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However, the overemphasized bass makes the mix sound muddy, while vocals and instruments sound harsh and sibilants piercing due to the extra treble. Unfortunately, they can't pair with a companion app, so you can't change their mix. If you'd like more bass, though, their 'BassUp' featureboosts this range even more, which will compliment fans of heavier genres like dubstep and D&B. You can activate it using the controls on the ear cups. We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Anker Soundcore Space Q45 Wireless in Noise Isolation. There is a noticeable difference in sound profile when using the ANC on and off. Although we tested these headphones with their ANC on, the audio sounds hollow and thin if you turn the ANC off. We ran a few frequency response passes with the ANC on and off to confirm this using a wired connection and Bluetooth. You can see our graph here, which shows a drop in bass with the ANC on regardless of whether you're using a wired or Bluetooth connection. Wear detection would be a welcome addition, too, as would the ability to switch ANC profiles without having to access the app but that’s probably asking a bit much of a pair of budget-friendly headphones. For controls, the Life Q30 primarily rely on physical buttons located on the outer sections of both earcups. On the left cup you’ll find the power button along with the “NC” button, which cycles through the three sound modes on offer: normal, transparency and noise-cancelling.
The Anker Soundcore Life Q35 have a bass-heavy sound profile. They deliver extra thump, rumble, and boom, which is well-suited for genres like EDM and hip-hop. If you prefer a different sound, their companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets to customize their sound. If you’re clamouring for more bass, you can toggle on the BassUp feature, which boosts low-end frequencies even further. I didn’t feel the need for it very often but it did successfully add weight and depth to dancier, bass-heavy playlists. We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Anker Soundcore Space One Wireless in Build Quality.Like other wireless over-ear headphones, the Life Q20 have an on-cup control scheme, which is made up of several buttons on both ear cups. You can use the buttons to manage your calls and music, adjust the volume, activate your voice assistant, enable the bass boost mode, initiate the Bluetooth pairing process, and toggle the ANC feature. The physical buttons are responsive and not too stiff, making them easy to use even while on the move. Performance With their well-padded ear cups and lightweight frame, the Life Q20 are comfortable to wear for long hours, which is especially beneficial when using them while traveling. Their large ear cups can comfortably accommodate most ear sizes while their headband has good flexibility. Their headband clamp is also tight enough to ensure a secure and stable fit without sacrificing comfort. With their solid 20-hour battery life per charge, the Space NC are suitable for all-day use in the office and particularly long flights and commutes. If they are low on power, you can temporarily switch to a wired connection using the included audio cable to conserve power. Alternatively, if you don’t mind using them with an audio cable attached, you can use them primarily in wired mode if you want a longer battery life per charge – the headphones can last up to an incredible 50 hours in wired mode with ANC. Wrap-up
The Life Q30’s default sound profile is referred to as “Soundcore Signature” and is V-shaped with bass frequencies particularly prominent. Too prominent, in fact, and that’s coming from someone with a penchant for low-end punch. These comfortable and well-built buds have a warm sound profile out of the box, but you can fine-tune their sound to suit your tastes using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets. You can also use the app to switch to LDAC codec to stream Hi-Res content. That said, their mic has poor recording quality. The mic captures speech that sounds far away and sibilant, which can be a dealbreaker if you take a lot of calls. However, if you're just looking to listen to music, these wallet-friendly earbuds are worth a look. The left ear cup has a button for toggling between noise-cancelling and transparency modes, a power button and a USB-C charging port. BassUp is only available when using the Signature profile, which you may not find yourself using given there are 20 other EQ presets to choose from in the Soundcore app. There’s something for just about every genre, including Latin, Jazz, Pop and Piano. On the upside, their continuous battery life of just under 28 hours is enough to get you through long days on the go, and you can use them passively in a pinch. They're well-built and have a comfortable fit suitable for long listening sessions. Their default sound profile also delivers extra thump, rumble, and boom while vocals and instruments are crisp.
They may not be much to look at, but the Soundcore Life Q30 offer unrivalled ANC and audio customisation for the price
Hi-Res Music: Hear every detail of your favorite songs thanks to Life Q30’s 40mm drivers. The highly-flexible silk diaphragms reproduce thumping bass and crisp treble that extends up to 40kHz for improved clarity. Most Anker headphones are compatible with the Anker Soundcore app, which offers a graphic EQ and presets so you can adjust your headphones' sound to your liking. You can also remap controls and adjust the active noise cancelling (ANC) level to suit your needs.
While their bass-heavy sound profile can be unpleasant for some people, the Liberty Air 2 are good-sounding earphones. They are most suitable for hip hop, electronic dance music, and other bass-heavy music. You can use them for listening to music and for general media consumption, but they are not the best for phone calls due to their subpar mic performance. As with the touch controls, you can modify the sound profile using the Soundcore app. The Life Q30 are charged via USB-C and have a stated battery life of up to 60 hours when ANC is turned off and 40 hours when it’s on. That 60-hour figure puts the Life Q30 top of the pile of any over-ear ANC headphones I’ve tested, while the 40 hours when ANC is active is only matched by the Urbanista Miami. I spent a fortnight using the Life Q30 as my primary headphones and impressively, they still had some juice left in them by the end of testing. Most Anker headphones have an integrated mic, which sits far away from your mouth. As a result, their mics tend to have poor recording quality and mediocre noise-handling performance.
The Indoors and Outdoors modes both work well, too. Indoors mode seeks to dampen voices and mid-range frequencies, while Outdoors mode decreases ambient sounds and proved particularly effective at reducing wind noise. Decent ANC on budget headphones is a rarity, so having three modes tailored for different situations that all successfully put a dent in external noise is highly impressive. The headphones have a reasonably simple design made of smooth, soft-touch plastic in a semi-metallic blue colour. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian First and foremost I’d remove the words active noise cancellation from the headband – they’re garish and totally unnecessary. I’d also like to see the headband streamlined a little, as the side sections protrude out rather a long way, which does how they look on your head no favours.
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