The incredible shrinking hi-fi: FiiO release BTR 17

Pocket size breakthrough offers desktop headphone amp power and performance for $199/£199, using the latest Qualcomm, ESS and THX tech. A headphone amp and DAC for your phone, laptop or Switch...

November 11, 2024

KEY POINTS

Flagship Qualcomm Bluetooth platform QCC5181, Bluetooth 5.4 | Supports LDAC, aptX Lossless | Physical control wheel.

Desktop mode 650mW+650mW powerful output | Dual flagship DACs ES9069Q*2 | 10-band high-precision PEQ.

XMOS 16-core XU316 | Four-way full balanced THX AAA 78+ amps

Qualcomm flagship tech

The BTR17 is equipped with Qualcomm’s new flagship QCC5181 Bluetooth chip, which not only complies with the Bluetooth LE Audio standard and has transmission bandwidth capacity of 2.1Mbps, but also is capable of lossless quality within the aptX Adaptive. This means the chip is capable of achieving CD-level lossless sound quality over Bluetooth audio.

Additionally, the BTR17 also supports the latest Bluetooth standard – Bluetooth 5.4. It also supports the LDAC, aptX Adaptive 96kHz/24bit, aptX Low Latency Bluetooth audio codecs, which when combined with Snapdragon Sound technology means your Bluetooth listening experience has never sounded this good before.

Bluetooth encoding bitrate comparison chart

AAC: 328kbps
aptX Adaptive: 420kbps
aptX HD: 576kbps
LDAC: 990kbps
aptX Lossless>1.2Mbps

Desktop mode explained

The BTR 17 features a dedicated D.Mode (desktop mode) switch along with a port to connect an external independent power supply. When in desktop mode, if you connect the BTR 17 to a phone as a dongle DAC and headphone amplifier you can also choose to connect an external power supply to the BTR17 via its dedicated power port. Doing so means it is capable of powerful audio output for power hungry headphones without consuming the connected phone’s battery.

Multi-function switch

On the BTR17 is a convenient PC/BT/PHONE three-position switch which allows it to seamlessly switch between operating modes. Switching modes allows the BTR 17 to optimise its power supply status according to the device connected, making it perfect for various use cases.

PC: The device is completely powered by the computer.

BT (Bluetooth DAC and amp): The device is powered by the internal battery, and when connected to USB can be used for charging and power supply.

PHONE (phone dongle): The device’s internal battery participates in power supply, reducing the power consumed from the connected phone.

XMOS 16-core technology

The XMOS chip employed is the flagship XMOS XU316, which boasts lower latency, more stable transmission, and better compatibility than typically used USB controllers. Support for 768kHz/32bit audio, DSD512 native, and MQA full decoding means that the chip can handle almost any audio stream that comes its way. The XU316’s ample computing power also enables a high definition PEQ supporting up to 192kHz audio on the BTR17.

10-band high-precision lossless PEQ

FIIO has worked constantly to deeply integrate software and hardware in order to create user-friendly apps and web interfaces. The continuously refined proprietary PEQ adjustment algorithms allow you to finely adjust EQ frequency points, gain, bandwidth, and Q value to your liking. This fully lets you simulate or correct the frequency response curve of various headphones. Additionally, you can import, export, share, and save EQ curves.

To access PEQ use the FIIO official website, pictured below: top status bar, Support, Web-based PEQ settings.

The side of the BTR 17 features a dedicated EQ shortcut key, which you can press to quickly select your desired EQ settings.

Dual flagship ES9069Q DACs

Inside the BTR17 are two ESS ES9069Q DACs based on the fourth-generation 32-bit HyperStream architecture, achieving high performance while using less power. This architecture helps to further reduce digital noise within the DAC, allowing it to hit 130dB dynamic range and -120dB total harmonic distortion. The result is a richer, musical sound against a cleaner audio background.

THX AAA 78+ headphone amp

The BTR17 uses the THX AAA 78+ headphone amp, previously used in the FiiO M23 DAP. The four-channel fully balanced design utilizing 8 op-amps in parallel ensures robust yet controlled power, for clearer and more natural sound.

When the POWER IN port is connected to USB power and desktop mode is activated, the BTR 17's THX headphone amp will use four op-amps in parallel for current amplification to fully unleash its potential. The result is a balanced output power up to an astonishing 650mW+650mW. This is comparable to desktop headphone amplifiers.

Multi-stage HiFi audio architecture

The BTR17 integrates high-end HiFi player-level signal processing within its compact body. Digital signals are deftly handled by the dual-clock digital audio and DAC. LPF preamplification and multi-stage analog audio processing ensure details and the dynamic range within audio signals are precisely restored, comparable to premium digital audio players.

Flagship design

The eye-catching volume knob features a double-sided 3D engraved design. The exquisite craftsmanship of the pressable volume knob is evident when pressed and rotated, offering an excellent and tactile feel and control. The font colour also changes based upon the audio codec - see below.

Blue: SBC; Cyan: AAC; Purple: aptX/aptX LL;

Yellow: aptX HD; White: LDAC; Green: aptX Adaptive/aptX Lossless

Full specifications

Color: Black/Blue

USB chip: XMOS XU316

USB DAC: 768kHz-32bit, DSD512 native, MQA full decoding

USB DAC driver-free mode: Supported

Bluetooth chip: QCC5181

Bluetooth version: 5.4

Bluetooth formats supported: AAC/SBC/aptX/aptX LL/aptX Adaptive/aptX Lossless/aptX HD/LDAC

DAC: ES9069Q*2

Display: 1.3-inch 240×240 color IPS
Battery life: About 8 hours (LDAC)