UGreen Max5c: $25 NC Headphone Review

[leeherman99]

Has anyone had success playing these headphones using Windows 11? I've paired mine, but it only plays for a few seconds before going silent. They play perfectly using my Android phone.

 

[sulfuriq]

Has anyone had success playing these headphones using Windows 11? I've paired mine, but it only plays for a few seconds before going silent. They play perfectly using my Android phone.

Using Bluetooth or USB-C? You can try this 3rd Driver if you want to use LDAC. Alternative A2DP Driver

My wife use this headphone last time for her online meeting without any problem. She use USB-C to her notebook Windows 11.

 

[USER]

Has anyone had success playing these headphones using Windows 11? I've paired mine, but it only plays for a few seconds before going silent. They play perfectly using my Android phone.

No problems using a bluetooth connection with Windows 11 here. Check your bluetooth settings on both ends. What's nice is that they keep the "classic" sound profile I loaded on the android app.

And I also use Alternative A2DP Driver for LDAC. Very much worth the few dollars!

Purchase Alternative A2DP Driver License

Purchase Alternative A2DP Driver License

www.bluetoothgoodies.com

 

[leeherman99]

No problems using a bluetooth connection with Windows 11 here. Check your bluetooth settings on both ends. What's nice is that they keep the "classic" sound profile I loaded on the android app.

And I also use Alternative A2DP Driver for LDAC. Very much worth the few dollars!

Purchase Alternative A2DP Driver License

Purchase Alternative A2DP Driver License

www.bluetoothgoodies.com

It's connected when it stops playing. The player keeps going. Windows Sound system tray levels bouncing around shows something is being sent.

I'm not big on adding 3rd party drivers - I like to keep my system as plain vanilla as possible, to minimize the chance of incompatibilities down the road.

UPDATE: Tried the Alternative A2DP Driver. It works great. Thanks for the tip, all.

 

[Emlin]

It's connected when it stops playing. The player keeps going. Windows Sound system tray levels bouncing around shows something is being sent.

I'm not big on adding 3rd party drivers - I like to keep my system as plain vanilla as possible, to minimize the chance of incompatibilities down the road.

Even when you have a seeming incompatibility now?

 

[CedarX]

Has anyone had success playing these headphones using Windows 11? I've paired mine, but it only plays for a few seconds before going silent. They play perfectly using my Android phone.

Before blaming the headphones—which could very well have some kind of problem of their own—are you able to play something from the same W11 machine to another BT headphones using the same codec(s)?
There are so many things in Windows that could make our life miserable… Just saying!

 

[petebone]

I got my pair today. I picked them up off of aliexpress. I have only used them for a bit but so far, the ANC is pretty good and sound quality wise, these sound pretty good for the cost. The bass option is the default in the app and these headphones are extremely bassy. However, you can use one of the presets and it drops the bass tremendously.

In terms of cons, the things that I don't like so far are the fact that the app is very bare bones and, on iOS, the volume does not get very loud; in comparison to a lot of other bluetooth headphones that I have tried. However, if you just want to have a pair to throw into a bag and not worry about, this is the one.

 

[petebone]

View attachment 410464

View attachment 410465

How do you like them, so far?

 

[sulfuriq]

How do you like them, so far?

My boys and my wife loves them (bought 4) the battery life is excellent including the mic performance. The SQ is spot on when using the provided EQ in the app. And it is very comfortable. You don't need to turn on your HP when you want to connect it to your pc or smartphone through USB-C compare to Sony XM4 which is very convenient.

 

[Sak]

Good headphones, recommend.
The sound is very good, especially after adjusting LDAC on Win11. Now I can listen to my favorite music while moving around my house. After all, full-size wireless headphones are very convenient and can sound great.

 

[Carlo2AC]

How easy is it to replace the battery @amirm ? is it soldered?

This is usually one of the dealbreakers for me in a lot of ANCs headphones, i usually buy stuff and use for years, and in everything battery dies as time passes, even though it is that cheap i still wouldn't like to have it become a paper weight a few years down the line

 

[CedarX]

How easy is it to replace the battery @amirm ? is it soldered?

This is usually one of the dealbreakers for me in a lot of ANCs headphones, i usually buy stuff and use for years, and in everything battery dies as time passes, even though it is that cheap i still wouldn't like to have it become a paper weight a few years down the line

How easy is always going to be subjective...
At what threshold of “easy enough”, “fairly easy”, “straightforward”, “uncomplicated”, “not easy”, “difficult”, “tedious”, “demanding”, “laborious”, “complicated”, “exhausting” does it become an (objective) dealbreaker for you?

 

[Karmacoma]

How easy is it to replace the battery @amirm ? is it soldered?

This is usually one of the dealbreakers for me in a lot of ANCs headphones, i usually buy stuff and use for years, and in everything battery dies as time passes, even though it is that cheap i still wouldn't like to have it become a paper weight a few years down the line

Hence the emphasis on 25$. How much would you be ready to pay for a new battery? I'm curious

 

[Mookalafalas]

I'm a big fan of Amir's reviews and have bought a lot of equipment based on his recommendation, and have always been happy. With that in mind, I grabbed a pair of these, but am not feeling the love.
Pros: fit well and very comfortable. Claims 75 HOURS of battery life, which would be stellar. Cheap, of course, and fold into a fairly flat and compact shape
Cons: ANC is very weak, even against steady noise. I got them for commute on train, but ANC hardly blocked anything. Combine this with weak volume, and I had to give up and switch back to regular earbuds (I've got the high end Sony's and some good cheapies called Moondrop Spacetravel). Ugreen's sound is probably good for $30, but I can't agree with Amir's claim that they sound like "$300 headphones." I use two pairs of cheap-ish200+ dollar range over-ear phones-- Sennheiser 6xx and HiFiman HE400se, and they both CRUSH the Ugreens. Years ago I bought a pair of cheapy over ear phones called "Mpow"--and I think those had better ANC and maybe sound, too. 3 years ago I also got Bowers&Wilkins first wireless headphones, for about $500. They are beautiful, but sound and ANC were disappointing. UGreens are MUCH better value than those, and may even sound better, but I doubt I'll be using them much in the future.

 

[Vict0r]

Got my pair in yesterday. Build quality is surprisingly decent for the price, and they remind me a lot of the $50 Anker Q30 wireless ANC headphones that I own as well. The weight, materials and construction feel similar. They both have 40mm drivers too.

Sound quality isn't spectacular, but it is fair for the price. Quite boxed-in and boomy sounding. Installing the app (that's not in any official app store) and setting the EQ profile to "Classic" gets rid of some of the boom, but it doesn't elevate the overall experience to anything higher than "useable", in my opinion. They do offer LDAC, which my phone supports, so that's nice. For the $30 I paid the sound is very acceptable, but $30 can get you better sound these days. There are some excellent Chinese IEMs out there. Those don't offer all the digital tricks these ANC headphones offer, though. Apples and oranges, I guess.

ANC is on par with the Anker. There's some noise cancellation, and even an "Awareness" setting that's a sort of transparency mode, but it's nothing compared to how far modern ANC has come in some products by Apple and Sony etc.

Comfort isn't great on my pair. The Ankers win, and feel much lighter and softer on the ears. The Ugreens feel sweaty and, well, noticeably there, if you know what I mean. Don't see myself using them for long periods of time, but I guess that all depends on the shape of your ears and skull. I have a big, Dutch head, I guess.

All in all, the amount of enjoyment you'll get out of these really depends on the price you pay for them. For $30 they're a ridiculous deal, but for $50 I think I'd rather go with the Anker Q30.

I got mine from Aliexpress for EUR31 all-in, btw. Shipped to The Netherlands in about a week. Packaging says Hitune Max5c.

 

[Deckard01]

Hi, do you think should I proceed with Max5c or check for any Sony XM headphone?

I need good Sound and Call quality.

Also as wired as I reed, the EQ is not working and is always on bass mode?

Thanks

 

[MZKM]

Hi, do you think should I proceed with Max5c or check for any Sony XM headphone?

I need good Sound and Call quality.

Also as wired as I reed, the EQ is not working and is always on bass mode?

Thanks

Mine just arrived (they sound good for the price, ANC is also decent).

Microphone on iOS only works via wired.

Wired does in fact default to Bass preset.

I wish it would default to the currently selected preset, which could be a firmware upgrade (current firmware isn’t even 1.0, it’s 0.5.4).

I just emailed them about it:

Spoiler: Email

Hello,

I just received my Max5c headphones, and I really love them for the price.

I have 1 request, please keep current Equalizer preset when switching to USB.

Currently it defaults to Bass and there is no way to change it (app doesn’t work when using USB).

Thank you,

These won’t be daily drivers, but maybe to take on trips (I’m more of a IEM guy, so I wouldn’t spend $300+ on some Sony/Bose headphones that I’d only use on vacations).

 

[Cbdb2]

Thanks @amirm!

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

Your going t o use the noise cancelling while he practices?

 

[petebone]

Got my pair in yesterday. Build quality is surprisingly decent for the price, and they remind me a lot of the $50 Anker Q30 wireless ANC headphones that I own as well. The weight, materials and construction feel similar. They both have 40mm drivers too.

Sound quality isn't spectacular, but it is fair for the price. Quite boxed-in and boomy sounding. Installing the app (that's not in any official app store) and setting the EQ profile to "Classic" gets rid of some of the boom, but it doesn't elevate the overall experience to anything higher than "useable", in my opinion. They do offer LDAC, which my phone supports, so that's nice. For the $30 I paid the sound is very acceptable, but $30 can get you better sound these days. There are some excellent Chinese IEMs out there. Those don't offer all the digital tricks these ANC headphones offer, though. Apples and oranges, I guess.

ANC is on par with the Anker. There's some noise cancellation, and even an "Awareness" setting that's a sort of transparency mode, but it's nothing compared to how far modern ANC has come in some products by Apple and Sony etc.

Comfort isn't great on my pair. The Ankers win, and feel much lighter and softer on the ears. The Ugreens feel sweaty and, well, noticeably there, if you know what I mean. Don't see myself using them for long periods of time, but I guess that all depends on the shape of your ears and skull. I have a big, Dutch head, I guess.

All in all, the amount of enjoyment you'll get out of these really depends on the price you pay for them. For $30 they're a ridiculous deal, but for $50 I think I'd rather go with the Anker Q30.

View attachment 410839

I got mine from Aliexpress for EUR31 all-in, btw. Shipped to The Netherlands in about a week. Packaging says Hitune Max5c.

View attachment 410851

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

 

[GWolfman]

Your going t o use the noise cancelling while he practices?

He can turn off noise cancelling. Also, his instrument is pound enough he can hear it anyways, but he can listen to the music he’s playing along with (my main point).