[Andrew_WOT]

Did you try Fast (the default one), that one should be the most detailed, not like they make much of a difference even on desktop DACs.

 

[Orfik]

Did you try Fast (the default one), that one should be the most detailed, not like they make much of a difference even on desktop DACs.

They make a huge difference to me. Night and day. I tried fast, hybrid, bal boost on, off, distortion filters on and off, balanced out and single ended, usb and bluetooth, and all combinations in between. I used my two main IEMs, 7hz Timeless and FiiOs own FH7 which is a masterpiece and made me fall in love with the company in the first place.

The problem with the fast filter is that what you gain in detail and note weight you lose in soundstage, instrument separation and coherence.

And the soundstage is shaped funny. Go back and forth between hybrid and fast and you should notice that hybrid sounds open and spacious but the notes themselves sound more metallic and brittle, but when you switch to fast it's not a sphere anymore and it's not as open, it's a more confined blob that tapers toward the front of your head. Sounds don't flow as freely and it's infuriating. Minimum phase slow rolloff is the best of both of these worlds.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

My experience with filters on desktop amps like Auralic Vega is that fast is the closest to original sound and the most detailed, and difference between slow/fast and everything in between is marginal at best even on HD800, on portable setup I wouldn't even bother, but we all have different ears.
Which phones do you use with BTR7, also is it LDAC BT or USB as even with LDAC everything over 44.1K gets lossy compression making differentiation between filters even harder.

 

[Orfik]

My experience with filters on desktop amps like Auralic Vega is that fast is the closest to original sound and the most detailed, and difference between slow/fast and everything in between is marginal at best even on HD800, on portable setup I wouldn't even bother, but we all have different ears.
Which phones do you use with BTR7, also is it LDAC BT or USB as even with LDAC everything over 44.1K gets lossy compression making differentiation between filters even harder.

I'm using the FiiO FH7 and it's LDAC and USB. I'm not going to say anyone is lying or wrong if they tell me they perceive something like audio filters differently than I do but it's not marginal at all to my ears, at least not with the Fast, Slow, Min Phase Fast and Min Phase Slow filters.

 

[ReverendOlaf]

Without a clip (or an available one), it's a pass. I can put Gryphon in my pocket, but this BTR7 could be the best clip on option.

 

[JamesFiiO]

Without a clip (or an available one), it's a pass. I can put Gryphon in my pocket, but this BTR7 could be the best clip on option.

We are developing a leather case with clip for BTR7

 

[scracy]

We are developing a leather case with clip for BTR7

Real leather in brown similar to M11 Plus case?

 

[FiiO]

Just got my BTR7, is there any possible way you guys could add more audio filters to the device? The Minimum Phase Slow Rolloff filter is one of then things that made the original BTR5 my favorite super portable device by far and I think it would be incredible implemented here.

Edit: Also, I've had to upgrade the firmware twice now because the unit forgets that it was upgraded and shows "(null)" as the version.

Edit 2: Does the BTR7 have the dac clock divider at 1, because it sounds like the BTR5 on the 1 setting, which is smoother than 1/4 but lacks fine detail and that extreme instrument separation. Can we get the 1/4 clock setting back?

I'll be honest, this is a frustrating upgrade. The hardware is better but using it is less enjoyable. I don't understand why you guys stripped so many options from the app; if we're your target audience then you should know we want fine control over our audio, not this clunky, neutered mess. The more I use this, the more it feels like a waste of excellent technology and tons of power because of subpar software.

Hopefully you guys return to form with the next iteration or even a firmware upgrade, but you should've taken more time before releasing this device in my opinion.

Dear friend,

Thanks for the kind feedback.
The dac clock divider option does not function in BTR7 actually, so we have removed it in the new update.
Now we have kept the sound output preformance without changing the DAC clock divider level. Previously, we added the DAC clock divider function for BTR5 in order to save the power consumption. But we test that in BTR7, the battery life does not have big difference when DAC clock divider level is changed. So we have canceled this at last.
Filters are the sound effects born with the chip, which only has slight adjustments for the sound.
We will also report your feedback to the engineer and product manager as well.

Best regards

 

[Andrew_WOT]

No brown, please.

 

[FiiO]

THX Portable Bluetooth DAC/Amp BTR7 Design Story

Chapter 2 THX AAA Amp Technology-By FiiO Matt

FiiO's Bluetooth DAC/Amps are becoming more mature and stable. The BTR1 first introduced an independent DAC, the BTR3 used LDAC to open the door to high-definition Bluetooth, and the BTR5 is a master, creating a new height for FiiO's Bluetooth DAC/Amps. The BTR5, which has achieved recognition from both the market and users, is a benchmark inside and outside FiiO. Therefore, the BTR7 should first learn from past successful experience, and secondly, learn from user feedback for improvement. Here we would like to share with you the main breakthrough points from the design of the BTR7.

1. The purpose of introducing the THX amp
This is a technology that has been used in many FiiO products. We listened to suggestions from our users and introduced it to the BTR7 after evaluation with the aim of delivering a sound performance close to that of a professional headphone amp. Because after several generations of updates, under the dual role of high-definition Bluetooth LDAC and high-performance audio DAC, there is not much room for a breakthrough in the decoding quality of Bluetooth audio. In order to pursue higher sound performance, it is necessary to improve the audio circuit architecture and power supply. Under this circumstance, THX AAA technology has been applied to the amp part, which can restore high-definition audio while taking into account the quality and looseness of the sound performance. It was the first choice for the independent amp part of the BTR7.

2. Technical challenges and achievements
The BTR7 adopts dual DACs and a 4-channel fully balanced audio architecture. The amps also have 4 channels in the front and rear parts, and the power supply system supporting it also needs to be designed in groups. These difficulties are not in the design, but in how to arrange these circuits neatly and orderly in a compact space and conduct reasonable wiring. Through the efforts of our engineers, this feat was finally achieved on a PCB with up to 8 layers, and a complete shielding cover was even reserved for the amp circuit to enhance the anti-interference ability.

PS: The single-ended output of the BTR7 is 160mW and the balanced output is 320mW, which is close to the output level of mid-range audio players. In addition, when used with over-ear headphones, there is a "Boost bal out mode" in the APP, so that the undistorted power at high impedance can reach 110mW! The 16Vpp swing amplitude can also drive over-ear headphones perfectly.

 

[JamesFiiO]

How about this design ?

 

[ClieOS]

I'll like to see the clip on a higher position, closer to where the logo is.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I'll like to see the clip on a higher position, closer to where the logo is.

Agree. Also, one of the things that’s cool about the BTR5’s clip is that it can be mounted either way, depending on whether you want the jack on the relative top or bottom.

 

[ilianto]

And black please. Also corner protection should be greater.

 

[Quattro74]

Just ordered one, will be here next week. Interested to see how it plays with my LCD-i4s. Yes please, different color leather cases with that clip...