TaoTronics SoundLiberty 80 True Wireless Earbuds Review
Ryan
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Design
TaoTronics is continuing their line of truly wireless earbuds with the open-air “AirPod” design with their latest Bluetooth headphones: the SoundLiberty 80. These fit my ears well and allow me to hear things around me, such as my co-workers while at work or traffic while I’m outside. They do not “seal” to your ear canal like many earbuds.
The stem on the SoundLiberty 80 is longer and “point-ier” than you’ll find on the Apple AirPods, but the earbuds are still very lightweight and I often forget I’m wearing them. The stem of the SoundLiberty 80 earbuds features a metallic blue-to-green finish they give them a unique look.
Performance
Like the other earbuds in the TaoTronics SoundLiberty lineup, the SoundLiberty 80 have great sound quality which is just a hair under the quality of the Apple AirPods. However, since they cost way less than the Apple AirPods, most people won’t mind the small difference in sound quality. Mids and highs come through clear and bass is good, too. If your phone supports aptX technology, you’ll be happy to find that the SoundLiberty 80 supports it.
The Bluetooth connection has been stable for me, allowing me to leave my phone in one room while I walk into another room. And like most truly wireless earbuds, including the AirPods, there are occasional blips between the left and right earbuds. It is not very frequent and doesn’t distract from my enjoyment of the music.
Features
- Voice activation: This is the first time I’ve seen this feature in TaoTronics’ SoundLiberty earbuds. By saying “Hey TT,” you can activate the voice assistant on your phone. For example, when I say “Hey TT,” I hear the familiar Siri tone and can then give commands like “play music” or “turn the volume up”.
- aptX Codec Support: If your phone supports this high quality codec, you’ll happy to know that these earbuds support it as well. The earbuds also support the high quality AAC codec for iPhone users.
- Noise Cancellation for the Mics: This earbuds do not have Active Noise Cancellation for blocking outside noises when listening, but for phone calls, the microphones can help filter out background sounds and focus on your voice. These earbuds do not seem to specifically contain “cVc 8.0” technology, but whatever technology TaoTronics is using in these earbuds still seems to be effective in my tests
- IPX8 water resistance: These earbuds should survive immersion in water, but remember that the charging case should not be subjected to any liquids.
- Touch and swipe controls: The longer stem on the SoundLiberty 80 earbuds allows for several swipe gestures. You can swipe up and down on the right earbud to adjust the volume. You can fast-forward and rewind tracks by swiping up and down on the left earbud. You can play and pause your music by double-tapping on either earbud.
- Splash-proof: These earbuds don’t have a formal IP water-resistance rating, but the earbuds do have a nano-coating to help resist light splashes and sweat.
- Single earbud use: While not as seamless as with the Apple AirPods, you can leave one earbud in the charging case while listening on the other earbud.
- USB-C charging port: I’m happy to see that TaoTronics has ditched Micro USB in favor of the more modern USB-C standard.
Battery Life
The earbuds can last up to 4 hours before needing to be returned to the charging case. The charging case provides up to 4 additional charges, giving you almost a day’s worth (20 hours total) of listening time before the case needs to be recharged.
The case can be recharged with a USB-C cable, but does not support wireless Qi charging.
