True wireless earbuds are rife these days, and we've seen dozens of them get released over the past few months at various price points and with mixed results. Now it's Sudio's turn with the new Sudio Tolv. The Sudio Tolv headphones cost $129 and are available in multiple colors. But do they beat our favorite true wireless headphones in the price range like the JLab Audio? We check them out to find out.
Design
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Sudio Tolv true wireless headphones is their design. The earbuds aim to be simple and stylish while carrying a Swedish design sensibility.
The headphones are available in multiple colors including black, blue, white and pink. We are reviewing the white version and it looks pretty good.
The earbuds themselves are completely white, with the exception of a gray logo and a bronze-colored button on each of them. The buttons are used to control playback and music playback, and are generally fairly easy to press, though pressing them requires the earphones to be pressed a little deeper into the ears, which can be uncomfortable. Luckily, the earbuds are quite small, which is certainly nice to see - and will come into play in the comfort section.
In addition to the earbuds themselves, you'll find a charging case, a microUSB cable, and three additional pairs of earbuds in the box. We'd like Sudio to use USB-C here.
Comfort
As mentioned, Sudio Tolv true wireless earbuds are quite small, which helps when it comes to comfort. Unfortunately, there are other issues when it comes to their comfort - the fact that they are not that good to stay in your ears. However, if you play around with the ear tips a little, you will probably find something that will help the earbuds stay in your ears. slightly better than otherwise.
Sound
Ultimately, what matters most is how the headphones sound, and thankfully, they don't sound bad at all. In fact, we think they sound pretty good. Sure, they're not for audiophiles, but most others will appreciate the sound quality on offer here.
For starters, the bass is pretty deep given the size of the headphones and their price. A little more bass extension is always helpful, but the kick drums were still able to cut through the mix decently well.
The mid range is also well tuned. The low mids are warm despite being a bit relaxed, while the high mids help push vocals and guitars through the mix without making the headphones sound like AM radio.
The high end, like the bass, could use a little extra extension, but we found the cymbals hissed decently and the details were relatively clear. Make no mistake, these are consumer-grade headphones, but Sudio has done a decent job of ensuring they stay relatively well tuned.
Performance
Pricing for studio-like headphones offers a hefty seven hours on a charge, which is well above average and impressive for a pair of wireless headphones of this size. The case is impressive too, offering four more charges – and bringing the total listening time to 35 hours.
The headphones connect to a device to listen to music via Bluetooth 5.0, and we had somewhat mixed experiences with their connection. They connect to the iPhone 7 Plus perfectly fine with no stutters or jumps, but when it came to connecting to the Mac mini they did have some issues.
Conclusions
The mid range is also well tuned. The low mids are warm despite being a bit relaxed, while the high mids help push vocals and guitars through the mix without making the headphones sound like AM radio.
The high end, like the bass, could use a little extra extension, but we found the cymbals hissed decently and the details were relatively clear. Make no mistake, these are consumer-grade headphones, but Sudio has done a decent job of ensuring they stay relatively well tuned.