Review on FiiO BTA30: Advanced Wireless Bluetooth 5.0 Long Range 🔊 Transmitter Receiver for PC/TV/Speaker/Headphone with HiFi Dac/DSP and Streamlined APP Control by Alex Gilbert

*Upgraded from 2 to 3 stars. See Update 3 for more information. This device looks great on paper. You have a Bluetooth receiver, transmitter and DAC in one device. Bluetooth 5.0 support and those other features for $89 seems like a lot compared to some of the competition. I personally liked the Fiio products (I own the amazing FH3 and BTR5 and many others in the past) so I couldn't resist trying it out. My setup consists of 3 digital inputs: PS4, CD player and Bluetooth. I run them through a DAC in an Onkyo 9150 and then into a Reisong A10 tube amp. I started looking for something smaller than the 9150 as I only use a DAC. I was looking at the $250 Topping D50 but was hoping for something cheaper. I liked the look of the BTA30, it met all the requirements for a third of the price. Upon unboxing I was a little annoyed that they didn't add some sort of wall plug power adapter instead of just a USB cable (a lot of storage - while saving one). This makes me think right off the bat that this is what Fiio intended for PC. It's okay, I have a few laying around. So I connected everything to my CD player via coax and to my PS4 via optical. Switch it to DAC mode and the CD player works fine. I switch to PS4 but there is no sound. Coax disconnected, no sound. I emailed Fiio and they mentioned that the input priority is USB > Coax > Optical and I had to disable inputs that I didn't want to use in the app. Okay weird so I unplugged USB and coax and finally I'm getting sound from my PS4. In short, you cannot have multiple inputs at the same time, and in order for the device to recognize which input is coming, you must manually disable the ports in the application. OK, OK, whatever. Here is my big problem with this device. Don't give it any input for 3 seconds and it will return to standby/search mode with the indicator flashing. Once it receives a signal, there is a slight delay to reconnect and continue streaming audio. So on my PS4 when there is a moment of silence in a game (usually through a loading screen), in a video (buffering), in an app or just in the control panel, it shuts down and goes into idle/search mode. . In normal use this is annoying as you keep getting audio dropouts as there is a delay to reconnect every time the signal drops. Worst of all, it extends to Bluetooth receiving mode as well. pause music? Deactivate. Disable silence at the end of the song. There is no way to block or prevent access. *UPDATE: I have sent another email to Fiio with a further description of my issue and asked if there is a way to fix the issue with a firmware or app update. They have not commented on the possibility of fixing the problem via firmware, but you can find their answer in the comments to this review. While they did mention turning Bluetooth off during a pause or no signal, this has never happened to me on half a dozen other Bluetooth devices/receivers I've used. * UPDATE 2: I decided to check the transmitter mode with my BTR5. I hooked up my CD player via coax, plugged in the BTR5 and turned on the music. First I stopped the CD player and it stayed connected. I then paused with the BTA30, which is just a mute button, but it also stayed connected and there was no delay in resuming. Finally, I tried the pause button on the BTR5 and it had no effect. Main conclusion: when the source was stopped or paused, the BTA30 did not turn off. Why does this problem occur when receiving via Bluetooth and in DAC mode?* UPDATE 3: Fiio recently released firmware 1.1 and I'm happy to report that they've made some improvements! While the device will still go to sleep after a few seconds in DAC or Bluetooth mode, there is no longer a delay when it starts receiving a signal again. If I don't see the status light go off when I go to sleep mode, it's hard for me to tell that it's gone, even during pauses or long periods of silence. Despite the other features and poor quality app, this is now a viable option for anyone looking for a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver with other additional tricks up its sleeve. Until this is fixed (which may or may not be possible) I cannot recommend this device, especially if you intend to use it as a DAC or Bluetooth receiver. Transmitter mode appears to work as it should, and if that feature alone costs $89, it might be worth buying. In any case, I won't leave mine and have to move in with my 9150 until something else comes along. Damn.