TWS Powerhouse on a Dime

RoseSelsa has been on a resurgence lately with their latest, well received collab with AAV, the CJ20 and to continue their streak, they recently has released a 3rd generation of their highly acclaimed Ceramics TWS with the all new Ceramic Ultra. With a new generation of tech, a new Planck driver and many other improvements all for just below USD50. Though being priced in a budget segment, RoseSelsa has promised a flagship sound quality that will rival the big dogs in this saturated segment of TWS. So how will the RoseSelsa Ceramics Ultra perform? We shall find out here.

A huge thanks to the team of RoseSelsa and Jessy Chan for providing the sample of the Ceramic Ultra for an honest take. We are not affiliated nor taken any monetary exchange for these products and the review is an honest take which is an opinionated view.

Functions & Specifications

Here are the specifications and the techs of the RoseSelsa Ceramics Ultra;

The RoseSelsa Ceramics Ultra can be purchased on their official store and other platforms worldwide such as Shopee

CERAMICS ULTRA True Wireless Earbuds, 99% Active Noise Cancelling Earphones, Hi-Res LDAC LHDC, IPX4 Sweat Resistant Anti-Wind, 40H Battery, 4 HD Mics, Game Mode Dual Connectivity

Packaging & Accessories

Packaging here is simple and basic, coming in a small box with a rather fun coloured theme. Inside we are greeted with the charging case that has the Ceramics Ultra inside, a short USB A to C cable, 3 pairs of silicone eartips in various sizes, a foam eartips prefitted and the manuals.

Design

The design here does reminisce a little with the Sony XM5 but they are unique in their own way. They have a white and black selection of colour and the ones with me is the black version. The body here is made from high quality plastics and they have a metal-esque matte look to them and they are solidly built. The Ceramics Ultra possesses an ergonomic fit that RoseSelsa claims that it is designed by using dozens of user’s ear shapes to make a superb fit and it fits like a glove. There is a gold screw on below the faceplate that holds the 2 pieces of body together. No official IP water resistance present but they are a little resistant to sweat.

Now onto the drivers and the Ceramic Ultra is fitted with RoseSelsa’s self developed Planck High Resolution drivers or Planck HR+ technology that pushes transducer efficiency to the limit. The diaphragm is made from hifi grade dual-material composite diaphragm, with an ultra-rigid carbon nano dome and flexible surround that increases the flexible excursion by 18% producing an immersive bass with pristine treble

The Ceramics Ultra also features an independent DAC chip and amplifier module, joined by the Cadence® Tensilica® HiFi 5 DSP chip. Extensively tested and tuned by the RoseSelsa Acoustic Lab to deliver a higher fidelity sound that covers the whole frequencies.

They have full support for HD audio codecs, both LHDC 5.0 and LDAC HD codecs with up to 1Mbps transmission bitrate and 192kHz sampling rate, along with Hi-Res high-resolution audio playback.

4 modes are available where the usual noise cancelling has 3 levels of noise cancellation, transportation, normal and wind mode. The wind mode does significantly reduce wind noise as they are an industry-leading wind noise resistance that is unique to the Ceramic itself. I really do find the noise cancelation work wonders and probably one of the best I have ever tried.

There are 4 Goertek silicon MEMS microphones powered by AI neural network algorithms and a dedicated SoC chip cut through noise, boost voice volume by 20%, and deliver crystal-clear calls.

The battery itself is a compact custom engineered battery that boasts 11 hours per charge, 45 hours total with the case which is pretty impressive. LHDC 5.0 plus Game Mode cuts full-link latency down to just 54ms

The Ceramics Ultra is a touch based controls amd can be configured through their application

RoseSelsa’s own free app named Rose Link is available on Android and Harmony OS and they are ad free that is easy to use. Users can choose to play with equalization, dual pairing mode, software updates, mode selection, touch settings and many more. The EQ settings has only 4 modes where there is Pop, Rock, HiFi and classic mode and no custom EQ is available. I do find the Classic EQ sounds the best for me and the wind noise reduction is no gimmick as it really does reduce wind noise, suitable for bicycle riding and jogging as well.

Gears Used for Comparisons

Songs list

Tone and Presentation

The tone of the Ceramics Ultra has an L shaped, almost a W shaped sound that has boosted lows with a warm overall sound. The sound here is energetic while also inoffensive suited for mainstream genres that emphasizes the low end. Overall details here are good and they do have a decent amount of details across the whole spectrum. The dynamic range here is superb with great extensions on both ends giving an airy, open sound presentation. Compression here is actually quite minimal and there is no major loss present especially with LDAC codec selected.

Noise Controls

The noise canceling works exceptionally well with 3 levels of noise cancelling where the highest, extreme mode is able to cut noise better than the others in this price range and above. There will be some air and space lost when the ANC is activated but it is rather minor. Preferably, I do prefer the normal or wind mode when I want music quality emphasized and the noise canceling for long travels. The wind noise mode is unique to the Ceramics Ultra and they are able to cut out wind noise by a significant value and they are useful for jogging, biking and places where fans wind are noticeable. The gaming mode works well and reduces the latency quite significantly but bluetooth range is slightly affected.

Soundstage

The soundstage of the Ceramics Ultra is decent but not their main strength. The width is good with a rather average height with decent headroom that manages to sound open without being closed in causing boxiness. Spatial positioning here is great and accurate as sound directions are easily picked out making them a good TWS for gaming. Their slightly intimate soundstage does possess great immersion and this makes it a suitable pair for movies as well.

Separation and Timbre

Separation on the Ceramics Ultra is great and has a good dynamic range, reproducing sound in a true stereo depth. The imaging here is great and every layer in music is presented without any major congestion. Cohesion here is superb as typical of a well.tuned dynamic driver and they are able to sound full without any gaps or hollowness. Timbre is full-bodied, rich, warm and breathy with a touch of colouration producing a smooth, enjoyable sound that excels in musicality and immersion.

The Bass (Low)

This is where the Ceramics Ultra sound impresses the most and is the dominant part. Roseselsa has claimed that due to their highly elastic and flexible surround on the diaphragm, the driver has the capability to excurse to a maximum of 18% and that makes the bass uniquely special as the movement of air can be physically felt giving a superb, immersive bass. The Ceramics Ultra bass response is impressive as they are deep, impactful and meaty bass while also possessing an airy bass presentation that is well textured. Details and clarity here is good and they are still able to sound clear without any bleed present to the other frequencies but there is some bloat present on certain bass heavy tracks. The pace of the bass is decent but they have a rather boomy bass that might lack tightness. Sub-bass performance is superb and they indeed have a great presence alongside a deep rumble that will please certain bassheads out there. Overall, their bass has a great presence with an impactful slam and a deep sub-bass reach. These bass aren’t for purists and might not suit a certain acoustical genre but they are without a doubt uniquely fun.

The Mids

The midrange the Ceramics Ultra here is a neutral to warm mids that has a full-bodied, thick midrange that is smooth and rich in musicalities The midrange doesn’t have a recessed type of mids, instead, having a mild forward sound that possesses an intimate and lush sound that is lively. But due to their thickness, space here is average but not congested. Macro details are superb alongside average micro details while clarity here is great with an organic presentation typical of a dynamic driver mids. There is some coloration present that gives a vivid sound signature but it does sacrifice some transparency but in a small way and they manage to sound organic in their timbre. The upper midrange peak is good but isn’t as aggressive and it gives a smooth, inoffensive sound all the way to the high range while having some amount of brilliance. Vocals sounded balanced with a lively and deep presentation suiting male and female vocals alike but more on the former. Instrumentals perform great especially with low notes instrumentals like drums and percussion but not so much for certain strings like violins as they lack bite.

The Highs

The high end in the Ceramics Ultra has a slightly laid-back, neutral flat signature that is smooth, inoffensive while still having a good presence without sounding mute. The high range amount is rather balanced and isn’t too polite as they possess a lively sparkle with a mild crisp decay that is inoffensive. The timbre here is organic, natural and accurate but it does lack sharpness in the top end. Details here are good with every high note presented in a clear manner and details are full. The high range is suitable for users that are sensitive to a piercing high range and sibilance here is almost non-existent and they are free from harshness. Treble is a touch relaxed in intensity and that gives a smooth, slightly relaxed sound signature while having a good amount of clarity but it does lack energy at times. These high range suits a casual, long listening session for their rather fatigue free treble but not for those who want a good bite in the higher range.

Comparisons

VS FiiO FW5

The FiiO flagship TWS , the FW5, is highly regarded for their amazing sound and equipped with AKM’s AK4332 DAC, they are considered one of the best sounding TWS in this price bracket and being equipped with dual Knowles RAD balanced armatures and a single dynamic driver, they are housed in a plastic shell with metal faceplates with a circular shape. Though having superb overall sound, they do lack features like noise modes features, programmable buttons and the battery life of the Ceramics Ultra lasts twice as long.

• High range of the FW5 has a sharper presence with a livelier sound and better details
• High range timbre is more organic on the Ceramics Ultra
• Midrange of the Ceramics Ultra is thicker, fuller and more forward while the FW5 is more neutral and spacious
• Colouration on the FW5 is less and they are slightly more transparent
• Bass amount is bigger on the Ceramics Ultra with more air, energy, depth and meat but FW5 bass is more accurate
• Sub-bass on the Ceramics ultra is deeper and rumbles better
• The soundstage on the FW5 is slightly bigger but air on both are similar.

VS Earfun Air Pro 4+

The recent release from the stapled TWS player, the Air Pro 4+ is a hybrid single dynamic and a balanced armature TWS that has loads of in app tweaks alongside a flagship specifications that is priced slightly above than the Ceramics ultra. Battery life is slightly better on the Ceramics ultra but the flexibility of setting available on the Air Pro 4+ is undeniably better such as AI translation, custom equalization, bigger codec support but does lack wind noise reduction.

• High range on the Air Pro 4+ is slightly sharper with better clarity
• Timbre is better on Ceramics Ultra is more accurate
• Treble on the Ceramics Ultra is smoother
• Midrange of the Ceramics Ultra is thicker and more forward while the Air Pro 4+ has a more accurate mids with less colouration
• Vocals on the Ceramics Ultra is lusher and sweeter while the Air Pro 4+ is more balanced
• Bass on the Ceramics Ultra is bigger and meatier while also reaches deeper
• Sub-bass on both are almost similar in amount but the Ceramics Ultra does has more air
• Soundstage on the Ceramics Ultra is slightly wider but air and headroom are similar

Synergy

The bass dominant, smooth sound of the Ceramics Ultra do makes them a TWS that suits most EDM, modern genres while also suit some classicals and jazz. These aren’t a pair for critical listening but suited for an every day use for their inoffensive overall sound.

Genre selections

Suits: Jazz, EDM, hip-hop, classicals, modern pop, pop, rock, metal etcetera

Not suitable: Acoustics, ACG (subjective)

Who Is It For?

Recommended usage: Casual listening, light gaming, movies, workouts

Not recommended usage: Monitoring, on stage, critical listeners

Final words

At under USD50, the RoseSelsa Ceramics Ultra delivers a phenomenal value with a bass dominant, warm-sounding TWS with flagship features like LDAC/LHDC support, excellent three-mode ANC, a unique wind noise reduction mode, and a whopping 11 hour per charge battery life (45 hours total). The custom Planck driver produces deep, physical sub-bass and a smooth, fatigue-free treble, though the sound is slightly coloured and may lack bite in the higher range, they aren’t a match for critical or acoustic listening. Bass can occasionally bloat, and the lack of custom EQ is a drawback, but all being said, the organic timbre, solid fit, and impressive noise canceling make this an easy recommendation for casual listeners and bassheads on a budget.

4 ½ stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Pros

• Ergonomic fit, well designed
• Tremendous battery life
• Resolving, neutral to warm signature with a smooth, inoffensive sound
• Superb noise cancellation
• Multiple, high end codec support
• Decent companion app
• Solid connection range
• Crystal clear calls
• Cohesive sound with an organic timbre
• Great overall clarity and details
• Meaty, punchy bass that has authority
• Intimate, lush midrange
• Smooth yet lively high range
• Smooth, laid-back treble amount
• Superb value

Cons

• Not for critical listening
• High range a tad polite
• Lack of custom EQ settings
• Bass can be overwhelming for purists
• Bass occasional bloat
• Coloured midrange