Battery: 550 mAh
Microphones: Built-in Omnidirectional Mic
App Support: FiiO Control + OTA FW Updates
Outputs: 3.5mm Unbalanced x1 – 4.4mm Balanced x1
USB Controller: XMOS XU316
Bluetooth Chipset: Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth 5.1
Supported Codecs: AAC / SBC / AptX Adaptive / AptX LL / AptX HD / LDAC
Wired USB DAC Mode: Native DSD up to DSD256 – PCM up to 384kHz + MQA Full Decoder (via USB)
DAC: ESS Technology ES9219MQ x2 (Dual DAC Config.)
Total Score
Introduction
Greetings to everyone from the sunniest days of August. Today I’m back with a review that’s a bit late but I knew I couldn’t leave it unmentioned: the Btr15, the third smallest of the new generation members of FiiO’s BTR series.
Small, wireless, clip-on and balanced output, let’s see what this tiny dac provides us in terms of sound.
I bought the product myself in order to write an independent review. I wrote this review after about 100 hours of listening.
Design & Build
Package
A compact box and only the necessary accessories. Nothing more, nothing less. FiiO has even been generous and included a case-clip. Here’s everything that comes out of the box:
- BTR15 ×1
- Type-C to Type-C data cable ×1
- USB adapter ×1
- Removable back clip ×1
- Quick start guide ×1
- Warranty card ×1
BTR15
It’s a tiny little thing with a lot of stuff on it. It has a screen the size of the tip of my thumb. On the right side of the BTR15, from top to bottom, you have: microphone, on/off button, pause/menu button, volume up/down button and at the bottom PC – BT – Phone (dongle) modes. The longest dimension of the device is almost the size of my pinky finger, so it’s quite small. When you attach the clip, you can attach it to any fabric surface. There are 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs on the top. It’s remarkable that this tiny wireless device has a powerful balanced output. Finally, there is a type c port at the bottom. This port is for both charging and data transfer.
Technology
The FiiO BTR15 features dual ES9219Q dac chips, XMOS XU316 and QCC 5125 for wireless and operation. This compact device, which is actually quite simple but combines the necessary components, supports BT 5.1. With a battery life of 7-8 hours, the BTR15 delivers a maximum of 340mW at 32ohm from a balanced output. This is enough for many iems, but not for all.
One of the main elements that makes this device good is the software. With app support, you can easily adjust many settings. The FiiO BTR15 has many options that can also be adjusted on the device: digital pass filter, gain, eq. The biggest advantage of the app here is the parametric eq access.
Full Specs Of FiiO BTR15
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Bluetooth chip | QCC5125 (CPU+DSP dual-core architecture) |
| Bluetooth version | 5.1 |
| USB chip | XMOS XU316 |
| DAC | ES9219MQ*2 |
| Bluetooth codecs | AAC / SBC / aptX / aptX LL / aptX Adaptive / aptX HD / LDAC |
| USB DAC | Asynchronous 384kHz-32bit, DSD256 |
| USB DAC driver-free | Supported |
| Display | 0.96-inch 96×96 resolution OLED |
| Headphone outs | Single-ended 3.5mm + Balanced 4.4mm |
| Dimensions | About 32.0mm × 72.2mm × 12.5mm |
| Weight | About 37.3g |
| Charging time | <2h |
| Battery | 550mAh high-temperature resistant lithium-ion |
| Battery life | About 8 hours |
| Output power 1 | L+R≧125mW+125mW (32Ω single-ended / THD+N <1%) |
| Output power 2 | L+R≧15mW+15mW (300Ω single-ended / THD+N <1%) |
| Output power 3 | L+R≧340mW+340mW (32Ω balanced / THD+N <1%) |
| Output power 4 | L+R≧50mW+50mW (300Ω balanced / THD+N <1%) |
| Frequency response | 20Hz ~ 50kHz (-0.8dB) |
| Signal-to-noise ratio | ≧122dB (A-weighted) |
| Noise floor | PO <2µV (A-weighted); BAL <2.7µV (A-weighted) |
| Output impedance | PO <1Ω (32Ω load); BAL <1.5Ω (32Ω load) |
| THD+N | <0.0008% (1kHz/32kΩ) |
Sound
At $109, the FiiO Btr15 is a wireless device that delivers sound equivalent to that of a similarly priced dongle. And this is where the plot breaks down. If I’m going to get similar sound for a similar price, why not get the extra wireless functionality?
It has a tonality that’s quite comfortable and doesn’t feel cramped. A slightly colored, slightly warm and mostly neutral sound. Although I didn’t write a separate synergy thread, I should mention that even with very contrasting headphones it sounds similarly good. The best match? No. But it’s in the same distance to everyone and saves almost every scenario above average. It’s good that this device is so complete.
From what I’ve heard in my listening, the Fiio BTR15 matches especially well with the Oriveti bleqk Lowmaster.
It’s a bit transparent in the mids, neutral at the bottom and a bit reserved at the top. I like its control in terms of upper treble extension.
From a technical point of view, detail, resolution and texture are very good for the price. There’s no loss of body or thinness in the sound, no roll-off or muffling. For the soundstage, I would say the width is decent and the depth is average. Positioning and imaging is clearly as good as you can get from a device like this, but it saves the day.
Last Words
If you need to play wirelessly outdoors and you’re using a non-high-end iem, there’s no reason not to get a FiiO BTR15. It saves almost every scenario above average. I appreciate it because I think it’s worth more than its price. Let’s see what other BTRs have to offer against it.
