I would say yes, but if you are willing to go a tiny bit higher in budget I think the ifi Hip DAC might be better, or even an Xduoo XD-05, depending on your use case.
My question would be, how small do you need the unit to be? And what headphones do you have?
I donāt plan for this to be my main dac. Mostly would be to upgrade the sound of my phone on the go and I probably would only use IEMās and my Hd1 (the wired ones with no Bluetooth).
So the aim of the btr5 mainly is be a Bluetooth receiver and is definitely top tier in that respect. Sounds better than most portable DACs under $200. And difinitely better than your phone. The ifi hip dac is like a slight step up with less functionality. If the the btr5 is over asking price itās hard to reccomend but the shanling up4 is a good alternative if itās a $100
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Yeah I think youāre right here.
currently 120 on amazon us, which iād say is a fair price for the device. It has previously inflated to 140-150 which is where it starts to be a bit questionable price to performance imo. Can confirm better quality than the built in samsung dac, previously used it with my s7 (now with s20 so no built in 3.5), also the ability to run balanced 2.5 can be a big bump in quality too. IMO if you want something portable for IEMs this thing is awesome
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Hey, i just canāt decide between the BTR5 and the hip dac. I am an iPhone User and therefore using Bluetooth is not an option (but nice to have for future proofing). That means I would use the BTR5 only with a lightning to usb c cable. Using the dac wired seams to make the hip dac the better choice. But the size and use of usb c of the BTR5 is really compelling on the other side the weird USB A Input of the hip dec is kind of odd.
Having to use the dac wired, powering ~150 ohm headphones (for example HD660s), manly using it āon the goā / portable and trying to not kill my phones batteryā¦what should I get?
I was even looking in DAC dongles like the Meizu hifi pro, but they seam to rely to much on the power of my phone, what lets me feel uneasy about there performance.
Oh and did anybody see the review from āNo Theme Reviewsā about the BTR5? What do you think about it?
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if your going to do wired go for the hip dac . the btr5 has missplaced love . its a great little amp dac thats clean and linear sounding. but should not be known for itās power and thatās unfortaunately what people for some reason associate it with. I agree with no theme in the respect that there can be better alternatives if you need power or something warmer like the up4. but ifyour going to do wired anyway I would recc the hip dac . cause to be completely honest apple is way behind in respect to bluetooth.
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agree with rice here 100%, especially if youāre considering this to drive headphones instead of iems. I donāt own a 3.5mm cable for my 660s but i can say both headphones iāve tried on the btr5 have been a less than satisfactory experience. With the nighthawks it struggled with volume and with the sundaras it lacked its normal crisp clear sound. Iād imagine the 660s would have one or a mix of those problems. A balanced cable could solve this but iād still generally recommend something else for headphones
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So, I own the 660S as well as the BTR5. I would strongly say itās a no go as far as a pairing for 3.5mm. Iād recommend against it.
Now, I also use my BTR5 every day with IEMs and I honestly couldnāt be happier. As far as portable options, itās honestly shelved the Ifi Nano BL for me. I use the BTR5, primarily as a Bluetooth receiver via iPhone and Tidal Hifi. Although Apple will limit you at AAC, I think youād be surprised at how small the gap is between the wireless connection for the BTR5 and the other portable options. (Of course your IEMs will make a difference)
So if your primary means for the BTR5 would be headphones and wired, Iād look elsewhere. If it was for IEMs, itās a no brainer.
Hope that helps
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Very interesting takes on the BTR5 and headphones, I have not noticed any of these shortcomings using my HD58X and Sundaraāsā¦ The balanced is much better than the 3.5mm, but I find the BTR5 to be really good performer.
Everyone hears differently thoā¦ 
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yes it does.
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Hey, thanks so much for the answers! They were super helpful.
Hip Dac it is 
!
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Hello and welcome!
Why Bluetooth is not an option? The AAC codec is really good.
I have the BTR5 and use it with an iPhone every day. Even with my MacBook Pro with the APTX codec that has lower latency. I use it for video editing with my T2s and the latency is totally acceptable.
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Well, to be honest I am quit new to the Audioenthusiast world. Or better I am new moneywise. I already own a couple of good consumer bluetooth headphones and am now looking to make the next step.
And that Step for me seams to be 58X & Hip DAC.
This seams for what I gathered by now a good entry level setup with a good compromise regarding portability. It is decent enough to enjoy indoors and portablen enough to use it while in the woods doing long walks.
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Well, that makes sense, but the BTR5 is a pretty nice BT option for IEMs. Your choice is a really good combo. Tell more about it when you get it.
Iām waiting on my BTR5 from B&H, Iām planning on using it with Tin T2 IEMs. Any suggestions on a balanced cable for the T2ās?
Iām having a bit of an internal struggle to justify a $40 balanced cable on $40 IEMāsā¦
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This would do the job
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Welcome to the audiophile worldā¦the struggle soon becomes a gosh, then a what ever, then fuck it order it as a side lol enjoy the rabbit hole 
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thanks OhmBoy.
@M0N - those look great, except Iām north of the border (Canada) and the $25 CAD cost of the cable is accompanied by a $25 shipping fee (what I like to call: the canada tax). So a $50 CAD cable for headphones I spent exactly $53 CAD on. hmmm. Iāll shop around, but I dunno what Iām going to find. (southern ontario, in case anyone is wondering)
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