Active noise canceling (ANC) is starting to become a regular thing with modern earbud models. What used to be a rare feature due to what used to hit at battery performance, is now found on a number of models. No longer is it a concern in regards to battery life thanks to new improvements in these technologies. You can find the feature within expensive models like Apple’s AirPods Pro as well as more affordable options like the new SoundLiberty Pro P10 by TaoTronics earbuds, and it does make a difference to your experience.
Design
These new buds carry a familiar design to them that can be seen across multiple brands and models, including Apple’s own series (which was one of the first to use this style). It seems like they had a good idea as many companies like TaoTronics hit the ground running with it as well.
One of the benefits of using this design style is that the weight of each bud is better balanced than having a giant bud sticking straight out from your ear where gravity can have at it and shake things loose. With this style, they tend to stay in your ears a bit better than the others.
Each bud features a concave impression that acts as a touch-sensitive button. The left and right, each having its own list of control options depending on how many times you tap each. They cover everything from track control, volume, answering/disconnecting calls, switching between ANC modes, and more. Of course, you have to memorize the tap patterns of each since else you might find yourself pausing, skipping, and adjusting volume until you remember you have to touch and hold for a few seconds to trigger ANC toggling (etc). You’ll pick things up over time though and the instructions do a good job of breaking everything down.
The buds have a sensor that pauses the music when you remove them from your ears. It also kills the ANC so you aren’t burning through the batteries for no reason and disables the touch-sensitive spot on the back. Once you place them back in your ear, all of this will come right back again.
They are also IPX8-rated for water resistance, making them virtually waterproof (you likely won’t get any water damage unless you drop them into a deep lake and leave them there). So sweat, splashes, rain, or even swimming, shouldn’t be an issue.
Like many of today’s wireless buds, the charging case is quite small. Making it easy to drop it in your pocket without becoming a distraction or creating any odd bulges in your pants (is that a pair of headphones in your pocket, or are you just happy to see someone?).
It features a USB-C connection on the bottom for charging the case and the buds and provides up to 24 to 33 hours (depending on if ANC is enabled or not) worth of playtime as you take the buds in and out. Giving you plenty of use before having to charge everything back up again. If you leave the case behind somewhere, you can still get up to 6.5 to 9.5 hours on a single charge before the buds run out of juice (again, depending on your usage of ANC modes).
You get four pairs of tips to sort between to find the best match for your ears. We always recommend finding a fit that is as tight as possible without causing any discomfort. Allowing you to trap in as much of the bass as possible as well as getting the most out of the ANC effect. With these, we found the two largest pairs to be the most consistent (performance-wise) with the ears we have tested these against.
You also get a (very short) USB-C cable as well. Short cables are common these days, but they do limit you at times depending on where you want to plug them in. If you have a longer cable somewhere, it would be wise to use it so the buds and case aren’t ever dangling from a port somewhere trying to charge. The cable that does come in the box is best used when plugged into a port that is close to the surface everything is sitting on (ie, USB port on a laptop).
Performance
This is where things get interesting. As I mentioned before, this is an affordable pair of ANC earbuds. Within this price range, you can never predict what you are going to get. There are some winners out there as well as some losers pretending to be able to play with the others. In the case of the SoundLiberty Pro P10 buds, these are winners.
The catch (as mentioned) is to find the right fit to your ears with those tips. If they are too loose, they might cause discomfort as they move around or you find yourself adjusting them a lot. They will also lack bass and ANC efficiency. If they are too tight, it could cause pressure which will eventually bother you over time. However, when you find the right fit, the bass is absolutely present and the ANC effect is quite noticeable.
When it comes to ANC, it is important to never expect buds to provide the same performance as something like on or over-the-ear Bose QuietComfort headphones. The technology just isn’t there yet and it may never be there. However, ANC can still have a noticeable effect on buds if it is executed properly. TaoTronics seems to have this figured out because it really does help when ANC is enabled. So it won’t blow your mind, but it will be enough that you’ll be using it a lot.
You also have a few modes to switch between, including normal ANC and Anti-Wind Mode (which tries to cancel out the wind around you). There is also Ambient Sound Mode which is quite common. It passes through the audio around you so you can speak with someone without having to take the buds out of your ear. Most of us here have never really stood by the feature as we feel it is kind of rude to have a conversation with someone while having earbuds hanging out of your ear. It just gives the other person the sense that you aren’t as focused on the conversation as they are. To each their own though.
When it comes to bass, we were also pretty impressed with the performance of these buds. Even with the semi-loose fitting tips, there was plenty of bass available. When you find the best tips for your ears, the bass is all the better.
The range of everything else is also pretty decent. Of course, you wouldn’t expect audiophile quality within this price range. However, the range is still impressive enough to take a liking to it. The highs are crisp enough to be happy with and the bass rolls right in to fill in the warmth. A pretty good place to be for the price. Part of this is thanks to the fact that the buds support up to Bluetooth 5.2, allowing for plenty of bandwidth and less compression.
Taking calls results in a decent conversation with these. Not one of the best experiences we have come across but more than fitting for the price. They feature ENC (environmental noise canceling) which works at removing some of the background noise so the people in the conversation can focus on your voice.
Our Conclusion
All-in-all, we were quite impressed with these buds. They feature a good balance of features and a fantastic price point. As long as you can find the size of tips that work best for your ears, you should find yourself getting a lot of use out of these.
They sound good, the ANC works well enough to make constant use of it when you are in semi-noisy environments, they are incredibly water-resistant, and offer plenty of bass. The only thing they are missing is wireless Qi charging for the case. Maybe TaoTronics couldn’t find an affordable way of including that this round.
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Specifications:
- Model: TT-BH099
- Audio Codec: SBC/AAC
- Bluetooth Version: 5.2
- Bluetooth Range: Up to 15m/50ft
- Battery Capacity: 45mAh (earbuds), 380mAh (charging case)
- Playtime: ANC off = up to 33hrs; ANC on = up to 24hrs
- Waterproof: IPX8
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