turn off "Charging" - the Switch was down to 43% when I was done - not a problem if I ran it docked - which it is now.
And, the BTR3k doesn't allow changing the BT / DAC priority - the BTR3k is always in BT priority - so I needed to make sure BT was turned off when moving between BT and DAC mode on my PC and when I was running in DAC mode on the Switch.
Both small annoyances solved by the BTR5's ability to change those options. Perhaps I am missing something, I haven't tried to look at the BTR3k in the FiiO app(s) or if the BTR3k actually shows up in the App. The BTR3k "manual" and "quickstart" don't mention either one(?)
For me neither baked-in setting on the BTR3k wasn't a problem, perhaps on the iPhone DAC mode that would be a problem? Does anyone use the BTR5 / BTR3 on iphone in USB DAC mode, is that even possible?
Anyway, back to watching "Roswell - New Mexico" and listening through the BTR3k
"About an Hour Later...": So, I switched over to Netflix on PC USB DAC mode with the BTR3k - I'm moving gradually into experiencing the BTR3k - and the BTR3k sounds so much better than I remembered the BTR5 on the Netflix pre-view rolls when scrolling across movies - that I decided to listen to some Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour and I gotta say the BTR3k rocks! - so strange I don't recall having this reaction when I listened to it with the BTR5 - so I finally broke down and switched in the BTR5, and either something is wrong with my BTR5 - maybe installing the FiiO High Res Driver? - v4.47.0 - or maybe the 3.5mm output of the BTR3k just sounds better?...
Maybe it's because I've got the BTR3k's 3.5mm volume pinned to the maximum with my Sennheiser HD 598 Cs's. Rock On!!
It's probably because I normally don't turn up the BTR5 very high - no particular reason other than I'm usually doing other things. Cranking the BTR5 up to 42 on H gain kicks it fine, the BTR3k - maybe it's just the honeymoon phase, something different...
Maybe I need to Rock Out more often.
Good Morning Update: I discovered that the BTR3k has better BT reach in my home usage. In places where the BTR5 consistently loses connectivity - either directly or by having my body get between the BTR5 and the PC - the BTR3k is maintaining solid BT connectivity. It will take testing outside to find the drop-off point, perhaps in a couple of days.
Thanks for sharing your experience. And we have remove the wrong link in the FAQ page. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Best regards
cleg
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2011
- Posts
- 1,577
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- 4,808
My video about BTR3K. In short, it's a good upgrade over BTR3
Thanks for the review. Just ordered one. Coming from home country (uk) so hopefully will be with me early next week.
Been tempted to try a portable amp for a while. No 3.5 port on my new S20 so have greater need now. Fiio seem like a safe bet, btr5 is a bit big and expensive but this looks good enough for my needs.
Been tempted to try a portable amp for a while. No 3.5 port on my new S20 so have greater need now. Fiio seem like a safe bet, btr5 is a bit big and expensive but this looks good enough for my needs.
quite a decent BT dac/amp. Enjoying it with a variety of daps and earphones.
MalinYamato
100+ Head-Fier
lovely review. How does BTR3K compare to Shanling UP4. I would love to have the knob on the BTR3K as the UP4 has.I didn't want to leave you guys hanging too long waiting for some kind of BTR3K hands on info, so here's my first 10 minutes with the BTR3k
Yup, 10 minutes, that's all it took to unbox the BTR3K, exclaim "How cute, it looks just like a little BTR5!", "OMG, the clear plastic clip is sooo tiny, wow it comes with a wrist lanyard, that's so cool!"
Then, I unplugged and turned off the BTR5 so it was offline and not connected to my PC via USB or BT. Wow, those bare naked BTR5 and BTR3k's are slippery suckers
I had just today installed the Fiio Hi Res Driver in preparation for receiving the BTR3k. I never needed it for the BTR5 as the BTR5 connected and was settable to 384k/32 bit in the Sound Control Panel for the BTR5 device in Windows 10 without the Fiio Hi Res Driver, so I never installed it.
The BTR5 does show up in the System Tray FiiO Control App initially as 41.1k and then when I start playing a youtube video the FiiO control panel shows 32 bit / 384k. I haven't had time to A/B listen to see if the Fiio Hi Res Driver makes any audible difference between running the BTR5 naked without it. The BTR5 sounds the same to me on initial listening.
After all that, the BTR3K doesn't show up in the FiiO Control panel Status when connected to the PC USB cable that the BTR5 was using. The FiiO Control panel Status remains empty showing nothing connected, and the extra tabs that show up when I connect the BTR5 don't show up with the BTR3k connected and yes I did trying rebooting with the BTR3k connected and the BTR3k didn't show up in the FiiO Control Panel Status.
So, it looks like the BTR3k doesn't need the Fiio Hi Res Driver for the BTR3k, or at least that's how it looks after 10 minutes out of the box.
Here's what the BTR3k shows for Advanced options in the Windows 10 Sound Control Panel:
The FiiO BTR3k powered right up and connected as a USB DAC to my PC (Same cable / USB connector on my PC as the BTR5 was using). The BTR5 lets you set the priority of BT or USB DAC - I have my BTR5 set to USB DAC priority to disconnect from BT after I plug in the USB DAC, allowing quick switching without making configuration changes on the PC or Phone. The BTR3k comes locked to BT priority so I need to disable BT on my PC / Phone before or after connecting the cable for USB DAC mode
Update: The FiiO App BTR3k control allows turning off Charging and setting BT/USB DAC priority like the BTR5, thanks to @cleg video showing the FiiO App connected to the BTR3k @ 08:50.
When the BTR3k arrived I was listening on Youtube with the BTR5 as I was in the middle of doing research, so youtube got the first listen on the BTR3k at the moment of unboxing. The headphones in use when I switched in the BTR3k are the Sennheiser HD 598 Cs connected unbalanced 3.5mm to the BTR5/BTR3k.
I've only had a few minutes listening with the BTR3k, but so far it "sounds good", not much different than I was hearing with the BTR5 just minutes before. Of course there is a difference, and I'll report back after burn-in of the BTR3k and after A/B with the BTR5 on a variety of sources.
The "front panel indicator" on the BTR5 is colorful and bright, and the BTR3k lit up looks so darned cute sitting in it's tiny plastic clip
Note that the BTR3k orientation for it's "Top/Bottom" are reversed from the BTR5. The BTR5 headphone connectors on the "Top" (in relation to the OLED display) with the USB-C connector coming out the "Bottom". The BTR3K has the USB-C connector as the "Top" (in relation to the FiiO lighted indicator LED) and the headphone connectors are on the "Bottom".
The BTR3k Control buttons are still on the right side as oriented with the USB-C cable on top and the FiiO LED logo right side up.
BTW, the accessories box #1 is the bottom half of the product box and it contained the plastic clip holder for the BTR3k along with the short USB-C to USB-A cable. There was a surprise in what I thought was the manual box hidden under the BTR3k - it also contained a nice camera style wrist lanyard, I haven't connected it up yet but I will at some point. I don't see a tie-down point on the BTR3k body itself, but the plastic clip has a small hole at the top of the back of clippy part that could be used to loop the tie-down end of the lanyard.
Ok, that's about it for my first reactions to the using BTR3k 10 minutes out of the box. I'll do listening / burn-in for the BTR3k over the next few days and sometime along that time I will A/B with the BTR5.
I'll also read the BTR3k manual (included in the box, I haven't even looked at it or checked for an updated manual online) to figure out how to use the BTR3k controls to change settings, and I'll check to see if the Android control app "sees" the BTR3k, and I will post discoveries along the way.
More later...
In case noone has mentioned it yet, FiiO has added the BTR3k to their Bluetooth products on their website, and there is more info about the BTR3k there.
https://fiio.com/btr3k
And, FiiO has a community forum thread for the BTR3k as well:
http://www.fiio.me/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=45464&extra=page=1
@FiiO - Thanks for updating the BTR3k FAQ and adding the Manual/QuickStart Guide.
Technical support for BTR3K
https://fiio.com/btr3k_faq
Quick update: I did notice the BTR3k had nice dynamics and good bass on voices - even on YouTube. I switched to DVD to take a break - I'm on Episode 5 of Season 1 of "Roswell - New Mexico" and BAM!! the intro Title sequence bass drop really took me by surprise - I had the BTR3k volume way too high.
I already miss the numerical readout of where the volume is on the BTR5, but I'll get used to it I suppose. The vocals and effects ring clear - lots of dynamics - I am enjoying listening to the BTR3k at normal volume.
I did think of it, but I'm not quite ready to start swapping back and forth with the BTR5 yet... I'm on a break
Nintendo Switch Update: Yes!, the BTR3k can connect to the switch via USB and it works great. Not unexpected since the BTR3 can do this as well, but after the disappointment finding out that the BTR5 won't connect to the Nintendo Switch (also PS4 per the BTR5 thread), it's a nice reason to keep the BTR3K around even though I've really enjoyed the BTR5... maybe I really do "need" both.
Last Update for the Night: Loving the BTR3k sound - it's great on the Switch, so I spent a bunch of time playing games and watching YouTube on the Switch,and the BTR3k worked great.
A couple of caveat's, the BTR3k doesn't appear to allow me to turn off "Charging" - the Switch was down to 43% when I was done - not a problem if I ran it docked - which it is now.
And, the BTR3k doesn't allow changing the BT / DAC priority - the BTR3k is always in BT priority - so I needed to make sure BT was turned off when moving between BT and DAC mode on my PC and when I was running in DAC mode on the Switch.
Both small annoyances solved by the BTR5's ability to change those options. Perhaps I am missing something, I haven't tried to look at the BTR3k in the FiiO app(s) or if the BTR3k actually shows up in the App. The BTR3k "manual" and "quickstart" don't mention either one(?)
For me neither baked-in setting on the BTR3k wasn't a problem, perhaps on the iPhone DAC mode that would be a problem? Does anyone use the BTR5 / BTR3 on iphone in USB DAC mode, is that even possible?
Anyway, back to watching "Roswell - New Mexico" and listening through the BTR3k...
"About an Hour Later...": So, I switched over to Netflix on PC USB DAC mode with the BTR3k - I'm moving gradually into experiencing the BTR3k - and the BTR3k sounds so much better than I remembered the BTR5 on the Netflix pre-view rolls when scrolling across movies - that I decided to listen to some Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour and I gotta say the BTR3k rocks! - so strange I don't recall having this reaction when I listened to it with the BTR5 - so I finally broke down and switched in the BTR5, and either something is wrong with my BTR5 - maybe installing the FiiO High Res Driver? - v4.47.0 - or maybe the 3.5mm output of the BTR3k just sounds better?...
Maybe it's because I've got the BTR3k's 3.5mm volume pinned to the maximum with my Sennheiser HD 598 Cs's. Rock On!!
It's probably because I normally don't turn up the BTR5 very high - no particular reason other than I'm usually doing other things. Cranking the BTR5 up to 42 on H gain kicks it fine, the BTR3k - maybe it's just the honeymoon phase, something different...
Maybe I need to Rock Out more often.
Good Morning Update: I discovered that the BTR3k has better BT reach in my home usage. In places where the BTR5 consistently loses connectivity - either directly or by having my body get between the BTR5 and the PC - the BTR3k is maintaining solid BT connectivity.
My BTR3k has much better Bluetooth reach than my BTR5. I was surprised I could control (start / stop the media) while listening to a YouTube video, walking out the door (wearing Beat's wired to the BTR3k) down the path toward the car with no breakup's. Through internal house clutter, wall / sliding glass door, shrubbery, with an otherwise clear shot between me and my PC (elevated about 3 feet) the BTR3k stayed connected about 25-30 feet away.
I'm still listening on 3.5mm USB DAC mostly - with some BT, maybe tomorrow / this weekend I'll move to 2.5mm balanced.
Update "Yup, there it is!": Moving to Amazon Music HD - on HD and Ultra HD tracks - the BTR5 lights up the room (between my ears), and while the BTR3k kicks it and is a blast to listen to, now the BTR5 takes my ears and won't let go.
On the previous materials - Youtube, DVD, Netflix, Disney+, Starz, etc for some reason the BTR3k beckoned me back every time and I listened to hours of media on the BTR3k without missing the BTR5 - both BTR3k/BTR5 driving 3.5mm.
I downloaded and ran the FiiO Control app on tablet, phone, and set the BTR3k USB DAC Priority + Charge On Always. I already had the FiiO Music app, but I liked jumping right into the FiiO control vs going through FiiO Music menus. I hope to start the 2.5mm listening soon.
Update Samsung S6: Love this tablet, and I'm enjoying the LDAC listening a bit more than USB DAC mode as it's at 48k - Samsung S20 Ultra at 192k is better. Both the BTR3k and BTR5 connected to the Tab S6 via BT LDAC sound great.
Update BTR5 glitch: IDK what's up with my BTR5, after pairing with the Samsung S6 tablet I'm having a weird 2nd "connection chime" with a "ghost" device, and the BTR5 shows APTX for that "device" and I can't get audio from the intended device I connected with.
Whenever I connect to a device I get the connection chime, then I get another connection chime immediately after the first, then I can't get audio from the device I'm pairing with
It started after I paired with my Samsung S6 Tablet using LDAC. I tried clearing all of the BTR5 pairings then cleared the BTR5 pairings on each device, powered down all the other devices (completely, not just turning off BT), and I still get a 2nd connection chime when pairing / connecting to a BT device with the BTR5 - PC, Samsung S20 Ultra, Samsung S6 tablet.
I've ordered a replacement BTR5 and I will continue to debug the BTR5 to see if I can get it working again, or if that doesn't work, I will RMA it.
The BTR3k is now my primary BT / USB DAC carry...
hmscott
1000+ Head-Fier
Thank you, I'm really enjoying listening to the BTR3k.
UP4 vs BTR3k... that's a good question. There's some comparisons between the BTR5 and UP4 in the BTR5 thread... I'd need a Shanling UP4 to make the comparison myself...
For now I'm optimizing my BTR3k / BTR5 accessories. Starting with the BTR5 I was using the pack-in USB-C to USB-A cable that came with my Nintendo switch. Which worked great, but I've upgraded the data cable between my PC and BTR3k to an Anchor cable (5gbps) which is more flexible and is higher quality - and comes with a travel pouch / wrap to store the cable when mobile:
Anchor Powerline+ 6' Red cable:
https://www.target.com/p/anker-6-39-powerline-usb-c-to-usb-a-cable-red/-/A-76625655
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Just got my BTR3k 
First impressions are it's tiny and feels really high quality. Only tested bluetooth aptx on my Samsung S20 with KZ ZSX over 3.5mm so far but already sounds much cleaner than any other bluetooth adaptor i've tried.
Got the Fiio control app installed, lots to tweak in there. Couldn't get LDAC connection to work, tried switching in android dev options but keeps going back to aptx. Is there a fix for this? Firmware update maybe?
Update: Found the setting on phone: Bluetooth Devices -> Fiio BTR3K -> Settings -> LDAC Enable. Any point in messing with the bitrate / sample settings in dev options?
This little thing is really starting to grow on me...
Next question is would I notice much difference with a balanced cable over the KZ Gold Silver 200 Core 3.5mm. And what does the BTR5 do better?
Since the volume control is independent to the phone is it best just to leave the phone Bluetooth vol at 100%?
Looks like the Fiio control eq doesn't work in LDAC mode?
Whats with the low pass filters? do they work in LDAC? Can't tell much difference with my untrained ears.
Any preferred player apps? I've been switching between poweramp and Fiio music. Mostly listing to 16Bit Flac with a few 24Bit files .
First impressions are it's tiny and feels really high quality. Only tested bluetooth aptx on my Samsung S20 with KZ ZSX over 3.5mm so far but already sounds much cleaner than any other bluetooth adaptor i've tried.
Got the Fiio control app installed, lots to tweak in there. Couldn't get LDAC connection to work, tried switching in android dev options but keeps going back to aptx. Is there a fix for this? Firmware update maybe?
Update: Found the setting on phone: Bluetooth Devices -> Fiio BTR3K -> Settings -> LDAC Enable. Any point in messing with the bitrate / sample settings in dev options?
This little thing is really starting to grow on me...
Next question is would I notice much difference with a balanced cable over the KZ Gold Silver 200 Core 3.5mm. And what does the BTR5 do better?
Since the volume control is independent to the phone is it best just to leave the phone Bluetooth vol at 100%?
Looks like the Fiio control eq doesn't work in LDAC mode?
Whats with the low pass filters? do they work in LDAC? Can't tell much difference with my untrained ears.
Any preferred player apps? I've been switching between poweramp and Fiio music. Mostly listing to 16Bit Flac with a few 24Bit files .
Last edited:
Just got my BTR3k
First impressions are it's tiny and feels really high quality. Only tested bluetooth aptx on my Samsung S20 with KZ ZSX over 3.5mm so far but already sounds much cleaner than any other bluetooth adaptor i've tried.
Got the Fiio control app installed, lots to tweak in there. Couldn't get LDAC connection to work, tried switching in android dev options but keeps going back to aptx. Is there a fix for this? Firmware update maybe?
Update: Found the setting on phone: Bluetooth Devices -> Fiio BTR3K -> Settings -> LDAC Enable. Any point in messing with the bitrate / sample settings in dev options?
This little thing is really starting to grow on me...
Next question is would I notice much difference with a balanced cable over the KZ Gold Silver 200 Core 3.5mm. And what does the BTR5 do better?
Since the volume control is independent to the phone is it best just to leave the phone Bluetooth vol at 100%?
Looks like the Fiio control eq doesn't work in LDAC mode?
Whats with the low pass filters? do they work in LDAC? Can't tell much difference with my untrained ears.
Any preferred player apps? I've been switching between poweramp and Fiio music. Mostly listing to 16Bit Flac with a few 24Bit files .
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your experience.
What the mobile phone can adjust is the the volume of the Bluetooth codec. If its volume is too small, the dynamic effect would be affected. While the BTR3K controls the volume of decoding and amplification which can decrease the loss of the sound quality.
Therefore, it is recommended to adjust the volume of the phone to the maximum, and control the volume by the BTR3K.
Since the audio processing process of LDAC is more special than other Bluetooth formats, we are still doing related debugging, and strive to achieve the same effect as other Bluetooth formats, but it will take a certain amount of time.
Best regards
Lowpass filter: the audio sense varies from different people. It can be chosen based on your own preference.
UP4 vs BTR3k... that's a good question. There's some comparisons between the BTR5 and UP4 in the BTR5 thread... I'd need a Shanling UP4 to make the comparison myself...
Anyone tried to compare Hiby W5 vs BTR3K?
My Hiby W5 has a higher quality DAC (ES9218P like the BTR5), but only one, while the BTR3K has two AK4377A DACs (both channels) and symmetric amp.
I am curious which one has a better sound.
What makes Fiio BTR3K very advantageous compared with the BTR5 and Shanling UP4 that it is much smaller and better fit in a gym or at running.
Anyone tried to compare Hiby W5 vs BTR3K?
My Hiby W5 has a higher quality DAC (ES9218P like the BTR5), but only one, while the BTR3K has two AK4377A DACs (both channels) and symmetric amp.
I am curious which one has a better sound.
What makes Fiio BTR3K very advantageous compared with the BTR5 and Shanling UP4 that it is much smaller and better fit in a gym or at running.
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Enjoy!
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fi...gh-fidelity-bluetooth-amp.24317/review/23557/
Well, yes, you can plug them in but they won't get enough power.
Yeah. The BTR5 is the one I want. Good thing it's already in my hands.
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