When I thought of going for a NC headphone, it was Sony or Bose headphones, but the budget didn’t permit me to get hands on those costly versions for my travel needs, reason being fear of being lost in hotel or on the way. So checked other budget options for NC Headphones and here I think an option which can be really low cost alternative in NC headphones which is Treblab Z2. In this Review I will speak about its specs, pros and cons as against the best once.
So lets have a look at each and every details to decide if this makes a perfect ANC budget headphones still in 2019?
Treblab Z2 ANC Headphones Review – Still worth buying?
Design
The look is simple with basic standard engineering cylindrical shaped driver cans.
All black color makes them somewhat industrial but adds some flavor with the large white color logo. However the place on cans could have been used in more effective way by reducing the logo size. Also the white color is somewhat more distinct, which maybe fine for brands like Bose or Sony, where people want to flaunt on brand, but surely not Treblab!
Anyway that’s surely not a main point or deal-breaker when you want an ANC budget headphones and again its somewhat personal feeling, looks is totally a subjective matter. So see it yourself and tell me what do you think?
They are sleek and comfortable to wear, although I feel the band pressure needs to be somewhat reduced so as to make them comfortable for long time wearing.
The headband is equipped with sliding mechanism to get adjusted to different head sizes.
The cans are padded softly, and have additional swiveling action, to ensure a good fall-free fit for most everyone.
The over-ear pads are too soft, and the band pressure makes the ears touch the speaker inner body! Again its a matter of fine tuning the design, Treblab design engineers need to work on comfort factor which will enhance the qualitative experience.
Sound Quality
Here is what the technical specs says –
The Treblab Z2’s are powered by neodymium-backed 40 mm solid drivers which carries the aptX low latency HD sound codec providing all around frequency response.
Here is what I felt –
Bass is quite balanced (punching but not annoying) – no headache while listening for long time (as per me one hour is long time)
The mids are bright and smooth.
The sound good at volume levels of around 75% but at lower volumes the music looks somewhat subdued!
ANC Experience
ANC is not a must for me, but surely a good to have feature.
Practically getting good ANC headphones at this cost is most difficult task I would say.
In this case the ANC works in both wireless and wired mode which is a Plus point in itself.
The Z2 headphones claims using a hybrid active noise cancellation technology – which uses two mics outside and inside the ear cup, which adds a second sound aka white noise to cancel noise.
Practical test results –
With ANC ON, the music performance becomes a bit muddy. Ofcourse it does the basic job of enhancing the listening experience by blocking out most of the known noises like Air conditioning or subways.
But the basic noise isolation which you get with ear sealing versus you get with ANC ON makes a nominal improvement. I think there is still a chance for Treblab research team to work in this area.
Good thins is that with ANC ON also you will be able to listen to the Airport announcements (not clearly but at least you know its happening)
Call Quality
Another important aspect for me to receive calls while I listen to the music during travel.
Wired Performance
Wired performance over call is simply great, you get crystal clear voice at the other end of phone call
Wireless Performance
Caller on the other end was able to make that I am speaking over a wireless connection, this issue gets somewhat addressed if I speak loudly (which I don’t like at all at public places)
So if you are thinking of buying them to make lot of calls, make sure you like use them wired!
Controls
The utility of controls is one of the important factor in headphones, because as you wear them everything depends upon the touch and feel of controls, they must be easily identifiable and operatable intuitively.
Here you get controls for volume up/next, power/play/pause/phone, and volume down/previous on the right side ear cup.
Additional input jack points for Aux cable and charger are also located here.
The active noise cancellation functions, like on and off, and a mic are located on the left side ear cup.
Voice instructions
The headphones provides you nice information over voice like “power on,” “connected,” and “battery low”
Practically the voice instruction voice is too loud and disturbing, unfortunately there is no way to lower them down, my request to Treblab engineering team to work on this aspect of improving user experience.
Bluetooth connectivity
Pairing
Got quickly paired with my smartphone.
Its compatible to Android as well as iOS devices.
For first time users
– simply press and hold the Power Button, till you listen voice instructions saying headphones are in pairing mode.
– now goto your smartphone and make Bluetooth ON, wait for few seconds and refresh the list of devices, you will see Treblab Z2 in list of available devices. Click to choose and connect.
Once paired, next time the smartphone would automatically get connected within seconds.
Battery life
My general expectation is battery life of about 8-10 hours which is more than suffice for any of my long travel or even a days outing. And I can recharge them overnight to get back to life.
Anything over and above 10 hours is Wow factor unless the don’t put weight, size and cost to the headphones (which is practically impossible task to achieve)
Anyway, here the Treblab Z2 headphones promises 35 hours of music playtime withing single full charge which is too good I would say.
35 hours means Once charged you will be able to use them over the full week! And you have left with a wired option too!!
Practical test results – 24 hours against 35 hours which is WOW 🙂
Fully charged, connected wirelessly with ANC ON and volume set at 50% (standard conditions – wireless source kept at about 2 feet distance) – The headphones lasted around 24 hours after which they went off the life.
Waterproof?
The Z2′ are rated as IPX4 which indicates that they are tested for splash resistance.
Practically what it means is that you will be able to use them during workouts where sweat protection is important.
But surely you can’t wear them outdoors while its raining or in showers or swimming pool.
Pros
- Good sound quality with balanced Bass
- Descent looks
- Extra long 35 hours of battery life
- 160 degree swivel ear-cups design
- IPX4 water resistance
Cons
- ANC works the basic level, enhancement required
- Not folding type
- Call quality over wireless mode is quite basic
NC Budget headphones |
Treblab Z2 |
Offers |
Best Buy Treblab Z2 |
| Headphones | 160 degree ear-cups swivel artificial leather Secure fit |
| Drivers | 40 mm |
| Speaker Impedance | 32 Ω |
| frequency range | 20 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Mic Impedance | ≤2.2K |
| Active noise-cancelling |
T-Quiet™ ANC tecnology (works on both wireless and wired mode) |
| Noise Cancellation (dB) | 20dB @ 20HZ-1KHZ (MAX) |
| Channel Separation (dB) | Audio ≤-60dB Dynamic range: 80dB |
| Water Resistance | IPX4, good resistance to the splashing water and sweat |
| Phone Calls | Built-in mic |
| Color | Black |
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Bluetooth | v4.2 aptX, support the AAC codec |
| HD Sound 2.0 Tech + Apt X | |
| 33 feet / 10 m | |
| Connectivity | 3.5 mm Jack & Bluetooth |
| On Device Control | Four Multi-functional buttons: On / Off Volume control Play / Pause Next / Previous Calls ANC |
| Battery | 35 hours play, 28 hours with ANC |
| 620 mAh PlayXTend™ | |
| Charging time | 3 hours charge |
| Compatible with ALL devices |
Smartphone, Tablet, Laptop, Mac, PC, TV |
| Warranty | 1-year Warranty (30 days returns for a zero-risk purchase) |
| Dimensions | 162 x 82 x 203 mm 6.4 x 3.2 x 8 inches |
| Weight | 252 g / 8.9 oz / 0.55 lb |
Bottom Line – Value for Money?
Now when it comes to spending money, its important to check benchmarks and expectations that you have.
At the time of writing this review (26 Jan 2019), Treblab Z2 were costing somewhere around $89 on Amazon ( Check the latest price here )
They are surely good sounding headphones with nicely balanced Bass performance, with phenomenal battery life.
The ANC surely needs further work by Trablab, but at this point it does the basic job of fighting against the environmental noises.
Looking at the prices around in 2019, where everything has been selling at somewhat high prices, $89 makes me to think that they are value for money ANC headphones.
Recommended by HowzBuy.com for – Home use, Office use, Travelers