- Lossless, low-latency wireless audio for any USB-C source
- Use your lossless / LDAC headphones with Apple devices
- $59 / £49.99
Fiio has announced a new pocket-sized Bluetooth transmitter, the Air Link. It delivers LDAC and the full aptX codec suite – including aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless – to pretty much any audio source with a USB-C port.
That makes it of particular interest to iPhone, iPad and Mac owners who want the best possible quality from, and a wider choice of, high-end headphones or wireless speakers.
It’s an interesting upgrade for any device. There’s Bluetooth 6.0, ultra-low latency of less than 50ms and a compact design that means it won’t make your phone too bulky.
FiiO Air Link: haven’t we heard this one before?
If you’re thinking “hang on, didn’t Fiio launch this last year?” you’re almost right: it’s very similar to the Fiio BT11, which also delivered LDAC, Hi-Res Audio and lossless through the same Qualcomm chipset, and was designed to work with everything USB, including iPhones and iPads.
Unfortunately that product has had a bit of a troubled existence, with some online discussion – including an exceptionally long and ongoing thread on head-fi.org – about connectivity issues. Fiio’s own website describes connectivity issues with LDAC in particular, blames low quality receivers and suggests using “the LDAC Bluetooth codec in a better environment.”
That was a real shame, because the BT11 looked like the perfect product for people we described as “iPhone-loving wireless audiophiles”. So I’m really hoping that the Air Link can deliver on the same promise – but this time without any problems.
The Air Link will be available from November 2025 with an official price of $59 / £49.99. We’ve particularly rated Fiio’s releases over the last couple of years as bringing excellent audiophile sound for a lower price than the competition – it’s a real leader in the growing ‘Chi-fi’ world, where Chinese audio brands are bringing the goods. The Fiio JM21 is our favorite budget options among the best hi-res audio players, for example.
The best headphone DACs for all budgets
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.
