TaoTronics TT-BH35

Optics and Feel

The TaoTronics portfolio is growing rapidly and revised successor models are often unleashed to the market within a year of the original. Since numerous alternatives are offered, especially in the entry-level segment, you sometimes have to look twice to see which model you’re currently inspecting. To make matters more confusing, some models are offered freely in retail markets, but are missing from the manufacturer website entirely. The TT-BH035 is the successor of the TT-BH025 and trumps it both visually and from a technical standpoint.

Regardless of all the criteria I’ll delve into shortly, one should keep the asking price of these headphones firmly in mind at all times. At the moment, the TT-BH035 is on offer in the region of 22 euros!

After a rapid delivery, I found myself in possession of a visually appealing, stable and compact package. The box contained the earphones themselves, two additional pairs of ear plugs and corresponding ear hooks, the Micro-USB charging cable and a multilingual user manual. The overall look is a whole class above its predecessor. Unfortunately, all important technical specs are missing. Neither the manual nor the website have them listed.

The earphones are connected with a 60 cm long cable, while the inline remote control hangs under the right ear. When not in use, the earphones can be held together using magnets embedded in the back of the transducer housing. The TT-BH035 can then be worn around the neck for carrying. Optics and haptics are therefore very good.

Wearing Comfort

After charging the earphones fully, I delved straight into test the functionality. Switching on and pairing is done with the middle multi-function button. The pressure point of the keys is much more comfortable than on the previous model and generally, the new remote control fits better in the hand. The earphone confirms the switching on with “Power On”. If you simply press the multi-function button a little while longer, you will hear a short “pairing” via voice announcement. This signals that you are now free to pair with it. Thanks to Bluetooth 4.2 standard, this works smoothly and quickly on all devices in my household. The successful pairing is also confirmed acoustically. Surprisingly, the standard earplugs fit very well and the twisted ear hooks give additional support. The sound insulation against external noise is also impressive and, even after long sessions of wearing them, the earplugs don’t press uncomfortably. Even without the holding hooks, the earphones sit well and, since there are two pairs of alternative plugs and hooks to choose from, a well-fitting combination should be achievable for the vast majority of users.

Everyday Use

The first hour I just listened to music whilst doing office errands. When I operate the remote, however, I notice a lot of handling noise. As such, I decided to add a sports testing unit and do a short jogging lamp with the TT-BH035 and iPhone. The cable clearly transmits the shocks and bounces while running, which can spoil the fun during shock-intensive sports. The connection cable can, of course, be worn behind the head if need be and, if one shortens the length with a coated wire, the noises become noticeably quieter. Since the TT-BH035 is also water-resistant according to IPX4 standards, you don’t have to worry about its suitability for intensive sporting activities.

The next possible pitfall of these Bluetooth headphones is call functionality. I made several calls with these and what I should say is that it works great. Bidirectional speech comprehension is provided and, even in noisy environments, I rarely found myself having to repeat what I have said. This is where the new microphone based on MEMS technology and the new ceramic antenna seemingly do an excellent job. These tiny components, with their micro-mechanical (logic) elements, are already fulfilling impressive requirements for a fantastic price. What I also liked about telephoning is the great range with the same transmission quality. The TT-BH035 also meets one last important piece of criteria. After a full charge, I was able to listen to more than 7 hours of music, make phone calls and watch videos. The recharging phase was finished after less than 2 hours.

How does the TT-BH035 Sound?

I don’t want to pick faults here, I just want to provide some hints at any possible drawbacks of the TT-BH035. At a certain listening volume, the drivers start to tug in the bass and modern pop productions have a tendency to hiss in the S-sounds. These are typical sound phenomena and can be found in headphones costing five times as much as these ones.

At moderate volumes, I could easily listen to music for hours on end and what’s what it’s all about in everyday situations. The sound is above average for the asking price.