[fmkuz]

Ldac with my fold 4 two weeks on is fantastic. Occassionally it drops out, which is swiftly fixed by pressing the play/pause button a few times. Id say i get drop out issues never at home but in busy areas ince every few hours

For the price i am v happy. Amazing product

Same here with my Fold4. I had 2 drop outs the last month and was corrected pressing pause/play. Very happy too with this device.
I've already received the iFi go pod. I will test it from today but when I tested 5 min yesterday with my andromeda2020 when I unboxed it, I was a little desapointed, to boomy. I will test it with my u12t later....

 

[fmkuz]

Excuse me, are you referring to this device? Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4?

If so, can you please describe the circumstances under which you are using it? Specifically:

- Are you setting LDAC fixed at 990/909kbps?
- What is your Bluetooth connectivity range, when at home?
- Are you listening using UAPP?
- Are you using any streaming services, like Amazon Music Unlimited, YouTube, Qobuz, Tidal or others?
- How many hours per day are you listening with your UTWS5?

Thank you

I will answer with my experience. Yes, I was using Galaxy Z Fold 4.

I set the bit rate at 990/909kbps in dev options.
I did not tested the range, always with my phone near me.
No using UAPP
I use Apple music with lossless content. Qobuz.
I used to use it 3-4 hours per day.

 

[taube Taube]

I thought it was obvious but I'd like to clarify, anyway, that my post above was addressed to @Xibir , like from one Samsung owner to another.

Just out of curiosity, though, I'd be interested to know why is the GO Pod functioning perfectly with my S23 Ultra but the UTWS5 does not. How can this be Samsung's fault?
The way I see it, here we have iFi's LDAC implementation which functions perfectly and FiiO's experimental LDAC implementation which does not work.
I do not really care because I am getting the best possible sound quality and Bluetooth connectivity range with the GO Pod, just curious.

There is a lot of incomprehensible here, it would be good if Fiio's representative answered this question. I also read that utws5 work with bitrate 990 with s23 ultra, but don't work with s23plus and s23, and the reasons for this are also unclear.

However, Samsung smartphones do not support the QHS (Qualcomm high speed link) technology necessary for Snapdragon sound to work, which is present in the hardware in the processor and is disabled, and this is their fault.
This technology is supported by Xiaomi 12, so Utws5 works great with it at any speed.

I want to note that with Xiaomi 12, the sound never interrupted in all the places I knew where it was interrupted earlier, including inside the electronic supermarket MediaMarkt, full of working smartphones, laptops and other gadgets.

 

[Nick24JJ]

I will answer with my experience. Yes, I was using Galaxy Z Fold 4.

I set the bit rate at 990/909kbps in dev options.
I did not tested the range, always with my phone near me.
No using UAPP
I use Apple music with lossless content. Qobuz.
I used to use it 3-4 hours per day.

Okay, I see.

Thank you for your sharing your experience. I've already shared my experience with my Samsung S23 Ultra, it does not work. Also, the fact that you keep your phone always near you affects this. For me, flawless experience means to leave my phone anywhere inside my house and move to (almost) any spot inside my home without sound quality or connection loss. This is what the GO Pod offers me.

A direct comparison between the S23 Ultra and the Z Fold4 does not show me any reason why the UTWS5 works on the Z Fold4, as you claim, and not on the S23 Ultra, unless the following does make a difference:

Bluetooth
S23 Ultra: 5.3, A2DP, LE
Z Fold4: 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD

When you check the available Bluetooth Codecs on your Z Fold4, can you see aptX HD there?
On my S23U, I cannot.
Is this what makes the difference, maybe?

IMPORTANT: Congratulations for getting the GO Pod! It is the absolute best device of its kind!! Make sure that you update to the latest firmware which is Firmware V1.52

 

[Nick24JJ]

There is a lot of incomprehensible here, it would be good if Fiio's representative answered this question. I also read that utws5 work with bitrate 990 with s23 ultra, but don't work with s23plus and s23, and the reasons for this are also unclear.

However, Samsung smartphones do not support the QHS (Qualcomm high speed link) technology necessary for Snapdragon sound to work, which is present in the hardware in the processor and is disabled, and this is their fault.
This technology is supported by Xiaomi 12, so Utws5 works great with it at any speed.

I want to note that with Xiaomi 12, the sound never interrupted in all the places I knew where it was interrupted earlier, including in the mediamarkt electronic supermarket, full of working smartphones, laptops and other gadgets.

Do you have a link from this year, 2023, to sustain your claim regarding Samsung not supporting QHS? Do you have a link for what you say, that this tech is disabled in the processor? If not, please stop spreading false claims. What you say sounds incomprehensible.

 

[ddlo]

Okay, I see.

Thank you for your sharing your experience. I've already shared my experience with my Samsung S23 Ultra, it does not work. Also, the fact that you keep your phone always near you affects this. For me, flawless experience means to leave my phone anywhere inside my house and move to (almost) any spot inside my home without sound quality or connection loss. This is what the GO Pod offers me.

A direct comparison between the S23 Ultra and the Z Fold4 does not show me any reason why it works on the Z Fold4, as you claim, and not on the S23 Ultra, unless the following does make a difference:

Bluetooth
S23 Ultra: 5.3, A2DP, LE
Z Fold4: 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD

When you check the available Bluetooth Codecs on your Z Fold4, can you see aptX HD there?
On my S23U, I cannot.
Is this what makes the difference, maybe?

i'm a long term samsung mobile user since galaxy s2. i have used z fold4 for one year and recently switched to z fold5. AFAIK, samsung device supports LDAC and samsung's own scalable codec but not anything above original aptx protocol, i.e. no aptx HD/ adaptive / lossless, even qualcomm already made aptx HD encoder free on android devices. i think it's just gsmarena's typo here (unless someone using the open source aptxHD encoder to cook a custom rom).

 

[Nick24JJ]

i'm a long term samsung mobile user since galaxy s2. i have used z fold4 for one year and recently switched to z fold5. AFAIK, samsung device supports LDAC and samsung's own scalable codec but not anything above original aptx protocol, i.e. no aptx HD/ adaptive / lossless, even qualcomm already made aptx HD encoder free on android devices. i think it's just gsmarena's typo here (unless someone using the open source aptxHD encoder to cook a custom rom).

Aha! Thank you for confirming!
So, I do not see any reason why the UTWS5 can work flawlessly on the Z Fold4/5 and not on the S23 Ultra.

I can see that you own both the GO Pod and the UTWS5, is this correct?
If so, what is your experience? Does the FiiO experimental LDAC 990/909kbps work flawlessly on your Z Fold5 now?
Which device gives you the best experience? The GO Pod or the UTWS5, while using LDAC 990/909kbps?

For me, it's definitely the GO Pod. The sound quality is better, too. This is why I've stopped using the UTWS5 for music listening.

 

[O11111]

Samsung smartphones do not support the QHS

They technically do, at least on the hardware level (unless Qualcomm created custom Bluetooth chip just for Samsung, which I highly doubt. Might be disabled in firmware though. Hopefully this is not the case). But it was disabled at least in software (well, technically it was never enabled, disabled is the default state). Should be possible to re-enable with root (or custom ROM), but don't ask me how.

 

[mainguy]

Same here with my Fold4. I had 2 drop outs the last month and was corrected pressing pause/play. Very happy too with this device.
I've already received the iFi go pod. I will test it from today but when I tested 5 min yesterday with my andromeda2020 when I unboxed it, I was a little desapointed, to boomy. I will test it with my u12t later....

I doubt the go pod sounds much better tbh, the fiio is already delivering a good clean signal and I doubt these simple little DACs will do any magic especially. The UTSW5 is a steal

 

[fmkuz]

Same here with my Fold4. I had 2 drop outs the last month and was corrected pressing pause/play. Very happy too with this device.
I've already received the iFi go pod. I will test it from today but when I tested 5 min yesterday with my andromeda2020 when I unboxed it, I was a little desapointed, to boomy. I will test it with my u12t later....

I doubt the go pod sounds much better tbh, the fiio is already delivering a good clean signal and I doubt these simple little DACs will do any magic especially. The UTSW5 is a steal

But I feel hearing the go pod with the u12t a better match specially talking about better driving and power. The UTSW5-u12t pair I feel it a little thin and sometimes lack of body because of power. I don't know how to describe it better.

 

[Nick24JJ]

The GO Pod, with the latest firmware, sounds much better than the UTWS5. Whoever has the possibility, can just try it. Whoever doubts it, can ask the owners in the GO Pod thread or read the reviews. If you are on a budget, the UTWS5 is OK, if you can use LHDC, at least.

 

[Nick24JJ]

But I feel hearing the go pod with the u12t a better match specially talking about better driving and power. The UTSW5-u12t pair I feel it a little thin and sometimes lack of body because of power. I don't know how to describe it better.

You do not have to try to describe it. It does, indeed, sound better. Just trust your ears and update to the latest firmware, if you have not done so, yet.

 

[pervysage]

Cool to see so many Fold4 users here, lol. I have been using Fold4 + UTSW5 ever since the LDAC update came out and it works fine. As others have found, there is a rare drop out that sometimes occurs and I have experienced that as well. A simple disconnect/reconnect fixes it with ease. That particular issue happens so rarely that it is not bothersome. I never get crackling or anything like that while playing. I use Bluetooth Codec Changer app to automatically change to the 990kbps quality setting automatically everytime I connect to my phone.

My main use case is using the UTWS5 daily for 6-8 hours a day while at work.. so my usage time is extensive. I also happen to work in an environment where there are thousands and thousands of customers walking through every day... however I do not use the UTWS5 at crazy ranges so I cant speak to that. My phone is in my pocket or sitting on my desk 5-10 ft away most of the time. My use case is not usually putting my phone down and flying to Antarctica hoping that it will still be connected

I recently got a Galaxy S9 Ultra tablet and tested the UTWS5 on it for fun.. once again, no issues although I did not test for an extensive amount of time as that is not a use case I really plan on doing. My UTWS5 are pretty much only used at work or if I am doing work around the house in or outside and even then my phone is usually not too far away.

The only thing I hate about the UTWS5 is that they still frequently connect to my phone when they are stored inside of the case and should be OFF... the recent firmwares have NOT fixed this issue for me and I can say that is actually thoroughly annoying. It's embarrassing that $30 cheapo earphones off Amazon can handle simple on/off functionality better than the UTWS5 can Long sick & tired of FiiO's generic "please clean your charging contacts" solution.. I can assure you that is NOT the problem and your firmware technicians need to look into this further. Perhaps I should've tried an RMA on this front but I just couldn't be bothered going through the whole process yet.

 

[viffer]

Cool to see so many Fold4 users here, lol. I have been using Fold4 + UTSW5 ever since the LDAC update came out and it works fine. As others have found, there is a rare drop out that sometimes occurs and I have experienced that as well. A simple disconnect/reconnect fixes it with ease. That particular issue happens so rarely that it is not bothersome. I never get crackling or anything like that while playing. I use Bluetooth Codec Changer app to automatically change to the 990kbps quality setting automatically everytime I connect to my phone.

My main use case is using the UTWS5 daily for 6-8 hours a day while at work.. so my usage time is extensive. I also happen to work in an environment where there are thousands and thousands of customers walking through every day... however I do not use the UTWS5 at crazy ranges so I cant speak to that. My phone is in my pocket or sitting on my desk 5-10 ft away most of the time. My use case is not usually putting my phone down and flying to Antarctica hoping that it will still be connected

I recently got a Galaxy S9 Ultra tablet and tested the UTWS5 on it for fun.. once again, no issues although I did not test for an extensive amount of time as that is not a use case I really plan on doing. My UTWS5 are pretty much only used at work or if I am doing work around the house in or outside and even then my phone is usually not too far away.

The only thing I hate about the UTWS5 is that they still frequently connect to my phone when they are stored inside of the case and should be OFF... the recent firmwares have NOT fixed this issue for me and I can say that is actually thoroughly annoying. It's embarrassing that $30 cheapo earphones off Amazon can handle simple on/off functionality better than the UTWS5 can Long sick & tired of FiiO's generic "please clean your charging contacts" solution.. I can assure you that is NOT the problem and your firmware technicians need to look into this further. Perhaps I should've tried an RMA on this front but I just couldn't be bothered going through the whole process yet.

I use a Fold3 and didn’t upgrade to the 4 or 5, as the UK specification for both models can’t see or connect to my wifi 6e network, whilst the 3 connects with no issues, lets see what the Fold6 brings to the table next year.
The Fold 3 and the M17 work with the UTWS5 LDAC, the fold 3 at maximum rate works mostly fine, while the M17 is only stable at 660kbs. Dense wireless environments do affect connectivity in a very negative way, but at home and outdoors works with no issues.
Since the last firmware update, my UTWS5 has not connected to my phone or the M17 while in the case.
It cold be a possibility that something else maybe the problem with yours. I hope you get the issue resolved soon.

 

[Nick24JJ]

I am happy for all those Z Fold owners for who FiiO's experimental LDAC works at 990/909kbps, fixed, even for 6 - 8 hours(!!!), as they claim. I just hope that, for the sake of any prospective buyers, they are not simply lying, trying to justify the hundred (dollars, pounds, euros) they've paid for their UTWS5...

As you've all read, UTWS5 is not without issues. LDAC is not working flawlessly, it mostly works, it does not work even with FiiO's own products.

No one, and especially FiiO's Rep, has explained how is it possible that it works with a Z Fold and not with an S23 Ultra or S23 Plus or even an S23?

There is no problem here, though.
The current owners/users are happy with it.
The prospective buyers can always purchase, check and test it thoroughly and keep or return it, accordingly.

Myself, I am genuinely happy that the iFi GO Pod came out and I got it! In overall, it is at least one and a half times better than the UTWS5, and this without an App, yet.
For anyone who requires a serious Bluetooth listening experience, like myself, I strongly recommended it.