UGreen Max5c: $25 NC Headphone Review

[amirm]

You can buy them on ebay and such in US but that would be near $60. The $25 price is on Aliexpress.

 

[USER]

Where are these available in the USA? I'm not see them in the Jungle, is this an overseas type of order?

Yes, they come China. I ordered them from AliExpress. Of course this means that if you have issues you are likely out of luck, but I find UGREEN products to be very well made (almost premium quality as far as cables, chargers, etc. go) so didn't mind the gamble. I mean at that price I can live without a real warranty. But, to each their own...

 

[GWolfman]

Thanks @amirm!

I’ll give it a try for my teenage son for use while practicing his instrument.

 

[617]

Cool review! Have you considered doing simple noise cancellation tests by putting the headphones on the fixture with ANC on, and playing pink noise over speakers, or something similar?

ANC is one of the more important features of a headphone like this, and while they all claim some deicbel level or another of cancellation, it's hard to trust 1st party numbers in a situation like this.

Sound isolation in general is an important part of headphone fidelity, however I don't think pink noise is enough to measure it.

Rtings has excellent noise cancellation samples.

Edit; you all beat me to the punch. These ANC algorithms are pretty sophisticated but let's not forget passive isolation which also improves fidelity. In some ways I preferred my Sennheiser sealed hd280 or whatever to my 580 open model.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

Wally World lists them for $32

 

[Mookalafalas]

I ordered a pair from AliExpress in Japan (I live in Japan). They are about $30.

 

[Piotr]

I think I will get them for watching TV at home at night.

Should be good enough and like 20x less expensive than Apple AirPod MAX in my country.
It's odd that AirPod Max costs more than Wiim Amp Pro.

 

[JeremyFife]

Nice! I like the uGreen cables and bits, decently made and cheap: good to see that these are also good and a valid alternative to budget IEMs. Brilliant for the money.

Loved this "it delivers more sub-bass than anything other than large tower speakers"

 

[WalterW]

I am not into gaming or use any noise cancelling, but for anybody who is this seems to be a hard to beat product what cost-benefit relation is concerned. I have an Apple-like lighning dongle AMP/DACs from UGreen that is also very good. Impressive company

 

[JDS]

This is a review, detailed measurements, listening tests and EQ of the Ugreen HiTune Max5c noise cancelling wireless headphone. It is on kind loan from a member and is on sale for $25.47 (retail $57).
View attachment 407795
The Max5c feels every bit as high quality as much, much more expensive wireless headphones. The cups while a bit small for my ears, are comfortable and have a plush feel. It supports USB-C for both charging and acting as a "sound card" to the operating system. An app is provided for control/EQ but sadly, not from the official store. It is a side-load that you install on Android which I dislike. Further, as shipped, it defaults to "Bass" enhancement so using the EQ is a must. The app is straightforward but sadly doesn't work when you plug in the USB-C cable, forcing me to use Bluetooth for testing.

I did not test the microphone but in the one and only video review of it, the quality was impressively good! I subjectively tested the noise cancelling feature and it seemed effective although not as good as higher end headphones (this is from memory).

Voice feedback for setting changes is done nicely and controls are easy to learn and use.

I turned on "High-res" mode but no matter what I did with my Samsung phone, it would insist on using AAC instead of LDAC. Maybe there is a way to make it work but I ran out of patience to get there.

Ugreen HiTune Max5c Measurements
I selected "Classic" for EQ profile as there is no "off" setting. This the frequency response:
View attachment 407803

There is some deep bass roll off. Not sure the reason for that.

We see ringing in bass frequencies going up to midrange. Compliance after that is decent. In relative terms, we are looking at this deviation:
View attachment 407804

The shape of the deviations lends itself to PEQ correction which is nice.

Not happy about the distortion in lower treble:
View attachment 407807

View attachment 407808
No impedance or sensitivity measurements as this is an "active" headphone.

Ugreen HiTune Max5c Headphone Listening Tests
I was pleasantly surprised that out of box sound was pleasant. Those peaks in bass magnified low frequency notes at times which was not annoying and some people may like. Indeed, if I did not have EQ ability, I would have thought this was very good fidelity. But we do have EQ and this is what I came up with:
View attachment 407812
With these filters, the bass tightened up and spatial qualities/details improved. Track after track in my library sounded excellent.

The only miss was sub-bass where the presence was subdued with a bit of distortion. Mind you, it delivers more sub-bass than anything other than large tower speakers.

Conclusions
If you didn't tell me otherwise, or force me to side-load an app into my phone, I would have said this is a $300 headphone, not a $25 one from a company that normally makes USB cables and such! As long as you can defeat the default bass EQ, the sound is more than good enough without EQ. With EQ, it wears the "high fidelity" label with pride and almost delivers there. Noise cancelling works good enough with the microphone delivering fidelity that is hard to believe.

I wish the company would finish the job by defaulting to EQ off and getting an approved App for both Android and iPhone. It would be a killer than at this price.

As is, I am still going to recommend the Ugreen HiTune Max5c assuming you are comfortable side loading an app into your android phone.
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

To be clear, I assume you can use them with an iPhone, but there is no iOS app to manage settings, etc., right?

I actually threw down for Apple's top in-ears. Impressive tech, but they refuse to stay in my ears, so I am searching for alternative travel solutions.

 

[Azathoth]

Ugreen is a popular brand over here, I have their cables and USB hubs and whatnot. Surprised to see their audio gear passing Amirm's scrutiny. Makes me glad I buy Ugreen. Maybe Ugreen should make a comment here?

 

[staticV3]

I actually threw down for Apple's top in-ears. Impressive tech, but they refuse to stay in my ears, so I am searching for alternative travel solutions.

Consider giving 3rd party eartips a try: https://store.azla.co.kr/search?type=product,article,page&q=airpods

The Xelastec especially is very tacky for lack of a better word, so tends to help with issues like yours.

 

[USER]

To be clear, I assume you can use them with an iPhone, but there is no iOS app to manage settings, etc., right?

I actually threw down for Apple's top in-ears. Impressive tech, but they refuse to stay in my ears, so I am searching for alternative travel solutions.

The app is called UGREEN Home and the android version is located here:

UGREEN App Download

Discover the latest in consumer electronics with UGREEN. Browse our collection of chargers, USB hubs, cables, docking stations, adapters, and more.

www.ugreen.com

Funny enough, the other UGREEN app on that page is officially supported by Android and Apple. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

However, I think I just found the Home app on the Apple App store! It seems to have been recently updated as well.

‎UGREEN Home

‎UGREEN Home APP is the management platform of UGREEN smart products. Through APP, you can simply and conveniently connect with the hardware through your iPhone and realize the interconnection between smart devices to create your exclusive smart scene and enjoy a better life.

apps.apple.com

I do not use Apple products (other than Apple TV) so I cannot confirm whether or not it is the same app or if it is compatible. Hell, it may not even be a legit link. Hopefully someone will be able to at some point. So...maybe??

@amirm would you happen to have an iPhone on you? Microsoft may be watching so blink twice if yes.

 

[amirm]

However, I think I just found the Home app on the Apple App store! It seems to have been recently updated as

Screen shots look correct so it might work.

 

[GWolfman]

I went to order and the price went up :*(
I hate when that happens LOL

 

[Jeromeof]

Screen shots look correct so it might work.

Yes I can see they added support 6 months ago from their release notes:

 

[JDS]

Consider giving 3rd party eartips a try: https://store.azla.co.kr/search?type=product,article,page&q=airpods

The Xelastec especially is very tacky for lack of a better word, so tends to help with issues like yours.

Thanks for the tip (pun intended). I've already tried memory foam, but still have issues. I'll try these next.

 

[USER]

Update:

My sister just confirmed that the app on the Apple store works with the headphones and that the settings are there and function! I completely forgot that I got a few of these back in May as gifts and that I gave her a pair.

I wonder if this affects the panther rating...

 

[fordiebianco]

Interesting, confirms my impression that UGreen produces good quality items. Many thanks for the test, @amirm .

 

[Palladium]

For $25, an instant "Great" from me.