FiiO RR13 Portable Stereo Radio

The FiiO RR13 is a pocket stereo FM radio made, in FiiO’s words, to safeguard the true essence of radio: the romance of turning a dial, exploring unknown frequencies and hearing a warm, authentic voice come through. A professional Silicon Labs Si4831 tuner, a custom internal aerial plus a telescopic one, a silky analogue tuning dial with a luminous pointer and a five-magnet stereo speaker system sit in a body just 85.6mm tall and 76g. FiiO’s DDB analogue chip adds BASS and 3D effects, a swappable rechargeable battery keeps it going all day, and it doubles as a headphone amplifier.

Pocket-sized, high-fidelity stereo

The pocket-sized body houses an ultra-thin five-magnet stereo speaker system with two independent built-in amplifiers, for a modern stereo radio that sounds as good as it looks. Listen out loud through the speakers or privately through headphones: both carry that unique radio atmosphere.

A professional radio chip

The Silicon Labs Si4831 professional FM radio chip gives stronger station searching, wider coverage and clearer, more stable reception, from the early-morning news to late-night music programmes. It covers the standard 87–108MHz FM band (FM1) and the Japanese 76–90MHz band (FM2). FiiO built a custom-shaped aerial into the compact chassis, and plugging in headphones, or the included detachable 3.5mm telescopic aerial, significantly improves reception sensitivity in difficult spots.

Silky-smooth analogue tuning

FiiO reworked the classic analogue tuning mechanism of its RR11: a new roller, gear and rack design greatly improves the gear ratio, so every turn of the side tuning knob is smooth and precise and stations are easy to lock onto. Tuning becomes a small ritual of its own.

A luminous mechanical dial

The custom luminous pointer is styled after premium retro mechanical watches. As the light fades, it glows softly to show the frequency clearly: retro style that is also practical.

BASS and 3D sound, tuned by FiiO

A custom FiiO DDB AS100 analogue audio and amplifier chip, specially tuned and optimised, adds a BASS mode and 3D effect that reproduce classic sonic signatures with an immersive sense of space, so the RR13 sounds beautiful as well as clear.

Rechargeable, swappable battery

A 450mAh 10440 lithium battery with its own protection board gives about 7 hours on headphones or 4 hours on the speakers in radio mode, at the default volume. It recharges over USB-C in about 2.5 hours, and because it is swappable, a spare keeps you listening from morning to night.

Also a headphone amplifier

Connect a phone or computer through a USB-C digital-to-analogue adapter cable (not included; FiiO makes a TRUST-series Type-C to Type-C cable for this) and the RR13 becomes a headphone amp, adding the character of its DDB analogue chip to music or internet radio. In amp mode it delivers 80mW per channel into 32Ω, with a 100dB signal-to-noise ratio, under 0.008% distortion and up to 18 hours on headphones.

A sleep timer for bedtime listening

Fall asleep to a gentle station without getting up to switch off. Press the timer button to turn the radio off after 30 minutes (the light glows yellow) or 60 minutes (blue); green means the timer is off. It also saves power overnight.

Retro outside, precise inside

Inside the pocket-sized chassis is a complete radio reception, amplification, tuning and power system. Outside, an aluminium alloy front panel and an AG glass back give a fine texture and a comfortable grip. On top are the 3.5mm headphone socket and the power/volume knob; on the sides, the tuning knob, the band/mode switch (FM1, FM2 or amp), the output switch (headphones or speaker), the BASS switch, the timer button and the stereo, tuning and battery lights; the USB-C port is underneath.

Good to know

• FM only: there is no DAB or AM.
• Our colours are black and silver; FiiO also makes retro gold and red versions.
• See also the slimmer FiiO RR11.
• In the box: RR13, USB charging cable, telescopic aerial, quick start guide and warranty card.