Our Verdict
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 are decent headphones for neutral sound listening. Their sound profile is quite well-balanced, though there's a fair amount of extra bass that adds extra punch and thump to your music. Like most closed-back in-ears, they don't have a wide or open soundstage and sound is perceived as being inside your head. On the bright side, they're remarkably consistent between various users and reseats, and their weighted harmonic distortion performance is very good.
- Well-balanced and versatile sound profile.
- Quite well-built and durable.
- Good price-to-performance ratio.
- Decently comfortable and very stable fit.
- No dedicated companion app or EQ settings.
- Touch-sensitive controls aren't the most intuitive.
- Battery falls short of advertised life.
- Charging can be finicky with stability fins installed.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 are a decent option for commuting or travel. While they should be comfortable enough for most people to wear for extended periods, their 5.7-hour battery life means you may need to take a break to charge them during a long flight. Like with most truly wireless headphones, they're very portable and easy to toss into a bag or pocket, but unfortunately, they don't block much background noise, especially the low rumble of bus or plane engines.
- Well-balanced and versatile sound profile.
- Quite well-built and durable.
- Good price-to-performance ratio.
- Decently comfortable and very stable fit.
- No dedicated companion app or EQ settings.
- Touch-sensitive controls aren't the most intuitive.
- Battery falls short of advertised life.
- Charging can be finicky with stability fins installed.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 are excellent headphones for sports. With their stability fins installed, they feel very stable and should stay in place even during more strenuous workouts. They have a long line-of-sight range, so you don't need to have your phone directly on you at all times, and they're rated IPX7 for water and sweat resistance, though we don't test for this. Unfortunately, with their stability fins on, it can be a bit finicky to charge them in their case, and you may think they're charging when they aren't.
- Well-balanced and versatile sound profile.
- Quite well-built and durable.
- Good price-to-performance ratio.
- Decently comfortable and very stable fit.
- No dedicated companion app or EQ settings.
- Touch-sensitive controls aren't the most intuitive.
- Battery falls short of advertised life.
- Charging can be finicky with stability fins installed.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 are only okay for office use. They're decently comfortable, so you should be able to wear them for extended periods without them causing fatigue or discomfort. Unfortunately, their 5.7-hour battery means you'll likely have to take a break to charge them, and it takes nearly two hours for a full charge. They also don't block out too much background noise, though they can block out a good amount of background chatter and AC or fan noises provided you get a proper fit and seal.
- Well-balanced and versatile sound profile.
- Quite well-built and durable.
- Good price-to-performance ratio.
- Decently comfortable and very stable fit.
- No dedicated companion app or EQ settings.
- Touch-sensitive controls aren't the most intuitive.
- Battery falls short of advertised life.
- Charging can be finicky with stability fins installed.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 are Bluetooth-only headphones that aren't recommended for wireless gaming. They aren't compatible with PS4 or Xbox One and while they'll work on Bluetooth-enabled PCs or mobile devices, their latency is likely too high for any competitive gaming. On the bright side, their microphone's recording quality is decent, especially for Bluetooth headphones, and your voice sounds fairly natural and detailed.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 are Bluetooth-only headphones that can't be used wired.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 are only alright for phone calls. Their integrated mic makes it easy to quickly answer calls while on-the-go and your voice sounds fairly natural and detailed. Unfortunately, their noise handling is sub-par, and your voice gets easily lost in even moderately noisy environments.
- Well-balanced and versatile sound profile.
- Quite well-built and durable.
- Good price-to-performance ratio.
- Decently comfortable and very stable fit.
- No dedicated companion app or EQ settings.
- Touch-sensitive controls aren't the most intuitive.
- Battery falls short of advertised life.
- Charging can be finicky with stability fins installed.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 22, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated May 13, 2020: Review published.
- Updated May 08, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated May 05, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 are decent truly wireless headphones that provide good value overall. They have longer battery life and better-balanced sound profile than most other options in the same price point and feel surprisingly solid and well-built. Also check out our recommendations for the best truly wireless headphones, the best wireless headphones under $100, and the best Bluetooth earbuds under $50.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 Truly Wireless are much better truly wireless headphones than the Raycon E55 Truly Wireless. The TaoTronics have a much better-balanced sound profile, feel more durable, have a better microphone, and last longer off a single charge. On the other hand, the Raycon have a better charging case, as the TaoTronics' case can be a bit finicky when you have the optional stability fins installed, causing the headphones to not charge when you think they are.
The Apple AirPods Pro are better truly wireless in-ears than the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 Truly Wireless. The Apple are more comfortable, look and feel more premium, pair much easier to Apple devices, and have a slightly better-balanced sound profile with less bass. They also have active noise cancelling, which helps them block out significantly more background noise. On the other hand, the TaoTronics have a slightly longer single-charge battery life and may represent better value overall for some people.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 Truly Wireless are better truly wireless headphones than the SoundPeats TrueFree/True Wireless. The TaoTronics have a more robust control scheme, a better-balanced and less dark sound profile, and a better case, as the one on the TrueFree doesn't have a lid. The mic on the TaoTronics also performs much better, and their 5.7-hour battery life is much longer than the 3.3 hours with the SoundPeats. On the other hand, the SoundPeats isolate much more background noise and leak even less audio.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 are slightly better truly wireless headphones than the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 Truly Wireless. The Anker have a better charging case that feels more premium, a longer single-charge battery life, and a dedicated companion app with a ton of EQ presets and a graphic EQ. They also isolate much more background noise passively and leak less audio. On the other hand, the TaoTronics have a better-balanced sound profile out of the box and a better microphone. The TaoTronics may also represent a better overall value for some people.
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