Treblab Z7 Pro Review
Affordable noise cancelling over-ears that deliver solid sound
Verdict
The Treblab Z7 Pro offer balanced sound for the price, in an over-ear design that keeps things simple. They’re comfortable to wear over extended periods, plus add in a generous battery life and these are a solid, affordable set of headphones all-round.
Pros
- Good sound for the price
- Comfortable to wear for long periods
- Big battery life
Cons
- ANC isn’t best in class
- Gesture controls aren’t perfect
- No EQ support
Key Features
- Water resistanceIPX4 protection against sweat and water
- AptX-HDSupports high-quality Bluetooth audio streaming
- Hybrid noise cancellingSix-mic setup to remove noises and filter through sound
Introduction
The Treblab Z7 Pro are over-ear headphones that promise to deliver a comfortable design and big sound for a fraction of the price of big-hitting models from the likes of Sony, B&W and Sennheiser.
Coming in at just under $160, the Z7 Pro deliver active noise cancellation, smart gesture controls and a pretty impressive 45 hours’ battery life. There’s the option for wired or wireless listening here, too.
While Treblab might not be a household name in the audio world, these are noise-cancelling headphones that can hold their own, offering a decent all-round experience.
Availability
- UKTBC
- USARRP: $159.99
- EuropeTBC
- CanadaTBC
- AustraliaTBC
The Treblab Z7 Pro are available now in the US for $159.99, which is pricier than the Treblab Z2 headphones, whose price has recently dropped from $259.97 to $89.97.
Design
- Feature touch controls
- IPX4 sweat resistant rating
- Come with a carry case
The Treblab Z7 Pro keeps things simple for looks. Their all-black, minimalist form sees the headphones weigh in at 245g, and while there are no big design flourishes to highlight here, they do at least feel super-comfortable to wear.
The earcups are covered by nice-sized, padded memory foam cushions that felt snug on my ears for longer listening sessions. These aren’t headphones that weigh heavy either; the headband is adjustable and doesn’t result in any sort of fatigue or discomfort.
Below the cups lies a 3.5mm port with an AUX cable provided in the box for when you’re not using them wirelessly. Over on the other side is a USB-C port for charging. You also get a carry case in the box, which should offer ample protection when you take these headphones on your travels.
You’ll find a slither of physical controls on the right side, to power on the headphones, to pair them over Bluetooth and to turn on ANC support. Below that sits a small status light, plus you also have the main microphone on board, which mean you’re able to take calls with.
The Treblab Z7 Pro come with additional controls here, too – you just can’t see them. That’s because they’re of the touch kind and built into the right ear cup. These let you adjust volume and skip back and forward through tracks using swipes and taps. The control system works fine in general, but there were more than a few occasions when it failed to register some tapping. The controls cover a wide surface area, so once you’ve found the sweet spots, these can work well; but it clearly isn’t perfect, especially if you’re on the move.
If you’re wearing them outdoors and get caught in a bit of a drizzle, you’ll be please to learn that the Z7 Pro carry an IPX4 water-resistance rating. Technically this means you could use them for workouts, although I don’t think the size of these headphones make them suitable for anything other than jumping on an exercise bike or lifting weights, to prevent those cushions becoming sweaty and horrible.
Treblab plays it safe in terms of design, then – but, crucially, it delivers where it matters. These headphones are comfortable to wear, offer generally good gesture controls and also provide options for wireless and wired listening.
Features
- Not best-in-class ANC
- Strong battery life
I’d say the Z7 Pro’s noise-cancelling performance works very well – but, again, there are other over-ear headphones whose ANC performance is more exceptional. Treblab’s approach is to use six auto-adjusting microphones that are activated when noise is detected.
They do a fine job of blocking out external noise indoors, and any people chatting away on a train ride. Is it the best noise cancelling you can get? No, but most will be satisfied. There’s a Transparency mode, too, which means you do have the option to keep them on and chat, although I’d say there are better-executed awareness modes out there as well.
Where you can’t really fault the Z7 Pro is for battery life. Treblab promises a pretty impressive 45 hours, and these headphones delivered on that front. Of course, that number is without ANC engaged; with it on the perform around the 30-hour mark, putting them level and thereabouts with the competition.
In addition, you also get a quick-charge mode that delivers five hours of playtime off a 20-minute charge. Bottom line, you’re not going to have to charge the Z7 Pro on a regular basis.
Sound Quality
- Good soundstage
- Nice, balanced sound
- Lacks EQ settings or companion app
The Z7 Pro feature 40mm drivers and pack in Qualcomm’s aptX HD chipset, which on paper promises to deliver big stereo sound quality.
In my experience, it takes a good few listening sessions with the Z7 Pro to get a decent sense of what these headphones can deliver. What you get is something that’s balanced, offers a reasonably wide soundstage and a good level of bass and detail. However, sonically, there appears to be something missing, which means the Z7 Pro can’t quite keep up with the best.
I listened to a range of music, podcasts and even did some Netflix bingeing – and found that the Pro do largely do those listening scenarios justice. While you have the option for wired listening, I spent most of my testing time in wireless mode, which appears to offer the most optimal listening experience.
Bass-lovers will welcome the generous amounts on offer here; and it’s of the thumpy kind that bass-heads will undoubtedly appreciate. The mids are nicely smooth and detailed; they don’t feel overpowered by that bass profile, although the Z7 Pro lack a really sparkling treble. It certainly isn’t harsh or grainy sounding, but it’s an area that could see improvements.
Unfortunately, the Treblab Z7 Pro don’t come with a companion app or EQ to tinker with that sound profile; but you do have some additional features. These include active noise cancellation, an awareness mode, the ability to pair them with multiple devices at once, plus you can take calls and summon your smart assistant, too.
Call handling doesn’t feel like a strength of the Z7 Pro. Call quality in general is fine, but it’s a little on the thin side based on the feedback from the people I called. It’s a similar story for smart assistant support, with the response to commands feeling a little delayed. Nevertheless, it’s good enough for those occasions you need hands-free access to your smartphone-bound assistant.
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Should you buy it?
You want enjoyable sound on a budget The Z7 Pro will happily serve the majority, offering a sound profile that’s pretty balanced, decent bass and good detail as well.
You want to finely tweak your sound There’s only one sound profile on offer, so if you’re someone who likes to tailor sound to your ears and favoured music, then consider other options.
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind their price, and there’s certainly more that’s good about the Treblab Z7 Pro than bad. They’re comfortable to wear, they offer a balanced sound that should accommodate lovers of bass, and also those who demand a bit more finesse in sound quality.
There are some decent controls on offer, too, and ANC support that does the job, even if it isn’t class-leading. To top things off, they deliver a super-generous battery life, which makes them a great-value set of headphones that deliver in the key areas.
How we test
We test every headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested with real world use
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FAQs
Currently, we’ve only been able to find the Z7 Pro Treblab’s website and Amazon US, so for those with an existing Amazon account that order to the UK, that’s one of the few options at the moment.
Full specs
Jargon buster
ANC
ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) uses an array of microphones in a headphone to detect the frequency of the sound coming at the listener, with the ANC chip creating an inverse wave (i.e. opposing sound) to suppress any unwanted external noises.IPX4
IPX4 headphones are resistant to splashes of water.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
