Mobileaudiophile

FiiO BT11: The Tiny BT Transmitter

SeanG

Disclaimer

Hello everyone. I must clarify that FiiO sent me the FiiO BT11 for review. And despite this, all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own, based on my personal experience, and without any external influence. FiiO has never told me what to write or when to publish my review, and I have full freedom to share my honest thoughts.
I want to thank FiiO for this great opportunity, and I want to thank you, the reader, for your trust in me and my reviews and for taking the time to read them.

Introduction

When I got my hands on the FiiO BT11 (45$), I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, because I had thought to myself, “What device nowadays, which supports Bluetooth, doesn’t do it well enough?”. But when I started thinking of it, I realized that many phones nowadays don’t support LDAC, and it can be pretty disappointing, especially when your headphones aren’t compatible with your phone’s Bluetooth codecs. That’s where the BT11 comes in, and not only does it give LDAC and all aptX codecs, but it also increases the range significantly and also allows you to connect 2 headphones at the same time.

So I must say that after giving it a try, I realized this little Bluetooth dongle might just be what wireless audiophiles have been waiting for. Now let’s dive deeper in this review and talk more specifically.

Unboxing

Now lets talk about the unboxing of the FiiO BT11; And the first thing I noticed was how small the box was. Inside I saw the BT11 sitting right there in a tiny plastic bag. I have to say that It actually feels very solid in hand.

alongside the BT11 there was a Type-A to Type-C adapter, which is useful if you need to connect it to different devices. There was also a quick start guide and a warranty card. What stood out, though, was a bright yellow caution card that said to watch the pairing guide video before setting it up for the first time. That felt like a good reminder to avoid any issues. So I would say that the whole unboxing was simple and to the point.

Technical specifications

Specs

Features

Range

One thing that I have noticed right away is the incredible range. FiiO promises up to 50 meters in open spaces, and even with obstacles, it still works up to 35 meters. That’s pretty impressive for something so tiny! And I have to say that when I was testing it, I could leave my phone on the table while walking around the house without worrying about losing connection, even when my walls are made entirely out of concrete. Although 2 concrete walls are already too much for it to handle and the connection gets pretty bad, it’s still very impressive compared to my phone’s range.

Chip and Codecs

The BT11 has a Qualcomm QCC5181 chip, which is designed for high quality Bluetooth performance. It supports all the best audio codecs, including SBC, LDAC, and all aptX codecs. You can control and use them through the app even if your device isn’t supporting them.

Dual Headphone Connection

Another feature I really love is the ability to connect two headphones at once using the FiiO Control App. It should be perfect for sharing music or watching a movie with someone wirelessly. It is possible to achieve using the FiiO control app, but it requires some time to get the hang of it, and most of the times it was very hard for me to use… most of the times, when I have tried pairing it to a second device, it just disconnected the first one. But when you get it to work, it works very well, and it never disconnected while I was using it. So all you need in order to benefit from this is a bit of luck and at least one friend… haha, just kidding.

What I think can fix this issue? 

First, if FiiO will manage to fix it with a firmware update, it will be great. Second is if FiiO will add the option to choose which device you want to pair it with. This way it will make it much easier to use, as by the time of writing this review, you must disable all nearby Bluetooth receivers in order to make the BT11 pair with the one you want. So I will be glad to see this update from FiiO.

Additionally, I have also noticed a small delay between the first and the second pair, and it is about half a second delay between the two.

How it performs?

When I tried out the FiiO BT11 for the first time, I couldn’t wait to see how it would handle my music. After pairing it with my headphones, the sound quality was actually great. The transmission was very clear, thanks to Bluetooth 5.4 and the support of lossless codecs like LDAC and all aptX codecs. Everything sounded good and detailed with a strong signal without ever getting lost.

Connecting it

As I have mentioned earlier, setting up the BT11 wasn’t as easy as I would have liked it to be, especially when trying to connect two headphones. First, I had to make sure everything was cleared out: unpairing any Bluetooth devices connected to the phone or device I wanted to use the BT11 with and turning off all other Bluetooth headphones so nothing else tried to connect. After that, I plugged the BT11 into my device, turned Bluetooth back on, and paired it through Bluetooth. Then I connected it to the FiiO Control App. Sometimes, I had to delete the BT11 from the app and re-add it in order to make things work. It felt like a lot of steps, but once it was set up, it worked great.

Why I really think the BT11 is worth a buy is because it is great for devices that don’t support good Bluetooth or lossless codecs. It will be great for products like the PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. I was actually really surprised how well it works with PC as well. It was to the point of just plug and play! I just connected it to my PC, placed the wireless headphones on my head, and the music is already playing. Suddenly, I had way better sound quality through my PC, and when I connected it to other cellphones, I didn’t feel limited by their basic Bluetooth options anymore. It’s a great device, but it can be difficult to get it to work with cellphones, and I really hope that it can be solved with a firmware update in the near future.

Conclusions

So after spending some time with the FiiO BT11, I can honestly say it’s a solid little Bluetooth transmitter that solves some big problems for wireless audio. The sound quality is fantastic, thanks to the Bluetooth 5.4 and lossless codecs, and it really brings out the best in my headphones.

That said, getting it all set up wasn’t as smooth as I’d hoped. The process of unpairing devices, turning off headphones, and sometimes needing to delete and re-add the BT11 in the FiiO Control App felt a bit clunky. But once it was running, it worked flawlessly and gave me a stable, high-quality connection every time.

If you are someone who values great sound and needs a Bluetooth solution for high-end headphones or devices without good codec support, especially computers, the BT11 is absolutely worth considering. It might take a little effort to get going, but the results are well worth it, because after you connect it for the first time, it seems to remember it and makes reconnecting easy, even if it didn’t connect to the FiiO control app. Although, I really hope that they will release a firmware update that makes the entire process easier.

Pros

Cons

Where to buy: FiiO Official site

Exit mobile version