120 MACWORLD FEBRUARY 2020
PLAYLIST REVIEW: TAOTRONICS TT-BH046under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner.
With ANC off, the overall sound was still a
bit thick but better than it had been with the
previous selections: the choir sounded rich,
and the dynamic range was very good,
though the low end was still a bit boomy.
Turning ANC on, the sound had more air
and the low end was better balanced.
Gardiner is one of my favorite
conductors of Baroque music, so I listened
to the Symphony (instrumental
introduction) from The Messiah by Handel
as performed by the English Baroque
Soloists under his direction. With ANC off,
the overall sound was somewhat thick,
especially in the bass, but the dynamics
were quite good. Turning ANC on, the
sound became tighter and drier with better
balance between and rendition of the
instrumental sections.
Finally, I took the TT-BH046 on a drive
around my neighborhood to test its ANC with
more ambient noise than I have in my house.
The ANC worked wonderfully well with no
music on, reducing engine and road noise
dramatically. However, when I played some
music, the sound was veiled and closed in—
less so than with ANC off, but still clearlyThe openings in the TaoTronics are larger than you’ll find on many over-the-ear headphones.