The FiiO BTR7 isn't your average portable DAC/amplifier. It's super pretty — in fact, it's designed to look a lot like the company's newest portable hi-fi player, the M11S — but it also has a lot of features that most other portable DAC/amplifiers lack. It has a tiny screen for displaying the audio's bitrate and volume. It supports wireless charging just like most of today's smartphones. And it has built-in Bluetooth, meaning you don't have to have it directly connected to your smartphone or laptop if you don't want to.
The FiiO BTR7 is designed to work best when it's used as a traditional DAC/amplifier: it plugs into your smartphone or laptop and makes the audio on your wired headphones sound a lot better. When directly connected to your device, the BTR7 supports audio files up to 32-bit/384kHz (PCM) or DSD256, as well as Master Quality Authenticated (MQA). So if you pay for a lossless streaming service, the BTR7 will likely be able to handle its most hi-fi tracks.
However, if you don't want to be tethered your device, you can stream audio directly to the BTR7. It supports a variety of Bluetooth codecs, including aptX HD and LDAC, and can handle high-resolution tracks up to 24-bit/96kHz. It's not quite as hi-fi as if used in a completely analog connection, but it's a neat option if you want to slip the BTR7 in your pocket and move around. There's also a button that allows you to quickly switch between these different modes.
As far as guts, the BTR7 has two amplifiers (each THX AAA-28) and two DACs (each ESS9219 Sabre) to help it deliver a fully-balanced sound. There are two headphone inputs, 3.5mm and 4.4mm, so you can use a variety of wired headphones. And it has a built-in battery, which is claimed to last up to nine hours, so the BTR7 won't drain power from your smartphone or laptop when using it.
If you're somebody who likes to tweak the sound of your music, the BTR7 also works with a companion app (FiiO Control) that has a 10-band graphic equalizer.
The FiiO BTR7 is available now for $199. If you have an iPhone, for an extra $10 you can buy a version that comes with the necessary USB-C to Lightning cable.
