To our surprise, there was initially no app in the Play Store with the name “Origx”. We therefore downloaded another app from the manufacturer, which finally recognized the test sample after the smartphone had established a connection via Bluetooth. Presumably, this is the software in question, which was simply not given a unique name. A few sample sounds were available in this app, such as the sound of a river in a forest full of birds. During our first attempts with these sounds, we heard the clicking of the mechanical keyboard on the computer with practically no deficits and instinctively increased the volume on the test sample.
We found it a little annoying when readjusting the earbuds on the ear. The Tozo logo was inevitably touched and an input was detected, which interrupted the music playback. The earbuds were only supposed to be placed in a more acoustically advantageous position.
A selection of different pieces of music from a wide range of artists and genres was selected for subjective listening tests. In the case of the Android smartphone as the source device, the musical offerings of a well-known streaming service were used, with the quality of the music reaching HD or Ultra HD according to the provider’s nomenclature. Our listening process should always cover as broad a spectrum of music as possible.
In the case of the earbuds, the respective song was tried out once with standard settings and once with an equalizer setting that seemed appropriate according to the name.
| Music playback title 1 | |
| Title and band/musician | Phaeleh – Warning Signs |
| Earbuds – without equalizer | Female voice somewhat muffled, otherwise airy sound with very effective drum hits |
| Earbuds – with equalizer “Vocals” | Sound image generally somewhat brighter, shorter decay in the sub-bass and more voluminous female voice |
“Warning Signs” is a new song from Phaeleh’s latest album “The Space Between Us”. The artist is generally located in the ambient genre and therefore uses electronic auxiliary tools with heavily modified instruments. Even without any presets, the Tozo Open Buds audibly “color” the music. The brighter and finer sounds of the drums emerged with beautiful clarity, while the more impulsive strokes were conveyed in a somewhat overdriven manner. The latter undoubtedly offers a high entertainment factor, but may not seem particularly natural to some listeners. This standard sound image corresponds to the typical “bathtub tuning”, as particularly low and high frequency ranges are emphasized here. The voices, which tend to be in the mid-frequency spectrum, suffer a little from this, which is why we promptly selected the “Vocals” preset in the equalizer. This made the female voice appear much fuller and some electronic noises also came more into focus. As Tozo has certainly advertised the bass-heavy nature, the product lives up to the description by default.
| Music playback title 2 | |
| Title and band/musician | Phenomenal – Bakermat feat Lily Moore |
| Earbuds – without equalizer | Saturated and full-bodied sub-bass in the background, crisp details and clearly restrained female voice |
| Earbuds – with equalizer “Vocals” | Less full sub-bass, voice of deserved dimensions significantly further forward on the immersion of a stage |
Once again, the equalizer in the upper mid-range led to a voice that was placed much more prominently and thus to the more familiar auditory impression of positioning the human voice as the highlight.
| Music playback title 3 | |
| Title and band/musician | Ruins – Portico Quartet |
| Earbuds – without equalizer | Little space between the individual instruments, the saxophone’s dirty tones barely come out due to the reduced mids |
| Earbuds – with equalizer “Classic” | Everything blurs into a dull sludge |
We chose the track “Ruins” from the post-jazz genre, which also has influences of ethnic music through the use of a hang. This provides a stark contrast to the previous two songs, which have a much more “through-produced” feel. The first notes of the track are very subtle and quiet – even difficult to hear with the earbuds. The acoustic instruments lack a little brilliance and spatial distance on stage. We assumed we could counteract the problem with the “Classic” setting, but this only made everything duller and more boring. So what was the problem? Contrary to the description, the “Vocals” setting once again worked wonders, because the Dirty Tones stood out more clearly here, despite the absence of any vocals. This shows how little energy was applied in the 2-5 kHz range, which is exacerbated by incorrect settings. This makes “Vocals” the only sensible alternative to the standard setting out of all the bass and treble modifications. We didn’t want to impose a bass boost on “Ruins” in the first place and it would have been completely out of place.
Practical outdoor testing …
Last but not least, the practical test took place during a walk through an urban environment into the neighboring forest. Thanks to their relatively high resistance to water, it makes sense to use them in the fall. However, the open design means that the rustling of leaves in the forest and traffic noise on the streets can hardly be blocked out. Away from this, there is a moderate acoustic “bleeding”, so that the immediate neighbors on buses and trains hear something of your own taste in music. The sporting environment in the great outdoors is therefore a more logical area of application.
Riders of two-wheelers will also benefit from the low volume and small amount of space under a helmet so that they are not completely distracted on the road despite listening to music. After all, communication devices are also used there, for example to go on motorcycle tours as a group and talk to each other. Drivers are therefore already used to a certain amount of acoustic distraction. Smartphones are now increasingly being attached to two-wheelers via mounts, replacing the already outdated navigation device. The road to music enjoyment is therefore not a long one.
For the connoisseur of audiophile demands, on the other hand, the more open structure is a plus point, as the impression of the music stage actually extends slightly further into the dimension of width. After all, open headphones are also used more frequently in this target group and many in-ears cannot physically keep up in the slightest.
However, this should not give the impression of a gigantic stage experience. These are still earbuds that make the music appear as if it is playing in a small space inside the head. Early limits the driver size here.
Tozo Open Buds Earbuds Overall impression …