[hmscott]

@hmscott
Thanks for your answer. Without Fiio driver, MQA didn't work at all, there were only background noise and no music. After installation of the driver is working fine. In my case ASIO is disabled all the time, I don't how to enable ASIO.

Interesting. When I first got the BTR5 I didn't install the FiiO driver and everything worked fine. I finally installed the driver only to discover that the ASIO used for DSD is otherwise inactive, and that the BTR3k isn't recognized or supported by the FiiO driver.

I haven't uninstalled the FiiO driver since then and started using Tidal / MQA after that. I guess I could try uninstalling the FiiO driver now and see if MQA stops working, brb.

Update - When I first uninstalled the FiiO driver and rebooted it took changing the default device from the BTR3k to the Topping D90 and back to the BTR3k and now I can listen to all the same audio sources. Youtube, Tidal (exclusive and non), etc. Before I did that I didn't have audio in anything through the BTR3k.

I also have the Topping ASIO driver installed but it shows the connected device as the Topping D90 - in the Topping control panel, btw it's version 4.82 - a fair bit ahead of the FiiO 4.47 version.

I wouldn't uninstall the FiiO driver if things are working ok for you - I didn't have a problem with MQA exclusive mode in Tidal with the Fiio driver installed. I'll reinstall the FiiO driver, I'll check for a new version first.

Update: FYI - the BTR3k doesn't show up in or use the FiiO driver / control panel and it is playing Tidal in Exclusive mode MQA. So I don't think the BTR5 needs that FiiO driver for MQA either.

I did run into the usual funniness after uninstalling and reinstalling a driver. I needed to unmute the device and switch back and forth between another device before it started playing.

So if your BTR5 is silent, play around with switching back and forth in the Sound Control Panel changing to another device and back to kick the BTR5 connection into working. I just had that same problem after uninstalling the FiiO driver and then again re-installing the FiiO 4.47 driver.

Now it's all working again and everything is playing fine through the BTR5 and BTR3k, including Tidal MQA files playing in Exclusive mode set in the Tidal app Settings => Streaming device.

Updated to disable "Passthrough MQA"

 

[Xenderos]

Regarding Tidal MQA, if you have Passthrough MQA enabled with BTR5, basically you are skipping software MQA unfolding and it is not supported on BTR5 side, so you are ending with non-MQA track.

I removed the Fiio driver and I tested it for a few minutes and it looks like it works better that way, less buggy. I also think that 24 bit, 96 kHz is enough for me. MQA is also working fine, I am curious if exclusive control (sample rate switching) will work after some time. Are there any quality benefits from using BTR5 with Fiio driver, like better sound quality (other than more bits and kHz, because I probably can't hear the difference between 24 vs 32 bits).

I could try again to install the driver but at this point, I think that the driver may be a little buggy and have some problem in communication between Tidal exclusive control and BTR5 (sample rate switching).

Additionally, what about latency in USB1.0 mode? It is important for me because I play games from time to time and I prefer the lowest latency.

 

[hmscott]

Regarding Tidal MQA, if you have Passthrough MQA enabled with BTR5, basically you are skipping software MQA unfolding and it is not supported on BTR5 side, so you are ending with non-MQA track.

I removed the Fiio driver and I tested it for a few minutes and it looks like it works better that way, less buggy. I also think that 24 bit, 96 kHz is enough for me. MQA is also working fine, I am curious if exclusive control (sample rate switching) will work after some time. Are there any quality benefits from using BTR5 with Fiio driver, like better sound quality (other than more bits and kHz, because I probably can't hear the difference between 24 vs 32 bits).

I could try again to install the driver but at this point, I think that the driver may be a little buggy and have some problem in communication between Tidal exclusive control and BTR5 (sample rate switching).

Additionally, what about latency in USB1.0 mode? It is important for me because I play games from time to time and I prefer the lowest latency.

For the BTR5 I can Enable "Exclusive Mode", Enable "Force volume" output to 100%, and leave Passthrough Disabled:


I don't think the FiiO driver does anything unless you run DSD's from the PC. I've run with it and without it, and decided to leave it installed for the day I get around to playing with DSD's. I also have the Topping D90 driver installed for the same reason.

We can set the bit rate in the Sound control panel for the BTR5 / BTR3k / etc devices, here is the setting for the BTR5, I didn't check if the sample rate options are more or less with / without the FiiO driver:

Again, I don't think the driver is used at all with Tidal MQA exclusive mode.

Running without the driver is probably easiest

As far as USB 1.0 mode, I've tried it - it limits throughput and sample rate options - sounds less good, but so far I haven't run into a reason to use it so I keep the setting on USB 2.0.

 

[hmscott]

I was referring to using BTR5 in DAC mode connected via cable and doing Hardware unfolding of MQA and not dependent on the software media player.

For me the key tangible benefits of going from BTR3 to BTR5 are the battery, 2.5mm jack and lastly but very importantly DAC mode over cable that supports DSD256 & 384Khz.
With so much going for the BTR5, it seems a shame that MQA unfolding is not available to make it a complete formidable offering.
MQA offering is becoming a standard feature for new portable DACs.

The well known Dragonfly Red/Black DACs had hardware unfolding added at a later date through firmware. The BTR5 could steal their market if FIIO can also offer the same through firmware upgrade.
It would win in both wireless and wired offering.

Have you heard any more on FiiO support for MQA unfolding on the BTR5?

Thanks for your feedback. But the MQA support may not be added for the BTR5. We will try to add the support in our later DAC product. Stay tuned.
Best regards

@FiiO - is MQA unfolding support on the BTR5 developers list for a future firmware update? Is that possible? To what later DAC product are you considering adding MQA support?

 

[letlive]

Is ist possible to turn Bluetooth off while using the BTR5 in USB mode?

 

[fonkepala]

The BTR5 works fine - stays in sync - on both USB DAC and BT on a Windows 10 PC using the Built in BT support (Gigabyte B450), same for BT on the Samsung S20 Ultra / Note 10+, and BT on the Samsung Tab S6 / Samsung TabA. I'm sensitive to this audio sync lag between screen movement and audio, I would have noticed.

Thanks for your input. My Fiio M6 has very noticeable video-audio sync lag when connected to my computer over both BT & USB. It's my one major gripe with the device. Good to know the BTR5 doesn't have the same shortcoming.

 

[RH64]

Is anyone having bluetooth connectivity problems with the BTR5? I'm connecting to an android and if I move around, put my hand on the device, anything it will stutter like it's out of range.

I love the device and am hoping to find a fix for this.

Thanks,
Robert

 

[hmscott]

Thanks for your input. My Fiio M6 has very noticeable video-audio sync lag when connected to my computer over both BT & USB. It's my one major gripe with the device. Good to know the BTR5 doesn't have the same shortcoming.

I've have a similar experience displaying video on the m15, it's not quite "laggy", but it's got traces occasionally of "kung foo-ness" in Youtube playback, and that's all local.

The BTR5 / BTR3k don't have Android "slowing them down"

 

[hmscott]

Is anyone having bluetooth connectivity problems with the BTR5? I'm connecting to an android and if I move around, put my hand on the device, anything it will stutter like it's out of range.

I love the device and am hoping to find a fix for this.

Thanks,
Robert

The BTR5 can exhibit that behavior, but I've learned to live with it. For the most part it's workable. Keep your source in direct line of site - it depends on the source too. I can get longer distance via newer devices with BT 5.0, but even good BT4.2 devices will give longer range.

The BTR3k has slightly better BT range in my home. The same areas where the BTR5 fades the BTR3k is still going strong.

The BTR5 distance is variable. On my Samsung S20 / S6 Tab I get longer distances than my BT 4.2 PC.

I keep them both external, I don't put the BTR5 / BTR3k in a pocket or obscure the path with my body, that helps too.

 

[RH64]

Thanks for the response. Can this be right though? My ES100 and Bose QC35 don't exhibit this at all. IT seems like bluetooth connectivity is pretty important for this device.

 

[jsmiller58]

Thanks for the response. Can this be right though? My ES100 and Bose QC35 don't exhibit this at all. IT seems like bluetooth connectivity is pretty important for this device.

Probably a function of the antenna design, or the circuit power employed. Really, you should expect different devices to have different ranges. As @hmscott says, you can figure out what works. But if you are not satisfied then hopefully you are still within a return period.

 

[fonkepala]

Is anyone having bluetooth connectivity problems with the BTR5? I'm connecting to an android and if I move around, put my hand on the device, anything it will stutter like it's out of range.

I love the device and am hoping to find a fix for this.

Thanks,
Robert

Is this a common problem with the BTR5? I'd hate it if this happened to me. Very concerning...

 

[ClieOS]

Is this a common problem with the BTR5? I'd hate it if this happened to me. Very concerning...

Not to me, I get quite good a range on BTR5 with my Xperia 5. Obviously it depends on different factors as others have pointed out.

 

[fonkepala]

Thanks for the response. Can this be right though? My ES100 and Bose QC35 don't exhibit this at all. IT seems like bluetooth connectivity is pretty important for this device.

Can you elaborate more on the specific situation when this happened? E.g distances, walls blocking the signal, what device, etc.

 

[hmscott]

Thanks for the response. Can this be right though? My ES100 and Bose QC35 don't exhibit this at all. IT seems like bluetooth connectivity is pretty important for this device.

It is dependent on the transmitter compatibility with the BTR5 receiver as to what kind of distance between the devices is seen. My PC doesn't have an external BT antenna and the area open to the BT signal is small and points away from where the BTR5 is used, so it will be sensitive to any objects in between - like my body or walls. The BTR5 between the newish Samsung devices running newest BT radio with better antenna patterns have a greater range.

For me the BTR3k BT performs a little bit better than the BTR5 in some situations, but IDK if I'd pick the BTR3k over the BTR5 for BT. The BTR3k has great sound too.

Find a way to keep the BTR5 free of obstacles between it and the BT transmitter, wear the BTR5 outside - not in a pocket or backpack, for example - expose the BTR5 to a clear path in the direction of the source and see if you can elevate the source or make it's BT antenna more accessible to the BTR5.

It's not just the BTR5 that has these BT particulars, it's all BT devices - some are much worse.