TRN BT20s Pro vs FiiO UTWS3 vs iBasso CF01 comparison

[@Ulalayumyum]

The comparison we’ve al been waiting for!

[@softsmoken]

This type of wifi earbuds is the future... there needs to be easy more people covering this shit. Great job brother. One love.

[@PortaFi]

wifi is still to power-consuming to be used in earphones unfortunately

[@softsmoken]

@@PortaFi right, I suppose that's where the cases that charge your earbuds come in very useful to fill that gap.. hey I'm still the guy who hardwires EVERYTHING I can so I understand.

[@hatdog703]

THANK YOU FOR THIS COMPARISON!

[@AaronFigFront]

Shure tw1 has a 4 band parametric eq and is physically much smaller. Fiio’s utws3 seems ok but I have doubt from my own experience. Also I don’t know if I should get on the tws adapter. I have Qudelix 5k, btr5, and EarStudio mk1. I like Qudelix the best, amp performance is very good, btr5 is also very good. EarStudio is just a hair less resolving. Qudelix updates firmware constantly and easily via the app. It added many new features. It has extremely powerful parametric eq settings, even ped presets from autoeq. Its Bluetooth signal along with strength EarStudio’s are also much better than FiiO. Fiio’s also have response delay about several seconds constantly. So I would not true fiio’s tws. I really want Qudelix to make a tws adapter like the shure tw1.

[@ed0s245]

In terms of sound quality, would you say that the FiiO UTWS5 is better than the iBasso CF01? The UTWS3 is a cheaper model so I assume that FiiO improved the sound quality of the UTWS5. Good review by the way.

[@PortaFi]

yes, you right! UTWS5 is the best such solution that I've tried so far thank you!

[@mrfrosty3]

Another quality review. Does the cable from the battery part to the IEM interfere with how they fit at all?

[@PortaFi]

it depend on ears. I don't have fit issues with those, but I've seen some comments that people have problems wearing them (especially with glasses)

[@Anteksanteri]

Late response, but with glasses the iBasso one is less likely to be uncomfortable.

[@samyg123]

One strong feature I like on the FiiO is its companion app that lets you adjust many functions. Does TRN or iBasso have this too?

[@PortaFi]

no, they don't

[@zhixtetsuya8991]

Waiting for upgraded versions of these Bluetooth modules specifically from TRN and Fiio with qcc3040 and bluetooth 5.2

[@PortaFi]

not sure if BT 5.2 will give some significant boost itself creators need to do something more than just chip upgrade :)

[@zhixtetsuya8991]

@@PortaFi BT 5.2 is actually a big upgrade because of LE audio plus no more master slave connection between 2 modules

[@zhixtetsuya8991]

@@PortaFi BT 5.2 is actually a big upgrade because of LE audio plus no more master slave connection between 2 modules

[@PortaFi]

LC3 codec is also a good addition, but it all should be supported by smartphone and DAP manufacturers

[@fitfrek]

@@zhixtetsuya8991 there's no master slave with the utws3

[@Imagine_Breaker]

should i get bt20s pro for my moondrop starfields? they will be on sale for like 30$ and i don´t think its worth to step up to 80$ for the UTWS3

[@PortaFi]

I didn't test them with Starfield, sorry

[@Imagine_Breaker]

@DeltaTeam10 haha I upgraded to 7hz timeless and ended up getting utws5, makes more sense as a combo and yeah they sound amazing, pretty happy with them

[@ramli1111]

Owned the UTWS3 before, hated it cause it had so many issues of closing the lid and the earbuds are still detected , i even got 2 new units with the same issue where i just gave up :(

[@PortaFi]

I didn't have such problems, but probably it depends on IEMs attached

[@competitivegamingpakistan]

Which ones would you recommend for use at the gym? I'm gonna pair them with iBasso IT01.

[@PortaFi]

probably FiiO. it's more affordable than iBasso, and during active workout it will be hard to spot the difference in sound quality

[@oneken52]

why not include shure rmce tw1？

[@PortaFi]

cause I don't have them, and they aren't even sold in my country :)

[@kevinreyes6778]

Hi, please compare the mic quality of these. Thanks.

[@PortaFi]

Hello, unfortunately I don't own them right now, but I did simple mic tests in their separate reviews. In short - all are more or less OK in quiet environment, but in noisy conditions all aren't great

[@PrinceSingh-rg2qx]

Which one is good for running or jogging??

[@PortaFi]

I think all 3 will be at the same level of "goodness", as their designs are pretty similar

[@hdwblade]

You think there will be a better option out soon with LDAC wireless now being a thing? I'd love something like this but don't want to buy it something better is coming soon!

[@barberismeable]

Fiio utws5 is coming

[@PortaFi]

I'm not sure here. Possibly yes, but the problem is that LDAC is far from perfect too. There is a new, really promising codec LC3, but it's still not available in mass market

[@hdwblade]

@@barberismeable Was there a press release or something?

[@barberismeable]

@@hdwblade not sure but it will be in October. As in FiiO's facebook announcement

[@olivierm.1353]

I have two pairs TRN B20, both have the same dealbreaking issues for me : - Latency is terrible. Unsuited for gaming. I feel about 1 seconds delay. - The device goes in some kind of sleep mode after 1-1,5 second without playing a sound. Then it misses the beginning of the next sound played, a syllab in case of a word. Terrible for audiobooks, podcast, KZbin videos or pretty much any content that doesn't play continuous sounds. This is made even worse by the audible blank noise at low volume, which stops and resumes when the device desactivates/reactivates playing a sound, dragging attention to the said blank noise. Can I expect any better from these adapters ?

[@PortaFi]

I don't think that you'll get a drastic improvement, as it's mainly a technology limitation. Delays can be reduced with TWS, but still present, they aren't created for things like gaming Same applied to a sleep mode, this adapters power down audio part to preserve battery So, other adapters can reduce this issues, but don't totally avoid that As for hum level, other adapters have it lower

[@olivierm.1353]

@@PortaFi Thank you for your detailed response. I have plenty of earbuds that don't suffer the same issues, even cheap ones. Is there no option that would mimic a cheap BT earbud's connectivity? I have cheap Xiaomi or even Mpow buds that are fine. Higher end Samsung buds or Jaybird are doing great too.

[@PortaFi]

You know, that cheap TWS that I've tried usually have delay. Few exceptions I've tested had only SBC codec, and I think it's a "secret" of the low delay for them. And even more expensive models have lower, but not zero delay As for the noise, it's not correct to compare TWS and such adapters, as adapters are created for use with different IEMs, and they need to have extra power for the IEMs that are more tough to drive, so with a really sensitive IEMs there could be hiss. Adapters in this video are much better then first gens, and have better black background

[@olivierm.1353]

@@PortaFi I don't know much about codecs, si I will take your word on that part. Regarding latency, I can accept a reasonable level of latency. Here, close to 1 second, it is not acceptable for gaming as I can clearly hear the sound coming after I complete an action. It is quite disturbing. I can understand the noise, and while I would prefer not hearing it, I can cope with it. But for the "sleep" mode, I have never seen that with any other device. Maybe it is just that it is too slow "waking" up from this mini-sleep mode and misses a note. But the result is clearly annoying, cropping words after most sentences from someone reading at a regular pace.

[@PortaFi]

well, I think you can try FiiO's UTWS3, it's better in this aspects than TRN, and less expensive than CF01

[@Ali-tv2lm]

What is the headphone used in this video please?

[@PortaFi]

it's a different models by Campfire Audio

[@PSGFan-bd1kn]

Do you think It would be a better option for me to just get an Amp instead of a DAC/Amp for the Sony IER-Z1R?.I intend to use it my MacBook Pro and my current budget is $200.

[@PortaFi]

no, in this case, it's better to get some DAC/amp. DAC in MacBook is acceptable, but below the "OK" level, so some desktop DAC/amp combo will be better (or even a decent USB-C dongle)

[@PSGFan-bd1kn]

@@PortaFi Do you think I can get get better audio quality if I purchase an Amp for $100 and a DAC for $100 separately or do you think It would be better for me to just purchasing a DAC/Amp like the Khandas tone2 pro for my Sony IER-Z1R IEM for $200?

[@PortaFi]

@@PSGFan-bd1kn I think 2-in-1 device is OK in this case. Getting two separate blocks makes sense if you going to upgrade them separately, which I think not a case here

[@SteashEdits]

@@PSGFan-bd1kn I’ve heard Joshua Valour mention a setup with an AMP and an Apple 3.5mm - Usb C dongle which is a really decent DAC according to him with really low noise floors. But by now you’re probably all set with your setup lol

[@lzm82]

Is that the original Andromeda or the new version? Which Andro is better in your opinion? How is the synergy of the Andromeda with UTWS3?

[@PortaFi]

> Is that the original Andromeda or the new version? new one > Which Andro is better in your opinion? to be honest, most of all I prefer Ara > How is the synergy of the Andromeda with UTWS3? these TWS adapters limits potential of Andromedas

[@lzm82]

@@PortaFi thks for your opinions! I am still undecided between the Andros as the new one seem to have lost some of the airy-ness when I briefly tested it. I was still wondering of I should dive into Andros for my UTWS3, but it seems even aptX tws+ still limits their potential.

[@PortaFi]

@@lzm82 yes, aptX will limit them without any doubts ))) it will sound OK, but not at full potential

[@mains8913]

Great review!

[@PortaFi]

thank you

[@tamim_111]

When the next generation of fiio will come? because it have a bad mic ):

[@PortaFi]

who knows… :) hopefully we'll see UTWS5 soon :)