Soundcore Q30 by Anker, Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Multiple Modes, Hi-Res Audio, Custom EQ via App, 50H Playtime, Comfortable Fit, Bluetooth, Multipoint Connection

Amazing value and performance!
These headphones are soooo comfy and they sound superb! The battery life is excellent, especially compared to earbuds, and the noise canceling works great. I also love the “transparency mode,” which lets ambient sound in through the headphones instead of blocking it out. I often watch movies with my long-distance bestie, so it lets me hear the movie clearly while talking to her on the phone.I recently bought a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4s to compare, and I couldn’t hear a noticeable difference in sound quality — definitely not a ~$300 difference. These are also significantly more comfortable than the Sonys (softer cushions and lighter weight), plus they come in pink!

I can finally hear myself think (and it’s terrifying)
Preface: This is the first pair of noise-cancelling headphones I’ve owned, so my baseline for comparison isn’t much different from sticking wads of cotton in my ears.It’s been a year of this: working from home at a makeshift desk in my bedroom; kids on the other side of paper-thin walls talking loudly about school and constantly asking for snacks; the laundry machines are operating 24/7 since my mother-in-law moved in; the dog has decided that any and all movement outside my window is threat. My world is a noisy place.I needed something more substantial than the Soundcore Life U2 earbuds I’ve been sporting for the last year. I trust the brand, so I opted for these. They were at the top-end of my budget and seemed to have the features that I needed.First impressions:- Well-packaged! I like that it came with a carrying case (even though I am absolutely certain I will never use it because I am going to be stuck in this house until I die).- The construction feels pretty solid. No creaking of the head-band as you stretch it, so it seems unlikely to snap under stress. Nothing rattles when you handle them or wear them.- The ear cups and headband are comfortable. Not feeling like I’m going to be collecting ear-sweat in there.Turning it on and pairing it:- About as simple as pairing a Bluetooth device can be. It was pretty simple to pair it to two devices (one PC and one MacBook). There is a little bit of difficulty getting it to reconnect to one or the other after a period of disuse (also not unusual for Bluetooth)- The app (iPhone, in this case) is pretty straight-forward. It allows you to configure the noise-cancelling mode you want (eg: settings ideal for “Transport,” “Indoor,” or “Outdoor”). EQ settings are available as well, which, while interesting, doesn’t seem to add any value for me.Noise Cancelling:Ok, seriously, this is freaky. The persistent ringing in my ears is now the loudest thing in the room. The sound of my typing has almost completely disappeared. I am getting startled by people entering my room without me hearing them. I never noticed how loud the A/C was until I couldn’t hear it anymore. As I am writing this, someone is vacuuming the hallway outside my door and the only reason I know that is because the lights dimmed a little when they turned it on.Transparency mode:This is actually pretty handy. It amplifies ambient sound so it’s like you’re not even wearing headphones. A brief touch of the right ear (and only the right ear) will switch between normal/noise-cancelling (whichever mode you happen to be in) and transparency. My only complaint here (and it has been echoed by others), is that the announcement when you are changing modes feels… disruptive. The announcement (“TRANSPARENCY!”) is kinda loud and lasts long enough that the time between pressing the right ear and actually changing modes is nearly three seconds (I know! Scandalous!). I find myself just pulling one of the cups off my ear if I need to hear what my wife is saying (as opposed to pretending to be busy with a call or something).Audio quality:Pretty darn good. I’ve blown out enough of my hearing using high-quality studio headphones in my distant I-was-in-a-band past that I’m not a complete snob about it anymore. But these are solid.Mic quality:Here’s the thing you should know about Bluetooth – it’s actually not that great for quality 2-way audio. You know that coworker with the plug-in gamer headset that you can tell what flavor of Doritos he’s eating? This isn’t that. Still, the mic quality is good when connected to my MacBook – my coworkers report that I do not sound like I am talking to them via speakerphone in a submarine (I’m looking at you, AirPods…)They do, however, report that it picks up a lot of the noise around me. Independent tests confirm that pretty much anything the noise-cancelling counteracts is picked up on the mic. As a result I generally have to remain on mute unless I am actively speaking (not ideal in one-on-one calls).Verdict: I’m quite happy with the headphones, though I can’t really recommend these for calls. For this reason alone, I am deducting a star.Overall: My introduction into the world of noise-cancelling headphones has been enlightening. I have realized that the trouble I have focusing on my tasks has little to do with my noisy environment, but is rather a result of the terrifying noises going on in my own head.

Comme le titre l’indique, il sera difficile de faire un casque d’aussi bonne qualité pour aussi peu cher.Niveau son et fonctionnalité : Très bon, je suis étonnement surpris de la qualité de l’audio. Toutefois, pour ce qui est de l’ANC, on remarque une baisse de qualité du son lorsque l’on passe en mode réduction de bruit – ou encore en mode transparence- . En revanche, pour 80euros, il sera difficile de faire mieux. Par ailleurs, pour ce qui se demanderait, non ça n’a rien à voir avec la qualité d’ANC du dernier Sony qui quant à lui, isole parfaitement. Pour ce qui est du mode transparence, on peut l’activer en plaçant sa main sur le côté du casque, petite fonctionnalité tactile très appréciable.Niveau finition : Le casque est très bien fini, il renvoie une image haut de gamme dans son ensemble avec une jolie barre brossée joignant les deux oreillettes. Le seul petit bémol serait au niveau de l’aspect des boutons qui sonnent quand on appuie dessus vraiment ” mauvais plastique”. Aussi, la petite housse de transport fournit avec le casque est de bonne qualité, petit détail sympathique qui fait vraiment plaisir. Je n’ai aucune peur en le transportant dans mon sac de cours, parfois bien chargé.Confort : J’ai une grosse tête, pourtant, aucun problème de confort, je ne suis pas serré. En revanche, le casque tient légèrement chaud quand on le porte trop longtemps, c’est normal, les mousses d’oreillettes sont recouvertes de similicuir. Mousse qui par ailleurs semble être a mémoire de forme. Le casque est également relativement léger bien qu’imposant, si vous avez une petite tête, vous aurez peut être le look d’un pilote d’avion de chasse, à vous de voir ce que ça donnera sur vous.Pour conclure : Si vous voulez avoir un excellent casque pour pas très cher, ou alors tout simplement pour faire un premier pas dans le monde des casques audios (comme moi) : foncez !

UNBOXING / PRODUCT – 9/10Opening the box, I was impressed with packaging and initial impressions of quality. Headphones felt solid and of good quality materials. Connecting to a new device is very straightforward (press and hold power button for +3 seconds). Controls on the sides of the headphones make it easy to adjust volume quickly, as well as noise cancellation functionality. There is a nice touch where if you press and hold on the logo on the right-side headphone it will go into ‘transparency’ mode, which brings outside noise into the headphones. This is helpful if you’re in noise cancellation mode and a coworker stops by to chat, you can quickly and easily duck in and out of noise cancellation. The headphones fold for travel. The kit includes a USB-C charging cable, aux cord and carrying case.SOUND QUALITY – 9/10So far the soundstage is broad, with clear highs and deep bass. Excellent!COMFORT – 10/10Ear pads are extremely soft, which makes them easy to wear for long periods. Adjustable band for different head sizes. Excellent comfort.NOISE CANCELLATION – 7/10This is the main reason I bought the Anker Soundcore Q30 headphones. I live in a townhouse and my neighbour with a shared wall has dogs that bark during the day – I needed a way to focus while working from home. While the NC does not completely eliminate the noise, it does reduce it significantly – I would say 60-70% reduction. I considered whether or not to just purchase construction-style noise blocking over the ear headphones, which promise up to a -38dB reduction, but they are often designed for extreme environments and would not be comfortable for a long period of time. If complete elimination of noise is required, you could purchase a more expensive pair of Bose Ultimate headphones. Or, use a pair of foam earplugs with these overtop and play white noise or music through the headphones with NC turned on.If you go to rtings.com, you can objectively compare the noise cancellation performance of these Q30’s with premium Bose and Sony headphones. Surprisingly, the performance is closer than you might expect for the price gap. Yes, the Bose in particular blocks more sound, especially in the higher frequencies. But the Q30’s are still some of the best performing noise cancelling headphones for the < $100 market.Within the app, you can choose from 3 noise cancelling 'modes'. These are not available unless you download the app, and customize the frequencies that are targeted by the NC.1) Transport: Targets low-end frequencies like engine and road noise (default mode)2) Indoor: Eliminates voices and mid-frequency noise (this is my preferred mode)3) Outdoor: Reduces ambient sound on-the-goIts worth noting that because these are large, over-the-ear headphones, just putting them on will cut some of the noise. Even before you start playing any music, you can just put these on your head and instantly cut like -20 dB or more from the ambient sound. You can also activate NC without playing sound, so if you want to just cut the noise, you can do that.BATTERY LIFEI'm still waiting to kill this battery. It lasts for days of casual use. I'm not sure if it will actually last for the claimed 40 hours, especially when using NC, but its certainly better than my wireless buds.VALUE / CONCLUSIONBuyers looking for good quality NC headphones on a budget will be very pleased. Sure, a set of Bose or Sony headphones will outperform in ultimate noise cancellation and sound quality, but for the price these Soundcore Q30's are a great buy.

One thing I’ve noticed (and I think this is pretty common with noise-cancelling headphones in general), there’s a faint background hiss or ventilation-type noise when using ANC in a really quiet environment. Not a dealbreaker, but something to be aware of if you’re expecting total silence. Furthermore, it’s weird that we have a NC button on the left that basically does the same thing as the touch control on the right, both just switch between noise-cancellation, normal and transparency mode. Why have both for the same thing? It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, though many newer phones don’t support it anymore for years now, so not everybody can benefit from it like me.Some reviews I saw said the build feels cheap, but honestly, I disagree. I think people might be comparing it to way more expensive brands or have higher expectations that what the product can promise. On its own terms, the Q30 feels solid and comfortable. The ear cups are soft and fit well, and I can wear them for hours without discomfort.The sound is great, especially if you enjoy a bit of extra bass, which is awesome for music with deep low-end. As for the noise cancellation, I personally just stick with transport mode most of the time, it somehow feels more effective or balanced than the others, at least to my ears. The others work too, but there’s just something about transport mode that feels better.Im overall very satisfied with it, would definitely recommend it for those who don’t want to spend hundreds.