In gebruik
Contents
The TOZO Golden X1 comes in a compact storage and battery case with a USB-C input. When opening the lid we sees a battery level indicator, for Left and Right. Well done. There is also a wide choice of ear tips. Take your time with these to find a good fit. A good ‘fit’ is essential for a good listening experience. What fits well is very personal. If it is good, after a while you will not feel the in-ears and you will hear the music around you like a kind of ‘sound helmet’.
Finding the right eartips turns out to be very easy and so is pairing via Bluetooth. There is a proprietary app that enables the user to set the noise cancelling level and also some EQ settings. You can also turn on soundscapes such as ‘Rainforest’ or ‘Nature’ in the app. The app is responsive and fast; connection is stable daily use, our phone and the X1s find each other effortlessly. According to TOZO, the battery lasts for 8 hours when noise cancelling is off; this is more or less in line with what we experienced.
With the phone function, we had varying experiences, also depending on the application. With Zoom and Teams, it generally fared better than with regular calling. We suspect it will have to do with the type of mobile phone, the Bluetooth protocol and interference factors from other wireless systems.
Listening
We used the TOZO Golden X1 at home, on the road, in the car and while walking. What stands out is a powerful and reasonably neutral playback. The audio quality is really good! In-ears can sometimes produce a bit too much bass, giving the low registers little room to the other frequency ranges. The music sounds as it should with in-ears; as if it is ‘spritzes’ straight into the ear canal.
Music is reproduced in great detail, it is transparent and not obtrusive. We hear a soundstage but it depending on the recording. Joe Jackson’s album Body And Soul is fantastically recorded. You can hear the acoustics of the theatre hall where the band is playing, very much a live feel. The opening track The Verdict starts with a drum roll, followed by Joe Jackson’s grand piano and, after eight bars, the horns filling in. This is a real opening track; it should draw attention, carry along, set the tone. On the X1, this goes extremely well and we realise how Bluetooth technology has evolved in quality. That this can be done on a wireless system wasn’t really imaginable five years ago.
TOZO shows that it has mastered wireless technology. In ease of use, connection security and in sound quality.
We like the neutral EQ settings but those who need bass reproduction at reggaeton depth or want other special touches can tweak to their heart’s content. And again, the X1 remains largely in control. We didn’t test it, but the volume can be set very high and the settings can be tuned quite extreme.
Price – Quality
For 149 euros, TOZO puts a TWS set on the market that can effortlessly compete with established brands where the price tag is easily double that. On all points (ease of use, battery life, material, audio quality), the X1 scores high marks. Proof that good quality does not have to cost a lot.