FiiO BTR5 vs Apple Dongle

My review/opinion of the FiiO BTR5 and how it fares against the Apple Dongle

[@javtimestwo]

The $9 Apple Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter is so underrated. It features a built-in DAC. Not only does it have incredible value but the sound is terrific. Thank you for reviewing this Apple adapter. If only more people were aware of the high quality for the very low price.

[@ottoman556]

I own an Lg hifi plus dac (which has an es9028 sabre dac) and what i noticed is that apple's dongle is sounding perspectively better than lg.

[@AachenCityTitty]

@@ottoman556 its much more quiter

[@AlbertKel]

Totally agree. I was shocked when I realized how good it is.

[@zeissiez]

I have both. Both have their strengths. The Apple dongle is cheap and simple and it sounds great. The BTR5 on the other hand can be used as a BT dongle or a wired dongle, it has a balanced output which makes the sound more holographic, and it has an app which provides additional features like EQ, it doesn’t drain the phone’s battery.

[@allstar930]

I also would have preferred phones kept the headphone jack but I own this and the BTR7 and they sound really good to me. I'm glad I can use my preferred headphones and buds with my phone again. My problem with the Apple Dongle is that it's too flimsy for daily use.

[@skyanakinwalker]

Thank you this was just what I was trying find out! I have used Bluetooth for 15 years was satisfied with it till I used Venture Electronics Odyssey, the sound was amazing (made me want to listen to more music) The VE dac is usb-c so I have to use a lightning male to female usb-c adapter which worked a month and quit. The adapter costs as much as the iPhone lightning headphone adapter, I did not want to dumb down my listening and was at the cusp of buying the qdelix bt when I ran across your review. I’ll give it a try. Thank you again for your review.

[@SirMesko]

Once you discover truly good audio it’s hard to go back

[@stevenr5149]

100% the apple dongle is the right choice for you

[@WhatsOnMyShelf]

Your review is shifted toward the use case of phones without headphone jacks, but I use bluetooth audio to listen to sources wirelessly as I live in an apartment and work at various distances and directions to the source. I'm glad they still make devices like this since my previous bluetooth audio solution became irreparable. I am upset that the price of these wireless audio solutions have gone up significantly, though the engineering in them has significantly improved since my last purchase over ten years ago. Anyways, I appreciate your insight. I was trying to glean more from those who had a better understand of audio and didn't just hook it up via bluetooth. I wanted to know what I was missing.

[@SirMesko]

Hi, in my experience Bluetooth audio isn’t as clean and HI-FI as wired. As soon as you have decent equipment you’ll notice the difference and nowadays decent equipment is affordable :)

[@WhatsOnMyShelf]

@@SirMesko Oh, definitely. I make a sacrifice so that I don't disturb my neighbors. Before bluetooth, and in my younger more inpractical days, I had a 30ft cord hooked directly to my computer as I walked around my apartment. The Sony bluetooth stereo headsets / amplifiers I then acquired and used over 10+ years were a great convenience. I since purchased the BTR5 2021 and it is phenomenal compared to the three Sony I owned. The BTR5 was able to open up ranges in my meeaudio buds that I didn't even know were there. I have some Audio Technicas which I use when I edited video or audio, but I heard these don't drive large headphones well, plus I would never edit audio or video wirelessly.

[@GodriaR]

As always a great review! I agree with you nothing competes with wire when it comes to sounds. Tbh you are right, and I also have the btr5 for about a year, and it is an okay bluetooth Amp/Dac, but not great.. I also own the Qudelix-5K which is also an Bluetooth Amp/Dac, and I do prefer it over the Btr5, cuz it has more power and the bluetooth range is stronger, Plus it supports USB DAC 96KHz / 24-bit. And on top of that the Qudelix app is waaaaaaay much better. Again thank you for sharing your thoughts, and the review..

[@SirMesko]

Thanks for your comment! I always feel happy to know that my videos are appreciated and entertaining

[@GodriaR]

@@SirMesko I am glad that I made you happy Looking forward to your next review ❤️😍 Peace

[@teibo6710]

I own a Fiio FH5 was looking at getting either the BTR5 or the Qudelix 5K. I mostly own apple devices now I'm totally confused over what to do about the fact that apple doesn't support LDAC and the fact wire>Bluetooth receiver. Any suggestions?

[@theodorezurla496]

Cmon now can't be using the Btr5 with aac...😓

[@thecomputergamer6446]

Yeah

[@Michael-ks2yi]

Is there an easy way to connect an iPhone with this btr5 via DAC wither with an adapter or with something similar? I could just go for Bluetooth to connect my car system and when needed, I’ll use it with my laptop at 192khz at home, but I would love to be able to just output hd audio from my iPhone on the go. Any suggestions would be very appreciated.

[@stopspyingonme9210]

That dongle would constantly fuck my music audio levels up. i just started carrying my lg v30 i bought on swappa for like $50 with burn in an cracked screen and owned for 5 years at this point and dont' really care if i drop or break as my dedicated headphone jack device.

[@SirMesko]

During my audio journey, I was a fan of HTC phones. I thought about switching to LG, but I never actually made the switch. It seems like everyone is embracing wireless technology and phone manufacturers don't seem to prioritise great audio for music lovers. So, using dongles is often the only way to enjoy good audio on the go, or resorting to an old, worn-out LG phone as you did, unless you're willing to spend loads on a DAP.

[@stopspyingonme9210]

@@SirMesko they are worth it for a spare device. My v30 still has a higher res led than most phones, micro SD,and the headphone jack. It's the perfect iPod touch replacement imo. I was cleaning up recently and my mother didn't want this old bose cd player with speakers. I dug up the correct cable and now it's on my bedside for listening to music while I clean or a podcast at bedtime.

[@maxbouvatte]

I compared the wired apple dongle to my dragonfly black dongle, and the dragonfly black ( used, 60 bucks U.S.) sounds much better, noticeably better in almost every way. On a side note I wondered the same thing you did- I dont understand the point of Bluetooth dacs as they just degrade the SQ compared to wired, just buy some bluetooth headphones... Thanks for the video.

[@SirMesko]

It’s an exciting market for wireless audio devices. Perhaps true high res wireless music is coming and it’s not Bluetooth. Until then, wire is the way to go for sound quality

[@itellsri]

Hi Dave, I am like you. Not a big fan of Bluetooth. I like btr5 only in usb mode. What’s the best wired DAC you can suggest. Is Fiio ka3 a good wired DAC/amp portable option. ?

[@joncruz]

Using this thru wireless connection is like using the dongle, if you wanna see the difference it has to be wired connected to your phone.

[@trim7535]

What do u mean with “sounds faster”?

[@fabismorcho]

Fiio btr5 2021 connecting to ipod Classic? How? Thanks

[@walterzannoni]

I share everything. I also wanted to try the BTR5 and I was expecting to hear the voice of the angels for how much it costs. I return it today and return to my Apple dongle. For easy BT listening I use a cheap $ 20 Fiio BTRu that sounds decent and weighs 7 grams. Good day and lots of music

[@SirMesko]

Thanks for your feedback. The BTR5 works very well as a wired DAC, but Bluetooth is just not good enough.

[@walterzannoni]

@@SirMesko now in Italy is 142 euro. Apple dongle 9. Is too much like DAC also.

[@SirMesko]

@@walterzannoni That's quite a lot more than in the UK! The apple dongle is more expensive here hehe

[@samdeur]

Thank you for your honesty.. greetings from the Netherlands

[@SirMesko]

I’m happy you enjoys the video! Greetings!

[@1800_not-me]

No question about your education and profession but I would like to see a hearing test done by doctor first 😂

[@rafacq]

What? You are aware Bluetooth cannot stream HiRes sound! I use an iFi Hip DAC and I can even play full hires, including Tidal MQA. Love it.

[@SirMesko]

I am aware indeed, thank you. I got the Hip Dac and it’s very good. You can play hi res with the BTR5 in wired mode too

[@jeanlucas5987]

I was really in need of a dac amp, I had the apple usb-C one but it broke it's just too fragile And it costs $20 in my country, so I was considering getting a higher quality dac that wouldn't break that easily. Is the Ikko zerda good? but you said it broke with you. I was also considering the Fiio ka3. For now I just got a cheap cx31993, waiting for it to arrive, cost me $9.

[@SirMesko]

The Zerda was amazing. Sounded so sweet but it stopped working. Have you checked the Dragonfly series?

[@jeanlucas5987]

@@SirMesko It is not easily available in my country, I wanted something sturdy that wouldn't break easily using it daily in my pocket, and one that I could get at aliexpress

[@SirMesko]

@@jeanlucas5987 the best portable DAC I’ve ever tried is the ifi Hip DAC! Check it out

[@AnzaSengani]

@@SirMesko thanks for the great informative video. How is the dragonfly series compared to the dongle and DACs you've heard? I feel like i can trust your opinion

[@monarakudumbiya957]

Not a very scientific comparison

[@SirMesko]

Thanks for your feedback. No, I never had the ambition for it to be scientific. It’s a very subjective interpretation based on empirical analysis of the sound.

[@mashopotatomashopotato8611]

Apple Dongle doesn't have much power, if you like listening loud.

[@SirMesko]

That it doesn’t. The Fiio is far more powerful

[@RT7]

awesome 😍❤️

[@deathtoraiden2080]

You said "pounds" so am i to infer that this is the European version of the Apple dongle? I need to know how good that performs because it outputs half the power of the version of the dongle everywhere else in the world. I find this whole apple dongle situation hilarious because for years i have been hating on audiophiles for being the biggest saps on the planet and allowing companies to sell them 10 dollar electronics for 200 dollars or more and drive the price of audio equipment through the roof, and lo and behold this thing comes along.

[@Antli2024]

The Dac sounds better plugged in, and way better plugged into a usb2.0 on pc. Get a lighting to usbc audio cable

[@mellowmonsoon278]

Exactly .

[@JustBe-tj1mx]

thanks sir

[@BreyonnaMorgan18]

Aww damn. Okay. Thank you.

[@jian8813]

This has got to be the most unfair comparison I've watched, because ofc the Fiio is better than an over priced solution that Apple created because they removed something important

[@SirMesko]

Thank you for your feedback! It’s just a bit of fun!

[@aadirao4169]

Jian .. David is right because there are some iphone users out there 😂 who also love sound but cant shift to andriod. And we are stuck with aac I power my sennheiser hd 650 with this dongle its sound pretty good ( bass / highs ) are comforatble to listen but with btr5 they sound loud but somewhat of as david said not much lively than dongle . Note: this is the sound comparison not the loudness or volume !

[@aadirao4169]

But wired btr5 is an-other story

[@SirMesko]

@@aadirao4169 wired is completely different story!

[@DiegoF]

@@SirMesko but why are you comparing an Apple dongle with a Bluetooth dac? Can’t you also connect the Fliio to your iPhone with a cable? That should be te comparison

[@angzander8536]

Can I use the Apple lighting cable to type C that come alone with iPhone 12 to wire connect to the btr5 then connect the 3.5 mm aux to my headphone? I mean the btr5 as a wire connect instead of Bluetooth.

[@SirMesko]

Unfortunately, the charging cable won't work. You'll have to get an Apple USB camera adaptor for iOS to recognize the BTR5. The genuine cable has a chip in it for firmware updates, so don't buy knock-offs.

[@daliborpuhar7322]

You need LT-LT1 cable from Fiio which costs additional $21

[@t3ddybear4lif3]

My guy. Do you not know that you can wire the btr5. You're not getting the full power of the system. Try it wired and do a new video. Trust me ur missing out

[@SirMesko]

Hi thanks for your comment. I did do a video reviewing the BTR5 wired, and yeah it’s sounds special

[@user-exuytv]

You are lying I have both and the BTR5 sounds way better and makes the headphones louder

[@draxx8546]

Apple dongle is better

[@Chevalier_de_Pas]

For people who are from the US and have an iPhone.

[@aymanahmed8726]

So you decided to compare a wired connection to wireless connection bound by AAC codec and feeling smart about it? WOW!. Even the odds to make a valid comparison use the fiio on wired connection too...

[@SirMesko]

Check you my fiio wired video

[@SirMesko]

Besides it is a £10 dongle vs a £90 device. Great comparison if you ask me