UGreen Max5c: $25 NC Headphone Review

[xhibbzzh]

Seeing this review, I decide to buy one. And I live in China, so I bought it for only 14 dollars, and it will be delivered on the same day without paying any freight.

 

[patoulol]

14 dollars !!!

 

[dingus]

hey everybody and thanks to everybody who contributed here. this thread helped me make a 20 bucks headset sound like a much more expensive one

i have one issue/question though:
i am using the Max5c with Windows 11, so i got the alternative a2dp driver and set it to LDAC.
However, whenever i shut down my computer the driver struggles to recognize LDAC compatibility upon reboot. On reboot the headset connects and disconnects multiple times. when it finally stays connected the a2dp driver only allows me to select SBC and AAC.
to get LDAC functionality back i have to connect the headset to the phone with that stupid app and then reconnect it to the PC.

any ideas would be much appreciated. thanks!

 

[zegabbas]

@amirm the last PEQ does have a Q factor, I used 1.
If it is not then the score for your EQ is inaccurate.

Usually, BT SOCs provide plenty of EQ capabilities including Dynamic range compressors, therefore the tuning should represent the intent of the designers.

Here are some thoughts about the EQ.
Please report your findings, positive or negative!

Notes about the EQ design:

• The average L/R is used to calculate the score.
• The resolution is 12 points per octave interpolated from the raw data (provided by @amirm)
• A Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the EQ.
• The EQ Score is designed to MAXIMIZE the Score WHILE fitting the Harman target curve (and other constrains) with a fixed complexity.
  This will avoid weird results if one only optimizes for the Score, start your journey here or there.
  There is a presentation by S. Olive here.
  It will probably flatten the Error regression doing so, the tonal balance should be therefore more neutral.
• The EQs are starting point and may require tuning (certainly at LF and maybe at HF).
• The range around and above 10kHz is usually not EQed unless smooth enough to do so.
• I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves.
• With some HP/amp combo, the boosts and preamp gain (loss of Dynamic range) need to be carefully considered to avoid issues with, amongst other things, too low a Max SPL or damaging your device. You have beed warned.
• Not all units of the same product are made equal. The EQ is based on the measurements of a single unit. YMMV with regard to the very unit you are trying this EQ on.
• I sometimes use variations of the Harman curve for some reasons. See rational here and here
• NOTE: the score then calculated is not comparable to the scores derived from the default Harman target curve if not otherwise noted

OK L/R match.

I have generated two EQs, the APO config files are attached.
For the price it could be a nice way to experiment with EQ etc.

Score no EQ: 66.6
Score Amirm: 89.1 (great effort)
Score with EQ: 99.1


View attachment 407913
Just for the sake of it I used Amirm's EQ as a starting point as it had most of the EQ points.
The issue is that the the score optimization requires the regression slope to be as close to 0 as possible therefore it decreased the LF to achieve this.
It probably not as good as the one above for most people for this reason, it illustrates the issue with solely optimizing for the score.

Score no EQ: 66.6
Score Amirm: 89.1
Score Amirm optimized: 100.9

View attachment 407911

can some kind soul eq this on wired mode (type c to pc) . wish i knew how to eq . i have tried like 100 equalization presets from squig. and have been looking everywhere for wired mode measurements , but couldnt find any.

 

[petebone]

I have had these headphones for a while and I had never thought to use it through my PC. I guess by default, the bass setting is on but I EQ'd the heck out of them and they sound really good on the PC. It's more of a fun pair since the bass is tremendous, no matter how much you EQ, but I am diggin' it.

 

[petebone]

Yes, these definitely remind of the q30s but it feels like, to me, that the HiTunes have better ANC and have a better microphone.

Agreed. Also, the UGreens feel more sturdy.

 

[imnotdrunk]

Has anyone tried the new model, Studio Pro? Price is almost the same as Max5c, seems similar with some upgrades. However with an extra driver and a 300% sound quality upgrade I don't know what to expect

 

[Karmacoma]

Has anyone tried the new model, Studio Pro? Price is almost the same as Max5c, seems similar with some upgrades. However with an extra driver and a 300% sound quality upgrade I don't know what to expect

New brand moto

 

[Sagittarius]

PEQ with Maiky76 apo files works great under Linux (LDAC). Thanks.

 

[petebone]

PEQ with Maiky76 apo files works great under Linux (LDAC). Thanks.View attachment 489877

That's an EQ that you got through Linux?

 

[Sagittarius]

Yes it's Easyeffects on linux, here on manjaro.

 

[dannut]

Additional observations:

• Build quality is quite nice. Earcup size is passable for large ears, clamping force is high-ish.
• Needs phone app to change EQ preset and ANC strength. Usable presets 'Classic' and 'Jazz'. Comes with 'Classic' preset OOTB. (firmware 0.5.7)
  • 'Classic' has a midrange scoop (below ~1kHz), bass shelf starts at too high frequency (or the resonance at ~200Hz makes it that way) and bass is boomy (~70Hz resonance)
  • 'Jazz' preset fills in the midrange scoop, but has a depression on lower-highs in the presence region (2-6kHz).
  • Adding ANC 'Ultra' gets rid of the boomyness in the bass and is quite balanced with 'Jazz' preset. Listenable without additional EQ tinkering.
• Amp has couple issues:
  • lowest volume setting is still too high
  • noisy - has quite high level of low frequency rumble. ANC mitigates the rumble but adds additional high-frequency hiss.
• Defaults to AAC with Android. No issues with codec. Works with multiple bluetooth devices seamlessly ('Dual link'). For placebo, supports LDAC codec. Needs activation both in App and in Bluetooth settings - but you lose the 'Dual link' functionality.

For a bargain-basement 25EUR, quite a surprise. Listenable with the correct preset. Wish it had built-in custom EQ capability and crossfeed ('spatial sound effects' option is unusable) and/or wish it came with a neutral EQ preset from factory for critical listening. But good for casual listening and perfect for kids/family.

 

[n2000]

Additional observations:

• Build quality is quite nice. Earcup size is passable for large ears, clamping force is high-ish.
• Needs phone app to change EQ preset and ANC strength. Usable presets 'Classic' and 'Jazz'. Comes with 'Classic' preset OOTB. (firmware 0.5.7)
  • 'Classic' has a midrange scoop (below ~1kHz), bass shelf starts at too high frequency (or the resonance at ~200Hz makes it that way) and bass is boomy (~70Hz resonance)
  • 'Jazz' preset fills in the midrange scoop, but has a depression on lower-highs in the presence region (2-6kHz).
  • Adding ANC 'Ultra' gets rid of the boomyness in the bass and is quite balanced with 'Jazz' preset. Listenable without additional EQ tinkering.
• Amp has couple issues:
  • lowest volume setting is still too high
  • noisy - has quite high level of low frequency rumble. ANC mitigates the rumble but adds additional high-frequency hiss.
• Defaults to AAC with Android. No issues with codec. Works with multiple bluetooth devices seamlessly ('Dual link'). For placebo, supports LDAC codec. Needs activation both in App and in Bluetooth settings - but you lose the 'Dual link' functionality.

For a bargain-basement 25EUR, quite a surprise. Listenable with the correct preset. Wish it had built-in custom EQ capability and crossfeed ('spatial sound effects' option is unusable) and/or wish it came with a neutral EQ preset from factory for critical listening. But good for casual listening and perfect for kids/family.

Sorry, just came here to say that LDAC actually does make a difference on these. Whatever AAC implementation exists here really isn't too great and some of air is lost. On hats especially, I notice a very clear difference between it on and off. Ideally there shouldn't be a noticeable difference between codecs, but something is wrong here.

I still think it sounds good with LDAC off since the entire rest of the frequency range is the exact same, it's just in the top end.

 

[Deckard01]

Has anyone faced issue with 5C that can not connect, but always try to pair but without success? I face that issue...

 

[xience]

@amirm the last PEQ does have a Q factor, I used 1.
If it is not then the score for your EQ is inaccurate.

Usually, BT SOCs provide plenty of EQ capabilities including Dynamic range compressors, therefore the tuning should represent the intent of the designers.

Here are some thoughts about the EQ.
Please report your findings, positive or negative!

Notes about the EQ design:

• The average L/R is used to calculate the score.
• The resolution is 12 points per octave interpolated from the raw data (provided by @amirm)
• A Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the EQ.
• The EQ Score is designed to MAXIMIZE the Score WHILE fitting the Harman target curve (and other constrains) with a fixed complexity.
  This will avoid weird results if one only optimizes for the Score, start your journey here or there.
  There is a presentation by S. Olive here.
  It will probably flatten the Error regression doing so, the tonal balance should be therefore more neutral.
• The EQs are starting point and may require tuning (certainly at LF and maybe at HF).
• The range around and above 10kHz is usually not EQed unless smooth enough to do so.
• I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves.
• With some HP/amp combo, the boosts and preamp gain (loss of Dynamic range) need to be carefully considered to avoid issues with, amongst other things, too low a Max SPL or damaging your device. You have beed warned.
• Not all units of the same product are made equal. The EQ is based on the measurements of a single unit. YMMV with regard to the very unit you are trying this EQ on.
• I sometimes use variations of the Harman curve for some reasons. See rational here and here
• NOTE: the score then calculated is not comparable to the scores derived from the default Harman target curve if not otherwise noted

OK L/R match.

I have generated two EQs, the APO config files are attached.
For the price it could be a nice way to experiment with EQ etc.

Score no EQ: 66.6
Score Amirm: 89.1 (great effort)
Score with EQ: 99.1


View attachment 407913
Just for the sake of it I used Amirm's EQ as a starting point as it had most of the EQ points.
The issue is that the the score optimization requires the regression slope to be as close to 0 as possible therefore it decreased the LF to achieve this.
It probably not as good as the one above for most people for this reason, it illustrates the issue with solely optimizing for the score.

Score no EQ: 66.6
Score Amirm: 89.1
Score Amirm optimized: 100.9

View attachment 407911

These files are great. I wish I could use these on Android. The csv to equalizer generated using autoeq.app just doesn't sound the same.

 

[movehome]

I've had these for a year and I think I like them more than my IEMs and Hifiman HE400i's. The Hifiman's in particular are too fatiguing (clear, sibilant, etc.) for me to listen to. I prefer the warmer/bassier/blanketier sound of the Ugreens on Jazz setting. They're really comfortable too and the build quality seems great as there's still no signs of use after a year. Only thing that's not great is they don't sync well with my TV, but I seem to remember my old Sony NC headphones having the same issue.

 

[Sagittarius]

These files are great. I wish I could use these on Android. The csv to equalizer generated using autoeq.app just doesn't sound the same.

On a Pixel 7pro Android LineageOs microG rooted, I'm using James DSP Magisk module. It works great when I listen to my navidrome server with Tempus.

 

[Nokami]

Those sound incredibly fun on PC (USB) and they are incredible for FPS games (very good and accurate positional cues). I prefer them over my 770 or even S08 for that purpose. The ANC is good too; not sure how the hell they can make them this cheap. They will probably replace my Momentum 4 for travel, the Max5C is more comfortable, and sound quality-wise, they are maybe 95% as good. With EQ, the package is a miracle to me; they sound much, much better than the asking price might suggest.

Bass can be a bit rumbly, but with Ultra ANC this seems to be fixed entirely. I use them with the classic preset.