TWS true wireless earphones - under $100
FOUR STARS - QCY takes a convincing first step into the world of active noise cancelling wireless earbuds. The QCY HT01 and its subbrand-model Haylou T16 may not have the strongest ANC, but sound good in different ways. Which one is the best?
QCY HT01 and Haylou T16 specs:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec
4-5 hours listening on a full charge (ANC on/off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 3 sizes ear tips and USB-C cable
QCY HT01: See price on AliExpress
Haylou T16: See price on AliExpress
Below this QCY HT01 and Haylou T16 review, you will find comparisons with the Oppo Enco W51, Fiil T1Pro and the Sennheiser CX 400BT.
The QCY HT01 is also available as Mpow X6, although without the app support and possibly with different sound tuning.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Haylou T16 has an oval, medium-sized charging case in matte black that scratches and gets dirty easily. A single LED-light on the front indicates the case's remaining battery life, and once empty, you can recharge the T16 case via USB-C or wirelessly.
The QCY HT01, also available as Mpow X6, although possibly with a different sound tuning, has a slimmer and lighter case than the Haylou T16. It slides easier in your pocket and feels more premium, thanks to the metallic feel and blue-gold color scheme. There are two LED-lights to indicate the charging status. The HT01 case also recharges via USB-C or wirelessly.
While they look different on the outside, the T16 and HT01 earbuds are the same on the inside - with a slightly oval shape that follows the shape of your ear nicely, including a bump in the middle that makes for a snug fit. Both earbuds are light to carry and comfortable to wear for hours. Unfortunately, they don't have a waterproof-rating.
The battery life on both models is decent, although there are competitors that last longer. The T16 and HT01 have up to 4 hours battery life with ANC on, and up to 5 hours with ANC off. That may still be well enough for commuting, but it's not likely you can use them for an entire workday without pauses. The T16 and HT01 can be recharged four times before you need to power the case again.
QCY HT01 and Haylou T16:
Connectivity, controls and app
The QCY HT01 sides respond easily to your touches. Out of the box, the controls are limited, but you can change the controls precisely as you like via the free QCY app - including track selecting, changing the volume, switch between ANC, Ambient mode, and Normal mode, and even activate voice assistant or low-latency gaming mode. While you can't decide the action for a long tap on the earbuds, you can change the single-tap, double-tap, and triple-tap commands on both sides. Brilliant.
The QCY app also lets you update the firmware and check the battery status of your earbuds. There's a 'search your headset' option, and it's possible to disable Ear detection, meaning the earbuds will no longer pause when you take one out. If you want, you can also select the current ANC function from the app, and Android-only: activate a pop-up screen every time you connect with the HT01.
Other base functionality of the QCY HT01 is good, with a strong Bluetooth signal up to ten meters away from your device, also holding well in areas crowded with wireless signals. It's also possible to switch between listening to one and two earbuds easily.
The Haylou T16 also has app support. In addition to the location and 'always on' permission of the QCY, it also requires an account to use it. Once setup, the app shows the battery percentage of the left and right earbud, and you can (only) change the control for the single-tap.
Happily, the Haylou does have more controls and controls well too. Standard, a single-tap plays and pauses music, a double-tap right skips to the next track and double-tapping the left side results in switching between the ANC options. A long push activates the voice assistant.
Other functionality of the Haylou is good. Like the QCY, the Bluetooth signal holds up to ten meters away from your device and does well in crowded areas. It's also possible to switch between listening to one and two earbuds easily. Unfortunately, it's impossible to disable the Ear detection mode, so the T16 earbuds ALWAYS pause when you take on out, which can be annoying.
Haylou T16:
QCY HT01:
Calling and watching movies
It's inconvenient to take a phone call outside with the QCY HT01. Surrounding noises are hardly reduced and come through loud and clear in your call. Indoor, things are prettier, as your voice has that typical clear telephone-vibe by itself. The other end of the line sounds loud too.
Watching videos on the HT01 fares fine on both Android and iPhone, without big synchronization problems on any of the video apps, including YouTube. If you encounter a problem, there is a low-latency Gaming Mode you can activate, but that doesn't help to speed up the sound in games noticeably, sadly.
The Haylou T16 is slightly better for outside phone calls. Unlike the QCY, it heavily reduces surrounding noises. Instead, it transforms them into unidentifiable, strange sounds. The effect is so strong that your voice sounds like you're talking into a pillow too. It's just about loud enough to outperform other sounds. When you're calling indoors, it's all good.
Videos on the T16 perform just as well, but here too, there's a noticeable delay in sound effects when you're playing games.
QCY HT01 and Haylou T16:
Noise cancelling test: QCY HT01 vs Haylou T16
The ANC (active noise cancelling) on both the QCY HT01 and Haylou T16 is decent. They reduce volume of noises around you, but not remove them.
On the QCY HT01, the ANC has a noticeable white noise - a sssssh that is always audible in soft musical parts and when you're not playing music. The noise cancelling blocks constant background sounds, such as traffic in the distance and electronic buzzes like your fridge. The HT01 also filters out the darker tones from louder and more sudden sounds, such as keyboard clicks and chatter. You can still hear the higher tones - you may have to get used to that effect.
Coming from the same house, you'd think the Haylou T16 has the same noise cancelling strength. Not so much. The Haylou doesn't have the same amount of white noise as the QCY and attacks fewer sounds from your surroundings. People chatter, distant traffic, and keyboard clicks are reduced in volume, but they sound louder and fuller than on the QCY.
The HT01 and T16 have an 'Outdoor mode'; a special setting of noise cancelling to reduce wind. It indeed helps to counter the wind and cancel noise at the same time - and it's a bit of a question why this isn't the standard noise cancelling setting. Only the Haylou has an Ambient mode to make you hear traffic or chatter around you, suitable for moments when you want to listen to someone talking without pausing your music.
Both the HT01 and T16 ANC may not bring you your well-desired rest within crowded spaces. The QCY works slightly better; the Haylou has a welcome Ambient mode. A comparably priced alternative like the Oppo Enco W51 removes more sounds nearby and in the distance. Compared further, the $100 Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro is a step up.
Haylou T16 and QCY HT01:
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $100
Sound quality of Haylou T16/ QCY HT01: Hah!
When it comes to sound, the QCY HT01 and Haylou T16 show the biggest difference.
The Haylou T16 is tuned consumer-friendly. It has a steady mid-bass thump that doesn't overpower the music but gives punch to dance, pop, and other modern genres. Lower-mids enjoy plenty of weight too: drums have impact, and parts with lower electronic tones or darker piano play sound lovely full. The sub-bass - the lowest bass frequencies you can feel as much as hear - are rarely reached, but at least the bass has a juicy, full sound.
Vocals are treated respectfully on the Haylou. Male and female singers sound upfront and their volume slightly outweighs instruments around them. This gives the vocals a fine amount of air around them. Vocals itself aren't very detailed, but that's mostly because the T16 rolls off highs rather quick. This prevents voices from sounding harsh anytime soon. It's a friendly, middle of-the-road sound that works well with many genres.
The QCY HT01 is a bit harder to describe.
Mid-tones and higher frequencies have the main role on the QCY. You'll notice it in guitars, piano play, trumpets, and cymbals: center mid-tones are heavily boosted, and this emphasis makes them sound natural and lifelike.
This tendency can be a bit of a problem for lower vocals, which can have a hard time of being heard between these instruments. The same cannot be said about higher-pitched voices, however. Brighter vocals are pushed forward and surrounded by air. They are textured and come with details like breath gasps, although you'll find these nuances mostly in the higher notes which are really opened up. Lower-mids and darker edges of mids are represented well, but not as detailed as the higher ones or as present as on the Haylou.
As a result, the QCY HT01 can sound a bit crowded in songs with lower vocals, and a bit bright and all-over-the-place on songs with higher-pitched singers.
Happily, the bass is consistent. Turn the volume up, and the HT01 reveals a fast, controlled mid-bass thump which is quicker to attack and more uplifting than the fatter Haylou bass. The sub-bass rarely stabs or rumble, but the bass does sound lovely deep.
The QCY HT01 is the best-sounding QCY in a while. It nearly has that lovely warm-clear balance of the QCY T5, although this one can be more crowded in some songs and stingy bright in other ones. The Haylou T16 is a safer sounding allrounder, without the exquisite mid naturality, but with more consistency. Both are impressive in their own right.
QCY HT01 and Haylou T16:
QCY HT01 and Haylou T16 comparisons
Haylou T16/ QCY HT01 vs Oppo W51
If noise cancelling is the most important aspect to you when choosing budget earphones, the Oppo Enco W51 has an advantage over these two models. It filters more background noise than the Haylou, and has less audible white noise than the QCY. The Haylou has an Ambient mode and beats the Oppo to it; the QCY control scheme is better than the Oppo (and Haylou). Soundwise:
The QCY HT01 has less consistent vocals than the Oppo Enco W51. The QCY sounds warmer and darker in songs with low-pitched vocals, but brighter in songs with high-pitched ones. The Oppo has a balanced middle ground, always warm and full, while still providing enough detail in mid-tones. The QCY has a tighter bass.
The Haylou T16 has a more cleaned-up sound than the Oppo, with better separation between the lows and highs, as it gives less presence to the mid-tones in between. The T16 has a steadier bass slam, but vocals don't sound as open and lively as they can on the Oppo.
Haylou T16/ QCY HT01 vs Fiil T1 Pro
Just a bit more expensive at $65, the Fiil T1 Pro is a direct competitor that combines okay noise-cancelling with impressive sound.
The QCY HT01 sound is quite similar to the Fiil T1 Pro. Both combine a quick and hefty bass with detailed mid-tones and well-extended highs. The HT01 has more warmth and a deeper and tighter sounding bass. The Fiil bass can show more texture and layeredness, has even more mid-tone detail, and gives vocals - both dark and light - more air.
The Haylou T16 is noticeably warmer and darker than the Fiil T1 Pro. As it restricts highs more than the Fiil, the Haylou is easier and possibly less tiring to listen to for longer amounts of time. Mid-tones are less pronounced on the Haylou, and vocals sound a bit more closed-in, yet they're still clear enough. The T16 bass also sounds darker, deeper, although the Fiil mid-bass is fatter, and the sub-bass can show more teeth.
Fiil T1 Pro review or Fiil T1 Lite review ($35, without ANC)
Haylou T16/ QCY HT01 vs Sennheiser CX 400BT
A comparison with the great-sounding $100 Sennheiser CX 400BT clarifies how competent these two Chinese buds sound.
The Haylou T16 sounds darker than the CX 400, which has more presence and detail in the upper mid-tones. The CX400 has more upfront and crisp vocals. In crowded songs, the Haylou sounds more cleaned-up, and the mid-bass remains more authorative. However, the Sennheiser presents individual instruments and effects better in easier going songs, wherein it shines - and always resolves more detail.
The QCY HT01 makes the highest vocals more prominent than the Sennheiser, but keeps lower vocals more embedded between instruments. The Sennheiser always finds a way to take vocals center stage and always sounds impressive when doing so. The CX400 BT sounds more consistent. It resolves more detail in the lower-mids and can represent individual instruments better; the HT01 can sound bassier and fuller.
Verdict: QCY HT01 vs Haylou T16
Feature-wise, the QCY HT01 has an advantage over the Haylou T16 with free app support that doesn't require an account, the option to turn auto-pause off, and the ability to change all controls to your liking. The Haylou instead has a decent Transparency mode, which could be of use.
As both the call quality and active noise cancelling on the Haylou T16 and QCY HT01 disappoints, it's best to choose between these two on sound quality. In this regard, they both convince - the T16 with a friendlier sound; the QCY with more body in vocals and more detail in the mids.
FOUR stars - Good
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I bought the QCY HT01 and Haylou T16 myself to test and review myself. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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