Superb sound in need of a dedicated app

While wireless earbuds are better and more popular than ever, headphones still have some key advantages, like battery life and sound quality. It used to be difficult to get good-quality headphones without paying through the nose for them, but that’s not the case anymore. The Treblab Z2 Wireless Headphones provide great sound quality for a reasonable price, so long as you’re willing to forgo a few features.

Treblab has been selling the Z2 Headphones for a few years, but they were recently updated to include USB-C, better drivers, Bluetooth 5.3, and a more compact folding design. These headphones might not be fancy, but they excel at covering the basics.

Price, availability, and specs

Make sure you get the right variant

The Treblab Z2s are listed for $90 but are currently $70. These discounts are frequent, so $70 is what you’ll most likely pay. Now, some weirdness surrounding these headphones needs explaining before we go any further. The original Treblab Z2s had Micro USB, Bluetooth 5.0, and smaller drivers. They also didn’t fold down, making them hard to carry in a bag. At some point in the last year, the headphones were revised with larger 40mm drivers, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, and a hinge that lets them fold down.

The weirdness comes in the store listings. On Amazon, both of these headphones’ variants are the same price and share the same store listing, with the older micro-USB pair called the black version and the newer USB-C model listed as Black-A. On Treblab’s own store, the new ones are listed as black while the old ones are listed as silver, again for the same price.

This makes spending the same money for the older, worse headphones incredibly easy. So, if you decide to buy these, and they are good headphones, make sure you get the ones listed with USB-C and Bluetooth 5.3. To make things slightly easier, the carrying case shown in the store listing differs for the two models, so if you order the one that matches our pictures, you should be fine.

Design & fit

Firm but comfortable

The Treblab Z2s are comfortable for a range of head sizes and shapes. The band and earcups have soft foam cushions that hold the headphones in place when moving around while still being comfy. The headband also has plenty of adjustment, so they’ll fit even if you have a larger head like mine. They do clamp down quite hard; they’re intended to be worn while exercising, after all, but the soft cushions stop them from feeling uncomfortable.

The design isn’t anything special, but they still look good. The outer cups are metal and have the Treblab logo printed on them. The metal’s texture looks great, but dust and other debris tend to get stuck in the grooves. On the inside, the cups are labeled with a large L and R, making it easy to quickly see which way around you should be wearing them at a glance.

On the back of the right cup, you’ll find a 3.5mm AUX jack and your primary controls. Including the audio jack and a long AUX cable is welcome, letting you use the headphones with older devices that lack Bluetooth or with a games console/PC without any added latency. The play/pause button is textured for easy access and sits next to the volume buttons. The left cup has a switch for ANC and an LED indicator for battery level and Bluetooth status.

One of the big advantages of this version of the Z2s over the original model is portability. A hinge above each cup allows the Z2s to collapse into a smaller package. The older headphones would take up most of the space inside a standard backpack, but the hinge goes a long way to fixing that.

The box includes the aforementioned AUX cable, a USB-C charging cable, a nice carrying case for the headphones, and all included accessories.

Sound & call quality

Lacking transparency mode

This is where the Treblab Z2s impressed me most. I’m used to decent sound from my Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, even though they’re earbuds, and the Z2s come close to matching them for a fraction of the price. Lows and mid-tones are about the same, coming in loud and clear without overwhelming your ears. Higher frequencies sound good but lack clarity compared to the mids and lows. It’s not that noticeable, though, and it only really registers for me when listening to movie scores with high-pitched stringed instruments or certain notes in What About Us? by Within Temptation when the singer reaches high operatic notes.

Call quality is a weakness for the Z2s. In my testing, I could hear everyone fine, but my voice came across a little muffled. It wasn’t so bad that people couldn’t hear me; the conversation continued without issue. It was just a noticeable quality difference compared to the phone itself or my Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

Volume is not an issue from these 40mm drivers. The sound doesn’t distort at max volume, but it’s unlikely you’ll ever turn them up that high. On average, I’ve been keeping the volume at 45%, even in loud environments.

The Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is solid. They fall solidly between my original Galaxy Buds Pro and the Buds 2 Pro. Droning noises like a nearby fan, a car engine, or people having conversations nearby are all blocked with ease. Louder noises, like passing sirens, cut through, and you can still hear strong winds.

Overall, the ANC deals with most of what you’d want it to without giving you the feeling of being closed off from the world. The ANC doesn’t really get much better in this price range. If that’s especially important to you, then you’ll want to get something more expensive, like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort Headphones.

One quirk is that the ANC is on a toggle switch that can be enabled even if the headphones are switched off. This could be great if you want them to block out noise without listening to anything, but it can also be annoying. If you don’t remember to turn off the ANC and the power when taking these off, you’ll come back to a dead battery next time.

Another welcome addition is the 3.5mm jack. I’ve used these often with my Steam Deck, where plugging them into the headphone jack eliminates latency. That’s not to say latency is usually an issue; watching YouTube videos over Bluetooth hasn’t shown any issues with lip-syncing. But in a more competitive gaming environment, the wired connection is best.

It’s also a great way to get nostalgic from time to time. I recently found my portable Panasonic tape player that my family bought me for our first big holiday when I was five or six. After all these years, it still works, and listening to the old mix tapes Mum made for me on the Treblabs was a blast.

These headphones don’t have any sort of transparency or pass-through mode, though. The only way to clearly hear what’s happening around you is to remove the headphones, which can be inconvenient.

Software

There isn’t any

My only disappointment with these headphones is the software: it doesn’t have any. The headphones connect straight to Bluetooth with no app to control features or update software. This approach has pros and cons. I like that they work the same way on every device I use them with, unlike my Galaxy Buds, which don’t have an iOS app. But I do wish I could use the app to control certain things rather than relying on button combinations.

One anomaly is how battery level is reported. I have no idea why this works the way it does, but it only reports its battery level in 10% increments. So, as soon as you drop to 99%, your phone’s battery widget will show a 90% battery level. It’ll stay on that 90% until you drop to 89%, which will tell you there’s 80% left. Thankfully, the Treblab Z2s last long enough on a charge that this isn’t much of a worry.

Despite not having an app, the Z2s still have smart features like multi-device pairing. They can connect to two devices at once and switch between them based on what you’re doing. For example, while working, I have them connected to my PC and my Galaxy S24 Ultra. The headphones automatically switched between them as I listened to music on the PC or got a phone call on my phone.

Battery Life

Sound for days

Charging takes a while. 0-100% will take three hours, but that’s not too bad considering how long that charge will last. Treblab claims 35 hours, and that’s almost exactly what I’ve been seeing with ANC switched on. I have never wished these headphones would last longer, and the charging speed hasn’t bothered me either. Once they showed 10%, I just plugged them in when I went to sleep and woke up with a full charge.

Competition

There’s some strong competition in this price bracket these days. Even Sony has ANC headphones for a similar price to the Z2s. Is there anything that makes these stand out from the rest? The balanced package combined with IPX4 water resistance makes these a solid choice for people who want to wear them at the gym. The clamping force keeps them firmly in place, while the IPX4 rating will protect them from sweat.

EarFun’s Wave Pro headphones offer great value for $80 and have a feature-packed app with plenty of useful ANC modes, including one designed to filter out wind. But the soundstage is quite narrow. The Sony WH-CH520 offers better sound and also has a companion app. If those are your priorities, then you should go ahead and get them.

Both of these options lack protection against moisture or the clamping force needed to stay on your head when you’re active. The Z2s balance sound and battery well enough, and their IPX4 rating makes them a better option for runners and gym goers.

Should you buy them?

If you like to move it, move it

There are a lot of options out there, some that sound better, some that last longer, and others that are cheaper. However, the Treblab Z2s are still a good all-around pair of headphones, and their IPX4 rating makes them stand out from other products at this price. The weirdness surrounding the revised models complicates things, but as long as you’re careful when ordering, you should get the pair you expect.