FiiO Air Link Portable Hi-Res Bluetooth Transmitter – True Flagship BT Lossless Communication
FiiO Air Link is a $59 USD Bluetooth Transmitter dongle device designed for lossless Bluetooth transmission and it includes the latest codecs including the ones we’ve never previously seen commercially available like aptX Lossless so today we will test the Air Link and explore how it sounds like.
Introduction
FiiO now has an especially rich selection of products from the most affordable entry-level IEMs, Headphones and DAC AMPs under their Jade Audio brand, but they also have flagship DAPs, Speakers and some really amazing Headphones and IEMS. The Air Link we’re reviewing today is an interesting way of adding actual hi-res BT transmission to a phone / Laptop / Windows Computer that would otherwise not support it.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/48TQNTl
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3spM24B
Build Quality – Design
At its core, FiiO Air Link is a very simple dongle looking Type-C adapter that offers LDAC and aptX Lossless Transmission to a Windows / MAC / Android / iOS device. It is built around the flagship Qualcomm QCC5181 Bluetooth 6.0 chip and it has a multi-function button. For devices that support it, Air Link supports Snapdragon sound, through the two Qualcomm Kalimba DSP processors embedded in the Air Link. For this to work, your other devices need to support it as well.
Bluetooth 6.0 is a higher power Bluetooth, with better area coverage, more stable signal and a lower latency than the older protocols. This allows Air link a transmission range of 50+ meters in an open field, and 35 meters of coverage in areas with obstacles, for the SBC protocols. The more interesting part is how Air Link offers support for LDAC and aptX Adaptive up to 96 kHz / 24 Bit data. Although AAC is not supported at all, Air Link supports all aptX protocols, including aptX Lossless. The button you see on the side allows you to clear and connect to new Headphones, IEMs and Speakers. You have to keep it pressed for 3 seconds for Air Link to enter pairing mode, and press it for 10 seconds to clear all previously stored pairings. There is an LED RGB Light on Air Link that shows the current protocol and pair state.
To control the Air Link, you can use either the FiiO App on mobile devices, or the web interface on Desktop machines. As Air Link will occupy a Type-C port, it is worthy to mention that it also allows for charging while it is being used. Air Link does not have a battery nor require much power, so what it does is pass through the 5V energy it is receiving to the device. The ideal usage is that you would plug in a power cable on the side and allow it to charge the phone.
Inside the package you will receive the Air Link, a protective type-c cover, and a USB Type A to Type C adapter, so you can plug Air Link into a standard USB Plug. Technically, it weighs just 5 grams, it supports OTA firmware upgrade, and can work without a driver installed. Max Power supported is 5V 1A, so standard slow charging, which needs to be supported by the power brick, as otherwise it will not charge the device. Full bluetooth codec list includes SBC for low res, and aptX family for hi-res, including aptX Adaptive, Lossless, HD, Low Latency, and aptX Standard.
Subjective Usage
FiiO Air Link just needs a Type-C USB Port to plug into, and it is live. It always tries to connect to the closest Bluetooth device if it is not paired to anything, but sadly this means that it will also connect to random devices that were not made for connecting like my 65QN95C Samsung TV Monitor. This being said, once it connects, it stays connected nicely and I found it to be reliable. Naturally, this reliability depends on how crowded and busy the BT web is like in your home, so if you have a Wifi router nearby, the signal quality lowers.
Happily, you can force aptX lossless or LDAC, so you should not worry about low quality signals. On the downside, connection quality might be bumpy, so Air Link might disconnect, quite easily. For me, if I have it on my desk, and FiiO UTWS5 2025 in my ears using LDAC or aptX Lossless, I can move Air Link about 1 meter away, to 2 meters at most before the signal is lost or starts dropping.
Latency is the same when using aptX Lossless regardless of the signal quality, so if you need low latency, your best bet is using aptX LL. With aptX LL, I cannot physically notice the delay, so it is within 20 – 30 ms, which will not be noticeable with most video material. While still not perfect for real-time gaming, it is great for casually watching movies, music videos or live concerts.
There is a vast difference in resolution, clarity and quality between aptX LL, aptX Lossless and LDAC, and you will very easily notice the differences if changing between them. FiiO allows you to swap between codecs freely from the web interface, and once I noticed it, I was not able to use aptX LL for anything, only aptX lossless. Also, aptX Lossless sounds far better than LDAC, even aptX Adaptive sounds far better than LDAC or any of the other aptX family codecs.
Sound Quality
Pairings – You can easily pair Air Link with a multitude of IEMs and Headphones, including FiiO UTWS5 2025 connected to a pair of Letshuoer Cadenza 12 2025, Tronsmart T8, Noble FoKus Amadeus, SoundPeats Air5 Pro.
For the source list, I paired Air link with Samsung S24 Ultra, Khadas Mind 1, my custom PC computer. Air Link connects nicely to all of those, all receivers and all transmitting mediums, and there are no extra steps necessary to make it work. Power does not seem to change much with the receiver, which indicates that Air Link is the limiting factor in most setups, but only UTWS5 2025 supports hi-res formats like aptX Lossless, so for the others the range is much wider and without issues it can transmit through 2 walls.
Overall Signature – Most Bluetooth Transmitters and dongle DACs have a certain sonic signature, and a unique sound that they can produce, with FiiO Air Link sounding rather neutral, allowing a higher bandwidth and perceived resolution / quality than my laptop, Pc computer os Samsung S24 Ultra if everything else remains equal. This means that you can expect to hear a rich, brilliant, detailed sound with exceptional resolution, deep bass, natural midrange and sharp, detailed treble. There is minimal difference between LDAC and aptX Lossless, although upon testing them side by side, aptX Lossless has a higher resolution, better detail, feels more premium, while LDAC even at audio quality, sounds rather compressed and limited in comparison, both with new and old music.
Tuning – At its core, Air Link does not seem to have any coloration, and it is instead rather neutral, allowing the IEM + Bluetooth adapter or TWS Earphones combo to sound exactly as they would with most sources. Most of the changes are not at the tuning and tonality level, but in resolution and what the transmitters fail to render and to transmit, most obvious in the dynamic range, textures, soundstage and total distortion. Speaking of which, LDAC has an audibly higher distortion than aptX Lossless, although most aptX family codecs sound worse than LDAC, except for aptX Lossless which does sound better. Something good to keep in mind, as it will depend on what your receiver supports, but for most of this review I’ve been using FiiO’s own UTWS5 2025 which does support all common aptX codecs now. aptX LL is a bit more instant, still has a delay, and sounds far worse than any other codec air link can produce, it is really bad sonically, but the only bluetooth codec that is close to real-time enough for watching movies, videos, or playing games. aptX Lossless has the highest delay, between 0.5 and 1 second of delay which is huge for audio / video sync. But if you are just listening to music, it is by far the best sounding one.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is actually a complex variation of situations, because Air Link can be extremely wide and uncompressed in aptX Lossless or sound really compressed in aptX LL, LDAC or aptX in general. Basically, dynamic range and the level of compression will audibly change drastically depending on the algorithm used. Happily, Air Link seems to have a FAR higher transmission power than anything else I have, so even where Samsung S24 Ultra has dropouts or needs to re-negociate with the earphones from LDAC quality to LDAC signal stability, Air Link can stay in Audio Quality LDAC, which instantly gives it a huge boost in clarity and precision.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Air Link seems to be far more capable to control volume than other windows methods, as it allows a full gradient from 0 to 100 for volume control, allows the media playback to have volume control and it will generally offer far better granularity than connecting earphones directly to the computer, which either makes the first 0 to 10% do all volume control, or sync the volume control in such a way that it is impossible to control from the windows console. Especially with the most recent windows updates, this is a sensitive issue as sometimes windows just break things like volume control.
Soundstage – Soundstage is also heavily influenced by the usage of a dongle Bluetooth transmitter like Air Link. While I have been able to get LDAC running from my laptop, it is a bootleg solution at best, and it works spotty at best, with Air Link allowing this with a much better signal strength and reliability, with an affordable 59 USD price tag.
Value – Conclusion
With a meager price tag, FiiO Air link is a top choice, it is solid, and a far cheaper option than a Bluetooth Wifi board for a computer, or a high-end smartphone to allow you to use a hi-res Bluetooth codec. This has been an issue for me in the past as I always wanted the best sound on phones, but as we’ve seen in our Bluetooth codec review, it is not just the codec that changes sound but also the phone itself as they each have a signature.
At the end of the day, FiiO Air Link is an excellent Bluetooth transmitter, and especially if you want to experience a hi-res signal, aptX Lossless or LDAC, and if you want to do that on Windows or Android, I can guarantee not just that it works, but that it sounds hi-res and actually is worth the asking price.
PROs
- Lightweight and very easy to use, as it does not need a driver
- Pairs with basically everything, without needing anything special besides being close to the device it is trying to pair with
- Works well to allow aptX Lossless on windows, which nothing else offers right now
- Sounds excellent, far less compressed and almost lossless if using aptX Lossless or LDAC
- Dynamic and engaging, it is an excellent sonic choice for a wireless system
- Incredible value, extremely low price but high performance
- Overall a top choice, it enabled me usage that otherwise would not have been possible
Cons
- Right now the only available Bluetooth transmitter of this style on the market so the comparison list is not comprehensive
- Fiddly pairing process, it is not smart nor easy to configure what it is trying to pair with, at least on Desktop windows PC
- Will not make a noticeable difference for low resolution devices using SBC protocols
- Range is very limited for aptX Lossless
- As it hangs from the Type-C port of a phone, it is not a practical solution while traveling, also some phones do not see it at all
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/48TQNTl
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3spM24B
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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