QCY T18 Melobuds Multipoint Bluetooth 5.2 Aptx-Adaptive Aptx-Voice TWS

regancipher

100+ Head-Fier
Multipoint hits the <$50 mark... and they are ironing out the ceases to make this a solid release
Pros: Multipoint, Bluetooth 5.2, Good battery life, Great Ergonomics, good clarity on 96k audio, Decent call quality, improving app with customisable controls
Cons: Lower frequencies a bit congested on 48k, glitches on 96k (fixed in firmware 1.0.9.8) , No ANC, No Quick Charge, No indicator of which devices are actually connected, No case battery indicator in app, harsh trebles
How I review: (See Previous Reviews)
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Model: QCY T18 Melobuds
Price: MSRP Approx $49.99
Website: QCY Store, Aliexpress Store
Review Reference: RC072

Manufacturer Specification:
  • Brand: QCY
  • Model: T18 Melobuds
  • Driver: 10mm Dynamic Driver
  • Chipset: Qualcomm QCC3050
  • Mic: 4, Aptx-Voice 32k calls, cVc ENC
  • ANC: No
  • Codecs: Aptx-Adaptive up to 96k, Snapdragon Sound, Aptx, AAC, SBC
  • App Support: Yes
  • Volume Control: Yes, via the QCY app
  • Gaming Mode: Yes
  • Earbud Weight: 4.65g
  • Earbud Dimensions: 30mm stem
  • Gross Case & Buds Weight: 43g
  • Case Dimensions: 24mm (depth) x 54 mm (width) x 59mm (height)
  • Case Charge Capacity: 450mAh
  • Full Charge Time: approx. 120 minutes
  • Quick Charge: Not advertised - seems to be supported though
  • Wireless Charging: No
  • Input: 5V 400mA
  • Single Use Playtime: Up to 7 hours
  • Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 30 hours
  • Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.2
  • Bluetooth Protocols: HFP 1.7/ A2DP 1.3/ AVRCP 1.5 / LE
  • Water Resistance: Not stated
  • Firmware Version Tested: V1.0.95
Includes:

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:




Real Life Experience

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Welcome to the @regancipher review of the QCY T18 Melobuds, an exciting release for many reasons. The Melobuds are the first earbuds to use the Qualcomm QCC3050 chipset, bringing multipoint, aptX-voice for clearer calls, Snapdragon Sound and 96k wireless audio transmission. Lots of exciting features - but how would they perform?

Unboxing - 7/10

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If there is one area QCY could brush up if they really want to hit the market in a big way, it's the unboxing. Once again it is a very simplistic, standard archetype box - a bit of a shame given the gravitas of the release. The manual is the usual monochrome, folding instruction booklet in just English and Chinese, and whilst the idea is clearly for users to scan the QR, use their app and fire over their data (get used to it, it's every TWS app and plenty more), if they want to truly penetrate other markets for example, larger diagrammatic visual representations will benefit them far more than saving a few yen on printing a manual commensurate with the quality of the device. Tronsmart have demonstrated this to very good effect, and should be the poster-boy for this kind of approach, as pictures tell a thousand words, as they say.

A1.png


That said, the instructions on how to use multipoint are very clear, and the diagrams are a marked improvement over previous iterations. The tips match the buds in terms of colour and finish, but don't actually facilitate best comfort from them. I switched through Azla, Feaulle and eventually settled on Spinfit CP1025 to provide best fit. The USB-C cable is in the usual bag, and this time you get a little card with very basic usage instructions.

Case & Ergonomics - 9/10

E1.png


QCY have done a marvelous job with the ergonomics on both the buds and the case. Whilst fit is subjective, these have to be the comfiest buds I've tried in a long time, and for silicone-based buds, that's saying something.

The buds weigh 4.6g, so they are reasonably lightweight. The case is 43g, putting it in the middle of the road in terms of portability. Its compact-folding-mirror style shape means it is easily portable in both pockets and handbags, even if it looks a little larger than the average - it is far more portable than something like the Huawei FreeBuds Pro, which is similarly sized and shaped.

The case is easy enough to flip open single-handed, and has a nice glossy finish to it. One big plus point is the hinge - it's a friction hinge, so you can prop it open on your desk and initiate pairing. This is really useful when going through the multipoint process, and it supports hall-switch mode so no grabbing the buds out of the case in order to pair. The case can be a little fiddly in bud removal and reinsertion due to the back-to-back design, but if you're used to the HT03 then this won't be at all counter-intuitive.

There is a pairing button in metallic finish with the QCY logo to the side, and it is necessary to use in order to initiate pairing. There is no wireless charging - the case is USB-C only, the port is at the base, capacity is 380mAh and it takes around 90-120 minutes for a full charge, giving you up to 30 hours provided you're not using multipoint, 96k and a bunch of other features that realistically bring it down to between 4-6 hours for single use, with around 3-3.5 extra charges. There is no quick charge or warp charge feature, sadly, so make sure you're fully charged up for the day if using as a commuter bud! There is a single LED at the front which only has two colours - red for below 20% and blue for above - not especially helpful, as there is no indicator within the app (only for charge remaining in the buds) either.

e3.png


The outer design of the buds themselves is a little like the ZMI Purpods, with a curvature combined with three dimensional edges. This allows for a nicely sized touch control area just above the QCY logo, although it did induce a few accidental touches, and provides lots of room for the battery connectors and voice mic at the base. Above the logo is an LED which denotes pairing status, flashing when ready to pair. This goes off during normal operation, thankfully.

e4.png


On the inside you can see two openings - one is a pressure relief hole, the other a tuning chamber, designed for improved comfort and acoustic performance. Both are protected by dustproof nets, although there is no official IPX rating for the buds themselves (this is quite typical of QCY, as the testing certification adds additional cost)

e2.png


The driver openings are oval shaped, and this means it sits back in your ear canal a touch, opening up the soundstage a little through auditory masking. It makes for a pleasant experience in the ears and it is very clear these buds have been designed as all-dayers. The lack of active noise cancellation will be a disappointment to some, but passive isolation with the right tips is OK.

So overall it is a massive thumbs up on the design, give or take some minor quibbles like the absence of fast charge.

Audio - 8/10 (for the price paid), 7.5/10 (raw score)

t18.png


Once again, QCY have done just about enough, without impressing hugely. The Melobuds initially sounded extremely thin until I switched the tips and got a better fit, so bear this in mind. Afterwards, the lower frequencies were much more prominent, but a little muddy on 48k.

Snapdragon Sound is Qualcomm's marketing buzzword for 24-bit, 96kHz streaming, with improved resolution after the usual drop-off point 20KHz, and 32kHz wideband voice quality through AptX-voice. The big problem is Snapdragon Sound isn't really widely supported yet. I discovered the drivers on my OnePlus 8T needed upgrading, so I had to contact the developer of my custom ROM in order to get that sorted. Big word of advice - update to your latest version of software!

After updating the firmware on the T18 and the drivers on my phone, at 48kHz it is very evident that QCY have gone for a clear, bright sound with a gently boosted midbass. 'Come Undone' by Duran Duran reveals reasonable detail in the high mids, with tambourines, shakers and reverbed vocals separating rather well. Compared to something like the T13 or Tronsmart Onyx Prime, it is a slightly cleaner sound, without any major sibilance issues, without as much emphasis on the bass. Otherwise, it is a very familiar sound signature from QCY since they evolved away from the muddy v-shaped messes that categorised their early releases - extremely similar, if not identical tuning to their T17.

The soft midbass is betrayed in 'Killer' by Seal, which sees the kick drum arrive with a thump on something like the Edifier NeoBuds Pro, whereas it simply 'arrives' on the T18. The soundstage can open out a little, but depth is lacking a little - instruments of similar frequencies will separate, but they lack the textural qualities that allow the listener that knows the track intimately to differentiate them easily. Adjusting the buds can improve the midbass delivery, I found twisting them slightly so the oval was perpendicular to my ear canal did the trick. The subbass is fast and definitely present - I got a gentle reminder from 'Gecko' by Oliver Heldens, where the kick slammed in better than I was expecting, but certainly not in the league of the dual-driver buds on the market today. NOTE - after upgrading to firmware 1.0.9.8, the sound changed slightly. Bass is a little tighter.

On 96KHz, this improves noticeably, with bass guitars starting to resonate far more on the same track. Vocals pan around with extension - they actually sound really good, very similar to the Soundpeats H2 when in 96K mode.

The big problem is, 96k is incredibly unstable. On Tidal Masters, just changing the track would trigger the buds into only broadcasting through one earbud. Then the other. Then neither. Then both again! To see if it was an isolated issue, I bought another set. Same problem. I've contacted QCY, but as yet, no response.

NOTE - Not only have QCY been in contact, they've upgraded the firmware. Version 1.0.9.8 below:

Screenshot_20220527-221105__01.png


This translates as:

Firmware upgrade will be latest version; v1.0.98 Current version: APTX VOICE switch is added on v1.0.95 APP, which can improve some mobile phone calls/WeChat silent problems by turning off APTX VOICE UPGRADE.

Whilst I haven't found the switch in the app yet (I guess an update will come in due course) and haven't noticed a huge difference in calls, it has not only improved stability on my phone (which doesn't even officially support 96k) but it's tightened up the sound too. So bravo to QCY for proactively working on this!

The Xiaomi 11T Pro (which supports Snapdragon Sound) showed no huge difference in audio quality over the OnePlus in 96k - same slightly-too bright trebles and congested low frequencies, but still respectable given the features and the cost.

Call Quality - Indoors - 7.5/10, Outdoors - 8/10

Despite Aptx-voice supposedly existing, I guess my phone doesn't support it. There's no indicator it is in use in the way you can see that AptX-adaptive is the codec in use. Either way, I noticed my voice sounded a little over-compressed indoors with lots of chatter, but they handled a little wind and traffic far better. The mics also feature cVc integration with the SoC (a Qualcomm feature) and beamforming technology to ensure reliable communication.

I've included them in my YouTube 30 TWS Mic Test at around the 25 minute mark here:



It is also covered in my YouTube review, noted at the top of this article.

Connectivity, Controls and other Interactive Features - 8/10

Connectivity, other than the issues at 96K, is rock solid. Controls are fine out of the box, but the app allows lots of customisation, including setting volume control for single tap.

If you're using an android phone you'll get a little pop-up window with 'T18' and a picture of the buds. Going into the app you have three tabs:
  • Status (the default) - which tells you battery level of the buds and gives you a media play button at the bottom
  • Sound - that allows you to choose from a number of presets (Pop, Bass, Rock, Soft and Classic) - none of which sound great - or customise - giving you an impressive 10 bar equaliser
  • Settings - this tab allows you to customise controls , 'find your headset', toggle gaming mode and update the firmware
Mutlipoint is excellent - reliable and very straightforward. Connect to device one, disconnect, connect to device two (using button), dual-connectivity is assured. The only problem is unlike the HeyMelody app from OnePlus for example, you can't see which devices you're connected to without checking those devices. Even so, it is very stable and very reliable. Massive thumbs up here

Gaming mode is there, and reduces latency, which is already very good - certainly good enough on videos, and will no doubt improve as more of the features catch up in phones and tablets. It can be activated with a triple left tap by default, with voice assistant triple right. There are no spoken responses, just mere beeps when you activate a function.

There are no hi-res codecs, no ANC, no quick charge, so room for improvement here. LE Audio is supported, but this is coming through firmware update - QCY have not given any indication over dates.

Battery Life - 7.5/10

The buds advertise up to 7 hours from a single use, and I consistently topped the 5 hour mark, stretching as high as 6 and as low as 4 hours 23 minutes where I had to use them for a long Teams call. They lasted around the same as my OnePlus Buds Pro - possibly slightly longer, so not a bad performance at all given the competitive landscape.

The case allows for up to 3-3.5 further charges, as previously mentioned there is no quick charge and no wireless charging - even so, it's a strong performer given the multitude of features.

Final Comments

As per the title, it feels a little like the cart arrived before the horses. Some of the features - Snapdragon Sound, AptX-voice, 96K audio.... they're waiting for the mobile phone market to catch up. Only a handful of devices currently support those headline attributes fully, and the Qualcomm website is hopeless at updating us, as seemingly are the phone vendors who think audio is an afterthought (as proven by their blase removal of the 3.5mm jack!)

Even so, there is definite promise there. Sound is good enough - not outstanding, but very respectable for the price. Calls are good enough too, and as always, QCY have done just 'enough' to more than deliver a solid release at a really attractive price.

If multipoint is your primary objective over-and-above sound, and you're constrained by budget, then the T18 are a very wise investment - but if you want the benefit of all those additional features, you'll have to wait a little while I'm afraid.

Overall it is a very decent release, but don't go selling your premium buds just yet!

Price Weighted Score: 85%
Raw Score: 80%

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.
Last edited:
regancipher
regancipher
QCY released a firmware update yesterday, improvement is huge!
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