The FiiO RR13 is a pocket-sized FM radio with built-in stereo speakers, so you can play a station out loud on a desk or bedside table, or plug in headphones for private listening. It is the follow-up to the slimline RR11 and sits alongside the TT13 turntable and CP13 cassette player in FiiO's Retro Products range, bringing modern electronics to a classic analogue format. The Retro Gold finish pairs an aluminium alloy front panel with an AG glass back cover.
Stereo Speakers and Headphone Output
An ultra-thin five-magnet speaker system and two independent amplifiers are housed inside the compact chassis, giving genuine stereo sound from a radio that fits in a shirt pocket. A two-position switch on the side selects between the built-in speakers (SPK) and the standard 3.5mm headphone output (HP), which supports headphones from 8 to 100 Ohms. A customised FiiO DDB AS100 analogue audio and amplifier chip provides a three-position MAGIC BASS switch: off, BASS 1 for bass enhancement, and BASS 2 for bass enhancement with a 3D surround effect.
Si4831 Tuner and Analogue Tuning
Reception is handled by the Silicon Labs Si4831 FM radio chip, covering the standard 87 to 108 MHz band (FM1) and the Japanese 76 to 90 MHz band (FM2). Tuning is by an analogue PVR knob: FiiO has reworked the RR11's roller, gear and rack mechanism to improve the gear ratio, so sweeping the dial is smooth and locking onto a station is easier. The dial itself is a mechanical type with luminous pointer and markings in the style of a retro wristwatch, so the frequency remains readable when the lights go down. Three indicator lights show stereo reception, tuning signal strength and battery or timer status.
Built-in and Telescopic Antennas
A custom-shaped antenna is built into the body, and when headphones are connected they also act as an antenna. For speaker listening, the supplied detachable telescopic antenna plugs into the 3.5mm socket to improve reception in difficult locations.
Headphone Amplifier Mode
Set the band selector to AMP and the RR13 becomes a portable headphone amplifier. Connected to a phone, player or computer through a Type-C to Type-C cable with a built-in DAC chip (sold separately; FiiO's TRUST series cable is compatible), it delivers at least 80mW per channel into 32 Ohms with THD+N below 0.008% and a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 100dB, with the MAGIC BASS effects available on the amplified signal.
Swappable Battery and Sleep Timer
Power comes from a replaceable 3.7V 450mAh 10440 lithium battery with its own protection board, so a spare can be swapped in rather than waiting for a charge. FiiO quotes at least seven hours of FM listening through headphones, at least four hours through the speakers and at least 18 hours in headphone amplifier mode, with a full charge taking around 2.5 hours from a 5V 2A USB source. A dual sleep timer switches the radio off after 30 or 60 minutes for bedtime listening.
In the Box
The RR13 is supplied with a USB-A to Type-C charging cable, the external telescopic antenna, a quick start guide and a warranty card. Available in four finishes; this listing is for Retro Gold.
