CONCLUSION

   Just like we already pointed out earlier in the review we used the BTR3 Bluetooth Headphone Amp and the HAVIT HV-BT018 Bluetooth Transmitter with the FiiO M6 and M7 Music players and a wide range of Hi-Res earphones including the Periodic Audio Be, the DUNU Falcon-C and the 1MORE Quad Driver. After a period of 19 days we can just say that the difference in audio quality between the BTR3 and the HV-BT018 proved to be rather staggering especially when both the earphones and the audio player (or smartphone) are Hi-Res compatible (specifically LDAC or LHDC compatible). This means that when using a device that supports the most “common” AAC, SBC and aptX audio codec you will not notice the difference in detail and depth you will if your device supports aptX HD, LDAC or LHDC (just remember to manually force 990kbps in your smartphone if you’re using the LDAC codec – that is if your smartphone supports manual setup). The RGB LED is also very useful if you don’t know which audio codec your device supports (especially if you’re not using the FiiO music app) while in terms of battery life although when using AAC and SBC you will surpass the 10 hours mark with aptX HD and LDAC it’s very hard to surpass the 9 hour mark (unfortunately we don’t have an LHDC compatible device here but it should be roughly the same as with LDAC).

   With a price tag currently set at USD69.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 79Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the FiiO BTR3 may be roughly 3-4 times more expensive compared to every day models like the HAVIT HV-BT018 but if your smartphone and/or music player supports aptX HD, LDAC or LHDC it’s certainly worth the extra cost. Of course things are not perfect so it would be nice to see a high quality 3.5mm cable bundled with the BTR3 (even better two different lengths for various uses) and why not even a detachable shirt clip (not everyone will end up using it) and IP waterproof certification (since FiiO does point out that the BTR3 may get damaged even by sweat) but we can’t have it all I guess (still it would be nice if FiiO took these into consideration for the successor of the BTR3). All said and done the BTR3 is without doubt among the best Bluetooth transmitters/receivers/amp you can get today and that’s why we’re giving it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Quality (Aluminum Enclosure / 2.5D Glass)
- Size / Weight
- Bluetooth v5.0
- Supported Audio Codecs (AAC/ SBC/ aptX/ aptX Low Latency/ aptX HD/ LDAC/ LHDC)
- RGB Status LED
- Battery Life (Up To 11 Hours)
- Built in Microphone (Noise Cancelling)
- FiiO Music App (Settings)

CONS

- Fixed Shirt Clip (For Some)
- Limited Bundle