TOZO, a brand known for their budget-friendly earbuds, has ventured into the portable speaker market. TOZO PA1 is one of the few bluetooth speakers we have tested. Its specs are enticing especially at its current discounted price of $39.99 on Amazon.
Tech specs
| Output power | 20W; 60mm full-range speaker 2x 80mm×50 passive radiators |
| Battery life | 25 hours per full charge |
| Waterproof rating | IPX7 |
| Bluetooth version | 5.0 |
| Audio codec | AAC, SBC |
| Dimensions | 210×91×61mm |
| Weight | 590 grams |
Build quality and design
The TOZO PA1 features a pill-shaped design has small bumps on the bottom and back, allowing it to sit steadily on a flat surface in either orientation. It comes with an all-black color scheme with a matte finish, to help make it feel more premium than its price tag. The top of the speaker houses control buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, volume control, play/pause, and EQ adjustments.
The front of the TOZO PA1 features a metal-like grille with a prominent TOZO logo. The speaker feels pretty solid and well built, and comes with IPX7 rating, making it water-resistant up to 1 meter. TOZO PA1 weighs 590 grams and measures 210×91×61mm. There is a lanyard in the box so you use it strap it to a bag too.
Battery life and connectivity
The 4,000 mAh battery in the TOZO PA1 is supposed to provide around 25 hours of playback at 50% volume. But during my testing I got lesser, somewhere around 12-13 hours worth. Charging takes around 2 hours with the included USB Type-A to Type-C cable. As for connectivity, you can only play audio with the TOZO PA1 via Bluetooth. There is no 3.5mm audio jack. Once the TOZO PA1 is powered on, it enters pairing mode, indicated by a flickering blue Bluetooth LED light.
Sound quality
The TOZO PA1 is one of the loudest Bluetooth speaker I’ve used for one with 20W RMS. Having said that the speaker doesn’t sound at its best at maximum volume. You’d want to keep it the volume below 70% for the best sound. Too high and the bass starts to thin and distortion starts becoming more apparent.
At ideal volume levels, the sound is clear and crisp. Bass has decent presence but can extend deeper by adjusting the EQ, but it can affect other frequencies so less is more. Mid-range is clear with clean reproduction of vocals and instruments. Treble is bright but can sound a little shouty at times, but the custom EQ in the TOZO app is an easy fix.
The aforementioned TOZO app serves a single purpose which is to let you adjust the EQ of the speaker – either by making your own or choosing from the multiple options provided. By default, the EQ button on the speaker simply cycles between 3 EQ modes: (1) Standard, (2) Bass+, and (3) Treble+.
Conclusion
At the current $39.99 price, the TOZO PA1 offers good value for a 20W speaker that serves as a great companion for outdoors given its IPX7 water-resistance. The closest competition would be the also discounted Creative MUVO Go, which is incredibly similar and has a nicer design personally. The TOZO PA1 however, has a microphone and has the ability to tweak the sound by customising the EQ in the app.