UGREEN MAX5c headphone review

What's in the box?

The UGREEN Max5C headphone comes with a 1.2 meter USB-C male to USB-C male cable, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable and a manual. The headphone has a weight of approximately 256 grams.

UGREEN Home Android App

To access the headphone’s more advanced feature, installing their app is mandatory. Features like Dual Link, Hi-Res Audio/LDAC and EQ presets can be enabled within the app.

Dual Link

This feature enables 2 devices to be connected simultaneously to the headphone. It can only be turned on through the app. LDAC will be also be disabled automatically.

Wired mode

A 1.2 meter male-to-male USB-C connector is included in the box. Bluetooth will be disabled as soon as a wire is plugged into the device.

The headphone can be connected to desktop PCs or laptops with USB-C ports, and for those without, a USB-A male to USB-C female adapter can be used. Or you can simply use any USB-A to USB-C charging cable.

I would have preferred the USB-C port to be on the left side of the headphone, consistent with all my other wired headphones, especially since my desktop PC is placed on the left side.

Sound quality

This headphone sounds very bassy right out of the box. My favourite EQ preset are Classic or Jazz. Classic has less bass. If you want a more neutral sound, classic mode is the one to choose for this headphone. In  Jazz mode, there is slightly more bass. Mids are more pronounce, so vocals is more forward sounding.

There is a slight difference in sound quality between SBC/ACC and LDAC. Not that SBC/AAC mode is bad, they are average. LDAC is better. Enabling LDAC requires activation through the app before it can be used.

The audio quality of this headphone is optimal when connected via wire to my desktop PC. From my observation, audio quality for the UGREEN MAX5c ranks in this order; SBC/AAC < LDAC < Wired to tablet and phone < Wired to desktop.

EQ on wired mode

In wired mode, an equalizer software is necessary to manage the bass levels of the headphone. On Android, you can use and install Wavelet.

On Windows, there are many free EQ software such as Equalizer APO and Peace Equalizer. Usually audio players have built-in equalizer too like Foobar2000.

Ear cup size

The ear cups have an elongated oval shape, measuring 6.2cm vertically and 3cm horizontally on their inner side and at their widest points. With my ears measuring 6.4cm vertically and 3cm horizontally, the headphones fit comfortably. However, individuals with larger ears may find them less comfortable.

Headband

It is comfortable and good enough. There is a slider on each side and there are 10 clicks or levels for adjustment. I set mine at 5 clicks which is most comfortable for my head size.

Overall, the headphone fits comfortably for my medium head size. Headband tension is neither too tight or too loose. 

Bluetooth, ANC, etc

Bluetooth works fine without any hiccups when connecting to any of my devices.  While the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) performs adequately, I find the passive noise isolation from the earcups sufficient for my needs. With ANC enabled, sound signature will change. ANC will be disabled when in wired mode.

Microphone on this headphone is very good. It can also work when connected wirelessly to the PC.

Bluetooth latency

The manufacturer advertises this headphone as having a 68-millisecond latency but the actual performance falls short of this specification for me. I can definitely notice the delay in fast-paced shooter games especially. Despite this, the headphone performs adequately for music listening, communication, and less reaction-intensive games. *Update: Game mode must to be enabled for lower latency performance. I didn't notice any delay once game mode is on. I had to manually turn off Hi-res mode to use Game mode. But I can still use Dual-link with Game mode on.

A comparison table of over-ear Bluetooth headphones under $30 USD is provided below, detailing their specifications; notably, the UGREEN Max5C stands out as the budget-friendly option at $20 USD.

Final thoughts

The UGREEN Max5C has a good build quality to it compared to other headphones on the market at around the same price point. Build quality is better than the Baseus H1i, OneOdio A70 Fusion, Edifier W600BT. Ugreen Max5C is a great budget headphone. The UGREEN Max5C is sold on Aliexpress; lookout for sale and discounts. They have sale on their Ugreen Official Store frequently.