For those who enjoy listening to music then good quality sound matters, especially those devices that deliver a full immersion experience. The best listening experiences are often delivered from solid over-ear headphones. A further important aspect, on the opposite end of the scale to listening to dynamic and bass-filled music is the active noise-canceling aspect, which is an especially important aspect for those travelers who wish to shut out the world. These functions are included in some new products from TaoTronics’s Soundsurge range.
The two over-ear devices each supports fast charging, accepts a 3.5mm input cable, and include a microphone to enable the user to take calls.
TaoTronics SoundSurge 46
TaoTronics SoundSurge 46 is a comfortable, portable pair of hybrid active noise cancelling headphones (comfort is delivered via ‘protein cushions’ with an easily adjustable headband). The headphones are light and produce a good quality sound, as this reviewer tested out. The headphones are also useful for making voice calls.
In terms of other functionality, the headphones are capable of hyper-speed charging and have sufficient power for all day playback. With the noise cancelling function the manufacturer states that the headphones can reduce low-frequency sound by up to 96 percent. Certainly when the devices were tested pit no background sound was discernible. The hybird ANC uses mics inside and outside the earcup to detect noise that needs to be suppressed.
The headphones retail for £70 ($90).
SoundSurge 60
Another type of headphone is the SoundSurge 60 model. These headphones also produce a good sound, perhaps more suited to dynamic bass compared with the other model. They also charge very rapidly via what the manufacturer describes as ‘Hyper Speed Charge’. Certainly within around five minutes of charging, this gives the user 2 hours of full sound. With full charge some 30 hours playtime is achievable.
The headphones proved easy to connect to mobile devices (in this case a smartphone) via a Bluetooth 5.0 connection. The streaming of music was smooth and without any interruption. For making calls there is a built-in cVc 6.0 microphone, which manages to avoid any ambient noise.
SoundSurge 60 headphones retail for £60 ($80) and are available from Amazon.
Soundliberty 53 wireless earbuds
Also included in the range are wireless earbuds (Soundliberty 53). Testing these out, the sound was fairly natural with a powerful bass, suited to being out and about listening to music. A useful function with these earbuds is the ability to operate them in single or twin mode (it’s an advantage there is an a built-in microphone in each earbud). This means the user can use a single earbud for working or use the pair together for a more immersive experience.
The earbuds retail for £40 ($50).