Review of FIIO BTR7 and FH3 headphones

I managed to use the original device for music lovers, wired and wireless technologies

data transmission - FIIO BTR7. The device was introduced last year. However, these gadgets almost never become obsolete. Even the BTR5 can still be read as one of the best compact DAC amps out there.

The BTR7 gadget is a flagship wireless DAC,built around two THX AA-28 amplifiers for a fully balanced audio circuit, two ESS ES9219C converters and a QCC5124 Bluetooth chip. The device uses separate analog and digital sections, and 13 stabilizers are used to regulate the voltage in order to eliminate even the smallest signal distortion.

In addition, BTR7 can also be used via USB.The XMOX XU208 is responsible for this - it receives and decodes audio data streams, supports PCM 384 kHz and DSP 256. In USB DAC mode and with an MQA player, it supports rendering up to MQA 8x.

The device has both a classic 3.5 mm headphone output and a balanced 4.4 mm output. By the way, BTR7 can be used as a headset, and quite high quality.

Inside the baby there is an 880 mAh battery. It can be powered both wired and Qi wireless.

Amplifier-DAC "considered" with FIIO FH3 isthree-driver hybrid in-ear "ears" with one dynamic and two armature drivers. A 10 mm beryllium-coated speaker is responsible for the “dynamics”, and Knowles RAD-33518 and ED-30262 are responsible for the armature.

The sound is transmitted via 4 wires and 96 cores, MMCX connector, 3.5 mm plug.

The FH3 headphones have received official Hi-Res Audio certification from the Japan Audio Society.

At the moment, BTR7 costs around 18,000 rubles, and FH3 “ears” cost about 10,000 rubles.

Gadgets

As an advertisement

Robot vacuum cleaner 360 Botslab P7

Budget robot vacuum cleaner with voice control, the ability to build room maps and an operating time of up to 90 minutes, as well as wet cleaning.

360

Saturday coffee #251

Pour a cup of fragrant Saturday coffee andcheck out the news of the week. The first images of the Google Pixel 8 Pro have appeared, HTC has shown new smartphones, the Beats Studio Buds + headphones have arrived, and Tom Cruise will again play agent Ethan Hunt ...

Exeed LX test. city ​​dweller

The Exeed LX compact crossover is one of the few spring novelties of this year that has officially entered our market.

Smartphone review realme C31 (RMX3501)

Solid design, compaction of the budget line, practically the basic model with all the consequences. But with NFC!

Table of Contents

• Specifications FIIO BTR7
• Specifications FIIO FH3</ p>
  • Appearance BTR7
  • Elements
  • BTR7 Menu
  • Autonomy
  • Technical part of BTR7
• Headphones FIOO FH3
• Sound quality FIIO BTR7 with FH3
• Application
• Impression

Specifications FIIO BTR7

• Display type: IPS
• Display Diagonal: 1.3″
• DAC: 2×ES9219C
• USB chip: XMOS XU208
• Amplifier: 2 × THX AAA28
• bluetooth chip: QCC5124
• Microphone construction: built-in
• Bluetooth version: 5.1
• Supported Bluetooth audio codecs: AAC, aptX, aptX adaptive, aptX HD, aptX Low Latency, LDAC, SBC
• Weight: 68 grams
• Dimensions: 40×15×84 mm
• Built-in battery: 880 mAh
• Number of buttons: 4
• Connector design: 3.5mm TRRS socket
• Analog audio output: eat
• Impedance: 1.2 ohm
• Signal-to-noise ratio: 118 dB(A)
• Frequency range: 20–50000 Hz
• THD + noise: 0.00055%
• Channel separation: 75 dB
• Maximum output power:
  • 165 mW into 16 ohms
  • 160 mW into 32 ohms
  • 18 mW into 300 ohms
• Connector design: 4.4mm TRRRS socket
• Balance signal: eat
• Impedance: 2.8 ohm
• Signal-to-noise ratio: 115 dB(A)
• Frequency range: 20–50000 Hz
• THD + noise: 0.00048%
• Channel separation: 107 dB
• Maximum output power
  • 235 mW into 16 ohms
  • 320 mW into 32 ohms
  • 40 mW into 300 ohms
• Connector design: USB Type-C socket
• Approximate time to fully charge the battery: about 1.5 hours
• Digital audio formats: PCM (up to 384 kHz / 32 bit)
  DSD (up to 384 kHz / 32 bit)

Specifications FIIO FH3

• Frequency response: 10–40000 Hz
• Sound Emitters: dynamic, 1 per channel, diameter 10 mm; reinforcing, 2 per channel
• Crossover: three-lane
• Design: plug-in
• Weight: 7.3 g
• Two audio input jacks
• Connector design: MMCX socket
• Impedance: 24 ohm
• Maximum power: 100 mW
• Sensitivity: 114 dB/mW
• Audio cable: length 1.2 m
• Connector design: 3.5mm TRRS plug
• Gold plated contacts: Yes
• L-shape: Yes

Appearance BTR7

A couple of years ago I tested the BTR5.An extremely interesting device in terms of design: small, metal plus glass, quite weighty, durable. "Olds" immediately remember MP3 players. True, most of them were still made of plastic, but advanced models still had metal in the case.

Model FIIO BTR7 has dimensions of 40×15×84 mm.A small angular block with sharp edges - an anodized all-metal body. The shape is rectangular, small indentations are made on the right and left sides. On the right - in order to place the control buttons, and on the left - for symmetry.

Glass front and back. Durable, at least not a single scratch remained on it during use. There is even an oleophobic coating of quite decent quality.

By the way, if you are worried about the safetygadget, you can “put on” a branded gray case made of Bejirog leatherette. Moreover, it smoothes all the corners, the device becomes not so smooth. The workmanship is at a decent level, it is felt that they were not sewn in the "basement".

The gadget weighs 68 grams. That is, approximately like large TWS headphones in a case. In general, I had no problems with this.

How did I wear the FIIO BTR7?As a rule, the phone was in a jeans pocket, and BTR7 was placed in a shirt pocket, jacket, less often in another jeans pocket. Almost always BTR7 was in a case: it is pleasant to use, and the corners are smoothed out.

Well, when installing the device somewhere on the desktop, the dimensions and weight do not play any role.

Elements

On the top side:

• Unbalanced 3.5 mm headphone jack. Indicated by the headphone icon;
• Balanced 4.4 mm audio jack for connecting headphones. Signed as BAL.

Bottom:

• USB Type-C connector. In the kit you will find adapters: USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to Lightning, USB-C to USB-A.

On right:

• Microphone. A small microphone symbol can be seen next to the hole.

• Power button. It has the shape of a hexagon.Slightly protrudes above the body. The pressure is soft, the stroke is minimal, a quiet click sound is heard. A long press turns on the device. Long hold in the on mode - go to the menu. Short press - turn off the screen or exit to the previous menu.
• Confirmation button. Same type as food.
• Volume control. Long rocker button. It also performs the function of moving through the menu.
• Switch lever between device charging and data transfer. In the upper position, the red lever is exposed.

On the reverse side, the FIIO brand is indicated and there are inscriptions of gadget chips: Hi-Res Audio and wireless, MQA and THX.

Comparative sizes of ASUS Zenfone 8 and FIIO

Comparative dimensions of vivo X Fold when folded and FIIO

Telephones

As an advertisement

I used a smartphone with a 10,000 mAh battery for a week. What conclusions did

Today on the test UMIDIGI Power 7 Max. This is a smartphone with…

UMIDIGI

Compare Tecno Phantom V Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 - flexible smartphones

The newcomer from Tecno against the flagship from Samsung, the first generation against the fourth. Who will have the advantage - youth versus experience.

Comparison of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and 12S Ultra

Two camera phones: who shoots better, where there is less PWM, which smartphone is more convenient ...

What to watch in May: 3 worthwhile series

In general, there is a lot of science fiction in May, a new series with Schwarzenegger and a set of short films from Japanese studios on Star Wars.

BTR7 Menu

Unlike BTR5, the display has become larger, nowalso color (IPS). It is difficult to judge how important this is for such a device, as for me - even though it is monochrome, there is still nothing special to consider on it. I understand that an upgrade was needed - here it is.

The screen diagonal is 1.3 inches, the resolution is unknown. It seems to me that about 200x200 pixels. There is no looseness, the fonts are even. But here I would increase the size of the font itself at least twice.

When the device is turned on, devices are automatically scanned for Bluetooth pairing.

A long press of the power button launches the menu list (English or Chinese language):

• gain. There are only two options - High (high output power) and Low (energy saving);
• filters. Again two options - Fast and Hybr F.As far as I understand, this is a slow decrease in the signal at the boundaries of the frequency range, a hybrid fast decrease in the signal. In the first case, we get clean high frequencies, in the second - a strong punchy bass, a short-term attack;
• EQ. There is jazz, pop, rock, dance, rhythm and blues, classical and hip-hop. Or you can turn it off completely;
• car mode. If you activate this setting, then after starting the auto, the BTR5 also starts. And after the engine stops, the BTR5 turns off;
• U audio. (USB 2.0 or USB 1.0). For compatibility with more devices, including Nintendo Switch and PS5;
• Dimmer. Adjust the brightness of the screen backlight from 1 to 5. I have always used the device at 1-2. In sunny weather, you can choose 5;
• language. Russian or Chinese;
• screen timeout. Turn off the screen backlight from 5 to 30 seconds;
• input priority. You must select either Bluetooth or UAC;
• factory reset. Reset;
• version. In my case, the device worked on version 1.69 (later 1.88 appeared).

Autonomy

Battery capacity - 880 mAh. That is 330 mAh more than in BTR5. Not bad.

In music listening mode usingLDAC BTR7 codecs work for about 8-9 hours, using AAC / SBC codecs - 7-8 hours, and if you use FIIO in DAC mode, then you should expect about 7 hours.

The FIIO BTR7 takes about 1.5 hours to charge. And from wireless charging it gets power in 2 hours. The main thing is not to forget to switch the slider to charge mode. Appropriate labels will appear on the screen.

Technical part of BTR7

Two ESS Saber ES9219С are used as DACs:

DAC architecture	Patented ESS architecture 32-bit HyperStream III with QUAD DAC+
THD+Noise	0.00055%
Signal/Noise	118 dB
DAC filters	2
MQA	MQA rendering
Max. sampling frequency	384kHz/DSD256
Distortion compensation	THD compensation + THD analog removal

XMOS XU208 acts as a USB receiver.As far as I remember, the same one was in BTR5. Not the newest chip, but quite high quality. Supports PCM 384 kHz and DSP 256. In USB DAC mode and with an MQA player, it "understands" rendering up to MQA 8x.

If we are talking about Bluetooth, then in BTR7SoC Qualcomm QCC5124 is used. Extremely low power Bluetooth Audio on a premium chip in a small BGA package designed for compact, feature rich wireless headphones, headsets and headphones, and gadgets like the FIIO BTR7.

The chip has advanced audio capabilities,such as support for 24-bit audio processing and the presence of a 120 MHz DSP, which allows it to easily work with various Bluetooth decoding modes. With integration of aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LDAC codecs.

By the way, the body of the gadget is also a Bluetooth antenna. FIIO has patented this technology. Of course, it provides an excellent connection without interference.

The BTR7 has been designed with a three-layer Hi-Fi audio architecture, including a high-performance ES9219C DAC + low-pass filter + THX AAA-28 amplifiers.

“The FIIO R&D team made a breakthrough and was able tofit 4 channels of THX AAA amplifiers into a compact enclosure for a fully balanced audio circuit. This resulted in an 88% increase in unbalanced output power and a 30% increase in balanced output power compared to previous models.”

The device uses separate analog and digital sections, and 13 stabilizers are used to regulate the voltage in order to eliminate even the smallest signal distortion.

Headphones FIOO FH3

The set includes a plastic transparent case and a small bag made of gray fabric. Inside it you will find ear pads. Nice little thing.

The headphone housing is made of aircraft-grade aluminum and magnesium. The shape is uncomplicated: on the front side, the metal is made in the form of waves.

There are special holes on the body for balanced pressure relief. This not only ensures that there is no distortion, but also reduces listening fatigue.

MMCX connectors are used here, that is, you can safely change the cable.

The cable, in turn, is made of silver-platedmonocrystalline copper: 96 strands in 4 wires with a 3.5 mm plug. The braid is transparent, quite soft, but not tangled. Near the ear is dressed in another transparent tube to give a relatively rigid form of fastening.

Of course, after TWS headphones, wired ones seemcompletely uncomfortable. But there is some kind of magic in them: it seems to you that the sound is transmitted exactly as the performer intended, and only through a wire can such a sound be achieved.

At a distance of 40 cm, the double cable is combined intoone unit. At the end of the wire, you get a 3.5mm metal U-connector. The official information says that the FIIO FH3 contacts are gold-plated.

In the auricle FH3 sit perfectly, the caseThe gadget fits exactly to the inner walls of the ear. Do not hang out, do not fall out. The standard-sized ear cushion fit me without any problems. Did not change. The set will include as many as 11 pairs of nozzles in four sizes. Be sure to choose the right one for you.

Naturally, behind-the-ear headphonesare designed to listen to music for a long time and not be distracted by removing the FH3 from your ears. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient to install the gadget in the ear canal every time. This is not TWS for you.

Inside FIIO FH3 - two reinforcing bars and onedynamic driver. They are combined using a system of physical and electronic crossovers. Thus, the entire required frequency range is covered.

The Knowles RAD-33518 driver provides clean andED-30262 delivers crisp highs, rich mids and bright vocals, while a 10mm beryllium-plated dynamic driver delivers deep, punchy bass. Placing the driver responsible for high frequencies closer to the ear reduces distortion caused by sound reflections from the walls of the sound guide. This allows you to achieve maximum detail in the sound of high frequencies.

Beryllium is not without reason: it is light, so it is very good for a membrane, the sound is clearer and more detailed; almost does not deform, therefore it does not give distortions.

Dynamic driver unleashes its potentialthanks to the patented S.TURBO technology. A long sound guide (about 41 mm) of a special shape filters out excess high frequencies, allowing you to make the bass deeper and more assertive. The point is to "collect" the sound into a "cochlea" and only then transfer it to the listener's ear.

Sound quality FIIO BTR7 with FH3

I used different bundles of BTR7: with vivo X Fold Plus smartphones, Asus Zenfone 8, Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, Huawei MateBook X Pro laptop and a regular PC with a good built-in music card.

The first thing to note is the volume.Again, I compare with TWS, because I use them all the time (music, conversations, notifications). So, compared to any TWS, the FH3 headphones with BTR7 sound unrealistically loud, and even without distortion.

Second - with the right selection of ear pads, you cando without active noise cancellation. Naturally, there is no ANC in FH3. Nevertheless, I listened to music in the subway without any problems: in the old cars it was so-so, but in the new ones it was just wonderful, you couldn’t hear anything. That is, passive sound insulation - 4.5 out of 5.

Third. It seemed to me that the emphasis in FH3 is on high frequencies. Sometimes I had to reduce them with the equalizer.

Fourth. The sound is detailed, very fast, biting, chilly. As for the depth, it is small, but the stage is wide and high. Of course, TWS can't do that.

Some reviews write that low frequencies stick out in FIIO. I didn't notice it. They are delicate, unobtrusive. I think most listeners will like it.

Mids sound exactly as they should: no overload, no strong accent, soft. Genres pop, soul, jazz are a pleasure to listen to.

Judging by the reviews, the balanced exit is generally a “tower” break.

If you choose a sound source, then I would prefer ASUS Zenfone 8 and Huawei MateBook X Pro. Worse sound on vivo X Fold. But this is a purely subjective impression.

Further, much depended on the composition itself. Periodically I had to adjust the EQ for each tune, since I listen to both popular songs and something from retro rock.

When connecting FIIO BTR7 as USB DACmany nuances and details become a little better: the resolution of the upper and middle frequencies increases, a deeper bass appears. And, of course, the scene increases both in width and in depth. In addition, BTR7 can be connected to the AUX in your car or get sound from your TV.

Because the BTR7 has a built-in microphone, FIIO canuse as a headset. The main thing is to choose the source when calling. You are heard very well, clearly, legibly, loudly. The effective distance is up to 50 cm. The quality is slightly better than on the top Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2.

Application

FIIO has a companion program called FIIO Control. In it, you can apply many settings and see important information. In addition, BTR7 firmware can be updated in FC.

I used FIIO Control to adjust the EQ. It is 10-band here: from 32 Hz to 16,000 Hz.

In a separate window there is a sound volume settingmusic and conversation. There are two switches: power boost and distortion compensation. And a little lower - 5 levels of compensation for the second and third harmonics.

Impression

FIIO BTR7 is a unique device,which is useful for those who love wireless communication, but prefer classic wired headphones. Today, almost every smartphone provides Hi-Res sound thanks to built-in aptX or LDAC codecs. Therefore, we buy BTR7 and choose multi-driver wired “ears” from a huge assortment. This is not at all the same as buying TWS earplugs.

I liked the FIIO FH3 headphones. They are moderately comfortable, not too heavy, durable. They sound very good.

Let me remind you that the BTR7 device can be found in the region of 16,000 - 18,000 rubles (there are cheaper), and the FH3 "ears" are about 10,000 rubles.

Waiting for you in the comments: do you use wired headphones? If yes, then name the model and what you pair with.

FIIO BTR5 Review 2021

An updated version of the flagship Bluetooth receiver and USB DAC for music lovers…

Overview of FIIO FD3 headphones and UTWS3 receiver

Beautiful and great sounding single driver dynamic headphones with wireless receiver…

Mobile-review.com Review of the third generation FiiO X5 Hi-Fi player

Remember the old X5s, with the wheel and the screenreminiscent of the iPod Classic? Everything is in the past. The new X5 has changed its design and OS, acquired modern components, can work in different modes, I liked that they didn’t forget about the “analog” control right on the case

Etymotic Evo Review - Reference Sound

Wired headphones for music lovers: steel body, 3 armature drivers and the thinnest, strongest premium cable…

</ p>