What does £55 get you in the noise-cancelling headphones world? Something like the Taotronics SoundSurge 85
- Reference: 1588582811
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/04/taotronics_soundsurge_85_noise_cancelling_headphones/
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Allow me to add another item to this list: noise-cancelling headphones, which can dull the blare of your screaming progeny while you attempt to focus on your work.
Enter the [2]Taotronics SoundSurge 85 , which is currently retailing at £48 on Amazon, down from the usual price of £55. This is an entry-level pair of over-ear headphones, but packs a decently premium set of features, including USB-C fast charging, Bluetooth 5.0, and active noise cancellation (ANC). It also supports Qualcomm's aptX codec.
[3]
Sound quality is shockingly good for the price, with a spacious profile emphasised by elaborate, multi-dimensional compositions, like the soaring anthem "Wait", from Gallic synthpop band M83.
Bass notes feels rich and textured without coming across as muddy, like those from Yo-Yo Ma's rendition of Bach's G major cello suite, or GoGo Penguin's toe-tapping track "Hopopono", from its second album V2.0. Meanwhile, highs don't feel especially strained, with little of the usual sibilance you'd typically get from some bottom-shelf cans.
The ANC didn't perform as strongly as other more expensive headphones I've used in the past, like the [4]Sennheiser Momentum 3 , or the [5]Sony WH-1000MX3 , both of which usually retail in the £300-ish mark. It does a decent job of handling intrusive noises, like from a busy road, but is less capable when it comes to barking dogs and screaming kids.
For everyday cans and commuting – the latter of which you're unlikely to do much of now – these are solid, but if you really need to filter out your spouse/progeny/pets, I'd encourage you to check out the aforementioned more expensive ones.
Taotronics throws in a few accessories with the kit, including the usual cables, as well as a rather fancy soft-fabric carry bag. And while this doesn't offer much protection, it allows you to keep all your audio-related gubbins in one place.
[6]
The SoundSurge 85 is delightfully comfortable to wear, with memory-foam ear cups, and a band with a decent amount of "give". Meanwhile, battery performance is solid. TaoTronics reckons you can get 40 hours, and our testing wasn't far off with ANC disabled. Switch on the noise cancelling, and that figure is cut somewhat.
For the price, these are solid, although it's always good to see what the competition looks like. Another worthy contender is [7]the Soundcore Life Q20 , from Anker, which retails at roughly the same price point.
There's also a happy medium between the two. The [8]Jabra Elite 85h has excellent noise cancelling and solid battery life, and can be found for around £170 – or almost half the price of the Sennheiser and Sony efforts. ®
Sponsored: [9]Forrester Build a Digital Experience Portfolio
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/979470.Stig_of_the_Dump
[2] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08352JFWQ/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1
[3] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/05/01/dscf1050.jpg
[4] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-MOMENTUM-Cancelling-Headphones-Functionality-Black/dp/B07W5PQ3V9
[5] https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/headband-headphones/wh-1000xm3
[6] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/05/01/dscf1044.jpg
[7] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soundcore-Bluetooth-Headphones-Cancellation-Playtime-Black/dp/B07NM3RSRQ
[8] https://www.jabra.co.uk/bluetooth-headsets/jabra-elite-85h
[9] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8554/forrester-build-a-digital-experience-portfolio?td=wptl1936
Re: Sound quality is shockingly good for the price
Welcome to the long tail market.
I bet they're using QC reference design boards too.
Tatronics
I'm generally suspicious of companies that "make" a relatively... exotic range of gadgets (desk lamps v. phone dashmounts v. headphones). However, I hate to say this, I have found taotronics headphones excellent (as long as I remember it's an excellence within the price range, and they exceed my expectations for what I can get for this price). I bought one, older model for my daughter, she's happy (obviously, a teenager), and I've been using one newer tt model myself (obviously, an old fart). Sure, the sound quality is poor, in comparison with the usual suspects in the £200 - £300 price bracket, but quite ok for general, on the road, cable-free "experience". Noise cancellation is far from perfect, but not bad either (which annoys my wife, for all the usual reasons). They pair quickly, range is decent, control is clunky, but simple (no f... around with an app that works until it breaks down in next update, etc.). When hung on the neck their fold flat against you, unlike one other known brand (yes, bose, it's you). They're sturdy, they fold, unlikely one other known brand (yes, bose, it's you again), and come with a semi-hard case. Last a long time between charges, charge quickly and turn off after a few minutes when not in use. They are comfy, though a bit hot. They cost me 40 quid. I would pay a lot more to get significantly much better sound, but I'm pretty sure this is unlikely to ever happen. All I can see in new models are general improvements in line with technology - shorter charging times, longer-lasting, usb-c, etc. And, really, even the better brands use sound compression, which kind of goes against the idea of hi-resolution, or even regular hi-fi. But hey, that's the trade off for cable free. Actually, for high quality on the cheap (dirt cheap) I use cabled superlux hd681b (20 quid + 10 extra for velvety pads :)
So, thumbs up to TT
Re: Tatronics
+1 for Taotronics - I've been using a set of their in-ear bluetooth headphones (~£25 at the time) since Feb '18 according to my Amazon order history. They've since been superceded by fancier ones at a lower price when I just checked.
Sound is very good for price and function (but not as clear as my Audio-Technica ATH-M50X studio monitor headphones obviously).
The mic perfectly fine for the numerous conference calls I've been on recently. Battery life still quite good too, enough for a couple of days commuting (when that was a thing).
Overall, excellent value for money.
Re: Tatronics
It was many years ago I used a TaoTronics hands-free ear mounted thing. It was cheap and worked really well. I have some more recent products from them to do Bluetooth adapting. Also very good.
The ability of the Chinese electronics industry to get good inexpensive stuff to market very quickly is now exceptional.
Where do I put the Oxygen-free cable?
As it's axiomatic that no sound reproducing device is incapable of improvement by adding oxygen-freeness, I am worried that foolish people may try to improve their listening experience by putting their head either into a vacuum or a container of inert gas. Can the reviewer confirm that there are suitable warning labels in the product before such behaviour is condoned by influential golf course magnates?
There are a lot more options
"There's also a happy medium between the two. The Jabra Elite 85h has excellent noise cancelling and solid battery life, and can be found for around £170 – or almost half the price of the Sennheiser and Sony efforts."
Unless you buy the cheaper Sennheiser and Sony efforts maybe? It's not like the most expensive models are the only ones they make. I got my Sennheiser HD4.50 for £99 (they seem to be a bit more on Amazon at the moment, but still well under £170). Sony also have a variety of models at all kinds of prices. It seems a bit weird to review a budget set of headphones but then only compare them with the most expensive alternatives instead of the huge number available in the same price range.
I have had a pair on Taotronic in-ear wireless headphones for about 6 months and for the money they are fantastic. Battery life is excellent and the sound is lively with a good bass hit. I'm tempted to try a pair of these as well now.
A+ would buy again
I was about to pull the trigger on some Bose headphones last year when I stumbled across a pair of Taotronics headphones on Amazon that had feature parity with the Bose but for about £250 less, so I decided to give them a go.
I have to say I am impressed and I cannot imagine being happier with a more expensive pair, although I am the first to admit I am not an "audiophile".
Right now I am mainly wearing them for my once-a-day outside exercise (ok maybe once a week) and it's good to know that if I don't hear the car coming (due to the excellent ANC*) and get run over, my primary concern will be if I am broken and not if my headphones are (due to how cheap they were).
* just kidding, I don't actually run with ANC on
Re: A+ would buy again
It's good to audition audio stuff before you buy, we don't all have identical hearing and frequency response across the spectrum so what works for one might not work for another.
My ears have been ruined by many years of loud music, both playing gigs and attending. Plus my own bad habits with loud recorded music. So the really expensive stuff doesn't make much of a difference over cheaper stuff for me. Although the Sony headphones with the phone app so I can tweak the output for my ears is worth the extra dough.
Sound quality is shockingly good for the price
A lot of similar products on Amazon seem to be based on [1]Qualcomm silicon that essentially provides all of the basic functions so they've become commodity devices. Pick your chip from the range to get the features you want.
[1] https://www.qualcomm.com/products/qcc300x-series