Active noise-cancelling technology, which was once only found in high-end headphones.
It is quickly becoming a standard feature in low-cost products.
You’d have a hard to finding a pair of over-ear ANC headphones for around £200 just a few years ago.
But Anker’s Soundcore Life Q30 demonstrate how far the industry has come in such a short period.
Holistic Review!
They’re one of the most affordable alternatives on the market, at £80.
Only the OneOdio A10 is less expensive than the other pairs we’ve evaluated in the last year.
That’s all well and good, but it’s pointless to buy low-cost headphones if they’re not up to the task.
Fortunately, the Life Q30 more than makes up for their low price tag.
With three levels of effective noise suppression, highly adjustable music, and a decent accessory selection.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on the Apple AirPods Max or the Sony WH-1000XM4.
But yet want to decrease the impact of outside noise on your listening experience.
The Life Q30 could be the headphones for you.
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What Do You Get From It?
The Soundcore Life Q30 are over-ear headphones that support the two most extensively used audio codecs.
AAC and SBC, and can connect to two devices simultaneously over Bluetooth 5.0.
They provide NFC pairing in addition to normal Bluetooth pairing by simply tapping your smartphone on the right earcup.
The Life Q30 are Hi-Res Audio certified, meaning they can reproduce frequencies up to 40kHz.
But they don’t support near-lossless codecs like aptX-HD, which makes sense given their pricing.
A carrying case, which isn’t of the greatest quality but does the job perfectly well.
A USB-A to USB-C charging cable, and a 3.5mm audio cable that can be inserted into the right earcup.
That for wired listening are all included with the headphones.
You’d expect Anker to cut corners into deep the Soundcore Life Q30’s pricing low, and you’d be correct when it comes to their appearance.
The Life Q30 aren’t cheaply built, but they are mostly comprised of plastic – in black, blue, or pink – and have a budget appearance and feel to them.
They’re not completely unsightly, but they’re no match for the Urbanista Miami and Lindy BNX-100XT in terms of design.
It Has Active Noise Cancellation!
The words “active noise cancellation” are plastered on both sides of the headband, which doesn’t assist their aesthetic.
It’s an odd design choice that, to be honest, makes them appear stupid.
Fortunately, once they’re on your head, you’ll forget about how they appear, because the Life Q30 are comfy.
The oval earcups fit well over my ears, giving enough room for them to breathe, and they’re lightweight at 265g.
Anker may have been a little more generous with the padding – they feel a little light – but this does not affect the over-ear seal or comfort.
The Life Q30’s controls are essentially physical buttons on the exterior parts of both earcups.
The power button is located on the left cup, besides the “NC” button, which cycles through the three sound modes available:
–regular, transparency, and noise–cancellation.
Playing and pausing audio, accepting, ending, and rejecting phone calls, volume adjustment, track skipping, and voice assistant activation.
They are all controlled via three separate buttons on the right earcup.
The control layout, like other headphones’, takes some getting used to, but finding the various buttons was never an issue.
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Is ANC Effective?
The Life Q30 do an excellent job with active noise-cancellation for a pair of cheap headphones.
There are three different ANC levels to choose from, and you can choose between them using the Anker Soundcore app.
Transport mode focuses on reducing low-frequency frequencies and is comparable to, if not superior to
more expensive alternatives.
The Urbanista Miami (£129) and the Lindy BNX-100XT (£100) were shown to be more successful at reducing washing machine rumble.
Both the Indoors and Outdoors settings perform admirably.
Indoors mode aims to reduce voices and mid-range frequencies, whilst Outdoors mode reduces ambient sounds and is especially good at minimising wind noise.
It’s rare to find decent ANC on a budget headset.
So having three settings optimised for different scenarios that all successfully reduce external noise is excellent.
What Are Final Verdict?
The default sound profile of the Life Q30 is called “Soundcore Signature” and is V-shaped, with bass frequencies being especially prominent.
Bass dominated almost everything I listened to and certain tunes.
Like Floating Points‘ sub-bass-heavy “Karakul,” made my earcups tremble noticeably around my ears.
I’m not sure if Anker meant for the Life Q30 to produce haptic feedback, but that’s precisely how it feels when the bass becomes loud.
Although the mid-range vocals and treble are conveyed with reasonable clarity, it’s difficult to enjoy them when the bass is so loud.
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