Review of headphones that will block the outside world TaoTronics SoundLiberty P10 PRO

With TaoTronics SoundLiberty P10 PRO you get impressive active noise cancellation on a budget.

Usually, you have to pay a bit more to get the latest features such as ANC. Sure, budget options under $50 exist, but their performance isn’t great. Enter TaoTronics Soundliberty P10 PRO.

Their design doesn’t scream premium quality, and the “PRO” tag sounds unnecessary. However, they’re worth checking out if you want to block ambient noise effectively.

Earbuds also have an Anti-Wind mode, which helps reduce wind noise for use outdoors.

While they’re comfortable to wear, their fit is a bit funny. You constantly feel like they’re about to fall out.

Also, their sound is a tad bass-heavy, which isn’t ideal for audio purists.

Comfort & Fit

Star Rating 4.0 Great

A shallow fit makes for a comfortable wearing experience. However, earbuds feel like they’re about to fall out at any time, even though they never do.

TaoTronics Soundliberty P10 PRO borrow their design from familiar Apple products. They have the Apple AirPods stem and the Apple AirPods Pro housing.

Earbuds fit comfortably in your ears, and you can wear them for extended periods.

Both the nozzle and ear tips are oval-shaped to contour to the ear canal better. Ear tips don’t go too deep, so you don’t experience pressure when inserting.

Just make sure the ear tips are positioned correctly and that you tilt the earbuds.

The latter is vital for stability. In general, you can easily use them for running and even jumping.

I tried to shake my head, jump, and twist my body mid-air, and they didn’t fall out.

However, when outdoors, you constantly hear them bouncing in your ears. As if they’re about to break the seal and fall off.

Learn more about how to keep earbuds from falling out.

Instinctively, you’re constantly readjusting them even though you don’t have to.

It’s a small thing that can be annoying until you get used to it.

Noise Isolation

Star Rating 3.0 Good

Earbuds passively block some amount of ambient noise, but you can still hear things around you quite clearly. To do the opposite, you can activate Ambient sound mode.

Due to their shallow fit, you can’t expect miracles. You can still hear environmental noises, even fans from your already quiet PC.

Fortunately, they isolate enough to not get bothersome when listening to music.

The lack of proper isolation isn’t always bad, though. It helps you stay aware of your surroundings without taking the earbuds off.

Double-tap on the left earbud enables Ambient sound mode, which barely does anything. It boosts the ambient sound by a smidge, and you hardly notice the difference.

Noise Cancelling

Star Rating 3.5 Almost Great

For the price, P10 PRO’s active noise cancellation is pretty great. On top of that, they can also reduce wind noise.

An effective active noise-canceling technology is still relatively rare in the under $50 price range. TaoTronics Soundliberty P10 PRO are about to change this trend.

Earbuds still struggle to reduce higher frequencies and quickly-changing sounds, but the difference in how much external noise you hear is noticeable.

Like on the Sony WF-1000XM4, the P10 PRO also support Anti-Wind mode to reduce external noise caused by wind.

When you use active noise cancellation outdoors, microphones tend to pick up wind and blast it into your ears. The Anti-Wind mode can help a little to reduce the loudness of the wind.

They’re good performance-wise, and you indeed hear less wind. Just keep in mind that the mode can interfere with ANC, consequently reducing its effectiveness.

Bluetooth

Star Rating 4.0 Great

Earbuds support the latest Bluetooth 5.2 with a stable connection and mono mode, but sadly no multipoint.

Antennas inside TaoTronics Soundliberty P10 PRO are pretty good, ensuring above average Bluetooth range.

In our test, earbuds managed to pass the second wall and start stuttering after making a couple more steps.

The pairing process is also pretty simple. All you do is put earbuds out of the case or hold-tap on both touch controls until they initiate the Bluetooth pairing process.

If you want to use a single earbud only, they support mono mode.

Multipoint?

No, you can’t connect them to two devices at the same time.

What Bluetooth Codecs do They Use?

They only use SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs, which is enough to make both Android and Apple users happy.

Is There an Audio Lag?

If you pay close attention, there’s a slight delay present when watching YouTube videos. However, after a couple of seconds, your brain adjusts to it.

Battery

Star Rating 4.0 Great

Without ANC, earbuds last up to 9.5 hours on a single charge, while the ANC drops the battery life to roughly under 6 hours. There are 2 extra charges inside the USB-C charging case.

The battery life heavily depends on how often you use active noise cancellation. Without it, you can expect more than 9 hours of playtime, which is above average.

On the other hand, ANC uses a lot of energy and shortens your runtime down to 6.5 hours according to TaoTronics. But we’ve gotten closer to under 6 hours (5h43min).

There are at least 2 additional charges inside the charging case. Though, it doesn’t support fast charging nor Qi wireless charging.

Durability

Star Rating 4.5 Almost Perfect

Soundliberty P10 PRO are fully submersible with an IPX8 rating and don’t feel that cheap in hand. However, the case gets easily scratched.

TaoTronics always makes sure to protect their products against water. P10 PRO are no different.

They come with IPX8 water protection. Dropping them in water for up to 10ft (3 meters) in depth shouldn’t pose any problem.

While you can’t use them for swimming (Bluetooth doesn’t work underwater), you can at least wash them under a tap after a sweaty workout.

The earbud’s housing doesn’t feel too cheap despite their lower price and can easily survive a couple of drops.

Moreso, the charging case seems even sturdier than the one on Sony WF-1000XM4, which cost $280. However, it’s susceptible to scratches.

I never dropped it, and it was always in my pocket with no sharp objects in it, and it already has permanent marks.

Thankfully, marks aren’t painfully obvious. Still, at this rate, the case might collect many more scratches in the future.

Features

Star Rating 3.0 Good

Active noise reduction, Ambient mode, and a complete set of the most helpful touch controls. Sadly, microphone quality for making calls disappoints.

At $50, the Soundliberty P10 PRO seem pretty generous with their features.

You get:

Great ANC (for the price)

An okay Ambient mode

A wide range of touch commands

The latter covers everything from enabling noise cancellation, summoning voice assistant, answering phone calls, and controlling music playback.

Sadly, there’s no app to customize controls since they aren’t the most intuitive. However, with frequent use, you soon get a hold of them.

An automatic ear detection (proximity sensor) can automatically pause the playback when you take off one earbud. It’s a good feature to have when you have to speak to someone quickly.

Sound

Star Rating 3.0 Good

The sound signature is overly bassy compared to smooth and quiet midrange. There’s a boost in the upper treble, which doesn’t help lift the sound.

Bass

The bass is punchy and can sometimes edge on boominess. Fortunately, it never steps over the line.

It’s controlled enough so you can enjoy your playlist on the way to work or the gym. However, audio purists should stay away from these.

Midrange

The problem with punchy bass is that it’s louder than the midrange, which feels heavily recessed in comparison.

In general, the mids aren’t bad. They’re pretty natural sounding, warm, and full. However, you have to crank up the volume to hear the midrange.

But don’t blast your earbuds for extended periods to prevent hearing loss.

9mm drivers can produce a reasonably dynamic sound, although sometimes it feels like the DSP (digital signal processing chip) is holding the sound back from unleashing its full potential.

Treble

Higher frequencies are tuned in a way to prevent sibilance but still produce some air on top. However, the execution here is a bit strange.

While the treble sounds natural, it also lacks resolution and texture. The boost in the upper treble doesn’t help much. It can make the sound annoyingly shimmery, which is noticeable when listening to “Analog” by Soulpersona & Princess Freesia.

The soundstage is pretty wide for in-ear headphones. You can hear instruments and sound effects play slightly out of your head.

Imaging is good but not very accurate between the center and left/right channel.

Overall, for audiophiles, the frequency response isn’t awe-inspiring. On the other hand, undemanding users might still find some enjoyment in them.