Taking a break from decorating the Headphone Dungeon with tinsel cables and and holly, I’m sitting down to review a new true wireless earphone – the Tozo T10. Retailing for an affordable $49, this earphone boasts “truly authentic sound and powerful bass performance,” as well as an IPX8 water-resistance rating. But can it live up to the hype? And is that sound worth the price?
Tozo T10 True Wireless Review
The T10 comes with a charging case, four pairs of eartips, and a micro-USB charging cable. While the earpieces feel lightweight and slim, that charging case feels fairly bulky. Not exactly pocket-friendly, Tozo includes a lanyard so you can wear the case around your neck, like that guy in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Battery life measures 3.5 hours on the earpieces, with another 9 hours on the charging case. That seems a little low to me, and I wonder if the company didn’t cut some corners to accommodate the IPX8 rating. And speaking of that rating, it’s the highest I’ve seen so far in a true wireless earphone, so props to Tozo. If you’re looking for a pair of earphones to listen to in a monsoon, this one may be worth considering.
Charging the case relies on the included micro-USB cable.
Once out of the case and placed in the ear, this earphone feels relatively comfortable. Again, the size is pretty slim, allowing them to slip into my giant radar-dish ears with ease. They can also be positioned so that they press against the natural contours of the ear, helping them stay in place.
Isolation feels pretty competent, and even during my street tests, the T10 did a good job of blocking out surrounding noise. Connectivity constitutes a mixed bag. Running on Bluetooth 5.0, the T10 supports HSP, HFP, A2DP, and AVRCP codecs. During my tests, however, I experienced a number of drop outs – whether standing on street corner, or just walking a few feet away from my desk.
Call quality appears decent, though I do have to project my voice a little bit more in order to be heard. However, this is pretty much par for the course when it comes to true wireless earphones.
Low End
When Tozo claims the T10 touts powerful bass performance, they aren’t joking around. Bass lands with impact, adding a bit of emphasis to electronica, pop, and hip-hop. Detail comes across as okay, though sometimes that detail can feel swallowed up by the robust bass. As such, I wouldn’t say there’s much control here. Tracks like Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto by Nate and Snoop Dogg, illustrate this quality. Deep luscious beats seem to gobble up surrounding notes. And while not terribly sloppy, this low end could still appear a little tighter. With that being said, the T10’s low end still delivers enough punch and verve to appeal to bassheads.
Midrange
In the mids, the T10 delivers a surprisingly good performance. Vocals sound intimate and lifelike, with a solid vein of fidelity running through any lyrical content. There may still be an iota of compression at play here, but that’s to be expected from a true wireless earphone at this price point. Instrumentation doesn’t suffer much, either, with relatively strong tonal accuracy. On tracks like Nappy Holidays by Nappy Roots, this wealth of fidelity comes across in spades, leading to a very even-keeled but engaging listening experience. Regardless of your music tastes, this midrange holds up across pretty much any genre, whether you’re bumping jazz, bluegrass, or k-pop.
High End
Smooth and just slightly rolled-off, the high end handles vocals and instrumentation equally well. Not too harsh or uncomfortable, this sound might miss some detail in the very high highs. As a result, tracks like TLC’s Sleigh Ride and Kanye’s Christmas In Harlem feel buttery but still contrasting enough to draw you in. An added bonus of this sound is its application for pop, electronica, and any vocal-heavy tracks.
Soundstage
Soundstage feels fairly competent, for a true wireless in-ear headphone. There’s a little depth, and enough of it to help separate some instruments. However, the sense of space still seems to suffer from this design. While not optimal, it’s still acceptable and probably actually pretty good compared to other true wireless earphones at this price.
Summary
If you’re looking an earphone you can use in a monsoon, the Tozo T10 might present a solid option. Most listeners will love the solid mids and smooth highs. However, the low end’s overwhelming bass and lack of control may prove too erratic for some listeners. Personally, I wanted to like the Tozo T10 more, but apart from the IPX8 rating, even it’s midrange and highs don’t elevate it above other models at the same price – like the Dungeon’s reigning champ of budget true wireless, the Strauss and Wagner SW-TW401.
Headphone Dungeon Score
An overpowered bass response, poor connection strength, and mediocre battery life steal two skulls from the Tozo T10. While I was on the fence about removing a third skull, the solid mids and highs ended up saving this earphone some points. Should you buy one? If you’re looking for a true wireless earphone that remains impervious to water, yes, by all means pick up the Tozo T10. However, if sound quality is even a passing concern, my recommendation is to go with something else.
Get the Tozo T10 True Wireless for the best price here:
Update: If you’re looking for the best true wireless earphones on a budget, check out our review of the new Strauss and Wagner SW-TW401 earphones!
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