Already identified for surprisingly good finances earbuds, Tozo rolled out new flagship lively noise-canceling (ANC) wi-fi earbuds at CES 2023 to compete with the large gamers. And the Tozo Golden x1 Wi-fi Earbuds just do that, with a glossy design, high quality sound however considerably meh noise cancellation for an affordable worth (particularly with out there reductions).
Tozo despatched me a pair of Golden X1 buds to take a look at. You may learn my ideas beneath.
Tozo Golden x1 Wi-fi Earbuds
Tozo Golden x1 Wi-fi Earbuds take an enormous step towards the large leagues of ANC wi-fi earbuds for the corporate. The packaging and charging case aren’t a lot to put in writing residence about — although I like that the case has an LED digital readout for each case and bud battery degree. However the elegant buds themselves are price a minimum of a fast word to the homestead.
I first tried the model in 2021, once I determined to select up a pair of T12 earbuds just because I needed one thing low cost that match securely within the ear canal to be used on the gymnasium. The $35 buds shocked me with massive sound. And now they price even much less, at about $30.
At $150, the brand new Golden X1 buds are one other animal. They’re extra subtle in and out in comparison with earlier Tozo buds just like the T12 and the higher-spec’d T12 Professional (which you will get for $40 with a coupon on Amazon). In comparison with the glossy Golden X1 buds, the T12 buds are fairly bulbous, are available a bigger case and might’t compete on well-defined sound.
Vivid and articulate sound
Talking of sound high quality, the Golden X1 buds convey it. I stored pairing my iPhone 13 Professional with totally different earbuds, together with AirPods Professional 2, anticipating the Tozo buds to fall behind in a method or one other, however they didn’t. That’s, they didn’t fall behind aside from missing AirPods Professional 2’s hand0ff functionality, in-ear detection and spatial audio.
The Golden X1 buds have a brighter sound than some, although I wouldn’t name it “tinny.” And vocals got here by way of extra clearly than they did with another high-quality buds. Tozo’s buds confirmed loads of definition throughout the audio spectrum.
The Golden X1 buds use a hybrid driver with Knowles armature and 12mm dynamic elements producing a broad frequency vary of 12Hz – 44.1KHz. That goes effectively beneath and effectively above what people can truly hear, by the best way.
Tozo stated it builds its personal OrigX acoustic know-how for pure sound into the buds, for no matter that’s price. They work with Sony’s proprietary LDAC hi-res Bluetooth codec for 24bit/96khz streaming at as much as 990 kbits per second (for these with appropriate gadgets). The additionally carry Hello-Res Wi-fi certification from the Japanese Audio Affiliation (JAS).
Telephone calls sounded clear, too. Name high quality advantages three microphones per bud that assist with environmental noise cancellation (ENC).
Contact controls and Tozo app compatibility
As with most wi-fi earbuds, you possibly can management quantity, playback, ANC mode, answering calls and the like through contact controls on the buds themselves. However I strongly favor app-based management over audio to the extent potential. Tozo got here by way of with that on this new launch. The older T12 buds talked about above are usually not appropriate with the app.
An indication that Tozo is critical about sound is the presence of an Earprint take a look at within the app. It exams your listening to throughout the frequency vary after which makes use of the end result to compensate the place your pure listening to skill falls brief — normally in very excessive or very low frequencies. It customizes sound to your listening to and ear form.
And the app additionally offers you management over the sound through 16 EQ presets. Some are primarily based on musical genres, like classical, hip-hop and jazz, and others merely add or take away bass or treble. Customary is a flat, impartial EQ. Authentic, apparently Tozo’s signature wave/line, suited me for many tunes.
The buds function strong Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint pairing for 2 gadgets. I simply paired them with my iPhone 13 Professional and iPad Air 5, after which with iPhone and MacBook Professional. It’s only a matter of turning Bluetooth off after which on once more within the gadgets you wish to pair.
ANC might be stronger
The app additionally helps you management noise cancellation. There are six selections: noise cancellation, transparency mode, cut back wind noise, leisure mode, regular mode (no impact) and customized sample (set your individual degree). I couldn’t inform you what “leisure mode” is supposed to be. It appears to muffle ambient sound barely.
I discovered the variations between the settings a bit of extra refined than I would really like. And that counted even going from regular to noise cancellation, which ought to current a extra noticeable, and even apparent, distinction (listening to quite a lot of exterior sound versus listening to little or no). The Golden X1 buds fall in need of some rivals in that regard.
I usually take a look at ANC with and with out music enjoying, and with totally different ranges of exterior sound. With robust ANC, simply switching modes whereas standing close to a TV or radio at reasonable quantity can provide you good sense of the altering noise-cancellation degree. The Golden X1 buds confirmed much less ANC energy than another buds I’ve tried.
One advantage of the ANC in these buds, nonetheless, is that it doesn’t change the sound of the music. I’ve examined different buds the place the sound is fuller or thinner relying on the ANC setting, which isn’t supreme.
Reasonable battery life
Photograph: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Battery life can be a slight disadvantage with these earbuds, contemplating that different prime contenders declare greater than 50 hours with the charging case.
Tozo stated these buds will provide playback for 8 hours on a single cost, which is nice (although most likely with out ANC engaged). However complete playtime with charging within the case extends that to 32 hours, which is strictly epic lately. I’ve tried earbuds of comparable high quality that may hit 50 hours complete.
That stated, the charging case juices up both wirelessly or through USB-A cable, and its LED readout for case battery degree and bud battery degree is kind of handy.
Tozo Golden X1 options and specs:
- Knowles armature and 12mm dynamic drivers
- ANC and ENC noise cancellation as much as 42dB
- Frequency vary: 12Hz – 44.1KHz
- LDAC codec compatibility
- Hello-Res Wi-fi certification (JAS)
- Bluetooth model: 5.3
- Multipoint connectivity
- Transmission distance: 8 meters
- 6 ear tip sizes
- Charging port: Kind-C
- Earbud battery capability: 55mAh
- Charging case battery capability: 500mAh
- Music play time: 8 hours on a cost, 32 hours with charging case
- IPX6 water resistance score
- Works with Tozo app
- Earprint take a look at
- 16 EQ presets
- 6 ANC modes
Pricing and availability
Tozo lists the Golden X1 Wi-fi Earbuds at $259.99, however appears to really promote them at $149.99 on its web site in addition to on Amazon (and Amazon additionally features a $15 off coupon on the product web page for a ultimate worth of $134.99).
And if the value drops over time — which is typical — the Golden X1 buds will certainly be price grabbing.
The place to purchase: Tozo or Amazon
Tozo offered Cult of Mac with a evaluation unit for this text. See our critiques coverage, and take a look at different in-depth critiques of Apple-related gadgets.
★★★★☆
