Running a Bluetooth Dac like Qudelix-5K or Fiio BTR5 and Pairing It With Amazon Firestick? Has anyone done it?

Submitted by BigBrainAlphaMale t3_z2l9b4 in headphones

So I'm over here researching Christmas gift ideas. For the life of me I'm not finding many open back bluetooth headphones. It's like no one wants to make them. I wanted to get someone bluetooth headphones to use when watching TV with a Amazon Firestick. Then I discovered the bluetooth dacs, and any wired headphones can be used.

The problem from what I've seen (I'm a complete noob, hang with me here) is that it looks like the Qudelix-5K/Fiio BTR5 has to be paired with an app on a phone? Is this required? How does the entire dynamic work if it were paired with a Amazon firestick to stream audio to the wired headphones? Is any cellphone app required to make it work?

I really appreciate any help. I've researched so many ideas. Even those bone conduction headphones.

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Nr48 t1_ixgye4g wrote

The App on both is not required. Only need it for a first setup (Codec, Latency), firmware update or if you want to adjust the EQ.

If you want to use it with a TV latency becomes a big part. The BTR5 supports APTX low latency which is great. The Q5k does not but you can use Aptx or Aptx HD and set the buffer size in the Q5k to low (in the app, once). Then the latency comes close to Aptx low latency.

I wouldn't pair the BTR5 / Q5k with the TV, even if it should support Bluetooth. I would get a bluetooth transmitter and connect it via toslink to the TV. Important is it supports aptx low latency too

Rec

Similar set up I am using for years.

The qudelix has no problem to connect to the TV transmitter and the phone at the same time. The BTR5 can too but I had some noise then.

For harder to drive headphones, or if you dont like apps at all or prefer a volume knob, I can recommend the ifi xCan. It supports aptx low latency too.

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Bluetooth open backs: Deva, Ananda BT, Grado GW100, koss porta pro BT, Koss clip on BT. Most of them will not provide aptx low latency, so lip synch problems could appear.

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Toronto-Will t1_ixh0wh9 wrote

I have been tinkering over the past few months with my TV headphone setup and agree with all this. I don’t have specific experience with the firestick but my TV has Bluetooth out. My cat would immediately chew a headphone cable if I plugged it into my receiver, so I got a Qudelix to try and use Bluetooth instead. It was okay with the buffer size set to minimum, but the lip sync was off just enough, it bothered me. I’d ultimately suggest avoiding Bluetooth altogether for watching TV, if there’s any way to cable it.

Eventually I got a desktop DAC/amp, plugged in beside the couch, and ran a long cable from the TV around the perimeter of the room (less tantalizing for my cat than the headphone cable clothes lined across the middle of the room). I say “cable” because optical didn’t work, my LG TV has a funky optical output, so I had to use an HDMI audio extractor and run RCA from that.

A simpler solution would have just been to run a really long headphone extension cable from the receiver around the perimeter of the room. It’s like $17, would have saved me a lot of money.

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colev14 t1_ixhdenl wrote

Can you connect 2 pairs of Bluetooth headphones with aptx LL with this?

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Nr48 t1_ixheo3e wrote

Never tried but I think so. 2 times aptx / aptx LL is okay. Think most transmitter fall back to aptx if you try to connect 2x aptx HD devices.

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BigBrainAlphaMale OP t1_ixj7fmt wrote

Thanks for sharing all of this. So it looks like the bottleneck ends up being the bluetooth headphones if you pair it with the 1mii B03 transmitter, since the bluetooth headphones would have to have the low latency spec baked into it?

What about buying two of the 1mii B03 devices and use one as a transmitter at the TV and the other as a receiver where the user sits and plug in a pair of wired headphones into the receiver. Would that work properly? I like a nice cheap solution. I'm starting to like the idea of being able to use wired headphones on the "receiver" end since I've heard issues with people's bluetooth headphones dying due to the battery and whatnot. The receiver end could theoretically use any wired headphones that can be driven by the 1mii B03. The 1mii B03 Pro has a dac on it. Maybe purchase that for the receiver and the 1mii B03 as the transmitter? What do you think? Any better ideas.

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Nr48 t1_ixj9pin wrote

Yes, if you want a Bluetooth headphone it should support aptx LL at best. Here is a list.

https://www.aptx.com/product-listing?product_category=7&aptx_type=3&created[min]=2019/09/31&created[max]=2022/12/31&sort_by=created&sort_order=DESC

Don't use a Bluetooth transceiver as a headphone amp. Less power and features, too big, volume control sucks.... . Better stick to your original idea and use the 1mii transmitter and a btr5 or qudelix 5k. (maybe btr3k if on a tight budget)

The EQ function to adjust the sound to your liking is also a big plus.

One thing, you have a 5.1 system connected to your TV? Then you would have to change the tv settings to PCM for headphones and back for 5.1 all the time.

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HeadWombat t1_ixh12wf wrote

Get a transmitter like Fiio BTA 30 pro and a wireless receiver that supports APTX LL such as the ifi Go Blue or BTR5/7.

I use the below setup.

TV > Optical Output > Fiio BTA30 Pro > Ifi Go Blu > Headphones

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Nr48 t1_ixhey70 wrote

BTA30 pro is great but quite pricey. Yes, it supports LDAC but for TV You cant really use it anyway because of the latency. Nice is that you can disable codecs in the App but you can do the same on the BTR5 / Q5K directly.

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HeadWombat t1_ixhf91t wrote

It supports AptX LL which is totally acceptable and the range hasn't been a problem for me. As far as I'm aware there isn't another product that competes with it at $130.

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Nr48 t1_ixhg2zk wrote

Just saying the BTA30 is overkill in this case. Only reason to get it as a transmitter is for music streaming over LDAC or as a receiver with its good DAC. For Just Aptx LL almost every transmitter above $25 works too. Example

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BigBrainAlphaMale OP t1_ixj93iw wrote

Interesting, that Xtral transmitter/receiver says that it has a dac on it. To add to my last response to you. Maybe two of these units acting as a transmitter and receiver would work best? Would that work fine? Using a pair of wired headphones connecting into the Xtral receiver end and using the other at the TV end as a transmitter.

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Nr48 t1_ixjagbp wrote

Nah, you can get the Xtral as the transmitter to save a few bucks in comparison with the 1mii transmitter but I would really stick with a proper Bluetooth dac amp for the headphones. Maybe Have a look for a used btr5.

Two Xtral would connect to each other with Aptx HD which gives you a high latency again.

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