Fiio BTA30 Pro Review

Fiio BTA30 Pro

FiiO Control

The BTA30 Pro is supported by the Fiio Control app. In the app, there are many settings and I will try to mention them all in this paragraph. In the app, you can switch between UAC mode 1.0 and 2.0, turn on auto power-on setting, adjust indicator lights, select between input sources, select the default individual BT codec such as LDAC-only. You can also change the volume control mode, you can fix it to a certain volume level. You can also adjust the volume during playback via this app. You also have a couple of low pass filters but in my opinion, they do not have a major impact on the sound and the default is just fine. You can turn on digital upsampling or you can turn it off completely.

You can also change LDAC’s streaming quality (bitrate) and that’s my favorite option. Normally, you can do that via Android’s developer settings but it is troublesome and time-consuming. Now you have the option to set it in the app and I love that. The app is easy to install and use, you can also set a custom device name in the app and clear the pairing list or restore the device to factory settings. Brilliant!

Fiio BTA30 Pro

Testing Method

I used several units to evaluate the sound quality of the BTA30 Pro. I used it as a Bluetooth DAC with my active reference monitors, the JBL LSR305P mkII. I also hooked it to various desktop headphone amplifiers and used it as a dedicated DAC.

Sound Signature & Performance

The LSR’s sound exciting and powerful through the BTA30 Pro. The smoothness of the previous-gen BTA30 is replaced by a more detailed, sharper, and more exciting sound signature. The monitors feel authoritative, clean, and agile with the new BTA30 Pro. The bass impact has increased, the texture feels accurate and the power is felt, especially in the sub-area. The midrange is still rich and detailed, the upper mids have more energy compared to the previous-gen and they now feel more detailed and articulate. The vocals are centered, breathy, and resolving. The instruments feel accurate with adequate body. The increased dynamics have positively affected the PRaT and general sensation of speed. The most obvious difference is the resolution. The BTA30 Pro has a detailed, resolving signature and performs above my expectations. We have awarded BTA30 because it offers good sound quality along with many useful features but now the BTA30 Pro took it to a whole another level with its new and more capable DAC. Signature-wise no band overlaps the other or tries to be the star of the show. The unit offers excellent tonal balance and control. If you remember, the BTA30 had slight hints of warmth, especially in the midrange area. The BTA30 Pro, on the other hand, has hints of warmth in the low range. However, excellent control over the frequency ranges makes sure that you get an accurate reproduction of lows, mids, and highs. It does not saturate your monitors or heavily manipulate their signatures. You hear what your equipment sounds like, without coloration. That is, after all, the ultimate purpose of a DAC. I have not felt like the BTA30 Pro is bottlenecking my monitors, at all. I am once again surprised how FiiO managed to improve practically everything about the BTA30 without increasing the size of the device. I can still stick the device to the side of my LSRs and bless them with Bluetooth capability!

Fiio BTA30 Pro

I have paired the BTA30 Pro with SMSL’s brilliant amplifier, the SH-8s. The BTA30 Pro provided a clean, resolving sound and the SH-8s increased its performance, highlighting the strengths of the device. My long-time favorite modded 58X sounded absolutely brilliant with the pairing. The bass was powerful, authoritative yet controlled. The texture was great, it had a good body and it did not bleed into the mids. The midrange was articulate, detailed, and clean. Listening to Melody Gardot or Norah Jones was great with this pairing. The highs and treble-based instruments were clean and expansive. It was a great experience provided by a DAC that costs a little over a hundred bucks. What a time to be alive folks.

As with the BTA30, if you’re aiming for the best-wired performance, I recommend you to use the coax and a high-quality 5V USB power adapter to completely avoid jitter caused by your computer. I also recommend getting decent coax & RCA cables as I can easily hear the difference between my custom-made cables and the included generic cables. If you’re an LSR 305P mkII user, I highly recommend you to get this receiver if you have a need for it. It has excellent synergy with the LSRs and I enjoyed writing this review while listening to my favorite tunes with the combo. If you’re on a tight budget and can’t get the new version, I would also recommend getting the BTA30, it still is a great Bluetooth device under 90 bucks.

Fiio BTA30 Pro

Conclusion

The FiiO seems to have quite successfully managed to develop an already good device. With newly added buttons and LEDs, BTA30 Pro offers a better experience compared to the old generation. Thanks to the new DAC chip, the sound quality of the device has increased by a good margin, while still offering a rich feature set. It is a versatile, all-in-one device and it can be used in many different setups. You can even use it with your Nintendo, PS5, or your preferred gaming console for a better, more immersive gaming experience. You can bless your monitors with Bluetooth capability and you can enjoy the sound quality of a proper DAC while doing so. 

Above all of that, the new DAC proved to us that it is a clear improvement over the previous-gen, offering cleaner, better, and more dynamic sound quality, punching above our expectations. I have to be honest with you. When I heard that a new version was being developed, I was biased, thinking that they had to do it because of chip shortage, but FiiO proved that this was not the case. The new version offers a better experience compared to the old version in terms of sound quality, ease of use, and stability. That’s exactly why the BTA30 Pro is a recommended buy! I wholeheartedly recommend you to try the BTA30 Pro if you are in the market for a multi-purpose Bluetooth DAC. It replaces the original BTA30 on our Best Wireless Gear list.

Page 1: FiiO, FiiO BTA30 Pro, Packaging & Accessories, Build Quality, Features & Technology

Page 2: FiiO Control, Testing Method, Sound Signature & Performance, Conclusion

 

 

4.3/5 - (288 votes)
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Long time Tech Enthusiast, an ambitious petrol-head, Yagiz likes his gadgets and always finds new ways into the tinkerer's world. He tries to improve anything and everything he gets his hands onto. Loves an occasional shine on the rocks.

5 Comments

  • Reply February 2, 2022

    Vance

    Hi Yagiz, do you have any recommendations of a high-quality 5V USB power adapter for this unit?

  • Reply July 3, 2022

    JB6789

    I bought my first FiiO BTA30 Pro on AliExpress and it came within 3 weeks at a price of US$125, delivered. With my office PC as source, I liked that unit so much [as a DAC to Yamaha CR-420 or Nakamichi SR-2E OR as a TX to stream in LDAC] that I bought a second unit for the great room. In the great room I use this device in RX mode, to stream music from a phone to a vintage Pioneer receiver/ pair of Dali bookshelf speakers.
    Compact, versatile, well built, and with excellent sound quality; all at an incredible price point. It was the only device at this amazing price point, that I could find on the market, that can manage a variety of CODEC whilst covering RX/TX/DAC modes. Recommend.

  • Reply July 6, 2022

    Yagiz

    @Vance

    Hey Vance,
    Any good quality phone charger would do the trick!
    Happy listening!

    @JB6789
    I’m glad that you liked it, it surely is a feature-packed device with excellent sound quality. Happy listening!

  • Reply November 29, 2022

    Arturo

    Que es mejor fiio bta30 pro o el topping e30ii hablando calidad de audio.

  • Reply February 25, 2023

    Imran Naqvi

    Hi, I bought bta30pro for transmitter for my tv. But I am also thinking to add Yamaha hs8 to my setup. Do I need to add some amplifier between hs8s and bta? If yes please advice me some good amp. I have very limited choice, I can only buy from AliExpress or Banggood. Pleas

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