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Model: QCY HT07 Arcbuds
Price: Approx. £22 AliExpress
Website: QCY (not listed)
Review Reference: RC096
Manufacturer Specification:
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User Manual: English & Chinese
3 x Pairs Eartips
YouTube Review:
Introduction
Welcome to the @regancipher review of QCY's follow-up to their highly-acclaimed HT05 Melobuds, the HT07.....Arcbuds!
The strange collection of names that QCY attribute to each release is odd to say the least, but what isn't is the winning formula QCY seem to have stumbled upon in developing their 'house sound'. When I heard QCY were bringing out a 'button-shaped' in-ear to sit proudly alongside their stem-based offerings, I was very keen to get them in for test - and what a bargain, they cost just over £20 delivered, and are already on offer with the promise of even further discounts with AliExpress voucher codes!
The HT07 again boast some impressive features for the money, but if they are anything like their older sister then you'll have to accept some, albeit relatively trivial, compromises....or will you? Read on for my thoughts.....
Unboxing
Unboxing with QCY is consistent - consistently meh, and I don't think I'd have it any other way! One way QCY keep the cost down is limiting the unboxing to the bare essentials - the logo may have changed since the days of the T11 and T5, and the branding has evolved a little, but it's still a very low-budget affair with a plastic carton holding the buds, case, manual, charge cable and tips in place.
The manual is a small, folded piece of mono paper with basic instructions, although it is becoming increasingly less important as QCY continue their shift to pushing everything via their app.
Charge Case
The charge case is also very basic. Reminding me a lot of the Tronsmart Onyx Pure case, it's around 6cm wide, 4.5cm high and just over a couple of cm in depth.
It is very small and lightweight, and the matte black exterior, with the QCY logo screen printed in gold on the top, is unlikely to go too long without shiny scuffs on it.
The front of the case has a small LED on the front. It flashes white when you plug it in, and then solid once the case is fully charged, or red if you remove it from charge before it's full. You may also see the case flash red if the battery is low, as I did on a few occasions, although there was no mention of why this might be in the manual so I could be wrong.
The hinge has some friction to it, which would be even more useful if the case supported hall switch mode - but it doesn't! At least when you're opening it on a windy day, there's just enough friction on it to prevent it from slamming shut, which had been a quibble of mine with previous QCY releases, so it's good to see they seem to be at least listening.
As you can see, there's quite a large area to grab onto the buds to remove them from the case when you need to use them, but a combination of their slippery nature and the reasonably powerful magnets mean you may end up dropping them at least more than once if my own experiences are anything to go by - I'd advise opening the case nowhere near a drain or long grass!
In the cockpit you'll notice that the buds rest in the top with the tips facing the outer edges. There is a small L/R on the respective side to remind you of your left and right. Whilst the case doesn't stand up due to its shape, the USB socket is located on the back towards the bottom, so they will kinda stand up if your USB cable is sufficiently reinforced.
There is no quick charge feature, and no wireless charging. Full charge takes approx. 2 hours.
Ergonomics & Build
Like the HT05, there's nothing fancy about the shells. Other than a matching, gold screen printed QCY logo on the outer edges, the only notable observations are the locations of the mics on the bottom and top of the bud. The HT05 uses three mics on each bud, with the voice mic at the bottom and ambient mics taking up the other cavities. There is also a small LED on the top which has two colours - white and red, same as the case, and it's messages are consistent with that of the case.
The shell of the HT07 is like a throwback to what all earbuds used to be like before these oversized oval nozzles became the flavour of the month. The HT07, similar to the SoundPEATS Mini and Engine4, is slightly bulky as you would expect given the large battery capacity.
It certainly isn't as bulky as the SoundPEATS Opera series or even the Edifier W240TN, but there's enough of heft for it to be noticeable, unless you push the neck a little deeper into your ear canal. If you do - and I can on one ear without any discomfort (although my other is more shallow, as per the above) then you'll also benefit from improved ANC as well as fit, but this form factor can feel a shade invasive, especially if you spend most of your time rocking semi-in-ear buds as I do.
On the inside, you've got another L/R reminder, another mic cavity and battery connectors, slightly bevelled. The eartips are quite short, and the round, small diameter nozzles at least mean you'll have a broad selection of third party tips which will fit with ease.
From the side-on, the HT07 don't look too obvious, and their minimal branding will suit those who prefer their earbuds on the subtle side.
Despite being slightly bulky, they weigh in at 4.57g, and by being relatively lightweight you aren't going to be tusslign with gravity to ensure they stay in your ears. Whilst they aren't going to be super-comfy for those who don't like this sort of invasive design, if it doesn't bother you then you'll be fine with the fit - I found them to be one of the comfier earbuds I've tested in a long time.
ANC - 8/10
ANC on the Arcbuds is surprisingly very respectable. As with all budget buds, it performs far better with low frequency sounds over nearby conversations or the clicks of mechanical keyboards, but it definitely punches above it's weight, and not without plenty of customisation too.
Like the MeloBuds, you've got three modes- Indoor, Commuting and Noisy, and within each, you've got three strength levels. It doesn't seem to be linear - i.e. Level 3 Indoor isn't less than Level 1 Commuting - instead, each mode has different types of sound which it deals with best, and the strength levels are in turn attributed to that mode only. Noisy is the strongest though - and with this on full strength, the HT07 are surprisingly effective at the full frequency range of sounds.
You've got similar levels of customisation of transparency mode - six strength levels and a separate 'vocal enhancement' button. Vocal enhancement is the least natural, although it is very clear, and is more natural than many other earbuds in their default mode. Conversations are extremely clear in this mode. Level 1 is quite gentle, but still pretty good - transparency is pretty effective, even with conversations a little further away.
Audio & Sound Signature - 8/10 (for the price), 6.5/10 (raw score)
The sound profile on the HT05 would vary substantially when toggling ANC on and off, and it is a similar story on the HT07. Despite barely any difference on the measurements, with ANC off the subbass is far less overwhelming, and the tonal balance is much better - and it's lucky it is, because with ANC on, it can border on very messy at times.
QCY have had to adjust the sound signature because of the change in form factor, boosting the bass slightly, dipping the midbass more, adding more presence to vocals and rolling off the frequencies over 10k. Despite the latter, it lacks the smoothness you hear on the HT05, and the tone and timbre are less natural sounding too.
The peaks at 3k, 5k and 9k give the HT07 added sharpness compared to the silky HT05. On 'Side to Side' by Ariana Grande, the subbass comes in quite powerful 14 seconds in, almost overwhelmingly, flanked by crunchy percussion. The lower frequencies, certainly with ANC off, can sound almost uncontrolled at times. Vocals are forward ever-so-slightly, with decent presence, but back a little from the thick bass. With ANC on, the bass is even thicker and there's a little sibilance to both Ariana and Nicki Minaj's vocals. The trebles have a metallic sound to them, with drums lacking a balanced punch.
On 'Something Got Me Started' by Simply Red, the boosted lower frequencies are less obvious - bass and wah wah guitars don't sound anywhere near as impressive as on the HT05, and whilst sax and shakers sound fairly natural, there's a lack of texture to other percussive elements - add pianos and flutes into the arrangement and everything starts to become rather congested.
Move to more simplistic arrangements like 'Wombass' by Oliver Heldens, and the HT07 are back in their comfort zone, with little noticeable distortion on the side chain. If you like house and techno, you might be safe with the HT07, but with other genres, especially rock and R&B, you may find yourself a little disappointed.
There isn't a particularly open soundstage as such - it's certainly a little more reigned in than the HT05, and depth is shallow by comparison too - and that's the problem here really, after delivering such outstanding sound on the HT05, comparison would always be inevitable....and sadly, they fall some way short. They aren't a terrible sounding earbud by any means - even pretty good for the money, but there's nothing to differentiate them from any other average $30 earbud here, unlike their older sister.
Call Quality - Indoors - 8/10, Outdoors - 8.5/10
Calls on the HT07, despite the lack of stem, are surprisingly effective. With 6 mics, AI ENC and wind noise reduction algorithms, there's plenty going on to try to improve your calls as much as possible, and whilst those effects can sometimes overstep the mark a little, by-and-large they are doing a decent job when you keep in mind how much these earbuds cost.
The HT07 feature in my indoor call quality test, where they were pitched against 36 other models to see how they perform in a coffee shop:
Outdoors, you can hear how they fare here:
On indoor calls with no sound around you, your voice sounds reasonably clear and certainly authoritative. There's a little softness to it that may leave the person on the other end not 100% sure of every word you've said, but it's close enough.
On busy scenes indoors it's a similar story. The HT07 do a sterling job of negating indistinct chatter, but they also intrude into your own voice sometimes, and syllables here and there may be lost, but it's certainly above-average performance here.
On busy outdoor scenes, they really come into their own. Handling wind and traffic noises better than other strong budget performers like the Soundcore P3i, there's less crackle across your voice. Even on a very busy main road, my voice came across cleanly and clearly.
Connectivity, Controls and other Interactive Features - 7/10
The QCY app has been done to death in my other QCY reviews, but it's been a while so let's go over some of the pros and cons again.
Firstly, you have to register with QCY to be able to use the app. This will no doubt annoy people, and believe me it annoys me as well, especially when I use my profile on another phone and none of my devices are there, which seemingly devalues the purpose of having a login altogether.
The app feels like a work in progress and has done since it surfaced, although this time around the HT07 paired and connected without too many issues - even so, do not expect Soundcore levels of polish, it's very 'beta' feeling at best.
The front page just gives you the battery estimates for the buds, again without an estimate for the case. With the absence of LED's you are basically in the dark over how much battery your case actually has. There are sections for customising the sound - including a 10-bar EQ and a number of presets, and the ANC (as discussed in the ANC section)
The settings section allows you to tailor your controls. Single tap setting is left empty - I immediately added volume control - and double-tap and triple-tap are also available to change, although they are pre-set to play/pause and voice assistant/skip track forward. Holding the right button will toggle ANC, but you can change double and triple tap to do the same, and you can change them to pretty much anything. You have full control over right and left - it's far better than something like the 1More app, which gives you very limited levels of customisation. Generally the controls are pretty responsive on this model - it's certainly a step back in the right direction after the dire T20.
Also within the app, you can toggle gaming mode, initiate sleep mode (which toggles touch functions) and 'find your headset'. This requires you to allow location sharing with the QCY app, something I wasn't prepared to test! There's also a timing mode, which shuts the buds down after a certain period of time - a nice feature. You can also access the QCY shop, and pay nearly double the prices AliExpress charge from QCY's shop.
Connectivity is good - the buds use Bluetooth 5.2, and stayed connected without any hiccups to my Sony Xperia IV in separate crowded area tests.
Latency is also good- videos are very close to lipsync, and with gaming mode toggled, even gaming is pretty close to suitable synchronisation, although hardcore gamers will undoubtedly disagree - it's still not bad.
Battery Life - 8/10
The HT07 advertise up to 8 hours battery life and up to 32 with the case. The buds are quite loud - 75% volume was fine for me - and taking a few calls and mostly listening to Tidal, I got 7 hours 12 minutes from the first use, and between 6 hours 45 and 7 hours 19 minutes on additional uses. This is actually much better than most vendors estimates, although granted it is a little easier to predict without the complication of high resolution codecs.
With ANC on, the figure dropped to just under 6 hours. This was mostly using ANC on 'Noisy' with the strength setting at maximum. Whilst this is a substantial drop the maximum advertised value, for me anything above 5 hours is a good result, and with 3-4 additional case recharges, represents good battery value from a full charge.
There is no quick charge feature and no wireless charging, sadly.
Summary
The HT07 are a solid release from QCY with notably respectable ANC and call quality. The button-shaped form factor will be attractive to stem-haters who long for the old days, but it isn't just the form factor that has taken a step back in time - sadly the sound has too.
The HT07 don't sound outrageously bad, but they suffer from being the release after the excellent HT05 Melobuds, which have become my go-to in the sub $30 category. The silky smooth sound signature has been replaced by a harsher, edgier sound which suffers particularly with ANC on, with an overwhelming lower frequency response that can leave more complex tracks sounding messy and congested.
The customisable controls and EQ, which save to the buds, are a standout feature from QCY, and will sell them a few extra units for sure, but if you had or currently own the HT05, I have a feeling you'll be disappointed with the follow-up.
Price Weighted Score: 79%
Raw Score: 75%
QCY Review Inventory:
HT07 Arcbuds
HT05 Melobuds ANC
T20 Ailypods
T18
G1
T17
T16
T13
HT03
T12
T11
About QCY:
Whilst not quite a household name outside of China yet, QCY are well-renowned in the budget TWS space for developing extraordinarily low cost earbuds that, whilst perhaps lacking some of the bells and whistles of the more expensive brands, deliver to the segment of the market where 'good enough is good enough', with solid reliability and tremendous value for money.
Part of the Hele Electronics Group, as well as designing their own products, they also OEM product for other vendors (Aukey, for example rebrand the T5), with three of their major customers being brands you will certainly recognise and in the global top 10 of the TWS market in 2019. In 2020, market research indicated they were the 4th biggest TWS vendor worldwide - no mean feat.
Despite a close relationship with SoC manufactuer Zhuhai Jieli, QCY are not afraid to mix and match components to suit their target market. This often sees a number of releases in quick succession - their T17S are an example of this, released subsequent to the T17, and differentiating with the use of the Qualcomm QCC3040 SoC, to support customers who require the added lower latency enabled by the aptX codecs that the Qualcomm chips support. They did a similar thing with the very popular T5, T8 and T9 - nice to see a vendor using an easy to follow naming convention! The G1 use the newest Pixart chip in order to reduce latency - horses for courses!
The QCY mission seems to be bringing music to the masses at a very affordable price - they are unlikely to top the charts for sound quality or features any time soon, but I think that's how they prefer it - their bang for buck is often unparalleled, with customers knowing they are getting value from a brand they can trust.
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Socials: Biolink
Model: QCY HT07 Arcbuds
Price: Approx. £22 AliExpress
Website: QCY (not listed)
Review Reference: RC096
Manufacturer Specification:
- Brand: QCY
- Model: HT07 Arcbuds (BH22HT07A)
- Driver: 10mm Biofilm Dynamic Driver
- Chipset: WUQI WQ7003AR
- Mic: 6 mics with AI ENC & Intelligent Anti-Wind Noise
- ANC: Yes, up to 40dB Hybrid ANC with multiple modes
- Codecs: AAC, SBC
- App Support: Yes
- Volume Control: Yes (customisable via app)
- Gaming Mode: Yes
- Multipoint Connectivity: No
- Earbud Weight: 4.57g
- Gross Case & Buds Weight: 33.79g
- Case Dimensions: 60mm (width) x 42mm (height) x 25mm (depth)
- Quick Charge: Not stated
- Total Charge Time: 2 hours
- Wireless Charging: No
- Single Use Playtime: Up to 8 hours (ANC off), up to 7 hours (ANC on)
- Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 32 hours (ANC off), up to 28 hours
- Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.2
- Bluetooth Protocols: HFP 1.7 / A2DP 1.3 / AVRCP 1.5
- Water Resistance: Not stated
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User Manual: English & Chinese
3 x Pairs Eartips
YouTube Review:
Introduction
Welcome to the @regancipher review of QCY's follow-up to their highly-acclaimed HT05 Melobuds, the HT07.....Arcbuds!
The strange collection of names that QCY attribute to each release is odd to say the least, but what isn't is the winning formula QCY seem to have stumbled upon in developing their 'house sound'. When I heard QCY were bringing out a 'button-shaped' in-ear to sit proudly alongside their stem-based offerings, I was very keen to get them in for test - and what a bargain, they cost just over £20 delivered, and are already on offer with the promise of even further discounts with AliExpress voucher codes!
The HT07 again boast some impressive features for the money, but if they are anything like their older sister then you'll have to accept some, albeit relatively trivial, compromises....or will you? Read on for my thoughts.....
Unboxing
Unboxing with QCY is consistent - consistently meh, and I don't think I'd have it any other way! One way QCY keep the cost down is limiting the unboxing to the bare essentials - the logo may have changed since the days of the T11 and T5, and the branding has evolved a little, but it's still a very low-budget affair with a plastic carton holding the buds, case, manual, charge cable and tips in place.
The manual is a small, folded piece of mono paper with basic instructions, although it is becoming increasingly less important as QCY continue their shift to pushing everything via their app.
Charge Case
The charge case is also very basic. Reminding me a lot of the Tronsmart Onyx Pure case, it's around 6cm wide, 4.5cm high and just over a couple of cm in depth.
It is very small and lightweight, and the matte black exterior, with the QCY logo screen printed in gold on the top, is unlikely to go too long without shiny scuffs on it.
The front of the case has a small LED on the front. It flashes white when you plug it in, and then solid once the case is fully charged, or red if you remove it from charge before it's full. You may also see the case flash red if the battery is low, as I did on a few occasions, although there was no mention of why this might be in the manual so I could be wrong.
The hinge has some friction to it, which would be even more useful if the case supported hall switch mode - but it doesn't! At least when you're opening it on a windy day, there's just enough friction on it to prevent it from slamming shut, which had been a quibble of mine with previous QCY releases, so it's good to see they seem to be at least listening.
As you can see, there's quite a large area to grab onto the buds to remove them from the case when you need to use them, but a combination of their slippery nature and the reasonably powerful magnets mean you may end up dropping them at least more than once if my own experiences are anything to go by - I'd advise opening the case nowhere near a drain or long grass!
In the cockpit you'll notice that the buds rest in the top with the tips facing the outer edges. There is a small L/R on the respective side to remind you of your left and right. Whilst the case doesn't stand up due to its shape, the USB socket is located on the back towards the bottom, so they will kinda stand up if your USB cable is sufficiently reinforced.
There is no quick charge feature, and no wireless charging. Full charge takes approx. 2 hours.
Ergonomics & Build
Like the HT05, there's nothing fancy about the shells. Other than a matching, gold screen printed QCY logo on the outer edges, the only notable observations are the locations of the mics on the bottom and top of the bud. The HT05 uses three mics on each bud, with the voice mic at the bottom and ambient mics taking up the other cavities. There is also a small LED on the top which has two colours - white and red, same as the case, and it's messages are consistent with that of the case.
The shell of the HT07 is like a throwback to what all earbuds used to be like before these oversized oval nozzles became the flavour of the month. The HT07, similar to the SoundPEATS Mini and Engine4, is slightly bulky as you would expect given the large battery capacity.
It certainly isn't as bulky as the SoundPEATS Opera series or even the Edifier W240TN, but there's enough of heft for it to be noticeable, unless you push the neck a little deeper into your ear canal. If you do - and I can on one ear without any discomfort (although my other is more shallow, as per the above) then you'll also benefit from improved ANC as well as fit, but this form factor can feel a shade invasive, especially if you spend most of your time rocking semi-in-ear buds as I do.
On the inside, you've got another L/R reminder, another mic cavity and battery connectors, slightly bevelled. The eartips are quite short, and the round, small diameter nozzles at least mean you'll have a broad selection of third party tips which will fit with ease.
From the side-on, the HT07 don't look too obvious, and their minimal branding will suit those who prefer their earbuds on the subtle side.
Despite being slightly bulky, they weigh in at 4.57g, and by being relatively lightweight you aren't going to be tusslign with gravity to ensure they stay in your ears. Whilst they aren't going to be super-comfy for those who don't like this sort of invasive design, if it doesn't bother you then you'll be fine with the fit - I found them to be one of the comfier earbuds I've tested in a long time.
ANC - 8/10
ANC on the Arcbuds is surprisingly very respectable. As with all budget buds, it performs far better with low frequency sounds over nearby conversations or the clicks of mechanical keyboards, but it definitely punches above it's weight, and not without plenty of customisation too.
Like the MeloBuds, you've got three modes- Indoor, Commuting and Noisy, and within each, you've got three strength levels. It doesn't seem to be linear - i.e. Level 3 Indoor isn't less than Level 1 Commuting - instead, each mode has different types of sound which it deals with best, and the strength levels are in turn attributed to that mode only. Noisy is the strongest though - and with this on full strength, the HT07 are surprisingly effective at the full frequency range of sounds.
You've got similar levels of customisation of transparency mode - six strength levels and a separate 'vocal enhancement' button. Vocal enhancement is the least natural, although it is very clear, and is more natural than many other earbuds in their default mode. Conversations are extremely clear in this mode. Level 1 is quite gentle, but still pretty good - transparency is pretty effective, even with conversations a little further away.
Audio & Sound Signature - 8/10 (for the price), 6.5/10 (raw score)
The sound profile on the HT05 would vary substantially when toggling ANC on and off, and it is a similar story on the HT07. Despite barely any difference on the measurements, with ANC off the subbass is far less overwhelming, and the tonal balance is much better - and it's lucky it is, because with ANC on, it can border on very messy at times.
QCY have had to adjust the sound signature because of the change in form factor, boosting the bass slightly, dipping the midbass more, adding more presence to vocals and rolling off the frequencies over 10k. Despite the latter, it lacks the smoothness you hear on the HT05, and the tone and timbre are less natural sounding too.
The peaks at 3k, 5k and 9k give the HT07 added sharpness compared to the silky HT05. On 'Side to Side' by Ariana Grande, the subbass comes in quite powerful 14 seconds in, almost overwhelmingly, flanked by crunchy percussion. The lower frequencies, certainly with ANC off, can sound almost uncontrolled at times. Vocals are forward ever-so-slightly, with decent presence, but back a little from the thick bass. With ANC on, the bass is even thicker and there's a little sibilance to both Ariana and Nicki Minaj's vocals. The trebles have a metallic sound to them, with drums lacking a balanced punch.
On 'Something Got Me Started' by Simply Red, the boosted lower frequencies are less obvious - bass and wah wah guitars don't sound anywhere near as impressive as on the HT05, and whilst sax and shakers sound fairly natural, there's a lack of texture to other percussive elements - add pianos and flutes into the arrangement and everything starts to become rather congested.
Move to more simplistic arrangements like 'Wombass' by Oliver Heldens, and the HT07 are back in their comfort zone, with little noticeable distortion on the side chain. If you like house and techno, you might be safe with the HT07, but with other genres, especially rock and R&B, you may find yourself a little disappointed.
There isn't a particularly open soundstage as such - it's certainly a little more reigned in than the HT05, and depth is shallow by comparison too - and that's the problem here really, after delivering such outstanding sound on the HT05, comparison would always be inevitable....and sadly, they fall some way short. They aren't a terrible sounding earbud by any means - even pretty good for the money, but there's nothing to differentiate them from any other average $30 earbud here, unlike their older sister.
Call Quality - Indoors - 8/10, Outdoors - 8.5/10
Calls on the HT07, despite the lack of stem, are surprisingly effective. With 6 mics, AI ENC and wind noise reduction algorithms, there's plenty going on to try to improve your calls as much as possible, and whilst those effects can sometimes overstep the mark a little, by-and-large they are doing a decent job when you keep in mind how much these earbuds cost.
The HT07 feature in my indoor call quality test, where they were pitched against 36 other models to see how they perform in a coffee shop:
Outdoors, you can hear how they fare here:
On indoor calls with no sound around you, your voice sounds reasonably clear and certainly authoritative. There's a little softness to it that may leave the person on the other end not 100% sure of every word you've said, but it's close enough.
On busy scenes indoors it's a similar story. The HT07 do a sterling job of negating indistinct chatter, but they also intrude into your own voice sometimes, and syllables here and there may be lost, but it's certainly above-average performance here.
On busy outdoor scenes, they really come into their own. Handling wind and traffic noises better than other strong budget performers like the Soundcore P3i, there's less crackle across your voice. Even on a very busy main road, my voice came across cleanly and clearly.
Connectivity, Controls and other Interactive Features - 7/10
The QCY app has been done to death in my other QCY reviews, but it's been a while so let's go over some of the pros and cons again.
Firstly, you have to register with QCY to be able to use the app. This will no doubt annoy people, and believe me it annoys me as well, especially when I use my profile on another phone and none of my devices are there, which seemingly devalues the purpose of having a login altogether.
The app feels like a work in progress and has done since it surfaced, although this time around the HT07 paired and connected without too many issues - even so, do not expect Soundcore levels of polish, it's very 'beta' feeling at best.
The front page just gives you the battery estimates for the buds, again without an estimate for the case. With the absence of LED's you are basically in the dark over how much battery your case actually has. There are sections for customising the sound - including a 10-bar EQ and a number of presets, and the ANC (as discussed in the ANC section)
The settings section allows you to tailor your controls. Single tap setting is left empty - I immediately added volume control - and double-tap and triple-tap are also available to change, although they are pre-set to play/pause and voice assistant/skip track forward. Holding the right button will toggle ANC, but you can change double and triple tap to do the same, and you can change them to pretty much anything. You have full control over right and left - it's far better than something like the 1More app, which gives you very limited levels of customisation. Generally the controls are pretty responsive on this model - it's certainly a step back in the right direction after the dire T20.
Also within the app, you can toggle gaming mode, initiate sleep mode (which toggles touch functions) and 'find your headset'. This requires you to allow location sharing with the QCY app, something I wasn't prepared to test! There's also a timing mode, which shuts the buds down after a certain period of time - a nice feature. You can also access the QCY shop, and pay nearly double the prices AliExpress charge from QCY's shop.
Connectivity is good - the buds use Bluetooth 5.2, and stayed connected without any hiccups to my Sony Xperia IV in separate crowded area tests.
Latency is also good- videos are very close to lipsync, and with gaming mode toggled, even gaming is pretty close to suitable synchronisation, although hardcore gamers will undoubtedly disagree - it's still not bad.
Battery Life - 8/10
The HT07 advertise up to 8 hours battery life and up to 32 with the case. The buds are quite loud - 75% volume was fine for me - and taking a few calls and mostly listening to Tidal, I got 7 hours 12 minutes from the first use, and between 6 hours 45 and 7 hours 19 minutes on additional uses. This is actually much better than most vendors estimates, although granted it is a little easier to predict without the complication of high resolution codecs.
With ANC on, the figure dropped to just under 6 hours. This was mostly using ANC on 'Noisy' with the strength setting at maximum. Whilst this is a substantial drop the maximum advertised value, for me anything above 5 hours is a good result, and with 3-4 additional case recharges, represents good battery value from a full charge.
There is no quick charge feature and no wireless charging, sadly.
Summary
The HT07 are a solid release from QCY with notably respectable ANC and call quality. The button-shaped form factor will be attractive to stem-haters who long for the old days, but it isn't just the form factor that has taken a step back in time - sadly the sound has too.
The HT07 don't sound outrageously bad, but they suffer from being the release after the excellent HT05 Melobuds, which have become my go-to in the sub $30 category. The silky smooth sound signature has been replaced by a harsher, edgier sound which suffers particularly with ANC on, with an overwhelming lower frequency response that can leave more complex tracks sounding messy and congested.
The customisable controls and EQ, which save to the buds, are a standout feature from QCY, and will sell them a few extra units for sure, but if you had or currently own the HT05, I have a feeling you'll be disappointed with the follow-up.
Price Weighted Score: 79%
Raw Score: 75%
QCY Review Inventory:
HT07 Arcbuds
HT05 Melobuds ANC
T20 Ailypods
T18
G1
T17
T16
T13
HT03
T12
T11
About QCY:
Whilst not quite a household name outside of China yet, QCY are well-renowned in the budget TWS space for developing extraordinarily low cost earbuds that, whilst perhaps lacking some of the bells and whistles of the more expensive brands, deliver to the segment of the market where 'good enough is good enough', with solid reliability and tremendous value for money.
Part of the Hele Electronics Group, as well as designing their own products, they also OEM product for other vendors (Aukey, for example rebrand the T5), with three of their major customers being brands you will certainly recognise and in the global top 10 of the TWS market in 2019. In 2020, market research indicated they were the 4th biggest TWS vendor worldwide - no mean feat.
Despite a close relationship with SoC manufactuer Zhuhai Jieli, QCY are not afraid to mix and match components to suit their target market. This often sees a number of releases in quick succession - their T17S are an example of this, released subsequent to the T17, and differentiating with the use of the Qualcomm QCC3040 SoC, to support customers who require the added lower latency enabled by the aptX codecs that the Qualcomm chips support. They did a similar thing with the very popular T5, T8 and T9 - nice to see a vendor using an easy to follow naming convention! The G1 use the newest Pixart chip in order to reduce latency - horses for courses!
The QCY mission seems to be bringing music to the masses at a very affordable price - they are unlikely to top the charts for sound quality or features any time soon, but I think that's how they prefer it - their bang for buck is often unparalleled, with customers knowing they are getting value from a brand they can trust.
