TaoTronics Soundliberty 97 Review

There are a couple of budget headphone brands out there that rarely disappoint. TaoTronics is one of them.

Their new TT-BH097 true wireless earbuds come in a simple small charging case with up to 20 hours of extra juice, whereas the buds themselves pack an impressive 9-hour battery life.

Great specs continue with water resistance. Earbuds can survive complete submersion (IPX8), meaning you don’t have to worry about water damage.

Also, casual users will find their bass-forward tuning quite pleasing, with deep, rumbling low-end. The aptX audio codec also helps deliver a lag-free video-watching experience.

But competition is fierce around the $50 price point. Are these earbuds a worthy consideration, or should you look elsewhere? Let’s review TaoTronics Soundliberty 97 true wireless stereo earbuds to find out.

Editor
rating 4.1

By HeadphonesAddict

User
ratings 4.1

User Ratings: 7

Category

• Comfort & Fit
• Noise Isolation
• Bluetooth
• Battery
• Durability
• Features
• Sound

Our rating

• 
  4.5
• 
  4.5
• 
  4.0
• 
  4.5
• 
  4.5
• 
  3.0
• 
  3.5

User rating

• 3.8
• 4.1
• 4.1
• 4.3
• 4.1
• 3.8
• 4.2

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What’s in the Box?

• TaoTronics SoundLiberty 97 true wireless earbuds
• Charging case
• USB-C charging cable
• 4 pair of ear tips (s, m, l, xl)
• User guide

Comfort & Fit

4.5 Almost Perfect

Earbuds are small enough to fit most ears comfortably. Due to deeper insertion, they sit securely even during sports activities.

TaoTronics SoundLiberty 97 are relatively small earbuds. Ergonomically designed housing fits nicely into your ears without poking into ear lobes.

The only thing you feel during use is the slight pressure due to deep insertion. Ear tips completely seal off your ear canal, which helps with isolation but can also cause some discomfort. Thankfully, it isn’t as bad as it sounds.

Tips also help earbuds to provide a secure fit. Therefore, you don’t need ear fins to lock them securely. We went outside for a walk and tried to shake our head vigorously. Earbuds withstood the test with flying colors.

Noise Isolation

4.5 Almost Perfect

Ear tips create a perfect seal, which results in excellent passive isolation. That is great for commuters but not as much for sportspeople.

As mentioned, included tips are designed to have straight sides instead of more rounded ones. Because of that, the tip touches more surface inside your ear, sealing off more ambient noise.

While it isn’t the same as with double or triple-flanged tips, it’s still quite impressive. Commuters should find this helpful during bus/airplane rides.

Of course, active noise cancelling might be better for everyday commuting. See best noise cancelling earbuds.

In contrast, the lack of background noise could be dangerous to people who perform outdoor activities. Even without listening to music, the isolation is above average. As soon as you press play, the outside world goes away completely.

Is There Wind Noise?

Earbuds don’t protrude much, which is why they don’t produce as much noise. While walking or running outside is fine, we still can’t recommend them for cycling.

Bluetooth

4.0 Great

Connection with Bluetooth version 5.0 is strong, even surpassing a second brick wall. You can also use either earbud in mono mode and enjoy low latency with aptX codec.

With TaoTronics Soundliberty 97, you get a stable Bluetooth connectivity. The pairing process is straightforward. You take the buds out of the case, and they appear in the Bluetooth’s menu on your smart device.

You can use them in stereo or in mono mode, seperate from each other. That way, you still hear everything around you while extending overall battery life.

What Bluetooth Codecs They Use?

SBC, AAC, and aptX. At least that’s what it says on the website. In the developer options, we can’t choose AAC audio codec, which leads us to believe the SoundLiberty 97 don’t support it. That would be a bummer for Apple users.

Multipoint?

No, you can’t jump from one device to another without initiating the pairing process.

Is There Video Lag?

No. Thanks to aptX, you can’t tell if there’s lag. Even the SBC codec can sync up the audio quite nicely, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Battery

4.5 Almost Perfect

You receive a long 9-hour battery life on a single charge (8 hours and 49 minutes in our test). Another 20 hours are waiting in the case, which supports quick charging via USB-C.

The long battery life (29 hours in total) is rather impressive for the size of these buds. It manages to power them for around 9 hours before requesting a refill.

That is among the best contenders out there, albeit some can do even better (Beats PowerBeats Pro with 11 hours and Galaxy Buds+ with 13 hours).

They can also refill quite fast, giving you extra 2 hours of juice in just 10 minutes of charge time.

You don’t get fancy features like Qi wireless charging with SoundLiberty 97, like with similarly priced Aukey EP-T31 and EP-T32.

Durability

4.5 Almost Perfect

These are very sturdy buds, able to withstand a fair amount of daily abuse. With an IPX8 rating of water resistance, earbuds themselves can even survive complete submersion.

If you need a durable pair of true wireless earbuds, these are a worthy contender. Construction is mostly plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap. You can rest assured these will survive a couple of drops.

With a high rating of IPX8, you can splash or dunk them in water as much as you like. Sadly, you can’t use them for swimming due to Bluetooth signal limitations.

The charging case is also fully plastic, but it doesn’t feel fragile. The lid is okay, and it closes with a satisfying click.

Features

3.0 Good

Apart from touch controls, there are no extra features to talk about, which is fine. Nevertheless, this is still a budget product.

It’s cool to have some extra features. However, if they’re implemented poorly, it’s better not to have them at all. SoundLiberty 97 keep it simple and only provide what they can do best.

Commands via touch control are reliable and respond well. Actions are fixed, and you can’t customize them. At least there’s an option to change the volume.

The latter is extremely helpful when you don’t want to constantly reach for your phone.

Earbuds also lack a companion app or at least the option to tweak settings. But then again, for under $50, you can’t expect that much.

Controls

• Play/pause – double-tap on either side
• Volume control – on tap on either side
• Next track – triple tap on the right side
• Previous track – triple tap on the left side
• Answer call – one tap on either side
• End/decline call – press and hold for 2s
• Summon voice assistant – press and hold on either side

Microphone Quality

TaoTronics Soundliberty 97 do a good job picking up your voice during phone calls. They should be more than decent if you plan to use them in a quiet environment.

Ambient noise does worsen the call quality, but not to the point of making the earbuds completely useless. The cVc 8.0 noise cancellation technology for phone calls is definitely doing its work.

Sound

3.5 Almost Great

TaoTronics Soundliberty 97 offer a relatively good audio quality with an emphasis on low-end. The mid-range is good, but the treble energy is somewhat missing.

Soundliberty 97 true wireless earbuds have a similar tuning as many other truly wireless earbuds in this price range.

They stay safe in their presentation, giving you a warm, rumbly bass, which is slightly boosted (but no as much as with the best bass earbuds).

There’s a bit more upper bass than sub-bass, but you can still feel it when a song calls for it. Thanks to excellent isolation, you don’t lose that much low-end when using them outdoors.

Low-end from a PEEK + PU dynamic driver is punchy but not that well-defined or controlled. However, for casual listening and genres like hip hop or pop, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Due to the boosted bass, the midrange is warm and fairly natural. The instruments and vocals sound good, with a decent amount of detail.

The treble is where these earbuds lack a bit of sparkle. It’s there when you ask for it, but in general, there isn’t enough energy to balance out the bass.

Because of that, the presentation appears somewhat dark, without airiness that would open up the sound. Just don’t expect Hi-Res audio quality from these, and you’ll be content with their performance.

The soundstage is rather small, with most sounds happening in your head or your ears. Imaging is good, but we’ve seen better in Aukey EP-T32, which sells for a similar price.

Should You Buy TaoTronics SoundLiberty 97 True Wireless Earbuds?

These are quite competent true wireless earbuds. TaoTronics made a few compelling options under the $50 price tag, and the Soundliberty 97 model is one of them.

The earbuds are comfortable, and they fit well. Stability is excellent despite the lack of ear fins. Build quality is also durable, with hard plastic housing and a completely IPX8 waterproof design. For similar, see the best waterproof Bluetooth headphones.

Battery life is also amazing. With up to 9 hours of battery life per charge and an additional 20 hours in the case, they should last you for at least a couple of days.

And to make things better for Android users, TaoTronics Soundliberty 97 supports aptX codec. Earbuds also have a pretty great sound quality, although it’s on the bassier side.

However, there’s always competition, and some other products might pose a better value.

Of course, if you don’t care about a few extra features here and there, these TWS earphones are still an excellent buy.

They do the basics very well, which is what a casual user wants.

Taotronics SoundLiberty 97 TT-BH097 Bluetooth True Wireless Stereo Earbuds (K1)

Taotronics SoundLiberty 97 TT-BH097 Bluetooth True Wireless Stereo Earbuds (K1)

$21.00

in stock

Buy now

eBay

TaoTronics Soundliberty 97 Bluetooth Earbuds USB-C fast charging

TaoTronics Soundliberty 97 Bluetooth Earbuds USB-C fast charging

$46.99

in stock

Buy now

Ravpower.com

Specifications

Peter Susic

From a childhood fascination with sound, Peter’s passion has evolved into a relentless pursuit of the finest headphones. He’s an audio expert with over 5 years of experience in testing both audiophile and consumer-grade headphones. Quote: “After many years, I can confidently tell which headphones are good and which are terrible.” Find his honest opinion in his reviews.