FIIO BTR13 REVIEW

>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translation tools to help<<

INTRO:

FiiO’s “BTR” line of Bluetooth DAC/AMPs is a success, most the people I know in the hobby have or had one of these devices. This is the first time I’ve come into contact with this line of products from the company, and today’s review will be the FiiO BTR13.

The FiiO BTR13 is a device that values ​​portability without compromising sound quality, meaning we can use our wired earphones with more freedom. The BTR13 has been attracting a lot of attention for being a great value for money product.

Price: $69,99 USD
Color: Black or Blue

FiiO Reviews: FH3, KA1, HS18 (in portuguese); JD7, KA5, FD11, Q11, M11S, KA11, JT1 (in english)

FIIO BTR13 LINKS:

https://amzn.to/4h50W1K

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oEgKiJD (official store)

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFAVwah

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DB8iI49

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDCFgtr

SPECIFICATIONS:

– Bluetooth chip: QCC5125 (CPU+DSP dual-core architecture)
– DAC: CS43131*2
– Bluetooth version: 5.1
– Bluetooth codecs supported: AAC/SBC/aptX/aptX LL/aptX Adaptive/aptX HD/LDAC
– USB DAC: Driver-free
– Sampling rate: PCM up to 96kHz/16bits
– Display: 0.96-inch 80×160 color IPS
– Headphone outputs: Single-ended 3.5mm + balanced 4.4mm
– In-line controls: Supports CTIA standard; play/pause/volume controls supported
– Dimensions: About 63.2x30x18.8mm including back clip
– Weight: About 28.6g
– Charging time: ≤2 hours
– Battery life: About 8 hours
– Battery capacity: 460mAh
– Languages: English and Chinese

• Output power 3.5mm:

– L+R≥120mW+120mW (16Ω, THD+N＜1%)
– L+R≥100mW+100mW (32Ω SE, THD+N < 1%)
– L+R≥10mW+10mW (300Ω SE, THD+N < 1%)

• Output power 4.4mm:

– L+R≥130mW+130mW (16Ω, THD+N＜1%)
– L+R≥220mW+220mW (32Ω SE, THD+N < 1%)
– L+R≥55mW+55mW (300Ω SE, THD+N < 1%)

– Frequency response: 20Hz~40kHz (-3dB)
– Signal-to-noise ratio: ≥128dB (A-weighted)
– Noise floor: PO <1μV (A-weighted); BAL <1μV (A-weighted)
– Output impedance: <0.6Ω (32Ω load)
– THD+N: <0.0018%(1kHz/-4dB@32Ω)

Full specs here: FiiO BTR13 parameters

DEVICES USED:

– Kiwi Ears Quintet
– Tin HiFi P1 (OG)
– FiiO KA11
– MotoZ3Play
– Samsung S22U
– Dell Inspiron 14 (W10)

UNBOXING:

PHYSICAL ASPECTS:

Construction: The BTR13 is a product with a plastic body and a glass top. The company’s decision to use plastic in this product line is certainly due to the Bluetooth signal. However, it is an excellent quality plastic, which doesn’t diminish the care the company took with the product. The product’s design is also noteworthy. I really liked the BTR13, which has some traits of the new electric SUVs on the automotive market. In addition to the elegant design, the product’s lightness is also noteworthy, weighing only 28.9g. Portability is one of the BTR13’s greatest assets.

Two aspects that I noticed in the product’s construction: the first is that the clip on the back isn’t removable, it is fixed to the product. And the second is that the buttons have a little loose, they make that little noise when you shake it. In fact, it’s something very subtle, I didn’t even see it as a problem, I’m just reporting what I observed here on my unit.

Switch modes: Here is one of the great benefits of the BTR13: the product can be used as a Bluetooth transmitter/receptor and also as a DAC/AMP/Dongle. The 3 available modes are:

• BT mode: Here, the BTR13 will connect to your device (smartphone, iPad, computer) via Bluetooth. Using this mode, if you plug the device into a USB source, it will start charging the battery.

• PC mode: In PC mode, the BTR13 becomes a wired DAC/AMP. Note that in this mode, the battery will charge, that is, you will connect the device to a USB source to transmit audio files and at the same time the battery will be charged.

• Phone mode: Here, the BTR13 also becomes a wired DAC/AMP. This mode is the famous battery bypass, that is, you will use the product via USB cable and it will not charge the BTR13 battery, it will only transmit audio files. However, since the product has a display, when the battery is very low, it will charge a little to power the system. It’s only a minimal charge. This way, it’s clear that the bypass isn’t 100%, because at some point it will draw some energy to the battery.

Bluetooth: Based on the tests I did, the range and stability of the Bluetooth signal were perfect. I was able to reach 10 meters without interruption of the signal. I left the smartphone in the bedroom and walked around the house with only the BTR13… everything was fine! It only started to present interruptions in the signal when I was more than 10 meters away from the smartphone. I also found the synchronization of the Bluetooth signal to be perfect, with no delays between the image and the sound. The BTR13 has the function of being able to pair two devices simultaneously, I was able to connect to the Motorola and the Samsung at the same time.

On the BTR13, we have the menu with the following options:

• CHGPR: It is like that battery charging limiter, when it reaches 80% it stops charging. Abbreviation for Charging Protection.
• GAIN: Two gain options, High and Low
• EQ: EQ presets already on the BTR13 – Off (no preset), Jazz, POP, Rock, Dance, R&B, Classic, Hip-Hop, User1, User2, User3 (which are the presets created by the App).
• CARMODE: As the name suggests, this is to use the equipment as the car’s audio device.
• DIMMER: This is the brightness adjustment of the display – levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4.
• OFF-DIS: Time for the display to turn off – 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s.
• PAIR2D: Enable pairing with 2 Bluetooth devices.
• LANGUAGE: Available languages ​​- English and Chinese
• RESET: Reset the product.
• VER: Shows the firmware version.
  

FiiO Control App: As usual, the images below are pretty self-explanatory, I don’t need to go into detail about the functions. The App is available for Android and iOS.

One very positive feature of the App is that it has a parametric/bandpass equalizer where you can make a personalized adjustment. You can create your own preset and apply it to the BTR13.

PS: Some functions of the equalizer weren’t shown in the video above, I only saw them after I had already recorded them… to mention, it seems that it is possible to share your EQ preset in the App with other users. In fact, I didn’t get to explore this function, but I could see the section for this purpose.

Some points that I would like to make an observation. I really don’t understand why you need to activate geolocation to be able to access the App… this consumes more battery on the smartphone and there’s also a privacy issue, perhaps the person isn’t interested in sending this information to an App.

Another observation is that you cannot leave the display always on… it always turns off, you can only choose how long it will remain on, whether 10 seconds or 30 seconds (the maximum time). Of course, I know that this measure is intended to save battery, but it’s a customization that could please some users.

PS: Do not confuse the paragraph above with the “idle poweroff” function that appears in the App. Idle poweroff is a time for the BTR13 to turn off completely when idle. It’s possible to disable this.

Also mention that the App isn’t the fastest, it has a slight delay when you execute some functions. It is when you save the configuration that you changed. Nothing absurd, but I think it can be improved.

Independent volume control: 60 steps on the BTR13, together with the volume of the device you are going to use. For example, the Windows volume scale is from 0 to 100, so I can set it to 50 on Windows and 30 on the BTR13 (out of 60 available). It’s up to the user choose the best config.

The BTR13 has an icon on the display that shows the battery status, but I think that in addition to this icon, it could have the battery status percentage, it would be something much more precise, for example, 93%, 17%, etc. The App only shows approximate numbers, such as 60%, 40%, 20%, etc.

Heating test. The product didn’t show any signs of abnormal heating in either of the two outputs (3.5mm and 4.4mm). It is obvious that the product gets a little warmer with the 4.4mm output than with the 3.5mm, but even so, it’s far from saying that the product gets heated.

The BTR13 is Plug and Play, you don’t need to install any drivers. It was recognized immediately on my notebook computer. Firmware updates are done via OTA, through the App. The firmware version available during this review was V12.4.

Accessories: The BTR13 comes with two accessories: the first is a lanyard for the person to hold or wear around the neck, and the second is the USB-C to USB-C cable (13cm end to end). I thought it was missing another USB port option here, whether a USB-A cable or an adapter. The lightning connection (Apple) was also forgotten.

PS: So far, the company hasn’t released a protective cover – case – for the BTR13. I’m not sure if they will release the accessory in the future. In my opinion, I didn’t see any need for such an accessory, but some people find it interesting.

The product comes equipped with a microphone on the right side. According to FiiO, the BTR13 only supports calls in BT mode and supports the controls of the microphones that come on the earphone’s cables. I used an AI voice – Natalie – to narrate the text and placed the BTR13 in front of my computer’s speaker. Here is the result:

I found the quality to be very good, although the recording was a little low and boxy… but it’s possible that it was because of the method I used (it wasn’t the best lol).

SOUND ASPECTS:

It is important to remember that this review is subjective, based on my experience with the product and also on its synergy with other equipment I have used. I must also point out that the more objective side of the hobby is not really my beach, so some information may be limited, as I am not an expert on the technical side of this type of product.

I evaluated the FiiO BTR13 without EQ (off), with the LDAC codec, and at high gain. When I tested the product via cable, I didn’t notice any significant differences compared to when it was connected via Bluetooth.

I have said the same thing in practically all the DAC/AMP reviews I do, but that is because the level of current equipment – and especially the ones I review – has reached a level of extreme sound quality. The BTR13 was no different, the level of the equipment is excellent, both by Bluetooth and by cable (as dongle type).

The BTR13 uses the DAC chip from Cirrus Logic, model CS43131. A vast majority of companies have used this DAC model nowadays, including the FiiO KA11. We know that the sound of a DAC/AMP isn’t only due to its DAC chip model, but also to the entire implementation of internal components. And speaking of implementation, the BTR13 has a balanced system (4.4mm output), so it has two integrated CS43131 DAC chips. For the Bluetooth part, the BTR13 has implemented the Qualcomm DAC chip, model QCC5125.

I can confirm to you that during the time I evaluated the product, I didn’t notice any distortion, coloration, noise floor, or strange sound. The audio quality of the BTR13 is perfect, for me it was 100% transparent, clean, and defined.

Amplification: For the amplification part, on the 3.5mm output, I used the Kiwi Ears Quintet. I set the smartphone to maximum volume (15 of the 15 Android levels) and the BTR13 to 35 steps (of the 60 available on the BTR13). To my ears, the volume was already leaning towards the high, so the BTR13 managed to push the IEM with ease, especially since they isn’t a demanding IEM. On the 4.4mm output, I used the Tin HiFi P1 (the first version), which is a slightly more difficult IEM to push. I found that 45 steps was the level that performed best, because from 50 steps upwards, the sound started to distort. It certainly wasn’t a very strong distortion, but to me it was audible. In my opinion, for IEMs, the BTR13 will easily push 99% of IEMs, including the most modern planar ones, for example, Letshuoer S12, Letshuoer S15, etc. For more demanding headphones or IEMs, it is advisable to upgrade to a more powerful model (BTR15, BTR17 maybe?).

Comparison: FiiO BTR13 vs FiiO KA11

Remember that these are different products, although the BTR13, being more complete, can also be used as a dongle.

Only those who have wired earphones know how annoying it is to plug earphones into a smartphone using a dongle… yes my friends, it’s not the best thing ever made. One solution to this issue is precisely equipment like the FiiO BTR13.

In a sound comparison between the BTR13 and the KA11, the similarities are as great as possible… I spent a long time looking for differences and the only ones I could “discern” were: the BTR13 has a sound with more instrumental separation (imaging) and a little more dynamics, as if it were 0.1 dB louder. These are really such small things that it doesn’t even make sense to base yourself on them when choosing the equipment. Perhaps if it were compared to the Moondrop Dawn Pro, then it would make more sense, because the latter has a more cold/analytical sound and less dynamic presentation (in my opinion).

If you don’t mind using a dongle on your smartphone’s USB-C output, the KA11 is excellent for you, and will save you a lot of money… However, if you are looking for more portability, and to be able to use the convenience of the Bluetooth system, then the BTR13 makes perfect sense, and is well worth the price.

PROS AND CONS:

Thank you so much for being here!

Follow us on Instagram to get all the news!

We also have a group on Telegram, let’s talk.

• Instagram
• Telegram
• Youtube
• Spotify
• X