I see. They’re all in the $50-60 ball park. Drop has one offering well. Still thinking if I get a dedicated cable for that, or just get an adapter. Not in a rush though.
I have a K3, which also has a 2.5mm balanced jack. That’s why I asked you.
Cheers.
How are you liking the K3?
Also, you’re talking about a 2.5mm > XLR adapter?
It’s quite decent actually. Very convenient. I picked this one up because of the versatility – e.g: both S/PDIF and TOSLINK digital signals can be routed at the same time (+ line out). But at 99% of the times I just use the 1/8" jack (single ended). And it’s USB powered only.
Nope, 2.5mm balanced male to 1/4" or 1/8" TRS unbalanced female. Then I could try the balanced jack and try to hear a difference. 
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t balanced to unbalanced conversion not the best thing to do?
It’s either that or unbalanced to balanced, but I remember reading somewhere that something like that can damage your source.
Hummm, I’m not positive about that. Do not know the answer either.
If your amp is differential (the + and - for each channel is driven independently) then going balanced to unbalanced will short the two negative channels, which is bad.
If the amp drives only the + for each channel, and the - is a common ground, it doesn’t matter. 1/4" TRS plugs use this. TRS = Tip, Ring, Sleeve. Tip = R+, Ring = L+, Sleeve = shared -, or shared ground.
Best rule of thumb is you don’t convert balanced to SE.
Is this what people call truly balanced circuits, i.e., independent signal routes (2 hots + 2 grounds)?
Good to know. Dedicated cables is the way to go then. Thanks!
See here.
Yep. What he said. I was searching for that thread, then I saw Torq’s post…
Received the 2.5mm balanced cable from Drop yesterday. I agree the sound is more enjoyable (with my K3). Swapped the cable against HD 600, 6XX and the 58X. I really wanted but I could not hear any difference in sound quality. I definitely heard it louder though.
I’ll leave this cable with the HD600 for the time being. When BTR5 price go lower I’ll get one – most likely after the hype (and the pandemic).
Cheers.
Question; On my BTR5 when it is paired but not in active use I am hearing what sounds like digital artifacts getting into the analog audio side. Chuffing noises, rolling staccato sounds, etc. It does not happen all of time if I reboot it goes away, or if I start playing music is stops. Has anyone else noticed this?
Could somebody do a walk through on updating the firmware on these BTR5’s I attempted it once and bricked the device. I am not a noob for this sort of thing but the first experience does not fill me with confidence. I have 3 BTR5’s my oldest one has V 1.06 installed. The other 2 have 1.08.
Hey @transmaster I don’t have mine anymore, but I could probably help.
What were the steps you took to update the firmware? I looked at FiiO’s website and it does seem that the process is a little more jank than the average consumer electronics product.
I did a review an Amazon. Figured I would include it here. I cannot be as critical as others because I haven’t listened to as many other devices to do a comparison.
I also did not think it was worth creating a new thread over, since this one already exists.
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I have used the BTR5 (ESS) for a couple of weeks. This was a lot smaller than I expected.
I enjoy the sound/tone of this DAC. I used with Steelseries Artics 3 Bluetooth and Focal Stellia. Artics did not have a much of change in sound that I notice. There was a significant change in volume. I was getting distortion at very high volumes. These are not audiophile headphones. They are a cheap(er) versitle gaming headset–PC, Playstation, Xbox, mobile, Switch) and has Bluetooth.
The Stellias there were some differences, but it was more subtle. It should be noted, they are not hard headphones to power and get to perform well. Technically speaking, they would be enjoyable with the BTR5. Using the SE 3.5mm, the volume difference was the biggest difference between the PC and Note 20 compared to running from those devices without. I would say a bit more articulation. Using 2.5mm balance, more clarity, articulation, and volume. I did not try either at max volume, but not distortion at very loud volumes. When using not connected to USB power source, not as articular and clear, but still sounded better than without the BTR5.
The EQ presets are nice to have. There is a custom one that can be created. I do not use these. I prefer my devices to run as close to reference as possible without having to use an EQ. I like bass, but I am not a bass by any stretch of the imagination.
It has good codecs. Having some of the new AptX codecs would be nice, but this is only useful if your source device supports it.
It has an app, where you can select which codecs to support, EQ settings, and a few other things. There are other portable amp/DACs whose apps are more feature-rich. This app fits the device well. This will also be where firmware updates will be done.
Having the device setup to high volume does drain the battery faster, as all devices do. I tend to prefer to control the volume from the source device out of convenience. Devices do not get too much more mobile than this. It is extremely small and can fit in most pockets with ease. The clip is nice bonus, but I do not use it. Obviously having in a tight pocket make it harder to use. I would not not put in a pocket with other stuff because of risk of scratching or other damage.
I believe this device will suit many people looking for a small and portable amp/DAC for drive their headphones. There are some headphones that this will not be ideal because it does not have the power drive them or the volume that some users will desire. It would be difficult to find a device as robust for the given price.
Excellent review! Thanks for posting.
So, long term update… the BTR5 has kind of replaced every amp and/or dac for me.
Apart from my Shokz Open Run Pro, I only really ever use the HD6XX and Blessing 2 Dusk.
Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, a balanced cable for the HD6XX is recommended as they can benefit from that extra juice.
As for the Dusk, I’m running them single ended just fine. They sound great, and the convenience of not having something tethered to my phone is really enjoyable.
Some shortcomings in my time of owning it:
All in all, I’ve kept it this long and it’s my second most used piece of audio gear.
Don’t know if this is the source of the eq problem, but the eq function in the fiio app does not function with ldac, so if this is the codec you were using, it is a known issue. I have not heard anything definitive regarding a fix.
I noticed that as well.
Unfortunately it doesn’t matter what codec I’m using. It just doesn’t work for some reason.
I’ll update here if I find a fix.
