Page 3 - Subjective Audio Analysis
Testing audio products by ear is a difficult task. There are subjective parts to testing by ear, which unfortunately cannot be eliminated. My taste or preference will bleed into the results. However, taking the time and putting the TOZO HT2 through its paces will hopefully eliminate, or at the very least, reduce as much of the subjectivity possible. There is extremely expensive equipment attempting to come to some sort of objective measurement, but it is still a challenge, since every person will pick up a pair of headphones and experience it slightly differently. With that in mind, I will do my best to provide an objective measurement through extensive tests and with a good understanding of my reference pair of headphones. I am testing the TOZO HT2 primarily as wireless headphones connecting via Bluetooth to my phone or laptop, as they are marketed as Bluetooth headphones, so they will be tested as such. I will indicate in the review whenever I use the cable to plug the headphones into an aux port on my computer.
When it comes to the tests in question, I listened to uncompressed and high-bitrate audio tracks. This ensures the music is of good quality, helping us to isolate testing mainly to the headphones. The TOZO HT2 features active noise cancelling and a passthrough mode, which I tested in busy environments with lots of noise, like a full cafe. I had the chance to participate in a conference while I was reviewing these, so I used them in a room filled with hundreds of people making noise to get a better sense of their capabilities to eliminate outside noise.
To start, the bass on the TOZO HT2 is impressive. The bass is definitely present and distinguishable from the rest of the frequencies, with a bit of a punch. The bass is boosted, which is good if you prefer a deeper sound rumbling in the back. However, it is round and full, providing a solid balance with the rest of the frequencies. It did not overtake the other frequencies, but is always felt in the background providing a good punch. The pluck of a bass guitar string is nice and deep. Similarly, any deep horn instrument has a good presence in the background filling out the rest of the frequencies.
The midrange frequencies are also good. They are warm and full. Vocals came through clearly and accurately, while the acoustic guitars sounded natural. It was articulate and detailed. Overall, I have no complaints about the midrange. It is definitely a standout in its quality, providing an excellent balance with the other frequencies. This performance continued in the wired mode as well. So far, I have been impressed by how TOZO is able to keep each of the frequencies clear. Nothing has been muddled, and it does not blend in odd ways with the rest of the sounds
With treble, there should be a certain amount of energy included, providing the sharp and clear sound of a violin being played. Without the brightness of these high tones, much of the sound can become dulled, losing much of what makes it enjoyable. In this case, the TOZO HT2 excelled again. The high frequencies are bright, providing the necessary sharpness to hear a violin or certain voices to come through. Neither do you want these frequencies to be too sharp. I am impressed by what TOZO has accomplished in providing balance to their sound.
Soundstaging and imaging was great for its context. Throughout all the tests, each sound source could be easily distinguished. The soundstage was reasonably wide and deep for closed-back noise canceling headphones. The imaging was also detailed and clear. There was required depth, and all the instruments in the music did not feel as if they were squished together on a stage. This carries on into the layering. Detail was kept throughout, ensuring a clean sound in all the songs I listened to. The TOZO HT2 kept its clarity throughout the tests, providing a reasonably wide soundstage to be able to easily distinguish between instruments and where they are coming from.
The TOZO HT2's microphone is very poor. In the first recording above, it was done in an ideal indoor scenario. You can hear my voice is very muffled and drops out here and there. In a phone call I had with my wife, a similar thing happened. The best way to describe it is it made me sound underwater. Outside performance was equally poor, with the surrounding noise being heard easily and my voice coming through with difficulty. I would not recommend taking calls using the TOZO HT2. The clarity could be significantly improved to help ensure clear communication wherever you may be using it.
On a more positive note, the active noise cancelling function worked great. In busy settings, the surrounding noise from people talking and working was reduced to a white noise in the background, allowing one to more easily focus on the tasks at hand. Any voices were reduced to a point where they could either not be heard or seemed indistinguishable from other surrounding noise. With transparency mode on, which allows sound through, it was an interesting story. Sounds like a cart rolling or the furnace vents blowing air were amplified, sounding like the ocean was present in my ears. However, voices were clearer, allowing you to hear someone speaking. In quiet rooms with transparency mode on, there is some white noise generated by the headphones. Adaptive mode was a bit tricky. Sometimes it worked well to cut out the music and allow me to hear my surroundings, but sometimes it would do so without someone talking to me. This mode was a bit hit or miss, but the other modes worked quite well.
The TOZO HT2 uses Bluetooth 5.3 to make its wireless connections, which when tested, had a range even longer than the stated 10m on their website. I was able to be 20m away from my phone before the music started to cut out.
Battery life was tested running the headphones at 50 percent volume continuously with active noise cancelling on. I got 28 hours, which is lower than the rated 40 hours of battery life from TOZO. This is still a lot, but less than specified. When the battery is close to dying, the headphones will warn you every 5 minutes for the last 20 minutes of listening time to charge them. A small indicator light below the power button will turn red when battery life is critical. Charging the headphones does not take too long. However, the headphones will not turn off after a set amount of time of no input. They will stay connected to whichever device and drain the battery.
Overall, the TOZO HT2 headphones delivered great audio performance overall with effective active noise canceling and long battery life.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
