TOZO Golden X1 Review: Here’s what I found out about these wireless ANC earbuds with customizable audio
TOZO- the brand is known for introducing innovative and unique products to enhance the user’s listening experience has introduced its latest high-res TWS flagship product- TOZO Golden X1. These latest earbuds were introduced this year at CES 2023 and are priced at USD 149.99. In this particular article, I am going to share my experience with these particular earbuds to give an insight as to what actually these earbuds really offer at their price point.
Packaging
TOZO Golden X1 arrived in really impressive packaging and was totally different from most of its competitors. The box opens from the side with a magnetic flop while on the inside you will get six silicone tips in different sizes-XS, S, M, L, XL, and XXL. There are buds and a charging case present along with a USB Type-C cable. Meanwhile, for the help of users, the box contains a quick guide to help them with product introduction, wearing, pairing with the smartphone, and Bluetooth multipoint feature. Though initially, it was a bit difficult for the left and right earbuds as there was no marking present but while opening the case I was able to distinguish it with the help of the digital display.
Design
These earbuds had a compact structure with an exclusive heavy configuration. The earbuds consist of 12mm diameter hybrid drivers and balanced Knowles armature drivers. It has a perfect Ergonomic design as when I wore them it was quite comfortable as it matches the curvature of the human ear and fits the pinna. Also, the soft silicone earplugs use a three-dimensional angle positioning to achieve the best in-ear effect.
The earbuds break through the traditional shape of the earbuds which we generally witness in the industry and have a 45-degree inclined angle. The waistline of earbuds is like a swell of muscle to present the explosive power of deep bass, which is also smaller than ordinary earbuds. Wearing these earbuds do give a classy look as they feature a matte texture with the branding of TOZO with gold elements. The charging pins and speaker grille can also be seen in both earbuds.
If I talk about the charging case it has a space capsule design while there is also a digital display present in the charging case that shows the state of charge of the left and right buds. There is also a pairing button present inside the case while a LED indicator is also there for the case battery at the opening of the case lid and USB-C port at the back. Each bud weighs 5 grams while the case weighs 43 grams. Well to maintain the impressive look of the matte texture you do need to wipe the case and buds once in a while. The case lid mechanism gets a bit loose after one week but due to the presence of strong magnets, you need not worry about it.
When I used the earbuds while going for a run these earbuds stayed in place and if you have a fear of losing your earbuds or damaging them while a gym session or jogging then you definitely will let go of that fear while using these earbuds.
Connectivity & Compatibility
To connect these earbuds to your device you need to install a TOZO companion app for Google Play Store or Apple store. While after installing the app you just need to keep the buds inside the case and press the pairing button inside the case for 3 seconds. You will be able to see the name of the earbuds on your device’s Bluetooth list and from there you can connect the device with your earbuds. The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.3 technology for connectivity.
If I talk about the TOZO companion app well the app really lets you enhance the listening experience and I really enjoyed the amazing layout of the app which greatly helped in exploring these earbuds. You can go for an ear test in this app also with the “Earprint” option. I tried the ear test in which I was able to hear a series of low, mid, and high-frequency sounds in the ears to determine the user’s hearing curve. After the test is completed you will get to see a detailed hearing curve. Other than this you get various noise-cancellation features and sound effects on the app.
I connected these earbuds with both an Android and iPhone device but there was not much of a difference as the modes worked equally on both the devices.
Features & Performance
The buds cover a wide 12HZ to 44.1KHz frequency range which makes these earbuds stand out of the crowd. Pairing happens over Bluetooth 5.3 while the buds support AAC, SBC, and LDAC codecs. There are a total of 16 EQs added which lets you customize your favorite songs in the way you want to listen to it. The earbuds feature LDAC HD audio decoding technology that is authorized by Sony meanwhile the earbuds have also received Hi-Res wireless certification by JAS (Japanese Audio Association). The gaming experience was also quite good with these earbuds.
The earbuds support ANC which drowns out upto 42dB of noise around in which you get different modes like- noise cancellation, transparency mode, reduced wind noise, leisure mode, normal mode, and custom pattern. The earbuds also support ENC. These features are just awesome as while using these earbuds during a call I was able to stop the outside noises with the noise cancellation and reduction of wind noises. The six built-in microphones in these earbuds that are designed with ENC noise cancellation really helped me in communicating in an ongoing call but while talking on a call outside the ENC didn’t work like it did inside. While listening to a song with the sound effect feature definitely made me feel relaxed while at a point I actually felt like I was enjoying a live concert. Hence the noise cancellation features at this price point were bang on. You can even customize the noise reduction level with the help of a custom pattern.
The Hi-Fi digital, material, and cavity acoustic technology compensates for the frequency lost when the sound passes through the ear canal curve, keeping the sound that reaches the eardrum closest to reality. Also, these earbuds support the connection of two different devices simultaneously though initially, you might face problems in switching between two devices. The earbuds can be handled with touch controls for adjusting the volume you can long press on the left and right earbuds.
It is claimed to arrive with an IPX6 rating for water and splash resistance which kind of worked when I used them while working out. Hence as mentioned earlier you can enjoy your workout sessions while listening to your favorite songs on these earbuds.
The drawback I experienced was that during the testing of these earbuds was that the buds tend to lose their connection with your device when you pass between two rooms as the Bluetooth is said to cover only a 10m range. Also, the earbuds lacked wear-detection sensors which is quite common in the earbuds these days.
Battery Life
The company claims that the earbuds last up to 8 hours on a single charge with ANC off and the charging case extends the playback time to 32 hours. But when I tested the battery life of these earbuds, on a single charge with ANC off the earbuds lasted up to 7.5 hours. While with ANC on the earbuds lasted for 5 hours. To charge these earbuds along with the case using the given USB-C cable it took around 2 hours for a complete charge.
Verdict
If we look at all the features, designs, and specifications of TOZO Golden X1 these earbuds provide a premium sound quality experience at its price range. Using these earbuds while working out has been a great experience as the buds fit in the ear comfortably while during the calls also the experience was above average as talking on a call outside it becomes a bit difficult to communicate due to traffic and noises around. Listening to music was definitely bliss due to these earbuds. If I had to rate these earbuds then I would definitely give them 9 out of 10. If you are looking for new wireless earbuds at a price range of $150 then TOZO Golden X1 is definitely an option you should go for a premium sound quality experience as they are a true value for money.