The TaoTronics TT-SK023 is a disappointing 2.0-channel soundbar. It has a compact design that feels fairly well-built but has a dull, boxy sound profile that isn't very versatile. While it can play pretty loudly without compressing, it's not the soundbar you'll want to pull out at a party or during a movie - it lacks not only thump and rumble, but detail and clarity too. It also has limited connectivity options, and only supports playback of PCM surround formats, which is rather restrictive. All things considered, this soundbar isn't recommended unless you're sold on the small form factor.
Our Verdict
The TaoTronics TT-SK023 is a poor soundbar for most uses. While its compact design is practical, it has a dull, boxy sound profile that lends itself poorly to not only movies, but TV shows and music too. The soundstage is also quite small and there are no virtual surround effects to help with this. Surround support is also limited since it only supports PCM formats and doesn't have any HDMI ports.
- Compact design.
- Decent build quality.
- Very good stereo dynamics.
- Dull, boxy sound profile.
- Very few sound enhancement features.
- Small soundstage.
- Limited connectivity options.
The TaoTronics TT-SK023 is inadequate for dialogue and TV shows. It has a balanced reproduction of frequencies in the mid-range but lacks fullness in the bass and detail in the treble, which makes voices sound thin. The boxy sound profile could work for audiobooks or podcasts but isn't ideal, and there are no dialogue enhancement options to help.
The TaoTronics TT-SK023 is disappointing for music, even on the 'Music' EQ preset. Its bass performance is quite bad - not only since it lacks a subwoofer, but it just struggles to deliver good thump and kick in general. It also performs poorly in the treble range, with poor detail and clarity which results in a dull, boxy sound profile that isn't very versatile.
The TaoTronics TT-SK023 is bad for movies. Since there's no subwoofer, it can't deliver the deep thump and rumble essential to a good action movie, and struggles with the rest of the bass range. The lack of treble also makes movies sound dull and boxy, which isn't ideal. It can get quite loud without compressing very much, which is good, but the lack of support of common surround formats like Dolby Digital means that even at max volume, you won't get a very movie theater-like listening experience.
Changelog
- Updated Apr 06, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 23, 2020: The Dynamics tests have been reconducted due to a value input bug.
- Updated Mar 26, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Mar 20, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The TaoTronics TT-SK023 is a disappointing soundbar overall, especially compared to other 2.0 channel models on the market. While its compact design will please those looking for something that can fit in a tight spot, other small soundbars perform better overall. See our recommendations for the best budget soundbars, the best small soundbars, and the best soundbars under $200.
The Vizio SB3220n-F6 is a much better soundbar than the TaoTronics TT-SK023. It has a significantly better-balanced sound profile, a much wider stereo soundstage, and many more sound enhancement features. While neither bar supports HDMI, the Vizio can at least play Dolby Digital surround content over optical. That said, the TaoTronics has an even more compact design, which some listeners may prefer if they're tight on space.
The Bose Solo 5 is a much better soundbar than the TaoTronics TT-SK023. The Bose has a much more neutral, balanced sound with better bass for music. It also supports Dolby Digital content over optical, feels better-built, and has a power-saving mode. The TaoTronics, however, has a couple of EQ presets, which the Bose is lacking, as well as a display to show you which settings you're on.
The Sony HT-S100F is a much better soundbar than the TaoTronics TT-SK023. While both soundbars lack bass and detail in the treble range, the Sony still sounds better balanced overall. It's missing EQ presets but has dialogue enhancement and virtual surround effects, and it also supports Dolby Digital over HDMI. The TaoTronics has a more compact design, though, which some may prefer.
The 7.1.4 channel Samsung HW-Q90R is a much better soundbar setup than the 2.0 TaoTronics TT-SK023 standalone bar. The Samsung costs a lot more money, but sounds much better-balanced, can play surround sound, has HDMI ports, and a more premium design. The TaoTronics is worth considering if you're tight on money or space since it's a lot cheaper and more compact, but if you have the resources, the Samsung, is the better overall choice.
Test Results
