Today we are reviewing the first vinyl record player from FiiO brand, which used to be associated exclusively with portable players, DACs and headphones, but the manufacturer is gradually entering other segments of audio equipment. The FiiO TT13 BT model is a fully automatic turntable with a belt drive, built-in phono preamp, and a bundled Audio-Technica AT3600L MM cartridge.
The player has built-in Bluetooth with support for aptX/aptX HD codecs and works right out of the box without the need for additional settings. We won’t call it a killer of Crosley and similar «suitcases», but it is a serious competitor that costs significantly less than most Japanese and European brands and sounds better than you would expect for the money. So we’re going to take a closer look at its capabilities, design, sound, and usage features.
Content
The turntable is supplied in a double cardboard box: an outer one for transportation and an inner one with color printing. The inside of the turntable is protected by foam, the lid is additionally covered with a protective film, and all elements are securely fixed. The package of FiiO TT13 BT is quite complete, especially considering the Plug & Play format. The box has everything you need to get started:
The lid is sturdy, hinged, does not play and locks in the open position, which is convenient for everyday use; the brand logo is made of metal in the center of the lid.
The FiiO TT13 BT comes with an Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge already installed, which is one of the most common and affordable MM cartridges on the market. It is a basic but time-tested model that is often used in budget and mid-range players.
The AT3600L doesn’t offer extraordinary detail or stage depth, but it sounds smooth, without harsh accents and without the risk of damaging records, provided you use it properly. It is enough for everyday listening or for the first acquaintance with the vinyl format – it forgives the imperfections of the recording and setup errors, so it is well suited for beginners. It is a compromise between price and quality, which fits well into the overall concept of FiiO TT13 BT as an easy-to-use home listening device.
The turntable looks minimalistic and stylish: a black matte aluminum case, an equally black matte tonearm and a weight. The only thing that gives away the budget is a glossy metal cartridge holder made of cheap plastic — the strangest solution against the background of the overall quality of materials and assembly.
However, the FiiO TT13 BT looks minimalistic until the colored backlight of the disk and logo is turned on, but it is quite restrained, without the effects of all the colors of the rainbow, as is the case with gaming devices. White, as one of the possible options, looks restrained.
In addition, the backlight can be dimmed or turned off altogether.
The aluminum tonearm with a pre-configured counterweight means that the user does not need to do anything and can play records right out of the box.
The belt-driven platter is quite heavy and also made of aluminum. In general, the build quality is good for such a budget, although the cheap plastic of the cartridge spoils the overall impression.
The vibration-absorbing feet do their job perfectly and also automatically level the turntable on the surface where it is placed: the user may not realize that the furniture in his or her home is not level, but for a record player, such unnoticeable unevenness is very significant. The shock-absorbing feet, which are usually installed in the turntable above the initial segment, solve this problem.
The FiiO TT13 BT also comes in white and without Bluetooth, which will be discussed later.
Record playback is fully automatic: just turn it on and press start. The tonearm and the needle lift out of the locking mechanism by themselves, the platter starts spinning, the tonearm is lowered onto the record and starts playing. The same is true in the reverse order. This is very convenient, especially for inexperienced users who may accidentally scratch the record or damage the needle.
But full automation also comes with a disadvantage: playback cannot be paused, you can only lift the needle to move it. However, the disk will continue to spin and stop only when it is completely turned off (the tonearm will also return to its original position). Not a critical and rarely needed option, but still.
With the supplied remote control, you can turn the turntable on and off, adjust the backlight, turn on repeat and, unexpectedly, remotely switch tracks – the tonearm will automatically skip to the next or previous track; sometimes it misses a little, but in general, the hit is quite clear.
| Type | Vinyl player |
| Brand | FiiO |
| Model | TT13 BT White |
| Color | White |
| Connection | Bluetooth, RCA |
| Power supply | From the network |
| Built-in sound corrector | Yes |
| Support for speeds | 33 1/3, 45 rpm |
| Reason | Belt |
| Voice coil cartridge | Audio-Technica AT3600L |
| Cover | Transparent, removable |
| Additionally | Built-in Bluetooth transmitter |
The TT13 BT features a fully analog audio architecture with two high quality JRC5532 operational amplifiers. A built-in phono preamplifier with an output level of up to 800 mV@1kHz 0dB allows the player to be connected directly to active speakers without the need for an external preamplifier.
The player’s body is made of aluminum alloy. The total weight is about 3.85 kg, which, together with the anti-vibration feet, ensures stable playback without the influence of external vibrations.
The TT13 BT is equipped with a seven-color backlight that can be dimmed or turned off completely. An infrared remote control is also included to control the player’s functions.
The player supports two power supply options: AC 100-240 V or DC 12 V/1 A, which allows it to be used in various conditions.
The TT13 BT version supports Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX, aptX Low Latency and aptX HD codecs.The expediency of wireless interfaces in vinyl players is a rather questionable feature, but there are situations when a turntable is bought rather for the aesthetic part – then there is a problem with the location and the large number of wires, which can be solved by the built-in Bluetooth.Otherwise, it would be more logical to connect the speakers via a wire, because the essence of listening to vinyl is precisely the maximum physicality of the process.
First of all, it is worth noting that this is an entry-level turntable aimed at the mid-range segment, so you should not expect peak detail from it. But in the context of a budget, fully automatic Plug & Play solution, the sound of the FiiO TT13 BT is a pleasant surprise.
The built-in phono equalizer works neutrally, the player sounds without obvious embellishments, with a slight blockage in high frequencies, which makes the presentation more comfortable for long-term listening. The bass is not deep, but dense, the middle is a little muffled, but voices sound natural and not intrusive. High frequencies are soft, without special detail, i.e. without emphasis on nuances, but it is pleasant to listen to and there is no feeling of blurring.
Bluetooth sound should only be used out of desperation: the signal is compressed, the dynamics are lost, and the experience is reduced to the level of listening to streaming services, but on vinyl. On the other hand, the connection is stable, there are almost no lags, and it’s more than enough for background music at a party.
FiiO TT13 BT turntable was tested in pair with active speakers FiiO SP3 BT, Edifier R1700BT and Klipsch R-50PM. With a wired connection, the sound demonstrates good detail and saturation, which allows you to enjoy vinyl sound, but when using a Bluetooth connection, some of the detail and sound depth is noticeably lost.
Paired with simple active speakers, we get a pleasant balanced sound, which is well suited for vinyl reissues, jazz, soul, indie pop and everything that does not require analytics. For more complex music, it is advisable to change the cartridge because the bundled Audio-Technica AT3600L is more suitable for initial familiarization with the format.
Price FiiO TT13 BT is UAH 12,990and the price of the version without Bluetooth FiiO TT13 is UAH 11,990. Test acoustics FiiO SP3 BT currently costs about UAH 17,990.
Among the direct competitors are TEAC TN-180BT for 11 349 UAH, Lenco LBT-188 for 14 590 UAH and Audio-Technica AT-LP60XUSB for 11 520 UAH or AT-LP60XBT for 15 220 UAH (the same player, but with Bluetooth). These options can be considered, but as in the past with audio players, it seems that FiiO has the same strategy with vinyl players: make better and cheaper than competitors who have been on the market for a long time, establish yourself as a quality manufacturer and then start releasing more expensive versions of devices. Since all of the above turntables will be somewhat inferior to the FiiO TT13 BT.
If we look at a slightly more interesting, but correspondingly pricier, segment, it will be models:
TEAC TN-280BT for 18 949 UAH — chassis made of dense MDF, built-in MM phono stage, Bluetooth, heavy aluminum platter, direct statically balanced tonearm, Audio-Technica AT3600L pickup (by the way, the same basic cartridge as in FiiO TT13), anti-skid system.
Rega Planar 1 for 17 380 UAH — one-piece straight 9-inch aluminum tonearm Rega RB110, Rega Carbon MM cartridge, MDF case with acrylic lamination, 23 mm thick platter, 24-volt synchronous electric motor with low noise and vibration, manual switching of the platter speed. However, the RCA cable is built into the case, which can be a disadvantage, and there is no built-in phono preamp, so this is a higher category of devices.
Pro-Ject T1 EVO OM10 for 18 450 UAH — glass resonance-free platter, low-noise motor, Ortofon OM 10 Moving Magnet cartridge, one-piece direct tonearm with replaceable cartridges. But there is also no phono stage.