FiiO BTR7 - a machine much like the mini M17
Pros: The sound has been greatly improved compared to the BTR5 2021;
Very sufficient output power;
feature-rich;
New design;
Color screen.
Cons: Larger than the BTR5;
The UI is not modern enough to take full advantage of the color screen.
DAC: ES9219C*2
AMP: THX AAA 28*2
BT: QCC5124
Outputs: 3.5mm Unbalanced, 4.4mm Balanced
Output power (balanced): 320mW@32Ω
Highlights have been written here in case you missed them:
1. Three-level audio architecture(DAC+Lowpass filter+THX);
2. The digital module and the analog module are isolated and powered separately;
3. The THX amp increases single-ended power by 88% and balanced power by 30%;
4. Bluetooth 5.1, it supports aptX adaptive, which means lower latency;
5. Integrated metal frame, making Bluetooth transmission more stable and reducing interference;
6. Supports Qi protocol wireless charging.
Next I will review it based on my own experience.
Function and operation:
After long pressing the power button to enter the menu, you can see that these functions can be adjusted directly on the BTR7, and you can also turn the page down to see other settings such as language, brightness, screen time, input priority, etc.
For me, the biggest difference from the BTR5 is that the EQ settings can be adjusted on the BTR7.
Unfortunately, there is only one user EQ. It would be better if there were multiple to suit my multiple headphones.
If you want to it as a USB DAC, the EQ won't be available(the same as the BTR5), though I prefer to use the graphic equalizers on PC, which are more precisely tuned. So the BTR7 may be better at bluetooth reception, but I'm not saying it's not good at USB decoding. It can support DSD256 decoding and MQA rendering in USB DAC mode.
This time, a charging switch is added to the side of the BTR7, which makes it more convenient to be connected to your phone via Type-C.
Those 2.5mm balanced cables prepared for the BTR5 is now going to be replaced with 4.4mm cables. The 2.5mm diameter does seem to be more fragile than the 4.4mm, so the adoption of the 4.4mm balance port will make sense.
Subjective review of the sound quality:
I'm using 6-BAs CIEMs, which are characterized by high sensitivity (I like to call them floor-noise detectors).
With all the unnecessary settings turned off, the BTR7 sounds excellent. The bass is dynamic, the highs are smooth and clear, and the resolution is good.
If the sound of the BTR5 is pale, or like a lake, then the sound of the BTR7 is vivid, or like the ocean, the waves.
And these audible improvements in sound quality over the BTR5 is why I got it and why this review appears here.
(It's my first time writing a review not for headphones, if there is something missing, please leave a comment and I will update my review. Danke!)
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