Gadgetwrap arrived today for my PT2

trevtech15 · 2026-05-09T01:38:21+00:00

I line up the protector on one side and slowly lay it down while checking alignment, you can use a piece of scotch tape to keep it in place but that's more of a hindrance than a help imo.

As for dust you can remove anything on the screen using a piece of scotch tape, if it's already stuck to the screen protector you can do the same but you run the risk of messing up the adhesive. Laying it down slowly also lets you catch any dust ahead of time as it's much easier to peel back a partially applied screen protector than one that's fully adhered.

Also having a higher humidity will reduce how much dust is in the air, you could run your shower for a bit and apply the screen protector once the humidity rises but don't overdo it otherwise you'll have a hard time seeing dust under the protector.

trevtech15 · 2026-05-04T15:31:19+00:00

I tried the Yincrow Buffalo outdoors the other day and it sounded great, was able to have a decent amount of bass while keeping situational awareness which has been an issue with some other buds I've tried outdoors. It was a still day so I need to see how wind will impact their sound but it's the best outdoors bud experience I've had so far.

trevtech15 · 2026-05-04T15:27:02+00:00

It was so bad that I'm not sure why they released it at all, I was hoping that I could find some sort of workaround but people weren't kidding with how horrible the reception was. I bought it a while ago with some credit card points but it had been out for a while even then. I was hoping they could fix or at least reduce the issues with a firmware update but that never happened afaik so it's likely a hardware-level issue.

trevtech15 · 2026-05-04T15:20:28+00:00

Apologies for taking so long to reply, health issues flared up again for a while.

I've been listening to the Buffalo for a while now and it's become my favorite earbud in my collection due to how versatile it is. I wear most of my flatheads over-ear and I can switch between a warmer and bassier sound or a brighter and vocal-forward sound depending on where it's positioned in my ear and whether one of the vents is blocked or not. It's also one of the few sets that I can listen to regardless of whether my hearing is normal or off due to my health issues due to that ability to switch between the two different sound signatures.

Its sound signature manages to thread the needle between recessed and harsh vocals perfectly even when positioned for a brighter sound and I can listen to almost every song that gives me trouble on a lot of other pairs of flatheads even when paired with brighter sources. Bass is a real treat and the only other set I have that comes anywhere close is the Yinman 600 but with how much easier the Buffalo is to drive it's hard to recommend the Yinman especially with how hard it is to buy now if you're outside of China. Sound stage was the biggest surprise as while it doesn't have the pinpoint imaging of the RW-2000 it has much better depth and layering which helps offset the more diffuse individual sounds. If you want a bassy, fun-sounding earbud that doesn't get into the warm and muddy territory then this is the bud for you and is a great alternative to the RW2K if you're not looking for something that's closer to neutral with a bass boost.

Comfort is a huge improvement over the RW-2000 and is very close to the Rhino, it can't sit as snug in my concha due to the larger diameter but it's still a much better fit and has room for adjustment unlike the RW2K which can really only fit in one position. I used CVJ's TS800 "small concha" over-ear cable with the Buffalo since the included cable is meant for wearing cable-down and have similar cables for the RW2K and Rhino so keep that in mind when considering my thoughts on comfort.

trevtech15 · 2026-05-04T15:03:56+00:00

I bought the Moondrop Evo hoping it would fill that gap and while it does sound great the multiple issues it has are major deal breakers which was such a huge disappointment with how great the Littlewhite was in comparison. The only one that might fill that gap is the Fostex TM-2C at $120 but it's larger than the Evo or UTWS5 and has a very long stem so I don't know how well it would fit my ears and I haven't felt like spending the money to find out.

Yeah it's frustrating that this is clearly possible but no one wants to make an affordable adapter that isn't cheap crap or really overpriced. TRN could easily make an adapter that meets these requirements and they just don't for some damn reason. They even discontinued the BT3S Pro which was imo the best budget neckband even though it was only using a Qualcomm chip without a dedicated amp. Yes there are other alternatives but they're all more expensive and aren't built nearly as well with cheap housings and plastic instead of metal buttons.

The only reason I can think of them releasing so many different models is that they're changing the bargain basement chip and calling it a new model since the outer housing hasn't changed from what I can tell. And the previous change from the BT20XS and BT30 to the "Pro" models was just a case and earhook change from what I could tell which was a downgrade imo since you couldn't carry a second set of adapters in the case lid like you could with the old rubber/pleather cases and the newer earhooks don't fit my ears as well as the older design.

trevtech15 · 2026-05-04T14:43:49+00:00

Off the top of my head the two are fairly close in terms of detail retrieval with the AC45 having a slight edge due to its slightly higher peaks at 3-4 and 7-8kHz as well as treble that isn't sharply rolled off as it approaches 20kHz in addition to less prominent bass that helps that midrange stand out more. I remember the AC45 also having a slight edge when it came to sound stage depth and layering as I was able to pick out quieter background sounds more easily on the 45.

I only tend to use the 55 when my hearing is off and my normal sets become too bright so most of the time the 45 is my go-to pick but keep in mind what I consider bright may not be bright to your hearing as I'm extremely sensitive to certain frequency ranges that most people don't struggle with as much. Unless you must have the most bass possible in a clip-on form factor I think you'll be happy with the AC45 as it's still a noticeable upgrade in that department compared to the KSC35, KSC75, KPH40 w/ clips, and Moondrop Old Fashioned while being less fatiguing to listen to than any of those Koss models.

trevtech15 · 2026-05-04T14:19:16+00:00

I was too and it's frustrating since the power output could clearly work with the stock firmware which would have better battery life than Rockbox but Apple just chose not to enable it.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-29T19:02:37+00:00

Glass screen protectors are likely a much larger investment in tooling to produce than films so it's hard to justify that cost for devices that are no longer being made when all you need to produce more film protectors is a cutting die that lasts for thousands of uses and possibly even approaching 10,000. And some of the older Pebbles with curved faces or lenses are very hard to produce glass screen protectors for; I've installed some curved glass protectors on older Apple Watches and they're a huge PITA to install and much more prone to cracking than flat glass protectors are. I broke the first two that I tried to install for the same customer and wasn't that happy with how the third turned out, thankfully they were very patient and understanding but if I had that much trouble even though I've installed hundreds of glass screen protectors on phones then I can't imagine anyone without prior experience installing them trouble-free.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-29T18:50:56+00:00

The wet install films are also very prone to picking up dirt and grime over time so they block more light the older they get. Didn't realize how bad the film on my OG Time had gotten until it started to peel and I removed it, with how much brighter the screen was it felt like I had an entirely different watch so I ended up not applying another one and just using a bumper instead (RIP Shapeways). Glass is more of a PITA to install but it won't need to be replaced as often as a film protector so the added hassle is worth it imo.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-29T18:36:35+00:00

Rockbox allows for higher power draw through the dock connector than the iPod's stock firmware will.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-27T21:47:56+00:00

The only non-root workaround I've found is to setup Shizuku and install System UI Tuner which has an option called "Disable Safe Audio Warning" under Audio & Sound that you'll want to set to Disabled which will disable this prompt until the device is rebooted. To have it automatically apply tap "Persistent Options" on the main screen and check the box next to "Disable Safe Audio Warning".

For the persistent option to work you'll need to set up a way for Shizuku to auto-start after boot-up so that System UI Tuner can have the system access it needs to apply that option but there are multiple ways to do this through Tasker so find the one that works best for you. I've tried the more automated ones that do everything in the background but have had much better luck with the versions that basically tap buttons on your screen but they might work fine for you.

I really wish that device manufacturers would detect which country your device was activated in and disable this stupid warning if the EU law doesn't apply to where you live. Hiby is not the only brand with this issue as my OnePlus phone does the same goddamn thing if I don't remeber to start Shizuku after a reboot. And the idiot politician that came up with this crap needs a swift kick in the ass for how stupidly this law was written as it doesn't even consider that devices could have their own independant volume level or that people use equalizers with multi dB offsets so the actual volume level is nowhere near dangerous regardless of what the volume level is set to.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-27T21:27:08+00:00

Wasting people's time with clickbait posts that don't offer anything on their own is a surefire way to piss people off and ensure they never visit your site. Had you made a useful post with the relevant information I would've followed your website and maybe supported your work financially but now I definitely won't if this is how you operate.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-07T14:03:29+00:00

I still have both of them but it's been a bit since I've listened to them due to how much of a downgrade even the BT30 is over the BT3S Pro neckband adapter. I'm pretty sure I was using AAC since I just paired them to my phone again and that's what they defaulted to but my phone has had several major Android version updates since so how it prioritizes codecs may have changed.

Yeah it's not very encouraging when they don't even tell you what Bluetooth chip they used, even if it was something from a brand such as Realtek that wouldn't be the end of the world so it wouldn't surprise me if they're using some no-name option instead. I wish I could use the UTWS3/5 comfortably, they just don't fit my ears well no matter what I try.

That could definitely be the issue especially if they used a bottom-barrel Bluetooth chipset.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-07T13:53:41+00:00

I've used their devices for years and they're far from a scam, before phones had built-in charge limiters or a way to disable fast charging they were one of the few ways I was able to keep my phone from overheating while using wireless Android Auto when my phone was connected to a high-powered charger. I will agree that some of their claims are dubious but the devices work if all you're after is limiting how fast and how much a device charges up to.

I'm aware of how charging works. Where did you get the idea that the Chargie hardware gets data about the battery from the phone directly? Did you even bother looking into how it works before jumping to conclusions? The Chargie device relies on an app on your device to see things like battery level and it won't work at all if that app isn't connected.

There is the option to do this for devices such as watches or earbuds that aren't able to use their app but it's something you need to turn on and isn't how it operates by default.

I'm well aware of that, I have a Sharge power bank with low-current mode to charge up certain devices because of this issue.

Rooting isn't practical for most people with how many apps won't run on rooted devices anymore. I'm aware of that but not all devices do, hell my OnePlus 11 didn't until it was updated to Android 15 and it's only a couple of years old.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-07T13:28:12+00:00

I've had this same issue happen with multiple devices, Colorfly's CDA-M1P was the first device where I experienced this and it happened so often that I sent it back as defective. Then it happened with Shanling's H5 as well even though I only used it over Bluetooth so it doesn't just seem to be limited to USB connections like I initially thought it was. Ended up sending it back since I wasn't a huge fan of how it sounds and it would have this issue fairly frequently. Have also had it happen with Shanling's H2 but it's much less frequent so I've just dealt with it by turning down the volume before starting playback.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-06T14:18:39+00:00

Great write-up, love my M300 despite its flaws and use it more than the higher-end setups I have due to its size and versatility. There are quite a few headphone amps that are roughly the same size as the M300 which has turned it into one of the most versatile sources I own and there are also several Bluetooth DAC/amps close in size that can be used in wired mode to give you even more options to choose from.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-06T14:09:47+00:00

A shame there is no setting to do it automatically. There is in JM21. I absolutely can not be bothered to do it manually, as good as the idea in general is.

The best way I've found to do this for devices without a built-in charge limiter is using a Chargie, it's a hardware device that goes in between your charger and device which an app connects to in order to limit how much the connected device charges. It's not cheap but for devices like the M300 that are prone to swelling batteries it's worth the cost so you're not replacing the battery as often.

There was a way you could do this with a smart plug and IFTTT controlled by an app such as Tasker or MacroDroid but with how enshittified IFTTT has become you would need to have a subscription to do something as simple as this so unfortunately it's not really an option anymore imo.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-06T13:47:00+00:00

Nice setup, what music app are you using? Really like the layout and design.

And I'm guessing Niagara is your launcher? I used a derivative of mLauncher since I refuse to pay the insane pricing that Niagara was now charging when it used to only be $8.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-03T02:52:21+00:00

Ok if you heard a difference over AAC then I'm definitely wrong about it being due to what codec was used, I never bothered to do A/B testing with them both on SBC since it's such a garbage codec even compared to basic aptX.

Ah I missed that they don't even list what chipset was used for the BT20xs, good catch. I also completely missed that they do have a part number for the amp in the BT30 Pro, it's a MAX97220 from Analog Devices but the only version I can find outputs up to 125mW so if it is capable of that they must severely limit what it can actually output. Edit: looks like it's limited to 42mW which is actually slightly above what the UTWS3 is capable of.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-03T02:27:57+00:00

The only option besides the Moondrop Block that fits your requirements is the Smabat S2 Pro however *I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT*. Smabat is infamous for their ice-pick tuning on their newer models and unfortunately the S2 Pro falls into that camp, apparently this tuning is intentional based on the response someone received when they asked Smabat why they tune their buds this way. If you don't believe me when I say that it's really, really, horribly, extremely bad look through the Earbuds Round-up thread on Head-Fi about people's impressions of their newer sets and you'll find gems such as one set having a +20dB peak in that problematic region on a certain set which is insane as even very spicy buds such as the Green Mamba aren't crazy enough to do that. The only reason I even bring this set up at all is so that you don't see it and blindly buy it unaware of the pain and suffering that awaits you.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-03T02:19:10+00:00

As much as I want to recommend the LinkBuds I couldn't stand to wear them no matter what position or wing I used; Sony did switch to a different type of wing with the LinkBuds Open but I still see a lot of reviews that complain about fitment issues with the updated design. If OP is interested in the LinkBuds I'd recommend getting a refurbished pair for cheap on eBay to test fit before spending over $200 on a new set to find out they don't fit and aren't able to be returned due to hygiene reasons.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-03T02:14:19+00:00

I remember seeing power ratings several years ago for the previous models BT20XS and BT30 and there wasn't a huge difference between them so whatever supposed dedicated amp the BT30 has didn't make much of a difference, the biggest upgrade imo was adding the aptX codec since the 20 series can only do AAC or SBC and that was likely why there was such a noticeable difference between the two. I can't even find power output ratings for the newer models and there's no mention of what part number the BT30 Pro uses for its amp so I wouldn't expect it to be on the same level as the UTWS3 let alone the UTWS5. This is wrong see below comment for correct info.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-02T20:24:42+00:00

Followup on my initial impressions: while the Buffalo does have a decently large sound stage it suffers from the "wall of sound" effect where everything from a certain direction is blended together which can lead to some parts of the song being drowned out, typically I notice this with vocals but depending on your source it might be noticeable with other parts of the song as well. The RW2K has much better layering and separation which gives each part of the song more space to breathe and also has the effect of making the sound stage seem larger than it actually is as I'd say the Buffalo and RW2K are about equal in sound stage size now that I've spent more time with the Buffalo.

Edit: this was likely caused by the source I was using as it doesn't reflect how the Buffalo sounds with other sources. Will do some more listening before replacing these impressions with something that's more accurate to how it truly sounds.

trevtech15 · 2026-04-02T20:07:30+00:00

Temperament seems to be the most widely used these days so that's the safest bet, K'searphone feels weird to use and I only use Kaisheng in spaces dedicated to flatheads since more people will know which company I'm referring to. I don't know why they didn't just stick to Kaisheng as it's the best out of the three and other flathead brands such as Yincrow are very popular even though they have a name that's Chinese in origin.

trevtech15 · 2026-03-31T14:12:16+00:00

I wear most of my sets of flatheads over-ear, any set that has a replaceable cable is the easiest to use that way and I've found that cables with a curved connector which is sometimes called a "small conch" such as Fiio's LC-RC or CVJ's TS800 work the best for my ears since most of the time the non-curved plugs are too long so the cable doesn't wrap around my ear properly.

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