TOZO NC7 Review

TOZO NC7 offer most of the TOZO flagship performance while costing almost half. The ANC performance can’t quite compete with the best competitors, but their sound and incredibly long battery life will win you over.

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• List price (MSRP): $49.99
• Manufacturer: TOZO

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Related: Best earbuds under $50 – Most comfortable earbuds – Best budget noise cancelling headphones

Our Conclusion

TOZO NC7 (the one we’re reviewing) is an updated model from 2022 sporting new features, like Bluetooth 5.3 and app customization.

And thank God for the app, which saves what would otherwise be an average TWS earbuds. The sound only starts to shine after applying heavy EQ.

We tested the battery and one of the main selling points of TOZO NC7 is their insane battery life of 9 hours and 10 minutes per charge. This is more than any ANC earbuds we’ve tested so far.

Also, thanks to their feather-like fit, you can barely feel them in your ears. However, due to their inadequate stability, you should avoid using them for intense sports activities.

Learn about other features and how they stack up to strong competition from earbuds under $100.

UPDATE March 6, 2024: Updated the ANC score (to more accurately represent the actual performance) and added tables for easier comparison between different earbuds.

Pros & Cons:

Compare similar earbuds

Our Analysis and Test Results

During our tests, these earbuds proved to be well worth their money, especially in ANC effectiveness and sound, although the latter needs audio equalization to sound the best.

On the other hand, there’s a visible audio latency when gaming and a hiss when using the ambient sound mode as a result of over boosting the ambient audio.

Sound

TOZO NC7 have a pretty bloated and harsh sound out of the box. But with some EQ magic, it gets MUCH better. There’s still some refinement missing, but for $50, you won’t be disappointed.

Key points:

• Default sound signature is heavily V-shaped (boosted bass and upper treble frequencies).
• Reducing those two frequency regions in the app’s EQ makes the sound more controlled.
• Soundstage is pretty small, and the imaging is somewhat blurry near the center audio channel.

Check our TOZO NC7 A/B sound test

Learn how to understand sound comparisons.

Gone are the days when you were stuck with the default sound. Now, most true wireless earbuds above $50 come with apps and custom EQs.

Originally, the sound was bad. Getting the best sound out of the box is better (so you can have the same sound when jumping between devices). But custom equalization saves the TOZO NC7.

TOZO NC7 frequency response

Bass: Far too boosted, but manageable with EQ

By default, the low-frequency response is extremely boosted (distinct V-shape). The boost doesn’t reach midrange, yet it muddies it with excessive warmth.

Almost all songs have a strong bass presence, with a powerful bass slam and rumble. Drums at the beginning of “Reality Dream II” by Riverside are genuinely overwhelming (to put it mildly).

Reducing a large portion of low-end in the app’s custom EQ gives the bass a more tactile feel and far less muddiness.

Generally, the bass is well-controlled, even when listening to fast-tempo music. Moreover, it has a good texture, presenting bass guitar plucks with good detail.

The overall quantity is still above neutral, even after EQ. However, it’s noticeably more manageable.

Listen to the difference between EQ presets and our custom EQ sound profile:

Midrange: Muted in some areas, but fixable with the EQ

The default sound signature muddies up the midrange by making it warm in tone. 

There’s also some recession above 3kHz, which mutes the vocals and instruments, making them quieter. Consequently, your music doesn’t sound as lively as it should.

With some equalization in the TOZO app, you bring back the vocals and instruments, like electric guitars, to sound louder and angrier.

It’s worth pointing out that male vocals sound better than female. Although, it depends on what you listen to. Dua Lipa sounds too bright, whereas Tarja from Nightwish sounds just right.

Treble: Boosted to the point of sibilance

There’s nothing wrong with an energetic treble. However, TOZO boosted it in the wrong places, causing harshness and vocal sibilance. Listening to electronic music or female vocals further intensifies the harshness.

Our first test track from the video shows the harshness the most, especially during the chorus. That kind of tuning can get fatiguing fast.

Using EQ somewhat calms the treble down. The bad news is that you can only partially fix it.

You regain some of the texture from cymbals, which produce a lovely shimmer. Music genres like jazz and smoother versions of rock, like when listening to well-produced tracks from Dire Straits, is where you’ll love this type of tuning.

Our CUSTOM EQ SETTINGS for the most natural sound:

The soundstage is intimate, giving you a slightly better depth than width. Nonetheless, the sound doesn’t feel trapped inside your head, which is what actually matters.

Unfortunately, the imaging is a bit unconcise, especially with sounds near the center.

Do ear tips with a dome sound different than flattened ones?

Doing some A/B comparisons and measurements, we found no significant sound difference between the ear tip types. If anything, flat tips provide a slightly better seal, which can affect bass response during longer listening sessions.

Sound comparison

My conclusion

Overall, TOZO NC7 desperately need EQ to show their muscles. Their sound quality can easily surpass competitors at around $50.

Even more impressive is that they (technically) sound equally as good as TOZO Golden X1. This is the company’s flagship model costing $150.

They’re a great pick for someone who likes natural sound but wants a splash of extra bass and sparkle. They’re also fantastic picks for a basshead on default settings.

Earbud guides you should check:

• Best bass earbuds
• Best earbuds under $100

Comfort & Fit

TOZO NC7 have a very lightweight design with a nicely curved and smooth surface to fit comfortably in your ears. Since they rely entirely on friction to stay in place, you should avoid using them during extreme workouts.

Despite having one of the most long-lasting battery lives among ANC earbuds, TOZO NC7 are neither bulky nor heavy. They feel slightly heavier in hands than, for example, Edifier TWS1 Pro 2, but still, what I would consider “featherlike”.

Most importantly, they have a relatively regular size to fit inside most human ears. Furthermore, they don’t require you to push them too deep, and the in-ear seal they make is without noticeable pressure.

All of that results in a very comfortable experience. I can easily wear them for hours during my long outdoor walks.

During regular use, earbuds provide a stable fit. That means you can use them for outdoor walking.

But, during our headshaking test, they lost grip relatively quickly. First, you notice the loss of bass quality and quantity, and then you feel earbuds sliding out. Meaning that you should avoid them for outdoor runs.

You get 6 pairs of silicone ear tips, 3 with a dome shape and 3 with a flat top. The flap-top tips provide the most stable fit and consistent sound.

Nonetheless, TOZO NC7 are pretty stable for earbuds without ear wings or hooks. But you should avoid purchasing them solely for sports.

Compared to other similar models

TOZO NC7 are comfortable, more so than SoundPEATS Sonic but not as much as the EarFun Air S, which are also slightly more stable during sports activities.

Durability

TOZO NC7 boast an IPX6 rating, which is good enough to bring them in the shower but not in the pool. On the other hand, the earbuds feel well made (but the case feels cheap).

The TOZO NC7’s build quality is relatively solid. The earbuds lack visible weak spots, the most concerning being the nozzle mesh, which allows you to see the internals.

But don’t worry; the mesh is tiny enough to prevent water from passing through. The same goes for exposed microphone mashes all over the earbuds.

Earbuds are rated for an IPX6, which is good enough for heavy water splashes. If you like listening to music under the shower, you can happily do so with NC7.

However, IPX6 is still one rating away from waterproofness, so you should avoid dunking them underwater just to be safe.

You must be similarly cautious with the charging case. It’s compact and easily pocketable, but the lid doesn’t feel very substantial.

While the bottom part of the case is okay, the lid is thin and wobbly. The hinge is so small it can easily break by applying a bit of force. Also, the case isn’t sweatproof, so don’t mix it with sweaty clothes.

One thing worth mentioning is the ear tips. They use a proprietary locking method, so be gentle when replacing them. Pulling too hard will tear the silicone.

Are they suitable for…

• Wearing in the rain: Suitable. Rain, light or heavy, shouldn’t be an issue.
• Running & exercising outside: Suitable, as sweat can’t hurt them. But beware of the dust since earbuds don’t explicitly mention dust resistance.
• Sweating: Suitable, even for heavy sweaters.
• Dipping underwater: Not suitable; they should have at least an IPX7.

Durability comparison

Earbuds are more durable than most earbuds around $50, especially since they also support active noise cancelling (UGREEN HiTune T3 that also have ANC even completely lack IP rating).

Battery

TOZO NC7 have the longest battery life out of all ANC we’ve tested, clocking at 9 hours and 10 minutes per charge. That leaves an extra 36 hours inside the Qi-supported charging case.

TOZO NC7 battery comparison:

In the marketing material, TOZO promises some incredible battery life numbers, up to 18 hours from the buds and 54 hours inside the charging case. But that’s without ANC.

For our test, we enabled ANC and let earbuds play at 50% volume. The result was:

• 9 hours and 10 minutes of playtime on a single charge.

While that’s half as much as advertised, it is still a fantastic result. That puts TOZO NC7 first among all ANC earbuds we’ve reviewed.

Furthermore, since active noise cancellation doesn’t affect sound quality (some headphones sound better with ANC on), you can extend the battery by only enabling it when needed.

Like with earbuds, the battery expectancy in the charging case also reduces by half, leaving you with around 36 hours of additional juice (or four additional charges).

TOZO is secretive about features like fast charging support and more accurate charging times.

You at least get Qi wireless charging support, which can be useful if you already have a wireless charging pad in the house or in a car.

Here’s the battery rating comparison with similar earbuds:

Note: The battery rating considers battery life compared to alternatives, wireless charging support, and the speed of recharging.

Features

TOZO NC7 are loaded with many useful features, like EQ and controls customizer, different ANC modes, and even a “relaxing sounds” section. Unfortunately, their call quality is rather mediocre.

As mentioned at the start of the review, features save the TOZO NC7 from being average. Especially the customizable EQ section.

But first thing first, here are all the features that come with TOZO NC7:

• Various ANC modes
• Sound effect (aka. Custom EQ and presets)
• Customizable touch-sensitive controls
• Auto play/pause optical sensor
• Relaxing sounds

Starting with the TOZO app, it’s intuitive to navigate, with big buttons and widgets to access the most essential features. Everything is between 1 and 2 clicks away.

One annoying thing missing is a toggle to turn off the proximity sensor for the automatic play/pause feature. Also, TOZO has chosen a funny voice prompt whenever you switch to a different ANC mode.

One interesting thing with mobile apps from Chinese headphone brands is the built-in marketplace section. You can see the same thing in apps from Edifier and SoundPEATS.

Customizable controls

Earbuds operate with touch controls. You can (almost) fully customize the commands. That ensures you don’t need to constantly reach for your smartphone.

The only gesture limited to volume up or down is the “long press”. Otherwise, you can fully customize one, double, or triple-click gestures with commands like:

• Play/pause song
• Repeat/previous song
• Switch ANC modes
• Voice assistant

Custom audio equalizer

Custom EQ is a feature that often saves headphones from mediocrity. TOZO NC7 are no different. 

Fortunately, the in-app’s 10-band EQ offers the most crucial frequency bands to make vital corrections.

On top of the custom equalizer, you also get 16 EQ presets to play with and find the perfect sound. Although, we recommend trying our EQ if you want a more natural tuning.

Relaxing sounds

Hidden under the “Explore” tab, there’s a large selection of audio clips depicting sounds of nature or even some hypnotic tunes to help you relax.

Clips range from a minute to a few minutes long, and you can also set them to play in a loop.

However, for some reason, most tracks refuse to play. It could be a licensing issue, but that doesn’t make much sense.

Microphone quality

TOZO NC7 have a decent call quality in quieter environments but quickly start distorting in the presence of louder ambient noise.

TOZO NC7 microphone test: (no noise test from 0:00-0:25, with background noise test from O:25-0:53)

Earbuds have dual noise-cancelling microphones for making phone calls, and they do a decent job when you speak in a quiet room.

You sound a bit echoey (due to echoes in the room) and muffled, but the others should easily understand you.

It is loud external sounds that cause problems with background distortion. The noise reduction tech tries hard to mute the sound of passing cars, but it isn’t very successful.

You end up with an even more muffled voice and occasionally distracting background distortion. The quality is still passable if you’re in a hurry, but we still recommend avoiding noisy environments before making a call.

Features rating comparison

Noise Isolation

TOZO NC7 offer a passive noise isolation that’s a touch better than similarly priced earbuds. That said, without music, you can still hear louder sounds.

We see a reoccurring trend of somewhat average passive noise isolation performances in in-ear earbuds. TOZO NC7 are slightly better than most recently reviewed models. They reduce noise a few dB more than the rest.

They’re the most effective from 4kHz up, with the 6-7kHz region being a slight anomaly. NC7’s performance is similar to the 1MORE Aero, although the latter are better in higher frequencies.

In our experience, the effectiveness of noise isolation between dome and flat ear tips remains the same. Overall, as long as you play some music, you can easily take these earbuds someplace crowded.

Moreover, the sound leakage is minimal, even at the highest volume, so no one around you can hear your music (unless you’re in a library).

Here’s a table of how effective is TOZO NC7’s passive noise isolation at blocking specific frequencies:

Noise isolation rating comparison with other models

Noise Cancelling

TOZO NC7 have an ANC performance that’s better than the company’s flagship model. They also have a good ambient sound mode with different intensities, but you can hear some static noise on higher ones.

TOZO NC7 active noise cancelling test:

Besides sound and battery, the NC7’s biggest surprise is active noise cancellation. Primarily because it beats the performance of the TOZO Golden X1.

Earbuds are the most effective in the upper bass/lower treble region, so you shouldn’t hear much of the low-end hum. While they are less good than EarFun Air Pro 3, they make a big difference when riding on public transport.

Here’s the table with Google Pixel Buds Pro ANC test results:

The app allows you to pick between 3 ANC modes:

• Leisure mode (lets in more low frequencies while trying to reduce voices)
• Reduce wind noise (like Leisure mode but worse at voices)
• ANC (the strongest and most effective setting)

There is also a custom ANC mode, which lets you regulate the intensity of the ANC if you think that the full ANC power is too strong.

What about ambient sound mode?

Ambient sound mode (or Transparency mode) works really well at boosting voices. It slightly over boosts them, making them appear a bit thin.

However, that over-boosting comes at a price of background hiss. That typically happens when a weak signal is amplified beyond a certain point.

Nevertheless, when using the feature outdoors, the hiss isn’t distracting. However, it is audible in a quieter room.

Noise cancelling rating comparison

Bluetooth

TOZO NC7 have a stable Bluetooth connection but an average indoor range of 40 feet. Sadly, they lack features like Game mode and multipoint.

One of the noticeable upgrades from the 2020 version was the implementation of Bluetooth 5.3. The latter ensures a stable close-range connection, even with multiple wireless devices in the same room.

However, the indoor long-range remains about average. Based on our indoor Bluetooth test results:

• Earbuds can play music to about 40 feet (or 12.2 meters) until they start to stutter (right after passing the second brick wall).

That is the range where most Bluetooth headphones stop working, so they’re still within average. That means you can freely walk around nearby rooms but can’t quite take them to the other side of the house.

Also, earbuds lack Bluetooth multipoint support, so you can’t simultaneously switch connections between different devices.

What Bluetooth codecs do they use?

TOZO NC7 use standard Bluetooth codecs like SBC and AAC. For some reason, Android also prefers using AAC, even though it’s less optimized (you might hear your songs slightly quieter).

Is there an audio lag?

Watching movies and videos on social platforms is completely lag-free, thanks to audio synchronization between the app and earbuds.

However, you’re stuck with a noticeable latency in mobile games due to the lack of Game mode. It’s big enough to make them unsuitable for competitive gamers.

Bluetooth rating comparison

Should You Get TOZO NC7?

Previously, TOZO NC7 cost $80, which made them unattractive among the competition. However, with the new price of $50, they have suddenly become probably the best all-around pick.

TOZO NC7 final verdict: Recommended

Pros & Cons

Who are these best for:

• Commuters who enjoy their music in peace.
• Students who want to create a quieter environment to study.
• Bass heads, as their default sound is a definition of the term “subwoofer on your head”.

Who should avoid them:

• Only people who might want to look elsewhere are sportspeople looking for something with superb stability.

How do TOZO NC7 compare to the competition?

Here’s their value rating compared to similar alternatives:

Are they worth the price?

Regularly costing around $50, TOZO NC7 are worth the price. If anything, you’re getting capable ANC performance and battery life.

The sound is on the brighter side (loud, high frequencies), but the overall quality is still great for budget earbuds.

TOZO NC7 alternatives

EarFun Air Pro 3

Edifier W240TN

What’s in the Box?

• Edifier TWS1 Pro 2 true wireless earbuds
• Charging case
• USB-C charging cable
• 6 pairs of silicone ear tips, dome & flat head (2xS, 2xM, 2xL)
• User manual

Specifications