[Staff Blog] I bought the FIIO Bluetooth Receiver BTR17 and the YAMAHA HPH-MT5
I'm T, a staff member on the production team.
In early 2025, I purchased some audio equipment.
These are FIIO's `` Bluetooth Receiver BTR17 '', which was a hot topic at the end of last year, and the classic Yamaha monitor headphones `` YAMAHA HPH-MT5 ''.
Nowadays, the use of 4.4mm 5-pole balanced cables has become more common in DAPs, so I updated my equipment so that I can test products at home when developing them.
Neither of these products are available from our company, but I will provide a brief review.
The BTR17 is a product that has been talked about as eliminating the need for DAPs or desktop amplifiers, and after using it I had the same impression.
There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the sound quality, and it felt very unobtrusive.
It's not that the sound is bad, but in a good way it's not too distinctive, and I felt it was an excellent speaker that would easily score 80 points for any genre of music.
As a product developer, it can be difficult to distinguish the sound of amplifiers or DAPs that have distinctive sounds, so I am very grateful in that respect as well.
In addition to various wired and wireless connection methods, it also has a desktop mode that allows you to increase output by connecting a USB Type-C cable and supplying power directly from the USB cable rather than from the main unit battery.
This makes it possible to produce output at a level comparable to that of a stationary headphone amplifier.
In this mode, it is possible to sufficiently drive not only earphones, but also headphones if the connection is balanced.
I thought it was a very good product considering the price and size.
I personally think that the sound quality is more than sufficient when connected via Bluetooth as long as the device supports LDAC.
However, it is true that the sound lacks depth and has a slightly tingly sound compared to a wired connection, which is not a problem if you are just listening casually, but it can be annoying if you are sitting upright and listening.
When connected wirelessly to the audio source and powered using desktop mode, the sound became deeper, but the sharp sound remained the same.
Personally, I prefer phone mode. I preferred it wired and powered in desktop mode.
I have tried several of our products and can clearly hear the difference in sound depending on the cable.
>>MOGAMI 2534 Balanced cable with 4.4mm 5-pole male connectors
>>MOGAMI 2893 Headphone Cable YAMAHA Type etc. [2.5φ 3-pole bayonet lock plug]
Although it depends on the specifications and environment, the above two combinations left a very good impression.
In order to bring out the best performance from your headphones, we believe you will be able to enjoy your music even more if you re-cable them with our products.
>>Headphone cable list
As for headphones, I purchased the classic monitor headphones, the MT5.
I usually use MT8 for testing in my daily work, and it was also very attractive, but I chose MT5 due to budgetary constraints.
The price is almost the same as Sony's standard monitor headphones, the MDR-CD900ST, but I think the sound quality is better balanced.
Personally, I think the 900ST has a slightly weak bass, and I prefer the sound of the MT5 for everyday use.
They're comfortable to wear, and replacement ear pads are available for purchase, so I think they'll last a long time.
I have a story prepared about these headphones, so I would like to introduce them on my blog at a later date.
That's the story of Staff T's extravagance.
This was a poor review, but thank you for reading to the end.
As for 2025, we plan to focus on developing balanced cables for audio, which have been requested by many of our customers, so please look forward to it.
New product currently being tested, coming soon!
