It’s a new year and for the 1^st realview of 2020, we have not one, not two, but three in-depth look on a line of earphones from UiiSii. I chose to make this a 3-in-1 realview to cover the scope and reach of UiiSii as an audio equipment manufacturer and see if there are indeed strength in numbers.

UiiSii is a headphone and earphone manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China and has been in business for 8 years already, which basically puts them in the timeline where wireless earphones and headphones were starting to take shape and develop. UiiSii is also an Apple Inc. acquired manufacturer which basically translates to being under the guidelines of Apple Inc. standards, which may be a positive or negative depending on your experience with Apple Inc. products.

The products that we would be checking out came straight from UiiSii when they reached out to me and asked if it would be possible for me to take a look and try some of their lifestyle earphones, there were no monetary factors involved except for me shouldering the shipping expenses. They also initiated the approach that they won’t get in the way of the realview and will take whatever the result of my experience with their products. You can check the official UiiSii website for more details about the company and their audio lineup.

Paying respects to hierarchy, let’s introduce the first of the trio of UiiSii earphones, the “outdated coz it’s wired” in terms of Apple Inc. standards, the UiiSii Hi-810. The Hi-810 is spec’d out with a single 12mm moving coil PET driver unit, 20Hz to 20kHz Frequency Response, 32 Ohm Impedance and a Sensitivity of 93dB±3dB. It isn’t in any way meant to even fake out an audiophile approach and with that in mind, we’d look at the Hi-810 in an aspect centered in appealing towards the masses.

Next in line is the natural progression for wired earphones, Bluetooth. This came in the form of the UiiSii BT-118, a BT earphone utilizing the neckband design and is spec’d out with a single 8mm PU+PEEK Neodymium magnet dynamic driver unit, 20Hz to 20kHz Frequency Response, 16 Ohm Impedance and a Sensitivity of 100dB±3dB. With this being a BT earphone, further product specifications are listed below especially its BT capabilities:

• BT chip: Beken BK3266
• BT version: 5.0
• Supported protocols: HSP/HFP/A2DP/AVRCP
• Battery Life: 10 hours
• Battery: 110mAh at 125mAh/3.7V input power
• Charging Time: 1.5 Hour
• Standby Time: 10 days
• Microphone: MEMS, -41dB±3dB
• IPX Rating: IPX5

Completing the trio of our UiiSii earphones is their current flagship TWS, the UiiSii TWS60. We have seen the rise of TWS earphones in 2019 and there’s no denying that 2020 will see an even more spike in this area which makes trying out different TWS earphones a boon for consumers. The TWS60 is spec’d out with single 6mm PU+PEEK dynamic driver, 20Hz to 20kHz Frequency Response, 16 Ohm Impedance and a Sensitivity of 108dB±3dB. Other wireless specifications are listed below:

• BT chip: Realtek 8763
• BT version: 5.0
• Supported protocols: HSP/HFP/A2DP/AVRCP
• Battery Life: 4 hours
• Battery: Li-Po 3.7V/43mAh (3.7V/400mAh – battery cradle)
• Charging Time: 2 Hour
• Standby Time: 12 days
• Microphone: MEMS, -41dB±3dB
• IPX Rating: IPX5

The UiiSii Hi-810, BT-118, TWS60 are priced at $15, $29.99 and $42.99 with the Hi-810 coming in at a Blue, Black and Red colors, while the BT-118 only comes in black and the TWS60 comes in either black or white.

Packaging and Build Quality

Hi-810

The UiiSii Hi-810’s packaging came in the form of white vertically oriented cardboard box with the Hi-810 snapshot upfront and a back with a clear plastic cutout to show the earphones themselves along with minor product specifications. The accessory set that came with the Hi-810 is your typical set of black silicone eartips (S, M and L) along with a black synthetic rubber Snap-on case with red stitching and the UiiSii logo, a product manual/warranty card also says present.

With a street price of $15, the Hi-810 offers an aluminum alloy IEM housing which feels sturdy to the hand and doesn’t show any residual glue on its joints, a single vent is present on the underside of the IEM housing along with an oval-shaped nozzle with a lip and metal mesh. Taking into account that oval-shaped nozzles aren’t my preference made the provided stock ear tip options a no go for me as they are a bit short and doesn’t hold the Hi-810 long on my ears especially when moving. The stock cable is an attached kevlar fiber TPE with a black plastic multi-function controller (volume up/down, play/pause, forward/previous track) along with a mic and chin slider, a gold-plated 3.5mm connector is used in a straight angle orientation with ample strain relief.

My overall experience with the Hi-810 was positive as the design alone of the IEM housing allows for an easy identification of its L-R orientation, no need of a red/blue marker or an indicator dot and with your choice of 3^rd party ear tips will make the oval-shaped nozzle to be unnoticeable unless you prefer a short bore ear tip which drastically highlights the oval shape and might cause uneasiness leading to discomfort. The stock cable does a great job of keeping microphonic noise when used on the go and its rather stiff feel allows for a less-tangling result when stored on its rubber Snap-on case.

BT-118

The UiiSIi BT-118’s packaging takes on the vertical orientation and still comes in white along with a product snapshot upfront and minor product specifications at the back, almost identical with the Hi-810 but minus the clear plastic cover that allows a peek into the Hi-810. The accessory set of the BT-118 is also similar with the Hi-810 except that the rubber Snap-on case is gone and is replaced by the charging cable along with the usual set of black silicone ear tips (S, M and L) and another set of black silicone ear hooks.

The BT-118 is clearly made for rugged use with how it feels when used, foregoing any fashion sense in favor of functioning well as BT earphone. The BT-118’s housing faceplate is made of ABS plastic with a powerful enough magnet to secure the left and right earpieces when not in use and just hanging around your neck. The housings underside is made of aluminum alloy with a circular groove for the ear hooks which did great in securing the BT-118 although personal preference came into play once again and I ended up using it without the ear hooks. Rounding out what’s inside the BT-118 box is the product manual and warranty card.

Mainly targeting the active music loving users is what the BT-118 lives for and the magnetic faceplates showed this with both the left and right earpieces working all the time and even by just dangling the BT-118 around your neck and the natural bend on its neckband allowed the earpieces to attach magnetically on their own, attaching them together is one thing and keeping them together is another and that is where the BT-118 excels, the magnets were strong enough to hold their ground when I tried jogging around on them.

The neckband stock cable had a double edged sword length, it’s either too short for users with a wide neck girth and too long for those that get a smaller girth but having experienced some other BT neckband designs, the shorter neckband cable is lesser annoying than one that is longer as it keeps bouncing up and done when running around as compared to a shorter one which gives a much secure feel or if you fear being choked out by a BT neckband earphone then just stay away from neckband designs in the first place. Microphonic noise gets a notch up on this and if you didn’t anticipate that already then now you can lower your expectations towards microphonic noises on neckband designs. Using a thinner cable might aid in lowering the noise but I doubt that it would be that significant as the nature of neckbands are to stay and get in contact with your neck. Mic voice quality is decent at best but works flawlessly along with the volume control buttons.

TWS60

The TWS60 separates itself from the get go by virtue alone of its packaging orientation. It now comes in a square box with the TWS60 upfront and minor product details at the back, inside this reveals the TWS60s charging case and the TWS60 itself resting on a black foam cutout with a cloth flap to open up the 1^st layer of foam cutout and underneath reveals the totality of the TWS60 accessory, a charging cable and a set of black silicone ear tips (S, M and L) along with the product manual and a warranty card.

The TWS60 comes in the typical oval shape carrying/charging case which has a semi glossy finish with a ribbed pattern that allows it be held with ease and also be free from the usual fingerprint smudges. A black elastic rubber finger strap on its side for carrying it around. A step back was made by not using a type C charging port but instead using the older micro B port, 4 white LED battery indicators are beside the charging port located at the back just below the case’s flap. The cover has rubber stopper which also acts as the magnetic mechanism to secure the opening/closing of the case, magnets are once again used on the actual charging points for the TWS60 earphones. The TWS60 itself has an overall comfortable shape and doesn’t follow the trend of other true wireless earphones that are adventurous enough to try odd shapes and contours which ends up being an annoying set. The faceplates of the TWS60 has a smooth metallic feel that supports touch control along with the UiiSii logo in the middle and a BT LED indicator.

Sound Quality, Battery Life and Stability (BT-118 and TWS60)

Hi-810

The Hi-810 shows a clear lean towards the warm signature and a slight tilt of an emphasized lower midrange. The Hi-810’s oval shaped nozzle once again played a crucial role with how I approached it and as I’ve said, foregone the included stock ear tips as they were short enough and ended up using a double-flanged silicone ear tips for the whole time that I have used the Hi-810. I used the Zishan DSD Pro and the Samsung S10 5G in testing out the Hi-810, BT-118 and TWS60 (solely on Samsung S10 5G) with a fixed volume toggle at 20 steps.

The Hi-810 has an evident warm signature that is further highlighted with a soft midrange and treble, everything it does with respect to its delivery leans on the side of being relaxed and calm. It doesn’t sound lively and lacks details in most areas. Its low-end performance is clean and has body but feels less than impactful and lacks power. Bass decay is slow and lingers but doesn’t overlap towards the midrange. Its lower midrange is all-in in being laid-back with vocals and instruments being smooth but lacks articulation and the upper midrange lacks extension. Treble is easy sounding and sweet but not piercing, it also doesn’t engage with sibilance which is great. The Hi-810 overall feels and sounds like your regular earphone, it doesn’t do anything special except being reliable that it won’t give you an overload of low-end or fatiguing highs. I’d pick this up if I’m first and foremost concerned with build quality as it’s the Hi-810 strong suit and the sound just comes as a bonus.

BT-118

The BT-118’s marketed battery life is at 10 hours with a charging time of 1.5 hours. Actual usage came out at 9 hours and 28 minutes and a charge time of 1 hour and 42 minutes which gives roughly 6 minutes of playback for a minute of charge, an efficient enough result for a sports-oriented earphone and one that would last more than just a couple of workout sessions. Stability of connection was also great on the BT-118 as I have not experienced any sudden cutouts or dropouts of connection when used in activities like running and then picking up a call or even switching tracks on the fly.

The Sound quality of the BT-118 is its least favorable aspect, it’s overtly warm sound signature is great to compliment the pump-up tracks that I personally prefer when doing light or heavy exercises and the drop and hits of the low-end gives it a robust and powerful impact, it does congest the spectrum though but not much to drown out the soft midrange. Vocals and instruments are still able to come into play but the notable lack of clarity is obvious. The treble hits aren’t clean and oftentimes come out splashy but doesn’t get irritating or edgy to the ears. It does the job well if we factor in that this BT-118 earphone isn’t really designed for you to slouch into musical enjoyment but instead lead you into actively participating into whatever routine you are currently performing.

TWS60

The TWS60 is the current flagship true wireless earphones off the UiiSii lineup and its price tag offers a peek into what UiiSii’s target market as of the moment. The TWS60 is claimed to last 4 hours plus an additional 20 hours juice from its charging case and a 1.5 hour charging time. Actual usage gave it an average battery life of 4 hours and 12 minutes for the earphones alone and an additional 19 hours and 36 minutes with the charging case. It doesn’t fall far off the claims and gives an average of 15 minutes listening time per 1 minute of charge which is great although I would still have loved a type C interface for the port as the current micro B charging port makes me bring an extra cable and adapter just for the TWS60. Stability is great and I have encountered zero instances of sudden dropouts except when I purposely go more than 12 meters or getting a wall in the middle of the connection. Do note that the TWS60 supports single and paired mode usage so you could use a single earpiece if it suits your needs and setting up the paired mode is easy, here’s a step by step guide:

1. Clear records: Hold both earbuds’ power button for 5 seconds until the blue light turn to red (off).
2. Place both earphones on the case then take them out and put them back again into charging case to reactive it.
3. Delete the (TWS60) BT device on your phone.
4. Take out 2 earbuds (Left earbuds first). Then research and connect (TWS60) on BT list.

Aside from the strong showing of the TWS60 with respect to its battery life and stability. Its sound quality doesn’t skimp around and gets left behind. It is able to give a robust warm signature that doesn’t cloud other frequencies. The TWS60 supports aptX which made things easier since we’re in 2020 already. The low-end of the TWS60 is where its strength lies, bass drops are fast and clean which enables it to tackle bass-heavy tracks with ease. Sub-bass delivery are thick but once again falls to the category of being less impactful and thumpy, this won’t rock your chest even if you want it to. The midrange is once again laid-back and smooth just like the Hi-810 and lacks articulation and doesn’t get right into the details as well. Upper midrange is well-controlled and gives the overall midrange frequency sound an open feel. The treble is clean and mellow with a slight ability to create snap but noticeable lacks extension and a crisp overall high frequency character. The TWS60 isn’t fatiguing to the ears and would love to accompany you over long music sessions. The TWS60 offers a middle ground for both skeptics and optimists with wireless audio as it does a great job with keeping a stable and reliable BT connection and a sound that doesn’t sound mediocre but also not stellar.

Conclusion

I started out Audio Realviews with an expectation of the best and the worst that audio can offer and all the things in between as well. When most are concerned about the “best” and the “worst” audio gear, the ones that are left to the sideline aren’t much taken account into especially if they come from a brand which are not part of the usual mainstream brands that churn out audiophile-grade products year in and year out. UiiSii is one such brand and its association with Apple Inc. gives it some perks and flaws, one of the noticeable perks enjoyed by the UiiSii Hi-810, BT-118 and TWS60 which is reminiscent of Apple Inc. branding is their build quality, the trio isn’t your typical newbie chi-fi lineup with a dead giveaway of scanty build which either shows residual glue, misaligned cable lengths, misprinted logos and the likes. The Hi-810, BT-118 and TWS60 offers exceptional build quality for its price and while the “audiophile” sound isn’t showcased on the trio, it isn’t a dream unreachable with how promising the current sound signature of both the Hi-810 and the TWS60 carries. This trio isn’t your typical hate it or love it situation, it’s a typical like it or not and for now, for me, it’s a like.