QCY T11 TWS - BA/DD Driver, 4 Mics, ENC, Quick Charge, Touch Control, BT5.0
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Model: QCY T11
Price: MSRP $49.99
Vendor Website: QCY
Review Reference: RC048
Manufacturer Specification:
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
3 x Pair Silicone Tips!
1 x User manual, Chinese and English
Real Life Experience
Welcome to the Regancipher review of the QCY T11. The T11 are the third set I've reviewed here at Head-Fi, and it's another sign of their growing portfolio of excellent value buds for those on a budget.
It doesn't seem like yesterday that I scored the T12 very positively, as decent budget semi-in-ear buds with lots of features. The T11 are traditional stem-based, silicon-tipped earbuds, and are the follow-up to their first foray into hybrid armature driver TWS, the T10, which I reviewed what feels like a lifetime ago! Despite a nice fit and low price tag, they rarely received any ear time with me, lacking the refined higher frequencies the BA suggested, and compromising a little too much on lower frequencies, often sounding hollow and lacking dynamism - a shame as they had a lot of promise. What I like about QCY is they seem to recognise and retain the elements that work well, and improve on the areas that are weak with every release, and sure enough, the T11 features upgraded drivers, including a new single channel balanced armature, separate direct driver, and no spelling mistakes on the box!
Whilst perhaps not a household name outside of China, 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 lauded chifi brands, deliver to the segment of the market where 'good enough is good enough', providing 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 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, the T11 and T10 use the Realtek HQ3000, and QCY are not afraid to mix and match components to suit their customers. This often sees a number of releases in quick succession - their T11S are an example of this, released subsequent to the T11, 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 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....and once again, for those on a shoestring budget, they've got the balance just about right with the T11.
The Unboxing - 6.5/10
The unboxing with QCY is fairly consistent, although you'll note the T11 are using the old logo - since, they've added the T11S, T12S, T13 and very soon, the HT-03.
QCY certainly don't waste a big portion of your 20 bucks on the box - the bare minimum is included to keep the cost down, and in all honesty if there is anywhere I'd want a vendor to be cutting corners, it's with the bit of cardboard you throw away! The user manual is a small, fold out monochrome guide in English and Chinese, and gives a very clear and concise description of what each button touch and LED signifies. There is a QR code which you scan to install their app, three sets of short, but wide bore eartips, a type-C USB charge cable for the case, and the case and buds themselves.
The Case - 7.5/10
The case is not dissimilar to that of the T10, albeit glossy rather than matte. The T10 ended up getting scuffed up pretty badly, so I can't imagine the T11 will fare that much better, but it's reasonably well designed with rounded edges, a nice three-LED lighting scheme on the front denoting charge status - red, blue and green - and a lip at the front to direct you how to open it.
The (old) QCY logo is screen printed in grey on the top, and first impressions overall are a very nice compact case that serves its purpose.
Once opened, the 'hall-switch' feature ensures they connect immediately with your device, and you'll see the lights on the buds start to flash inside the case, red and green on the stem-side, located at the top. The lip is deep enough for single handed operation, and the slightly wobbly, flimsy hinge opens wide enough for you to take the buds out nice and easy without it resembling a challenge from the Krypton Factor like the FIIL CC Pro, snapping shut quite easily, but again nothing like the CC Pro. A friction hinge like on the SoundPEATS T2 would have been welcome here.
The best thing about the case is its size. It is ultra portable at just 5.5cm wide, 4cm high, and just over 2cm wide, and can easily fit in your jeans pocket without gents looking like they're pleased to see anyone. It will also sit comfortably in a handbag pouch.
There is a MFB (multi-function) on the back which allows the buds to be reset or re-paired. There is no wireless charging - the USB charge slot is on the base, but 'quick charge' offers an hour of playtime from 10 minutes of juice, and total charge capacity is around 21 hours, with 3.5 of those provides by the buds. A single charge takes around 1 hour 45 minutes.
The case uses an LPSemi Charge Managment chip which provides low power synchronous boosting and discharge management, and combined with the LP7801T and Saixin 5332A, give over-voltage protection and increased efficiency to prolong the life of the case. LPSemi are a widely used component manufacturer who have featured in many of my previous reviews
Above shows a size comparison with the petite Tronsmart Onyx Ace - yep, the case is tiny.
The portability is further enhanced weight-wise, measuring in at just 37g including the buds - one of the lightest cases I've tested yet. This is almost 20g lighter than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, for example, and strengthens their billing as very convenient buds you can pop in your pocket for a quick walk, daily commute or trip to the shops.
Ergonomics - 8/10, Build Quality - 7/10
The T11 are almost identical to the T10, with a nice glossy finish on the outside, and matte finish to the inside. The upper LED glows green when you open the case, and blinks red when pairing. Next to the LED is an ambient mic, R024 from Ruiqin Electronics, and at 32mm, with a 27mm stem, the buds are very nicely designed - not too stubby to hinder call quality, and not too long to look ugly. The head is under the 25mm originally measured - it's around 24.3mm with the medium tips on, with a neck of around 8m. This makes them non-invasive, and they sit quite comfortably in the entry to your ear canal, without feeling like you're in a submarine, yet retaining very commendable passive noise isolation.
L-R: Omthing Air Free, Tronsmart Onyx Apex, QCY T11, Haylou W1, FIIL CC Pro
Above shows a comparison with similarly-priced buds. As you can see, they are the least obtrusive and invasive, and probably the comfiest of the group.
The inner side that rests against your concha displays that contrasting matte finish, which adds a little comfort and traction, and a pressure release hole to ensure the electronics don't overheat, and negate the feeling of being in a submarine.
The drivers terminate with a nice, unusual (for TWS) metallic dust-proof mesh, which you only tend to see on KZ or other IEM vendors, protecting the 6.92mm diaphragm moving coil dynamic driver and Bellsing 90012 Balanced Armature. Underneath the mesh on the bottom of the neck is another tuning hole. You can also see here the 'L' at the bottom of the stem, denoting which side bud it is, the charge connectors at the base, meaning minimal contact with your skin, and a voice mic, also from Ruiqin Electronics, the R038. This model is more suited to picking up your voice.
The fantastic ergonomics and fit - a feature of the T10, are not changed much here. Aside from resting very comfortably in your ears for prolonged use, and yet still providing superb noise isolation, they are feather-light at just 3.9g each.
The build quality is 'good enough' - certainly very good for the money, but with the use of a lot of glue inside to protect the termination to the circuit board - what you would expect really at the price point. This means water resistance is compromised a little - so no showering in them. I understand they are IPX5, which is fine for workouts and a spot of rain, and these are one of the few stem-based buds I wouldn't dismiss for working out, due to their reduced footprint form factor.
The very unobtrusive fit is reflected with this side profile shot. Like their T12, they look a touch generic, but don't let that put you off - they look inoffensive, and feel snug but comfy - you can easily wear these til the battery dies without the need for adjustment.
Audio Quality - 8/10 (for the price), 7/10 (raw score)
The T10, it must be said, didn't blow me away at all. The driver balance was all wrong, with the dynamic drivers sounding muddy, even distorting at high volumes, and the BA sounding a little thin. This time they upgraded the driver from the dual-frequency Bellsing BTC231C11011 to a separate dynamic driver and single-frequency BTC305C90012 tweeter.
The above shows the smoother frequency transition, and this is reflected when comparing both sets through One Republic's Counting Stars, where Ryan Pedder's vocal is instantly distinguished from the guitar intro, and the mid-bass slam kicks in around 25 seconds in. The trumpet and ukelele remain nice and clear, keeping good separation with an albeit slightly narrow soundstage. Bass is naturally dialled back due to the form factor, larger driver and potential for distortion, and this is reflected in the real life experience, with subbass sounding very light, and midbass sounding rather thin.
On some tracks - 'She's On the Phone' by Saint Etienne, for example, you may need to notch the treble and perhaps boost the low mids ever so slightly where female vocals can sound a little shrill. No problem. The sound responds far better to EQ than the T10 did, with no distortion when you elevate any frequency band.
Overall it's a big jump from the T10. Out of the box they may require a little fine-tuning, but nothing they can't handle. Now they're not in the league of the Soundpeats H1, but they're also three times cheaper - so horses for courses, for $20 this is very respectable audio.
Call Quality - Indoors - 7.5/10, Outdoors - 7/10
Calls are absolutely fine indoors with the T11. There is a slightly robotic, compressed sound to your voice, but almost all distant background noise is suppressed. Closer ambient noise can cause a distinct static crackle occasionally, but conversations are still not too bad at all. In fact, one of the best budget buds for calls I've tested so far for calls, using two of the newer MEMS silicone mics from Ruiqin Electronics to good effect. The mics use the SoC to work in beamforming formation, and it works very well in this configuration.
Outdoors they seem to suffer the same fate as most other buds of this type. Traffic and wind can decimate your calls, with your voice being elevated to try and compensate. This can cause spikes, and it sounds like your voice is clipping. This is not exclusive to the T11 or QCY - most TWS really struggle with this, either elevating your voice or losing it, as many of the frequencies around us are too similar to our own voices for any configuration to reach the level consumers seem to be looking for.
Mics seem to be the last feature that vendors are focusing on improving, and I'm sure we will see this elaborated on as we move into 2022.
Controls & Other Features - 7/10
Controls are quite straightforward - there is sadly no volume control by default, but the app does allow you to remap the buttons, including volume, to double or triple tap - remarkable at this price. The manual details clearly how to initiate different functions, and also what the LED status and prompt is. Rather than a Chinese sounding (or in FIIL's case, a Chinese-sounding Chinese-speaking-) voice, you get a single tone. The touch control sensitivity is fine out of the box, and can be adjusted to suit your needs via the app. They support voice assistant, which is hailed with a left-triple-tap by default.
Latency out of the box is not their strong suit, with a very evident lag on YouTube - around 380ms average source-to-destination using SBC on Windows 10 (Intel AX200 adapter, firmware 1.50.7), and slightly lower on my Poco X3 with AAC (approx. 240ms - aptX is 180-220 as a reference), but still evident. 'Low latency', aka 'Gaming' mode, is initiated by triple-tapping the right bud, and it does reduce latency to get close to lip sync on YouTube and around 100ms on average, but at the expense of sound quality. There are no codecs supported other than AAC and SBC - no QUALCOMM chip, so no aptX, and AAC performs better on the few android devices I tested than IOS.
TWS apps - whether QCY, FIIL, Tronsmart or Edifier - require a lot of permissions to be enabled in order to use them uninterrupted, so I tend to steer clear of them. I gave the app another try, and whilst the UI is clearly improved since the rebranding, the same complex process of getting the buds to connect and be recognised by the UI persists. Again, this is not exclusive to QCY, I have found the same with FIIL, 1More and even Tronsmart.
To the app's credit, it does, however, allow you to customise touch controls (including volume) and has a 'find my buds' feature ala Samsung. There is a ten bar equaliser, as well as six preset modes, and whilst I prefer to use Wavelet, it's still a nice addition at this price, and especially useful for iPhone users. You also have the option of updating the firmware, and I believe QCY did release a patch for them a little while ago, so be sure to check this when you receive them.
There is no ANC, although passive isolation is very good, and whilst Bluetooth is only 5.0 (many releases now support BT 5.2, including the T13), I found no connectivity issues with a stable connection indoors and outdoors for the usual 10 or so metres line of sight, but putting other obstructions in the way did seem to scramble signal at times. Nevertheless, they did not disconnect at all at the usual spot in my house where earbuds tend to drop off - audio was illegible, but still they at least tried to connect.
Battery Life - 6.5/10
The buds are pretty loud, so you can achieve the 3.5 hours advertised at around 55% volume. Whilst it is more efficient than the T10, that still isn't great by today's standards, with many recent releases doubling the single use playtime, some even with ANC on.
They do, however, support quick charge, where 10 minutes of charge give you one hour of juice, which is convenient, and will satisfy most users. For most applications, the 17-21 hours total playtime is more than sufficient - that's an additional 5 charges from the case, which is a decent compromise.
Final Comments
In a crowded market, QCY have brought to the market yet another very respectable set of buds at an extraordinarily low price, that improve enough on the T10 to justify their release.
Delivering good sound at a low cost is their mission, and whilst the hybrid drivers may not quite live up to what wired IEM users expect, at $20 this is pretty impressive stuff. With most in-ear, stem-based releases focusing on ANC these days, finding comfy-fitting earbuds that aren't trying to pack in every bit of tech possible isn't always easy, so QCY have set themselves apart here. Their smart approach - cutting out the bells and whistles that many will see as unnecessary whilst still offering some high end features, such as app support, low latency, quick charge and control mapping - has a place in the market for those on a budget, without taking a gamble on the unknown quantities on Amazon, that tend to be very weak in comparison.
As you can tell, the best feature of the T11 is comfort. Comfy buds with good sound at a low cost are always a winner - priced similarly to the KZ SKS, whilst the sound isn't quite as good, the mic is far better. You can use the tips included and they will be comfy enough, something that can't be said for many mid-range releases, let alone the sub $25 range.
At just the cost of a double vodka and coke in London, the T11 are a bargain. QCY once again deliver on their promises with a very decent set of buds that demonstrate that they listen to the market and learn from their mistakes - if you bought the T10 and were disappointed, you should absolutely have another go with the T11, they're a cut above and worth the extra ££.
Ideal for:
Not so suitable for:
Raw Score: 74%
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 T11
Price: MSRP $49.99
Vendor Website: QCY
Review Reference: RC048
Manufacturer Specification:
- Brand: QCY
- Model: T11
- Driver: 7mm Dynamic Driver, Bellsing Acoustics BTC305C90012 moving iron coil BA
- Chipset: Realtek HQ3000
- Impedance: 24 Ohm
- Mic: 4, ENC
- ANC: No
- Volume Control: Yes, switched on via the app
- Codecs: AAC, SBC
- Earbud Weight: 3.9g
- Earbud Dimensions: 32mm height, 27mm stem length.
- Gross Case & Buds Weight: 44.68g
- Case Dimensions: 55mm (width) x 24mm (depth) x 40mm (height)
- Case Charge Capacity: 600mAh
- Full Charge Time: 120 minutes
- Quick Charge: Yes
- Wireless Charging: No
- Input: 5V 600mA
- Single Use Playtime: Up to 3.5 hours
- Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 21 hours
- App Support: Yes, IOS and Android
- Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.0
- Bluetooth Protocols: BLE/ HSP/ HFP/ A2DP/ AVRCP
- Water Resistance: Not Stated, I understand IPX5
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
3 x Pair Silicone Tips!
1 x User manual, Chinese and English
Real Life Experience
Welcome to the Regancipher review of the QCY T11. The T11 are the third set I've reviewed here at Head-Fi, and it's another sign of their growing portfolio of excellent value buds for those on a budget.
It doesn't seem like yesterday that I scored the T12 very positively, as decent budget semi-in-ear buds with lots of features. The T11 are traditional stem-based, silicon-tipped earbuds, and are the follow-up to their first foray into hybrid armature driver TWS, the T10, which I reviewed what feels like a lifetime ago! Despite a nice fit and low price tag, they rarely received any ear time with me, lacking the refined higher frequencies the BA suggested, and compromising a little too much on lower frequencies, often sounding hollow and lacking dynamism - a shame as they had a lot of promise. What I like about QCY is they seem to recognise and retain the elements that work well, and improve on the areas that are weak with every release, and sure enough, the T11 features upgraded drivers, including a new single channel balanced armature, separate direct driver, and no spelling mistakes on the box!
Whilst perhaps not a household name outside of China, 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 lauded chifi brands, deliver to the segment of the market where 'good enough is good enough', providing 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 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, the T11 and T10 use the Realtek HQ3000, and QCY are not afraid to mix and match components to suit their customers. This often sees a number of releases in quick succession - their T11S are an example of this, released subsequent to the T11, 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 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....and once again, for those on a shoestring budget, they've got the balance just about right with the T11.
The Unboxing - 6.5/10
The unboxing with QCY is fairly consistent, although you'll note the T11 are using the old logo - since, they've added the T11S, T12S, T13 and very soon, the HT-03.
QCY certainly don't waste a big portion of your 20 bucks on the box - the bare minimum is included to keep the cost down, and in all honesty if there is anywhere I'd want a vendor to be cutting corners, it's with the bit of cardboard you throw away! The user manual is a small, fold out monochrome guide in English and Chinese, and gives a very clear and concise description of what each button touch and LED signifies. There is a QR code which you scan to install their app, three sets of short, but wide bore eartips, a type-C USB charge cable for the case, and the case and buds themselves.
The Case - 7.5/10
The case is not dissimilar to that of the T10, albeit glossy rather than matte. The T10 ended up getting scuffed up pretty badly, so I can't imagine the T11 will fare that much better, but it's reasonably well designed with rounded edges, a nice three-LED lighting scheme on the front denoting charge status - red, blue and green - and a lip at the front to direct you how to open it.
The (old) QCY logo is screen printed in grey on the top, and first impressions overall are a very nice compact case that serves its purpose.
Once opened, the 'hall-switch' feature ensures they connect immediately with your device, and you'll see the lights on the buds start to flash inside the case, red and green on the stem-side, located at the top. The lip is deep enough for single handed operation, and the slightly wobbly, flimsy hinge opens wide enough for you to take the buds out nice and easy without it resembling a challenge from the Krypton Factor like the FIIL CC Pro, snapping shut quite easily, but again nothing like the CC Pro. A friction hinge like on the SoundPEATS T2 would have been welcome here.
The best thing about the case is its size. It is ultra portable at just 5.5cm wide, 4cm high, and just over 2cm wide, and can easily fit in your jeans pocket without gents looking like they're pleased to see anyone. It will also sit comfortably in a handbag pouch.
There is a MFB (multi-function) on the back which allows the buds to be reset or re-paired. There is no wireless charging - the USB charge slot is on the base, but 'quick charge' offers an hour of playtime from 10 minutes of juice, and total charge capacity is around 21 hours, with 3.5 of those provides by the buds. A single charge takes around 1 hour 45 minutes.
The case uses an LPSemi Charge Managment chip which provides low power synchronous boosting and discharge management, and combined with the LP7801T and Saixin 5332A, give over-voltage protection and increased efficiency to prolong the life of the case. LPSemi are a widely used component manufacturer who have featured in many of my previous reviews
Above shows a size comparison with the petite Tronsmart Onyx Ace - yep, the case is tiny.
The portability is further enhanced weight-wise, measuring in at just 37g including the buds - one of the lightest cases I've tested yet. This is almost 20g lighter than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, for example, and strengthens their billing as very convenient buds you can pop in your pocket for a quick walk, daily commute or trip to the shops.
Ergonomics - 8/10, Build Quality - 7/10
The T11 are almost identical to the T10, with a nice glossy finish on the outside, and matte finish to the inside. The upper LED glows green when you open the case, and blinks red when pairing. Next to the LED is an ambient mic, R024 from Ruiqin Electronics, and at 32mm, with a 27mm stem, the buds are very nicely designed - not too stubby to hinder call quality, and not too long to look ugly. The head is under the 25mm originally measured - it's around 24.3mm with the medium tips on, with a neck of around 8m. This makes them non-invasive, and they sit quite comfortably in the entry to your ear canal, without feeling like you're in a submarine, yet retaining very commendable passive noise isolation.
L-R: Omthing Air Free, Tronsmart Onyx Apex, QCY T11, Haylou W1, FIIL CC Pro
Above shows a comparison with similarly-priced buds. As you can see, they are the least obtrusive and invasive, and probably the comfiest of the group.
The inner side that rests against your concha displays that contrasting matte finish, which adds a little comfort and traction, and a pressure release hole to ensure the electronics don't overheat, and negate the feeling of being in a submarine.
The drivers terminate with a nice, unusual (for TWS) metallic dust-proof mesh, which you only tend to see on KZ or other IEM vendors, protecting the 6.92mm diaphragm moving coil dynamic driver and Bellsing 90012 Balanced Armature. Underneath the mesh on the bottom of the neck is another tuning hole. You can also see here the 'L' at the bottom of the stem, denoting which side bud it is, the charge connectors at the base, meaning minimal contact with your skin, and a voice mic, also from Ruiqin Electronics, the R038. This model is more suited to picking up your voice.
The fantastic ergonomics and fit - a feature of the T10, are not changed much here. Aside from resting very comfortably in your ears for prolonged use, and yet still providing superb noise isolation, they are feather-light at just 3.9g each.
The build quality is 'good enough' - certainly very good for the money, but with the use of a lot of glue inside to protect the termination to the circuit board - what you would expect really at the price point. This means water resistance is compromised a little - so no showering in them. I understand they are IPX5, which is fine for workouts and a spot of rain, and these are one of the few stem-based buds I wouldn't dismiss for working out, due to their reduced footprint form factor.
The very unobtrusive fit is reflected with this side profile shot. Like their T12, they look a touch generic, but don't let that put you off - they look inoffensive, and feel snug but comfy - you can easily wear these til the battery dies without the need for adjustment.
Audio Quality - 8/10 (for the price), 7/10 (raw score)
The T10, it must be said, didn't blow me away at all. The driver balance was all wrong, with the dynamic drivers sounding muddy, even distorting at high volumes, and the BA sounding a little thin. This time they upgraded the driver from the dual-frequency Bellsing BTC231C11011 to a separate dynamic driver and single-frequency BTC305C90012 tweeter.
The above shows the smoother frequency transition, and this is reflected when comparing both sets through One Republic's Counting Stars, where Ryan Pedder's vocal is instantly distinguished from the guitar intro, and the mid-bass slam kicks in around 25 seconds in. The trumpet and ukelele remain nice and clear, keeping good separation with an albeit slightly narrow soundstage. Bass is naturally dialled back due to the form factor, larger driver and potential for distortion, and this is reflected in the real life experience, with subbass sounding very light, and midbass sounding rather thin.
On some tracks - 'She's On the Phone' by Saint Etienne, for example, you may need to notch the treble and perhaps boost the low mids ever so slightly where female vocals can sound a little shrill. No problem. The sound responds far better to EQ than the T10 did, with no distortion when you elevate any frequency band.
Overall it's a big jump from the T10. Out of the box they may require a little fine-tuning, but nothing they can't handle. Now they're not in the league of the Soundpeats H1, but they're also three times cheaper - so horses for courses, for $20 this is very respectable audio.
Call Quality - Indoors - 7.5/10, Outdoors - 7/10
Calls are absolutely fine indoors with the T11. There is a slightly robotic, compressed sound to your voice, but almost all distant background noise is suppressed. Closer ambient noise can cause a distinct static crackle occasionally, but conversations are still not too bad at all. In fact, one of the best budget buds for calls I've tested so far for calls, using two of the newer MEMS silicone mics from Ruiqin Electronics to good effect. The mics use the SoC to work in beamforming formation, and it works very well in this configuration.
Outdoors they seem to suffer the same fate as most other buds of this type. Traffic and wind can decimate your calls, with your voice being elevated to try and compensate. This can cause spikes, and it sounds like your voice is clipping. This is not exclusive to the T11 or QCY - most TWS really struggle with this, either elevating your voice or losing it, as many of the frequencies around us are too similar to our own voices for any configuration to reach the level consumers seem to be looking for.
Mics seem to be the last feature that vendors are focusing on improving, and I'm sure we will see this elaborated on as we move into 2022.
Controls & Other Features - 7/10
Controls are quite straightforward - there is sadly no volume control by default, but the app does allow you to remap the buttons, including volume, to double or triple tap - remarkable at this price. The manual details clearly how to initiate different functions, and also what the LED status and prompt is. Rather than a Chinese sounding (or in FIIL's case, a Chinese-sounding Chinese-speaking-) voice, you get a single tone. The touch control sensitivity is fine out of the box, and can be adjusted to suit your needs via the app. They support voice assistant, which is hailed with a left-triple-tap by default.
Latency out of the box is not their strong suit, with a very evident lag on YouTube - around 380ms average source-to-destination using SBC on Windows 10 (Intel AX200 adapter, firmware 1.50.7), and slightly lower on my Poco X3 with AAC (approx. 240ms - aptX is 180-220 as a reference), but still evident. 'Low latency', aka 'Gaming' mode, is initiated by triple-tapping the right bud, and it does reduce latency to get close to lip sync on YouTube and around 100ms on average, but at the expense of sound quality. There are no codecs supported other than AAC and SBC - no QUALCOMM chip, so no aptX, and AAC performs better on the few android devices I tested than IOS.
TWS apps - whether QCY, FIIL, Tronsmart or Edifier - require a lot of permissions to be enabled in order to use them uninterrupted, so I tend to steer clear of them. I gave the app another try, and whilst the UI is clearly improved since the rebranding, the same complex process of getting the buds to connect and be recognised by the UI persists. Again, this is not exclusive to QCY, I have found the same with FIIL, 1More and even Tronsmart.
To the app's credit, it does, however, allow you to customise touch controls (including volume) and has a 'find my buds' feature ala Samsung. There is a ten bar equaliser, as well as six preset modes, and whilst I prefer to use Wavelet, it's still a nice addition at this price, and especially useful for iPhone users. You also have the option of updating the firmware, and I believe QCY did release a patch for them a little while ago, so be sure to check this when you receive them.
There is no ANC, although passive isolation is very good, and whilst Bluetooth is only 5.0 (many releases now support BT 5.2, including the T13), I found no connectivity issues with a stable connection indoors and outdoors for the usual 10 or so metres line of sight, but putting other obstructions in the way did seem to scramble signal at times. Nevertheless, they did not disconnect at all at the usual spot in my house where earbuds tend to drop off - audio was illegible, but still they at least tried to connect.
Battery Life - 6.5/10
The buds are pretty loud, so you can achieve the 3.5 hours advertised at around 55% volume. Whilst it is more efficient than the T10, that still isn't great by today's standards, with many recent releases doubling the single use playtime, some even with ANC on.
They do, however, support quick charge, where 10 minutes of charge give you one hour of juice, which is convenient, and will satisfy most users. For most applications, the 17-21 hours total playtime is more than sufficient - that's an additional 5 charges from the case, which is a decent compromise.
Final Comments
In a crowded market, QCY have brought to the market yet another very respectable set of buds at an extraordinarily low price, that improve enough on the T10 to justify their release.
Delivering good sound at a low cost is their mission, and whilst the hybrid drivers may not quite live up to what wired IEM users expect, at $20 this is pretty impressive stuff. With most in-ear, stem-based releases focusing on ANC these days, finding comfy-fitting earbuds that aren't trying to pack in every bit of tech possible isn't always easy, so QCY have set themselves apart here. Their smart approach - cutting out the bells and whistles that many will see as unnecessary whilst still offering some high end features, such as app support, low latency, quick charge and control mapping - has a place in the market for those on a budget, without taking a gamble on the unknown quantities on Amazon, that tend to be very weak in comparison.
As you can tell, the best feature of the T11 is comfort. Comfy buds with good sound at a low cost are always a winner - priced similarly to the KZ SKS, whilst the sound isn't quite as good, the mic is far better. You can use the tips included and they will be comfy enough, something that can't be said for many mid-range releases, let alone the sub $25 range.
At just the cost of a double vodka and coke in London, the T11 are a bargain. QCY once again deliver on their promises with a very decent set of buds that demonstrate that they listen to the market and learn from their mistakes - if you bought the T10 and were disappointed, you should absolutely have another go with the T11, they're a cut above and worth the extra ££.
Ideal for:
- Low-budget customers that need a good set of buds for today
- All round users that value comfort, good sound and good calls
- Those on the move, that see value in the small case
- Those that appreciate a balanced sound signature
Not so suitable for:
- Those that need active noise cancellation
- Those with a bigger budget
- Those that need ultra low latency
- Those that listen for long periods without a break
Raw Score: 74%
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.
