On this article, we’re looking at FiiO’s revised Bluetooth ear hook DAC/AMP, the FiiO UTWS5 2025, which retails for $159 USD.
Disclaimer: FiiO offered the UTWS5 2025 for evaluation for free of charge. As at all times, the ideas and impressions shared listed below are completely my very own.
FiiO
Identified for its dedication to designing high-quality audio tools, FiiO is a crucial pillar of the worldwide audiophile market. Since its launch in 2007, FiiO has specialised in the design and improvement of a variety of audio merchandise. With an intensive distribution community spanning continents, FiiO continues to ship revolutionary merchandise that resonate with music fanatics worldwide.
Extra just lately, FiiO has expanded into speaker territory and launched a brand new sub-brand referred to as Snowsky. If somebody had instructed me we’d be seeing LDAC help on a $60 product, I wouldn’t have believed it. However right here we’re. In the event you’re into reasonably priced wi-fi gear, undoubtedly try our evaluation under.
At the moment, our focus is on the UTWS5 2025, a refined follow-up to the unique UTWS5 we reviewed in 2021. FiiO has caught with the identical AKM DACs we preferred earlier than however addressed some key sturdiness points. Let’s revisit the idea and see how this distinctive instrument performs in right now’s market.
Through the years, we now have reviewed and awarded a whole lot of FiiO tools on Headfonia. You’ll be able to entry these critiques by means of this hyperlink: Headfonia FiiO Evaluations.
FiiO UTWS5 2025
Primarily, the FiiO UTWS5 2025 is a Bluetooth ear hook DAC/AMP that turns your favourite wired IEMs into totally wi-fi TWS IEMs. In case your IEMs use 2-pin 0.78mm or MMCX connectors, the UTWS5 acts as a plug-and-play adapter that wraps round your ears, making them fully wire-free whereas holding the sound high quality as intact as doable.
With the 2025 replace, the UTWS5 maintains the core function set that labored properly within the 2021 model whereas introducing key upgrades in sturdiness, battery, and codec help. That’s what we’ll discover right now.
The idea is straightforward: unplug your IEMs from their cable, plug them into the UTWS5, and also you’ve unlocked a TWS expertise of your favourite IEMs. Both sides of the UTWS5 homes an unbiased AKM AK4332 DAC+HP combo and a Qualcomm Bluetooth chipset. Additionally they have built-in microphones on both sides, so that you received’t have to take away your IEMs to speak on the telephone. Listed below are the specs and highlights.
- AKM AK4332 DAC (per facet)
- New Pin-Free IPX4 Design
- Qualcomm QCC5141 Bluetooth 5.2 Chipset with LDAC, LHDC & AptX Adaptive Assist
- TrueWireless Mirroring, Snapdragon Sound & AptX Voice Options
- Parametric EQ through FiiO Management App & On-line EQ Profile Fetching
- SNR 110dB | Noise 4uV | Distort. 0.002% | 35mW@32Ω
- 60 mAh Battery (per facet) | 7-8h Playback
- 1100 mAh Charging Case Battery | x2 Full Costs
- MMCX/2-pin, Twin-Gadget Connection, OTA Updates & extra
- 93x70x36mm, 145g
What’s new in UTWS 2025?
The capability of the charging case has elevated from 800mAh to 1100mAh. Nonetheless, the true recreation changer is the change from charging the contact pin to charging the wi-fi charger contained in the case.
The 2021 UTWS5 used steel contact pins that have been liable to corrosion from sweat or moisture, a standard drawback for customers who wore the hooks throughout exercises. FiiO obtained widespread experiences of oxidized pins and determined to deal with the difficulty head-on.
In keeping with FiiO’s James, “Using wi-fi charging as an alternative of contact pins in TWS merchandise is uncommon. We needed to overcome important engineering challenges to make it energy and space-efficient. We had very restricted house contained in the hooks, and on prime of that, the hook and the case needed to alternate knowledge for options like auto-connect and sync, which added to the complexity.”
The redesign resulted in a totally sealed, IPX4-rated hook that now expenses wirelessly. The housing was additionally barely enlarged to accommodate bulkier IEMs extra comfortably. The tradeoff? The case itself not helps wi-fi charging, solely wired charging through USB-C.
The value was elevated to 190-ish {dollars} from 160, and folks requested. Why the worth hike? Right here’s what James says:
“Every earbud now has its personal wi-fi charging module. We use specialised coils and chips which are rather more costly than normal charging elements. Even with the worth improve, our margins are decrease than earlier than. However revenue has by no means been the aim. The UTWS collection is supposed to be a great tool for fanatics.”
The excellent news is that regardless of an preliminary spike, costs have now stabilized round $150 to $160, virtually an identical to the unique mannequin.
One closing notice: No modifications have been made to the audio circuitry. FiiO says that restricted inner house and battery constraints didn’t permit for upgrades, and higher chips just like the QCC5181 weren’t prepared on the time. As an alternative, the precedence was to resolve the corrosion drawback and restore dependable availability. Truthful sufficient.
Equipment & Packaging
FiiO took a extra mature and refined method with the UTWS5 2025 packaging. The field is completed in a light-weight grey tone with minimal branding, and other than the barcode label, there’s no point out of “2025” wherever. That’s as a result of the unique contact-pin model is not being produced. From this level ahead, I’ll check with it merely as UTWS5.
Contained in the package deal, the contents are simple. You get the ear hooks already positioned contained in the charging case. There’s additionally a brief USB-A to USB-C cable, roughly 7 to 10 centimeters lengthy, and a primary set of paperwork, together with a quick-start information and a thicker, multilingual guide. There are not any further equipment. An extended cable would have been helpful, however apart from that, nothing else is de facto required.
Design & Construct High quality
When it comes to design, the 2025 model sticks intently to the unique structure. The obvious change is the FiiO brand on the entrance. It now makes use of a shiny black background with gold lettering as an alternative of the silver embossed letters we noticed beforehand. The hinge on the case additionally feels extra refined, with a tighter and extra secure open-close movement, however that could be resulting from manufacturing variance.
I actually just like the design. It’s sensible, mild, and straightforward to make use of. The identical three-LED indicator system stays on the entrance: the middle LED reveals the charging case standing, whereas the facet LEDs replicate the connection and cost state of the left and proper hooks. The LEDs have a subtle look that’s simple on the eyes.
The charging case is constructed from aluminum with a matte black end, giving it a pleasant, stylish look. The hooks themselves are plastic with a mushy silicone-coated reminiscence wire which you could form on your ears. They’re extraordinarily light-weight at simply 8 grams every. The USB-C charging port is beneath the hinge on the rear of the case.
A multi-function button within the heart handles key duties: faucet as soon as to test the battery, maintain for 3 seconds to enter pairing mode, and maintain for twelve seconds to provoke a full reset.
Whereas the earhooks appear to be they is perhaps touch-sensitive, they really use mushy, membrane-style bodily buttons. They’re mild to press and don’t disturb your IEMs’ match or seal. Voice pickup is dealt with by microphones positioned on the backside and prime of every hook, with one devoted to ambient sound. Each mics are protected beneath liquid-proof grilles, and simply subsequent to them, every hook includes a single standing LED embedded inside these grilles.
These LEDs give connection or energy cues discreetly. It’s a bizarre location for standing LEDs in the event you ask me.
FiiO gives each MMCX and 2-pin variations, and in the event you’re like me and hold a number of IEMs with totally different connectors, you possibly can at all times use ultra-short adapters. I do want that they had carried out a swappable connector system like Impact Audio’s ConX or TM2, however possibly we’ll see that in a future model.
The evaluation continues on Web page Two, after the press HERE or by utilizing the soar under.
Web page 1: FiiO, UTWS5 2025, What’s new?, Packaging & Equipment, Design & Construct High quality
Web page 2: The Expertise, Name High quality, Latency, Efficiency, Final Phrases
