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Tozo isn’t a name you’d associate with premium ANC earbuds. There is a good chance you haven’t heard of the brand at all.
They are one of the many brands that have flooded Amazon with affordable but good TWS earbuds. Their website indicates they are a US-based company, but the Amazon store has an address in Shenzhen, like most of the other affordable electronics brands.
Most of the earbuds they sell are in the £20 to £40 range, and I have always perceived them as being a step below the likes of EarFun and SoundPeats.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is surprising to see them now launch a pair of £150 earbuds which are crammed full of features.
Can a brand specialising in affordable earbuds compete with established brands like Anker Soundcore, 1More and Sony?
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOZO Golden X1 Wireless Earbuds Balanced Armature Driver and... |
£149.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Specification
- Balanced armature and 12mm Dynamic Drivers
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Hi-res audio with LDAC 24bit/96khz w
- OrigX Pro high-quality sound technology with 12Hz~ 44.1KHz frequency response
- Active noise cancellation with 6 noise reduction modes and noise reduction up to 35db
- App with:
- Custom EQ based on your hearing
- 16 preset EQ options
- 8 hours playback and 32 hours with the charging case
- Wireless charging + USB-C
- Six pairs of eartips
- IPX6 waterproof
- Case with battery indicator
App
The app is very basic looking, but it is functional and has lots of features.
The earprint function is the most interesting feature. You basically do a hearing test then it adjusts the sound curve to accommodate weaknesses in your hearing. It’s a great concept and impressive for them to implement this when many brands don’t have anything like this. However, it is not as good as the Soundcore HearID. 1More also have its own personised sound feature, which works by making subjective choices about how a track sounds.
Under the noise cancelling tab, you have six different profiles to choose from. It is worth noting that the ANC has an impact on the sound when you enable it. This isn’t uncommon for earbuds, but it is not ideal either.
Design and Fit
One of the first things that let the Tozo Golden X1 down is the overall appearance and build quality. They look and feel like the affordable earbuds Tozo is known for, not a £150 pair of earbuds.
The lid on the case is quite loose and cheap feeling. I like the battery display, but it is also something that’s used on many affordable earbuds, so it just reminds me of them.
The earbuds themselves are not too bad. They are a bit of an odd shape with a tiny stem and a rather large bulbous earpiece. You then get six sets of eartips, which is better than average.
The earbuds lack a sensor for wear detection, which is something you’d expect at this price.
I need the large eartips for my ears, and they fit reasonably well, nowhere near as good as the Sony Linkbud S, but about the same as the 1More Evo. I have used them for the gym and running and have not had too much of an issue with adjusting them, and they haven’t completely fallen out.
I have noticed a few people say they struggled to get a good fit or seal with these. That isn’t the case for me, the seal was good, and this, therefore, helped the overall audio quality for me.
Finally, you have a wide selection of predefined EQ options, so you should be able to find a sound profile that suits your tastes.
These are also rated for IPX6 water resistance, which is much better than the IPX4 you find on most earbuds.
Sound Quality
The Tozo Golden X1 has a dual driver design with a large 12mm dynamic driver and balanced armature per earbud. This is then combined with LDAC for the best possible quality.
With other LDAC-enabled earbuds, I normally have to enable it within the app and in the Bluetooth settings, but this seems to be enabled by default. I think this is because you can’t have LDAC with multipoint, but these earbuds don’t have multipoint.
Like most earbuds nowadays, these have a U-shaped sound signature with quite a lot of boosted bass. The bass doesn’t seem to bleed into the mids, which allows them to still produce a good amount of detail.
Mids are surprisingly good, considering the boosted bass. There is plenty of detail, and I found the vocals were particularly good, with a lot of clarity.
The U-shaped sound signature emphasises the treble, and in some tracks, it felt a bit sharp for my hearing. I am quite sensitive to treble, so this isn’t uncommon for earbuds and not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just personal preference.
In the app, when you select one of the presets, you can then customise it. So, for me, I dialled down some of the upper frequencies a touch, and this resolved the sharpness I was experiencing.
Overall, while the sound quality is excellent, I did find that they needed a bit more tweaking within the app to get the sound the way I wanted.
Noise Cancelling
Active noise cancelling is often the feature that really separates the mid-range ANC earbuds from the premium-priced options.
With these, the performance is generally decent but not quite as good as other options around this price.
For general ambient noise, you get a nice reduction in noise, allowing you to hear your music/media easier without dialling up the volume.
In my normal test of using an airplane cabin noise track on YouTube and my Edifier speakers dialled up to 80, they do a good job of reducing the low end, but they leave a lot of the mids and highs.
Microphone
The Tozo Golden X1 have a reasonably good microphone. They were perfectly well indoors, which is to be expected for earbuds at this price.
Outdoor performance isn’t quite as good, and they don’t seem to do as well with the ENC as other options on the market.
Battery
The battery is rated for 8 hours. Tozo doesn’t give specifics on the battery with ANC on, or the impact of LDAC.
I have used them for about four and a half hours while I have been doing jobs around the house and then in the gym, and they were getting close to dying. This is a little worse than expected. You will normally lose about 25-30% with ANC on, then LDAC can impact this further.
The 1More Evo also states 8 hours, and with ANC on, it is 5.5h.
I am glad to see that these have wireless charging as it is my preferred way to charge earbuds as it is convenient to place them on a charging mat.
Price and Alternative Options
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| TOZO Golden X1 Wireless Earbuds Balanced Armature Driver and... |
£149.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The Tozo Golden X1 have an RRP of £149.99, and at the time of writing, they had been discounted on Amazon to £127.49.
Competition is fierce at this price point, with plenty of superb choices.
1More Evo is £130. They sound great and have pretty much the same features as the Tozo but with a more attractive design and a nicer-looking app.
The Soundcore Liberty 4 also matches all the stand-out features of the Tozo, but again, battery build quality, a more attractive design and a superior app.
The Sony LinkBuds S usually are available for between £110 and £130. They lack wireless charging but have LDAC, good ANC and 360 reality. I also think they are the best-fitting earbuds I have tried.
Overall
The Tozo Golden X1 earbuds are excellent, and it is a particularly impressive product considering Tozo mainly specialises in affordable earbuds.
The £150 RRP feels reasonable, considering the wide range of features and overall performance. You certainly get more bang for your buck than many of the premium-priced products out there.
However, in recent years we have seen the £100-150 price point become incredibly competitive with some outstanding options to choose from.
The 1More Evo, Soundcore Liberty 4 and Sony LinkBuds S are three brilliant options I have reviewed this year alone. They are about the same price, if not cheaper. They all have a superior look and build quality, as well as a more professional-looking app. I’d also imagine it is hard to convince a lot of people to buy some Tozo earbuds for £130 when they can get some from Sony with similar features for about the same price.
Personally, I’d say these need to be closer to £100 in order to stand out from the competition.
Overall, I’d be happy to use these for my daily earbuds, so I can recommend them, I’d just keep an eye out for some good discounts.
Tozo Golden X1 Earbuds Review Rating
Summary
The Tozo Golden X1 earbuds are excellent, with good sound quality and a wide range of features. The main issue is that some other earbuds from more established brands are just as good, or better and at a similar price.
Overall
80%-
Overall - 80%80%
Pros
- Superb range of features
- Excellent EQ setting with a personalised sound
- Good sound quality overall
Cons
- Case feels and looks cheap
- ANC not quite as good as the competition
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
