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FiiO has just released a tiny USB-C powered device that promises to liberate my iPhone from its AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) Bluetooth prison. Can a $59.00 dongle really give my iPhone access to Bluetooth 6.0 and AptX Lossless?

FiiO Air Link Portable High-Res Bluetooth Transmitter

The Basics:

The FiiO Air Link Portable High-Res Bluetooth Transmitter is a tiny dongle that plugs into the USB-C port on Apple devices. The Air Link uses the Flagship Qualcomm QCC5181 chip, which supports Snapdragon Sound and AptX Lossless as well as other advanced Bluetooth codecs. In addition, it is Bluetooth 6.0, which offers a stable, high-performance, long-range connection with minimal power usage, and has a broadcast range of 114 ft. or more.

The Run-down:

The wireless, ANC Bluetooth headphone world has grown exponentially since Bluetooth codecs have matured past their early days. Apple developed its own proprietary codec called AAC, and, in usual Apple fashion, designed its audio products to work exclusively with that codec. However, should an Apple user wish to use another company’s Bluetooth-enabled product, that product has to use Apple’s AAC codec, instead of any number of higher resolution codecs it offers. Speaking from personal experience, I have a pair of wireless, ANC headphones that can use aptX Lossless, currently the most advanced codec. Since I usually play music from my Apple devices, I can’t appreciate what those higher-resolution music files might sound like. However, FiiO has solved my problem with a tiny device that plugs into the USB-C port on my iPhone, iPad, or MacBook and bypasses the AAC codec to transmit all the codecs available to Android devices.

FiiO Air Link Portable High-Res Bluetooth Transmitter Specifications

The Air Link supports SBC, LDAC, and all Qualcomm aptX codecs, including aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, aptX HD, and aptX Low Latency.

Bluetooth 6.0

Type-C male plug:

power supply/data transmission.

Type-C female plug:

charging.

Maximum supported sampling:

96kHz/24bit.

The Air Link has a multi-function button and RGB lighting that shows what Codec is being used.

Bluetooth multipoint:

supported.

Weight:

about 5 grams/0.18 ounces.

Product Name:

FiiO Air Link

Product Type:

Portable High-Res Bluetooth Transmitter

MSRP:

$59.00

Website:

https://www.fiio.com/airlink

Company:

FiiO

The Follow-up:

I’ve had the opportunity to review the FiiO FT7, and having been using the FiiO K17 DAC/Amp, which was reviewed by our resident genius and founder, John Johnson Jr. In both cases, I was deeply impressed with the level of engineering, finesse, and stellar performance. FiiO continues to innovate with products like the Air Link. I’ve only been using the Air Link for a few days now, but so far it has performed flawlessly and has successfully liberated my iPhone from the limits of AAC Bluetooth. I’ll be trying out the Air Link with the iPad and MacBook Pro as well, and will file a full review in the near future.

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I was born to love audio. My grandfather was awarded a patent for a “METHOD OF PRODUCING TALKING-MACHINE RECORDS” in 1912. He also sang opera. He passed his passion for music and the early days of recording on to my mother, who then passed it on to my sisters and me. My father, a professor of electrical engineering, was also an amateur jazz guitarist. He loved Heathkit’s home-built electronics, and as a little girl I was his “assistant builder”. He always talked to me about what he was building, and we always had the biggest T.V. and the most advanced HiFi gear. Music was always on in our house, and my folks really listened to and discussed what was playing on the turntable, and later the reel-to-reel deck. I grew up with jazz, the classics, and my father’s goofy and extensive collection of comedy albums and sound effects records. He always made sure I had the latest transistor radios, which were my prized possessions; I could be found late at night, trying to listen in on the faraway stations that magically appeared through the static between my local stations. In the early 70s, I discovered the remarkable world of Japanese audio on my layovers in Japan as a flight attendant. I remember lugging home a huge, very heavy wood-clad Kenwood receiver back from Japan, thanks to a kind captain that made space for my treasure in the cockpit. That receiver powered my two Bose 901s that I had hung from the ceiling in the living room. I also fell in love with the early Sennheiser open-back headphones that had come on the scene in 1968 and which sparked my passion for headphones that continues to this day. After traveling the world as a flight attendant my work led me to the restaurant world of the San Francisco Bay Area, where I spent several years working in a “farm to table” restaurant. I developed a passion for photography while co- writing a cookbook with the chef. My skills as a food and garden photographer grew and I added working as a photojournalist with assignments that usually included the food scene in the Bay Area. A year ago, I joined the San Francisco Audiophile Foundation (https://audiophilefoundation.org), where I discovered my tribe. It was humbling to find out that compared to almost everyone I met, I actually have a long way to go to call myself an audiophile! I was also shocked to find out that out of over 300 members, there were only three women (including me). It was a source of pride, however, to know that the president and a founding member is a woman. Yay, team! You can find me outdoors hiking and photographing landscapes and wildlife and trying my hand at nighttime landscape photography.

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