Treblab may not be as popular as other brands like Sony for example but their Z7 Pro headphones might be worth a try, and it’s a lot cheaper.

Is the Z7 Pro’s similarity to Sony’s top models superficial given that it costs only $160, less than half as much as the Sony WH-1000XM4? Not everything is perfect, as you might imagine, but these headphones offeres a lot to ponder about.

The Z7 Pro comes with a hard shell cover for protection, with a mesh bag inside to house the accompanying USB-C charging cable and 3.5mm audio cord. Although it is readily available as a downloadable PDF from Treblab’s website, the device received did not come with a paper user manual inside.

Treblab is making a lot of effort to compliment Sony. Everything about this headphone screams “WH-1000,” including the way the earcups are shaped, the way the headband folds, and even the cool slate/charcoal color and synthetic leather on the ear cups and headband. The materials were comfortable. The oval cups don’t push or clamp tightly, giving a hint to the headband’s adaptability and lack of stiffness when opened.

The headphones fold up to fit into the hard shell case that comes with them, earning them credit for both portability and protection. It’s encouraging to see Treblab take that into consideration as not every pair of cans comes with a protective case out of the box. Despite having an IPX4 rating, it is advise against using the Z7 Pro for regular exercise. The ear cups don’t actually have a ventilation system, thus any accumulation of salty perspiration could be problematic. It might not happen immediately away, but it might eventually.

The Z7 Pro have minimal physical buttons and connectors. The power button is on the right, while the Bluetooth and active noise cancellation (ANC) buttons are on each side of it. The 3.5mm jack is located farther away, coupled with an LED that shows the status of the connection. Green denotes readiness to go, while blue denotes pairing mode. There is a USB-C port on the left for charging.

Again emulating Sony’s design, all touch controls are located on the leathery surface of the right ear cup. It is very worthwhile to read the user manual in order to completely understand what the buttons and touch panel can do because at first glance, there will seem to be an overwhelming number of options. Knowing when to tap or swipe is a part of the early learning curve. Swiping up or down, for instance, adjusts the volume, exactly as moving the device forward or backward skips or repeats a track.

The double-tap, which plays/pauses music or answers an incoming phone, is the key. Although decent, the sensitivity is such that you must pick up on the nuances as you go. You can tap and hold to answer an incoming call and activate your phone’s voice assistant.

A mid-range pair of headphones will function as expected in terms of ANC, which means that they will be effective at blocking out low-frequency sounds but less successful at doing so for higher-frequency ones. With ANC turned off, Treblab estimates battery life to last up to 45 hours and 30 hours, respectively. Quality of sound, convenience, compactness, noise cancellation, and battery capacity are all well-balanced.