Review: Tozo NC9 vs 20Decebel vs SoundLiberty 94 vs Dyplay ANC Shield Pro - which is best?

TWS true wireless earphones - under $100

The 20Decebel (left) and the Dyplay ANC Shield Pro: just two out of four variations

FOUR STARS - The 20Decebel, Tozo NC9 and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 deliver solid passive noise reduction and ANC active noise cancelling, and a warm, pleasant smooth sound. The Dyplay ANC Shield Pro is a variation with less bass and more opened-up mids.

Specs of the 20Decebel ANC TWS/ Tozo NC9/ TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94:

The 20 Decebel ANC, Tozo NC9, SoundLiberty 94 and Dyplay ANC Shield Pro are 90% the same products, but they have differences in controls and ANC options. The Dyplay also sounds a tad brighter. See these review aspects for the actual differences.

Below this review, you will find comparisons vs Edifier TWS NB, Boltune ANC BT-BH023, Mpow X3 and Apple AirPods Pro.

Update January 2021: As the quality of new TWS wireless earbuds keeps improving and there are more and more great models on the market, the overall score for these models have been adjusted from 4.5 to 4 stars

All reviews on Scarbir.com are 100% unsponsored and honest. Please support my research by buying via the links on this site. You can also support me via PayPal. <3


Design, comfort and battery life

While the Tozo NC9, 20 Decebel, TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 and Dyplay ANC Shield Pro have a slightly different side view of the earpieces, it's clear they are the same product. The bottom of the charging case and the inside of the earpieces are the same. You can even put the earpieces of one model into the other to charge it.

On the outside, the Tozo NC9 has a round design, while the 20 Decebel has a central square and a slight drop on the bottom-end. The 20 Decebel also has a pattern of light dots on top, shining in red while charging or blue when in idle mode. The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are round on the outside, with a single line and the logo covering the sides. The Dyplay Shield Pro is available in black and white with red logos, and the least subtle of the bunch. In the white version, you can clearly see two dots - on for the led, one for the microphone. The earbuds all have the outer microphone on the same place.

The 20Decebel ANC (left) and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 (right)

It's the inside and the internals of the earpieces that count and… these are convincing. The earbuds are on the bigger side, but thanks to it's rounded shape with a bulb on the lower-end, they follow the shape of your ears. The result is a snug seal with a lot of passive noise isolation. You already block a great amount of sound around you by just putting these in. When you house these earbuds, the comfort is great.

Battery life is convenient too. You can reach around 5 hours with ANC on, and a whopping 7 hours with ANC off. With the USB-powered case, you can charge the earpieces three times before it needs a refill itself. A full charge takes about 2 hours.


Connectivity and controls

You control the 20 Decebel (or Tozo NC9 or TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94) with touch panels on the earpieces' sides. It responds well to your touch, although you may need to tap a little harder than on most wireless earphones.

These are the differences between the controls of the 20 Decebel, Tozo NC9 and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94:

  • 20Decebel controls: With a single tap on the right earpiece, you play or pause the music. Tap twice on the right earpiece to skip a song, twice on the left bud to return one. With a single tap on the left earbud, you switch between ANC off - Voicethrough (Ambient) mode - ANC-on.

    A 2-second press on either of the buds activates the voice assistant on your phone. Unfortunately, you can't control the volume on the earpieces.

  • Tozo NC9 controls: The Tozo does have volume controls, but it comes at the cost of switching the ANC off - which can be a dealbreaker if you're cycling with them - for the transparency mode and ANC on mode will put-through a lot of wind, and there's no way to turn it off.

    You play/ pause music by a single tap right, and switch between ANC and transparency with a single tap on the left bud. You skip a track by double-tapping the right bud, return one by double-tapping the left bud. Changing the volume can be done by holding the right (increase) or left (decrease) bud.

  • TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 controls: The TaoTronics has the most extensive controls. You cycle between ANC on and off by holding the left earbud- but you activate the Ambient Mode by double-tapping the left side. Tap twice again to leave Ambient mode and switch the ANC on.


    Other controls? With a single tap on the left earbud, you decrease the volume, with the right one you increase volume. Two taps on the right earbud, pauses and continues music playback. With three taps on the right side, you skip a song; three taps on the left one returns a track. Finally, you activate the voice assistant with a longer tap on the right bud. As there are so many functions on the earpieces, it requires getting used to.

  • Dyplay ANC Shield Pro controls: The Dyplay has a mix of controls on the left and right bud. You pause/ play with a single tap on the left bud, whereas a single tap on the left bud will let you cycle through the ANC functions (ANC off by default —> Transparency mode —> ANC on). With two taps on the right bud, you increase volume. Tap the left bud twice and volume decreases. Skip to the next song by pressing the right bud two seconds; return by doing so on the left side. Finally, three taps on either of the earpieces, will activate the voice assistant. All the controls you need are there, but the scheme takes a while to get used to.

Connectivity on all three is good. The Bluetooth 5.0 connection holds strong up to ten meters, although some dips can occur in areas crowded with wireless signals. You can switch between mono and stereo mode - listen to one earpiece while you're charging the other one - they instantly play stereo again when using them both.

With so many functions on the earpieces, and each their own sacrifice, they are all rewarded four stars for controls and connectivity.


Calling and watching movies

The call quality is sufficient in indoor environments, where it's relatively quiet around you. At the first seconds of the call, you can be inaudible, but once that settles, it's doable to have a conversation with the 20 Decebel/ Tozo NC9/ SoundLiberty 94.

Outside, things change. When your surroundings start to make noise, the clarity of your voice is battled and can be interfered by slight crackles on the line. Passing trains, cars, cyclists - they're all converted to slight crackles. Wind is your true enemy, however. Even a gust of wind can make you inaudible.

Also: don't try to switch ANC modes when calling. You'll drop the line. Oops.

Watching videos is a flawless experience on both Android and iPhone, with great lipsync audio-video synchronization on video-apps such as YouTube. Gaming does go with its typical delay in sound effects.



ANC quality on 20Decebel/ Tozo NC9/ SoundLiberty 94/ Dyplay ANC Shield Pro

How good is the actual ANC Active Noise Canceling on the 20Decebel, Dyplay ANC Shield Pro, SoundLiberty 94 or Tozo NC9? Bottomline: the excellent fit of these buds already blocks out quite a bit of noise, but the ANC doesn't add much.

Take note: The ANC on wireless earbuds doesn’t reach the level of full-sized headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM4 or Bose 700. They don't totally silence your surroundings; instead they reduce volume from your surroundings.

All manufacturers promote the ANC function for blocking out lower frequency noises like trains, airplane noises, air conditioners, dishwashers, and engines - and they deliver. As soon as you put the earbuds in, the passive noise isolation is already so effective, most background sounds from your surroundings disappear. Switch the noise cancelling on, and a tiny bit more background noise drowns.

Higher-pitched sounds are also reduced somewhat. For example, keyboard clicks are still audible, but the highs are cut-off, and they sound softer than on other wireless earbuds with ANC. Background noises like wind brushing through treetops, or the beeps truck make when they drive backward do come through, but minimally. However: sudden louder brighter noises are only mildly reduced. People talking, claps and door slams definitely come through loud still.

The Tozo, 20Decebel and Dyplay have a 'Voice through' or ‘Transparency’ mode, which can be activated between the ANC on or off functionality, which gives voices and things like keyboard clicks more clarity, but it doesn't change that much. The voices closest to you are also audible when you turn voice-through off. Now, you have to cycle between ANC off (standard), voice trough, and ANC - but it's not big of a deal.

The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 instead has an Ambient Mode, which is activated by two taps on the left earpiece. It automatically pauses the music, so you can hear people and traffic around you immediately. With another two taps, you enter ANC mode again and music resumes automatically.

This quarter of earphones filter out a decent amount of noise, but the passive noise isolation that comes with the excellent fit of these earphones is to thank mostly. Activating the ANC doens't really add much - in both scenarios, brighter and louder sounds still come through.


20 Decebel app review

There is a difference of note between the 20Decebel and the other models: the 20 has an app for Android and iPhone. It's not necessary to have it - you're fine without. But it does have some extras.

The app doesn't require you to register an account (hurrah!), and lets you update the firmware of the earphones. It provides access to the user guide and shows the battery level of both earpieces. You can also choose between the three ANC options from the app.

The 20Decebel app lets you choose different music setups. On iPhone, those are No, Rock and Jazz, and they sound exactly the same. On Android, you can choose between No, Popular, Subwoofer, and Rock. They mostly make the sound softer or darker, instead of optimizing it for the genres.

There's also a custom equalizer, but pretty much like the equalizer on new QCY's, the equalizer doesn't do anything good to change the music. The only thing that does change is a severe drop in volume output. Happily, you reset the equalizer by pressing No again.

As of yet, the app isn't much of an addition.


Sound quality of Tozo NC9/ 20Decebel/ TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94/ Dyplay ANC Shield Pro: smooth

Musically, the 20 Decebel, Tozo NC9 and SoundLiberty 94 follow the same line as many headphone manufacturers: the sound is bassy and smooth, great for working and studying.

This TWS puts most of its focus in the lower frequencies. The bass delivers a strong thump. It can pump in your ears in bass-heavy songs and is also present in easier going tracks. It does drag on a bit, however. Lower-mids like drums and darker electronic tones are heavily boosted as well. While they mostly give music a warm and smooth character, they can occasionally sound a bit blown-up.

Mid-tones and higher frequencies aren't as well-represented as the lows on the NC9/ 20 Decebel. On higher volumes, instruments like guitars and violins gain in body, but they tend towards the lows a bit. Female and higher-pitched vocals are just elevated enough to take up a central position in the music, but just like instruments, they sound mostly warm and lack sparkle, a bit of nuance in the highs. Darker male vocals can sound a bit light in between the instruments.

The upside of this sound signature: the 20Decebel/ NC9/ TaoTronics 94 never sounds sharp or tiresomely bright, never distracts you while working or studying. The downside: you'll miss out on detail.

The soundstage is convincing, with a somewhat airy feeling in the music. Sound effects and mid- and higher-instruments are well-separated and come from your left and right. The music also holds its dynamics great. Even on higher volumes, the music stays distortion-free. If you want a little less bass and slightly more clarity in the vocals and upper-mids, it's recommended to put the noise cancelling off while playing.

The Dyplay ANC Shield Pro removes a bit of bass-boost, and trades it for more opened-up upper mids

The Dyplay ANC Shield Pro offers a slight variation on the same sound, however. It removes a bit of the boost in the bass and lower frequencies. There's still plenty of depth in the bass and lower-mids, but the strong bass thump has been removed. It trades them in for slightly more opened-up upper-mids. There's a bit more air surrounding vocals and the higher frequencies on the Shield Pro. The overall character is still warm and smooth, yet the Dyplay sounds a bit more balanced.

Despite these slight variation, the Decebel 20, Tozo NC9, SoundLiberty 94 and the Dyplay ANC Shield Pro are all earphones you can enjoy all day. The smooth, and warm sound accompanies the ANC active noise cancelling wonderfully.


Tozo NC9/ 20Decebel comparisons

20Decebel/Tozo NC9 vs Tronsmart Apollo Bold

Tronsmart Apollo Bold (left) and ZEN 233621 ANC (right)

As of end-July 2020, there's a new competitor on the block: the $90 Tronsmart Apollo Bold. It's also available as the ZEN 233621 ANC, although that version has worse touch controls.

While the Ambient Mode is comparable, ANC active noise cancellation is a tad better on the 20Decebel/ Tozo NC9. As the earbuds follow the shape of your ears, it already blocks out a lot of noise, and the ANC only makes the effect stronger. The Apollo Bold/ 63321 puts through more higher-pitched noises, like kids and birds. The 20Decebel also has less white noise on display, making the noise-canceling feel more natural. It's not a very big difference, but still a slight win for the Tozo NC9/ 20 Decebel.

Both competitors have a warm, dark sound with a strong boosted bass. The 20Decebel/ Tozo NC9 controls its bass better, whereas the Apollo/ 233621 can be boomier in the lows. The 20Decebel sound is more engaging; the bass is quicker and upper-mids sound more forward and come with more detail, giving vocals more room and energy in the sound. The Apollo Bold/ 633621 sounds more laidback, with more distant vocals and more recessed mids.

The Apollo Bold and 233621 ZEN offer better call quality than the Tozo NC9 and 20Decebel, however. If that's a big deal to you - the Tronsmart may be the overall best choice.

Tozo NC9 vs Boltune ANC BT-BH023

Like the Tozo, the Boltune ANC BH023 gets quite a few raving user reviews on Amazon short after release. No wonder. It has a tinier part that goes in your ears, making it more comfortable than the Tozo/ 20 Decebel. The sound is more engaging, with an equally thumping bass, but more body and detail in the mids and highs. The newcomer sounds smoother and darker. Noise-canceling on the NC9/ 20Decebel is stronger. It blocks more low-frequency noises and filters more higher-pitched sounds as well. The Boltune has a more noticeable white noise effect, too - its competitor just brings even more peace of mind.


Tozo NC9 vs Apple AirPods Pro

The best for last: the $60 Tozo NC9 is a better deal than the $250 Apple AirPods Pro. With its excellent passive noise isolation and strong ANC, it brings more silence to your surroundings than Apple's alternative, which passes through more background and incidental sounds. Better call quality and multipoint-connection on Apple devices may still be reasons to go with the AirPods Pro, but you'll miss out on the more striking bass of the Tozo or 20 Decebel. The Pro's bring in more nuances in vocals and mids, however.


20Decebel vs Edifier TWS NB

Edifier TWS NB review comparison.jpg

The Edifier TWS NB had the title of the best ANC wireless earbuds on Scarbir.com before, but sees itself beaten by the 20 Decebel/ Tozo NC9. The newcomer is lighter, more comfortable to wear, and offers better passive noise isolation out of itself. This makes the ANC better as well: the Edifier puts through more higher sounds. The Edifier ambient mode is more useful than the newcomers' Voicetrough, however. The TWS NB also has better battery life. Both earphones sound warm and have a thick bass, but the Edifier has more presence in the mid-tones, with clearer vocals and more nuances in instruments. If comfort and fit count, though - and they do - the 20 Decebel/ Tozo NC9 wins.


Tozo NC9 vs Mpow X3

When Mpow releases an ANC earphone, you can bet it's an interesting model. The Mpow X3 noise cancellation is much weaker than its new rival, however. The X3 puts through more higher-pitched sounds like wind and brighter traffic noises, and there's a more noticeable white noise instead of a real silent effect. However - the Mpow X3 strikes back with a very entertaining listen; an uplifting but controlled bass and much more boosted and clearer vocals and upper-mids. Call quality is also better than on the 20 Decebel/ Tozo NC9.



—> All TWS reviews and ratings here <—


Verdict

Solid battery life, an enjoyable smooth sound, and a great fit. The 20Decebel ANC TWS, Tozo NC9 and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 may not offer strong ANC on top off the already good passive noise isolation, but still come easily recommended.

Between these four, the 20Decebel has a slight advantage with its app, and the Dyplay should be your pick if you like a more balanced sound. The Tozo NC9 is the least favourable option, because it doesn't let you turn ANC off.

Four stars - good


Buy Tozo NC9/ 20Decebel ANC/ TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94/ Dyplay ANC Shield Pro:

I bought the 20 Decebel ANC TWS and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 to test and review myself. I received the Dyplay ANC Shield Pro from the manufacturer to test and review. 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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