I’ve been using UTW3 attached to my Tin T2 for a while and thought highly of the set up. The UTW3 died, however. I could pick up the newer UTW5, which Zeos raves about, for about $150. Or, I can just give up and spend less money on a Samsung Buds 2 (which get a thumb’s up from Crinacle), for $95.
Is there an argument for spending the extra $50 on the Fiios? I realize the real advantage of the UtW5 is that I can attach any IEM I want to them. I could attach my Andromeda 2020s. BUT, I’m not going to do that, because I think I’m more likely to lose small wireless things than my wired Andros. It’s about use-case. So to my mind, T2s are perfect. Who cares if I lose them?
So, if I’m not going to attach anything better than the T2s to the Fiio…shouldn’t I just save my money and get the Samsungs?
ps. I see the use case for True WIreless as different from when I want to use my wired IEMs (attached to a BTR5).
Been enjoying UTWS5 and have to admit never look up Samsung Bud2 so cannot say if it’s any good in terms of sound. Hope FIIO will continue improve the firmware still some quirks can be improved on.
For me it’s got to be UTWS5. The difference is $50 and I know you said you won’t attach any other IEM but it’s still a good option to have in case you later change your mind.
Also, what is your TWS use case? For example, I found UTWS5 sufficient enough with EJ07M and for the wire-free ease of use that I don’t even use my K9 Pro these days despite at home, let along for commute.
Finally, with UTWS5 at least your current IEM can still be used rather than potentially laying inside a drawer gathering dusts.
mostly for doing stuff where I find a wire is a problem…like if I’m doing yard work, or even doing stuff in the kitchen. Having a wire attached to the BTR5, which I’ve clipped to my shirt or pocket or something, can be a problem.
I take calls with it…some complain about the mic. I don’t know if it’s any better on the Samsung. The Samsung, by the way, gets praise for sound quality; Samsung apparently bought Harmon and does the Harmon curve well. That’s not quite my preferred sound, but a Harmon curve at least guarantees that it won’t be a muddy bass monster.
Personally, I’d go with the Galaxy Buds Pro (original version) as they’re the same price as the normal Buds 2, but have better sound quality due to the larger 2 dynamic driver setup the Pros have. While all of the Buds line are tuned quite well, the drivers in the Pro line offer a sizable step up in terms of detail, imaging, and dynamics. You even get some decent soundstage, believe it or not! They’re the only TWS out there that are capable enough to be better than all the wired options in the price range, and that’s when they were at $200, but they’re at $120 now.
They punch an absurd amount above their price range IMO, but that’s only if you have an iPhone or Samsung Android phone. The codec support is poor on other Android phones/devices, as the Buds really like Samsung’s SSC codec or Apple’s excellent implementation of AAC (many Android phones implement AAC quite poorly). The Buds Pro are resolving enough that you will get bottlenecked by codec choice.
Though, I will admit that the Fiio UTWS line never made sense to me. You don’t get ANC or noise passthrough, the form factor is absolutely horrendous for exercise (leaving your expensive IEM prone to falling out often), and you’re still bottlenecked hard by Bluetooth and the tiny amps in each unit anyways.
I ended up buying the Buds Pro. The sound is good. Works fine with my Pixel. Now I just have to figure stuff out. I wish they had actual buttons so that I could turn them on.