One of the most frequent requests we get at Stuff is for suggestions for inexpensive headphones with active noise cancelling (ANC). Similar to discovering a penguin in the sweltering South African desert, it doesn’t happen frequently but it may. The Soundcore Life Q30 headset is now available. We didn’t necessarily have great expectations this time around, as our Life Q20 review makes apparent. However, a few things soon turned this couple of cans into a serious contender for being an African penguin. also you can check our article on Anker Soundcore Life Q30 review.
Design
Many of the design concerns of the Life Q20 were taken to heart by Anker, who enhanced the look of this new model. The Life Q30 looks and feels more upscale in the end, which is a remarkable accomplishment. You would think these were sub-luxury headphones if Anker weren’t known for being a budget-friendly brand. Because Anker used stronger plastic, leather, and steel throughout the entire construction, the hinges and headband no longer feel flimsy. Small additions that give these plain-looking headphones some swagger include the gold embossed Soundcore logo on each earcup and the active noise cancelling imprints on the extenders. The Life Q30’s smooth, shiny matte finish begs for other attractive colorways like Navy, Platinum, and perhaps even Rose Gold, so it’s a shame that Anker is only offering it in Black at launch. Just a few thoughts, Anker. Here’s hoping Anker will heed my requests because a silver version of the Life Q20 did release several months after the original model hit store shelves. These are really hefty, big headphones, measuring 7.8 x 7.09 x 3.07 inches and weighing 9 ounces. When passing through the living room, all of our in-law siblings gave us “damn, those are some big a** headphones” looks. When worn for extended periods, you will notice the added weight on top of your head or in your shoulders. The headband’s clamp force is likewise extremely strong, which avoids slippage but also causes soreness to the skull after an hour.
Anker Soundcore Life Q30 review: Comfort
The Life Q30s are quite pleasant in large part due to the high-quality material utilized for the earcups. The smooth faux leather that covers the ear pads and the headband pad is delicate and breathable; I’ll talk a little more about the material quality in the next section. Although there is plenty of soft memory foam inside these pads to make them comfy, there isn’t nearly enough of it to create the ideal seal around your head. The pads tend to flatten out more than those of other high-end headphones because there isn’t as much padding. Although it’s not the worst scenario, it is something you notice after using the headphones for a while. The weight is another element that affects comfort. These headphones aren’t the lightest ones available, weighing in at around 9 ounces, and after a few hours of use, you do notice them on your head. The majority of users will find these to be fairly comfortable, so none of this should be a deal-breaker, but if you’re a power user or plan to wear headphones for extended periods of time, be prepared for them to show their weight.
Noise cancelling
Anker doesn’t specialize in ANC, but with each new model, the company’s noise cancellation has gotten better. The Life Q30 is outstanding. Is the quality Sony or Bose? Obviously not. That doesn’t imply that these cans’ ANC performance is any less effective. We barely noticed the ambient mayhem on Halloween, which ranged from obnoxious trick-or-treaters ringing the doorbell to our brother-in-law indulging in a Halloween marathon during AMC’s FearFest, because we were wearing the headphones around the house. also you will learn our article on Anker Soundcore Life Q30 review. While high-frequency noises like whistles and sirens are still audible due to the technology, it blocks out about 80% of external sounds. Even then, though, the noises aren’t loud enough to distract you from what you’re doing. That’s great, Transport, Indoor, and Outdoor are the three ANC modes that Anker created and that you can choose from within the Soundcore app. Each mode, according to Anker, is designed to “address and filter out sounds prevalent in diverse situations,” and you can tell which one it is by how much pressure it applies to your ears. Even if there is a significant performance difference between them, some listeners won’t notice it as you choose from left to right because it does become higher. It is also challenging to distinguish between ANC and normal mode because the cans already effectively isolate noise. Get a feel for the bass levels if you forget what mode you’re in because they become more pronounced when you activate ANC.
Anker Soundcore Life Q30 review: Connectivity
The Life Q30 headphones are very stable when used with all of your Bluetooth devices thanks to Bluetooth 5.0. They have a 15 metre range, which proved sufficient for getting through walls and around corners. There won’t be many connection glitches because the most recent Bluetooth protocol is used here, and you can connect several source devices. Additionally, because NFC is embedded into the gadget, compatible Android phones can be quickly linked by tapping them against the right earcup. As previously mentioned, you can also use a headphone jack to connect the headphones to an audio source, but you’ll lose some volume and fullness.
Call performance
On the Life Q30, call quality is more hit than miss. While the headphones work well for video conversations, they are not ideal for making or receiving calls outside. During our Google Hangouts conversation, our editor thought we came across clearly, but she noticed a few things that made it obvious we were wearing headphones. It’s not as direct as if you were speaking through the computer speakers, she said in response. The member of our family who called us was unimpressed as well because she overheard some of the argument in the backyard. Mic performance declined, and ANC technology had trouble blocking out background noise.
Audio performance
Although there are many positive aspects to the way these headphones sound, you shouldn’t anticipate any mind-blowing detail for the price. The typical human hearing range is 20Hz to 20kHz, however the frequency response ranges from 16Hz to 40kHz, which is a significant increase. This indicates that it will provide excellent performance and support across the board. Unfortunately, this EQ profile tends to sound muddy and overblown on budget-friendly headphones like these. In actuality, we believe the basic sound spectrum sounds very bossy—something that is very similar to the Beats by Dre sound quality. When listening to spoken words, such as those on radio programmes or podcasts, the bossiness was more noticeable. The Anker Soundcore app does offer a tone of equalization options, but we’ll talk about that in more detail later. Although the over-ear headphones’ impedance of 16 ohms is relatively low, I believe the volume and fullness they provide, especially when the EQ is adjusted, is more than sufficient. For headphones at this budget, active noise cancellation is also available, and it works surprisingly well. There are various levels of noise cancellation as well, from more intense noise cancellation designed for travel to a lighter touch for your day at work. Additionally, there is a transparency mode to allow some background noise so that when using the headphones in public, you are more aware of your surroundings.
Anker Soundcore Life Q30 review: Battery and charging
Anker claims that the battery may last up to 60 hours with ANC off and 40 hours with it on. You should have four hours of playback after a five minute charge from the flat. We did discover really decent battery life. We’ve experienced many days of quite heavy use without having to fill them off, using them primarily with ANC on and at over 75% playback level. These headphones have the advantage of not having an ANC switch, which is all too easy to leave on with the Taotronics and Tribits. Additionally, because they shut down automatically when not in use, they typically still have battery life when we need to use them.
Price and Availability
Conclusion
For commuting and travelling, the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 are excellent. They include a fantastic noise-canceling feature that lessens the roar of nearby bus or aero plane engines. They provide over 44 hours of continuous battery life, which is excellent for lengthy travel days. They are comfy and relatively well-built. They’re a little heavy, though, which makes it more difficult to carry them around. There are occasionally headphones that have a great price/performance ratio and are truly deserving of all the attention. One of those pairs of headphones is the Anker Soundcore Life Q30. They are certainly not flawless, but they generally outperform their rivals in most areas. Or they give you the chance to improve them.
