Fiio BTR5 Review – Golden Child

Comparison –

Xperia 5 II: One of the few smartphones that still has a headphone jack and it’s a good one too with a low OI and essentially black noise floor. The BTR5 had a noticeably cleaner sound overall with a bit more softness and warmth on the Sony. The low-end was more affirmative on the BTR5 with a harder-hitting sub-bass and tighter presentation in general. Control was improved with a noticeably more defined mid-bass.

The midrange was more articulate and defined on the BTR5. Meanwhile, the Sony had a slightly warmer and full-bodied expression but also less definition and clarity, though the difference was not large. Both had a similar top-end presentation in terms of both body and detail retrieval. The BTR5 had an edge when it came to headroom and extension with more micro-detail. The soundstage is not massive on either but appreciably wider and more layered on the BTR5.

Fiio BTR3 ($70): The BTR3 is a somewhat warmer and softer sounding source with less power and dynamics in addition to less control. The BTR5’s considerable jump in power is immediately felt in the bass that, especially on headphones and less sensitive IEMs, reaches noticeably deeper. The BTR3 is a bit warmer and fuller in the mid-bass, but is not as physical or defined by a fair degree. The midrange follows suite, the BTR3 is a warmer and smoother source, the BTR5 more refined, linear and high-definition.

Highs too showcases quite a large jump in performance, the BTR3 being smoother and slightly blunted in its detail presentation and with a noticeable roll off at the top. The BTR5 has much better headroom and a more accurate instrument presentation. Furthermore, it has much improved fine detail retrieval in general. The BTR5 also has a larger soundstage, though again, is not overtly expansive so temper your expectations here. Though I found that the BTR3 sounds quite good in isolation, it does falter under direct comparison to wired sources whereas the BTR5 does not.

Shanling M2X ($199): The M2X and BTR5 have similar approaches to sound overall. The M2X has a hint more bass depth but also isn’t the hardest hitting or most physical source. It has a very slightly warmer mid-bass and a slightly smoother bass texture but similar definition and control overall. The midrange sounds almost identical on both sources, the BTR5’s vocals are a bit more upfront while the M2X has slightly more depth and sounds a bit more refined. It has slightly higher resolution and better definition despite being no leaner or brighter. The M2X and BTR5 also have a similar top-end presentation, being just a little crisper than neutral. The M2X has a slight advantage with a little more body and texture, though not by much. Surprisingly, both have similar extension, the M2X has a cleaner background that said. The M2X also has a noticeably more immersive soundstage, it is larger and especially deeper. The presentation is more organised with sharper imaging.

Verdict –

It’s certainly becoming more and more difficult to review audio products in the modern day simply by virtue that truly poor gear around this price range is very easy to recognise. By extension, that means the good stuff is usually fairly comparable in most aspects and, therefore, it can be difficult to make concrete statements of better or worse. By now it should be quite clear that the BTR5 falls into the good stuff category, and has standout features even within. The build and design are streamlined and premium while the addition of balanced output aids versatility. The OLED screen is also something I found myself enjoying far more than anticipated, providing much more feedback than your usual audio-based system; the BTR5 is simply a pleasure to use day to day. Add on wide codec support and capable audio hardware and it’s hard to fault the BTR5 for its intended purposes. The sound is clean, balanced and detailed with a low OI, black noise floor and ample driving power for portable headphones in addition to more difficult IEMs. Furthermore, it can serve as a very distinguished compact DAC/AMP which further enhances versatility and value. I would wish for a slightly more expansive soundstage and a little more texture in the highs, but these are unlikely to bother during portable listening for which this was intended. The BTR5 is an exemplary device that gets impressively close to similarly priced wired sources whilst maintaining a compact and convenient wireless form factor.

The BTR5 is available from Amazon (International) for $109 USD at the time of writing. Please see my affiliate link for the most updated pricing, availability and configurations.

Track List – 

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Archive – Controlling Crows (Parts I – III)

AKMU – SAILING

Bob Segar – Night Moves

Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How Your Really Feel

Eric Clapton – Unplugged

Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

Fleetwood Mac – Greatest Hits

John Legend – Once Again

MAMAMOO – reality in BLACK

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

Modest House – Good News For People Who Love Bad News

NIKI – lowkey

Nirvana – Nervermind

Radiohead – OK Computer

Social House – Haunt You

suggi – cheer up!

TOTO – Toto IV

Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride

Vaundy – strobo