The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 Truly Wireless are noise cancelling truly wireless headphones. They're well-built, exceptionally portable, and do a remarkable job of filtering out background noise, even in noisy environments. They have a fairly comprehensive control scheme and low latency on mobile devices. Unfortunately, their continuous battery life isn't very long, and some users may be put off by the fact that there's no way to customize their dark, boomy sound profile.
Our Verdict
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are a mediocre choice for neutral sound. Their overemphasized bass range can make some mixes sound boomy and clutter vocals and lead instruments. Their underemphasized treble range can give a dull, lispy quality to higher notes. They don't have a companion app with an EQ or even onboard presets to adjust their sound profile. However, they do deliver audio very consistently.
- Consistent audio delivery.
- No sound customization features.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are great for commuting and traveling. They're exceptionally easy to carry around and do an outstanding job of filtering out the rumble of bus and plane engines with their noise-canceling feature turned on. They also have low wireless latency with mobile iOS and Android devices, which is good if you like to watch videos on your way into the office or class. That said, they have a short continuous battery life of under four hours with their ANC feature activated, so you may need to put them back in their case to charge occasionally.
- Portable, sturdy design.
- Low audio latency on mobile devices.
- Excellent noise isolation capability.
- Deep in-ear fit may not suit all listeners.
- Short continuous battery life with ANC turned on.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are a very good option for sports and fitness. They have a stable fit, feel solid enough to survive minor drops and bumps, and are rated IPX5 for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. While they're decently comfortable overall, some users may be put off by their deep in-ear fit.
- Portable, sturdy design.
- Do a good job of staying in place.
- Deep in-ear fit may not suit all listeners.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are okay for office use. They do an amazing job of filtering out the chatter of nearby coworkers as well as the hum of an AC unit, and they leak very little audio. Unfortunately, they don't support any wireless features like multi-device pairing, so you can't stream music off of your phone while remaining connected to your work computer. You also may need to put them back in their case to charge occasionally since they have under four hours of continuous battery life with their ANC feature turned on.
- Excellent noise isolation capability.
- Low audio leakage.
- Deep in-ear fit may not suit all listeners.
- Short continuous battery life with ANC turned on.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 aren't designed for wireless gaming. While they can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs, their latency is likely to be too high for gaming.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 aren't suitable for wired gaming since they're Bluetooth-only headphones.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are alright for phone calls. Their noise canceling feature blocks out a lot of background noise, allowing you to stay focused on your call. The integrated microphone makes your voice sound natural and mostly free of distortion, though a little thin and muffled. Unfortunately, the mic really struggles to isolate speech from ambient noise, so people on the other end of the line may have trouble understanding you if you call from an even moderately noisy environment.
- Excellent noise isolation capability.
- Microphone struggles to isolate speech from background noise.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 29, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Jan 11, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jan 07, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Nov 23, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 only come in one color variant: 'Black', and you can see their label here.
If you come across a different variant, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are fairly versatile truly wireless headphones. They have a highly effective noise cancelling feature, a portable, sturdy design, and low audio latency on mobile devices. Unfortunately, their continuous battery life is quite short with their ANC system turned on, and their integrated mic struggles to isolate speech from ambient noise. If you're looking for alternatives, take a look at our list of recommendations of the best budget wireless headphones, the best noise cancelling earbuds and in-ear headphones, and the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds.
The FIIL T1X True Wireless are slightly better for mixed usage than the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 Truly Wireless. The FIIL have a more comfortable and stable fit, a longer continuous battery life, and a better-balanced default sound profile. They also have a companion app that allows you to swap between 15 different EQ presets to suit your preferences. Conversely, the TaoTronics have an easier-to-use control scheme, better microphone recording quality, lower audio latency on mobile devices, and a noise cancelling feature that helps them filter out far more ambient noise.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 Truly Wireless are more versatile than the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 95 Truly Wireless. The 94 have a superior control scheme, more consistent audio delivery, far better noise isolation performance, and better mic recording quality. They also have a better-balanced sound profile and leak less audio. Meanwhile, the 95 have a slightly more spacious soundstage and even lower audio latency on mobile devices.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 Truly Wireless and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 Truly Wireless each have their own strengths, so one may suit you better than the other depending on your preferences. The 79 have a more stable fit, a better-balanced sound profile, and a longer continuous battery life. Meanwhile, the 94 block out way more ambient noise thanks to their ANC system, leak less audio, exhibit lower audio latency on PC as well as mobile devices, and have a superior overall control scheme. They're also equipped with an auto-off timer to turn the headphones off when not in use.
The Apple AirPods Pro are better overall than the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 Truly Wireless. The Apple AirPods are more comfortable, are better-built, have a better-balanced sound profile, and have longer overall battery life. Their ANC system also blocks out more ambient noise in the mid-range, though the TaoTronics do a better job of filtering out bass-range ambient noise like the rumble of bus engines. The TaoTronics also have lower audio latency on mobile devices and have a more comprehensive control scheme.
Test Results
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are conventional-looking truly wireless headphones. They have a compact body made of matte-finish plastic, with no obvious branding or flashy detailing, unlike the gold plastic accents used on the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 Truly Wireless.
These headphones are decently comfortable. They feel very lightweight and don't protrude from your ears. While they don't exert too much pressure on the inside of your ear canal, their deep in-ear fit may not suit all listeners. Take a look at the similarly designed Mpow X5 Truly Wireless if you're looking for truly wireless headphones with a less intrusive in-ear fit.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 have a good touch-sensitive control scheme. It relies heavily on multi-touch inputs, but is still decently easy to use overall, with small indents on the buds' faces to help you locate the controls. The right bud lets you increase volume, pause and play media, and skip tracks via a single, double, or triple tap, respectively. You can also tap and hold it to activate your phone's voice assistant. The left bud operates similarly, allowing you to decrease volume, toggle ambient mode on and off, and skip to the previous tracks via multi-tap inputs. Taping and holding this bud turns on the headphones' ANC function. The controls are responsive and offer audio feedback for most inputs, except for pausing and playing media and skipping tracks.
Like most truly wireless headphones, the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are exceptionally portable. They're small enough to be put in your pocket without difficulty. Their charging case shouldn't take up much room in a bag, either.
These headphones have a decent case. It's made of hard plastic and has four LED lights that roughly indicate its remaining battery life. It's noticeably taller than the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 Truly Wireless' case, but it does have magnets in its cradles to help hold the buds securely in place.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are well-built. They're made of sturdy, solid plastic and feel like they can survive a couple of drops and bumps. They're also rated IPX5 for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. Unfortunately, their ear tips feel a little flimsy and could tear.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 have a stable fit. While they don't have stability fins, their lightweight design and deep in-ear fit help them do a good job of staying in place. Once you achieve a good seal with the provided tips, they shouldn't fall out even during moderately intense workouts.
- TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 headphones
- Charging case
- 3x tip options
- USB-C charging cable
- User guide
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 have a somewhat bass-heavy, dark sound profile. Their boomy bass range is well-suited to genres like EDM or hip-hop, but it can clutter and muddy vocals and lead instruments. Its uneven, underemphasized treble range can give some higher-pitched harmonics, like cymbals or sibilants, a dull and lispy quality. The lack of a companion app or built-in presets also means you can't adjust their sound profile to your liking.
These headphones have superb frequency response consistency. You shouldn't experience too many deviations in audio delivery once you achieve a proper fit.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 have okay bass accuracy. Their slightly underemphasized low-bass response can result in a small loss of thump and rumble in genres like EDM or hip-hop. Their overemphasized mid and high-bass range delivers plenty of extra punch and boominess but can give a slightly muddy quality to some mixes.
The mid accuracy is very good. While the overemphasized low-mid range can give a muddy, cluttered quality to vocals and lead instruments, the neutral mid and high-mids should ensure that they're present and detailed in the mix.
These in-ears have poor treble accuracy. The dip from the low to mid-treble range can slightly veil vocals and lead instruments and gives higher-pitched harmonics, like sibilants and cymbals, a dull, lispy quality.
The peaks and dips performance is satisfactory. The extended bump across the bass range gives mixes a boomy, muddy character, and clutters vocals and lead instruments. A dip in the mid-mids nudges vocals and lead instruments toward the back of the mix. The alternating peak and steep drop in the low to mid-treble range make some higher notes sound harsh and dulls sibilants and cymbals.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94's stereo imaging performance is excellent. Their weighted group delay falls entirely beneath the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers are also well-matched in regards to phase, frequency, and amplitude response, meaning that objects like voices and footsteps are accurately placed within the stereo image. That said, these results are only valid for our test unit, and your own experience may vary.
Like most closed-back in-ears, these headphones have a terrible passive soundstage. Interaction with the outer ear is crucial in creating an open, and spacious listening experience. Since they bypass any sort of interaction with the outer ear, sound is likely to be perceived as coming from inside your head rather than speakers placed around you.
TheTaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 don't have any virtual soundstage features.
The weighted harmonic distortion performance is good. There's a bit of distortion in the treble range at normal listening volumes, but the rest of the frequency range falls within good limits, ensuring mostly clean and pure audio reproduction.
These are the settings used to test the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94. Our results are only valid in this configuration.
The noise isolation performance is excellent. Their ANC system is most effective in the bass range, where it helps the headphones do an outstanding job of filtering out sounds like the rumble of bus or plane engines. While their ANC system does little to improve their passive noise isolation capabilities in the mid and treble range, they still do an amazing job of blocking out background chatter or the high-pitched hum of an AC unit.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 have superb audio leakage performance. You should be able to listen to audio at high volumes without bothering people nearby, even in fairly quiet environments.
These in-ears have an integrated microphone.
The integrated mic's recording quality is decent. Recorded speech should sound natural and be mostly free of distortion, though it may sound a little thin and muffled.
The integrated mic's noise handling performance is middling. People on the other end of the line may have trouble understanding you, even in only moderately loud or crowded environments.
These headphones have okay battery performance. With their noise cancelling feature turned on, they provide just under four hours of continuous playback time, which falls short of the advertised claim of five hours. According to the manufacturer, turning off their ANC system increases their battery life to eight hours, though we don't test for this. Their case should supply enough extra power for roughly three full charges, so they should have no trouble lasting you throughout a workday if you leave them in their case to charge every now and then. You can listen to content from only one bud while its counterpart charges, though this does mean that you lose access to some on-board controls. Unlike the Mpow X6 Truly Wireless, they're also equipped with an auto-off timer to help conserve battery life when not in use.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 don't have a companion app.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 offer decent Bluetooth connectivity. They support Bluetooth 5.1, but not NFC or multi-device pairing, which isn't too surprising for near budget-friendly headphones. While they have fairly high latency on PCs, their latency on Android and iOS mobile devices is quite low, which is good if you want to watch a movie or stream videos from your phone. That said, apps and devices compensate differently for audio latency, so your real-world experience may vary.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 are Bluetooth-only.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 don't support any wired connections. They come with a USB-C cable for charging their case.
