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. Although I found the Soundcore Life P3 very comfortable to wear, I did experience an annoying issue relating to their fit. Despite using the largest silicone eartips available, the earbuds would sometimes work themselves a little loose in my ears. Not to the point where they got anywhere close to falling out, but enough to affect their passive noise-cancelling seal. You can customize their sound using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets. Like their truly wireless counterpart, the Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless, they even support LDAC codec, making them a solid choice for Hi-Res audio content. They offer multi-device and NFC pairing, so connecting them to your smartphone or laptop is easy. An excellent headphone should have a durable design and should be able to reproduce low bass notes as well as high treble notes without distortion. soundcore has developed the coaxial driver technology that’s endorsed by many outstanding audio producers to present you the true sound through our wireless bluetooth headphones. Without breaking the bank, you can now immerse yourself in the world of music with a first-class listening experience.

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-upWith 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. 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. 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 Q35 also sound good for the money, with reasonable detail and separation of tones, handling complex pieces better than most competitors, particularly when used with the highest-quality LDAC format and some hi-res audio files. Included with the headphones are a carrying case, which isn’t of the highest quality but fulfils its function perfectly well, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable and a 3.5mm audio cable that can be plugged into the right earcup for wired listening. We've replaced the Anker SoundCore Life P3 Truly Wireless with the Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless. We've also replaced the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless with the Anker Soundcore Space Q45 Wireless. We've added brand comparisons as well, in addition to expanding the lineup information. 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. I was also impressed by the Life P3’s audio quality. Like the over-ear Life Q30, boosted bass is the focus of the “Soundcore Signature” audio profile. However, it’s not nearly as overwhelming here, with the P3 striking a solid balance between robust low-end reproduction and clarity in the mid and upper registers.For budget headphones, the performance of the Life Q20 is impressive. Featuring Bluetooth 5.0, they have an excellent wireless range and an easy pairing setup. Their sound quality is decent, but their very bass-heavy sound even without the bass boost mode can be unpleasant for some people. Their built-in mic is also decent, but it’s not recommended for phone calls in particularly loud places. They are fairly bulky compared with some of the best but don’t look ostentatious and are fairly light. The faux leather ear cups are spacious, with a good amount of padding, and don’t clamp your head too hard, while the headband stays well put on your dome. The headphones have enough adjustment to wear comfortably for extended listening periods, feel solidly made and fold up for travel, too. 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. We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Anker Soundcore Space One Wireless in Build Quality.

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. 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. The Soundcore Life Q35 are a comfortable set of very long-lasting Bluetooth headphones that offer surprisingly effective noise-cancelling and good sound for less than half the price of top rivals.The Liberty Neo are surprisingly decent-sounding for budget truly wireless earphones. Most consumers will be satisfied with their audio reproduction, especially those who prefer a more bass-heavy sound, not only for listening to music but also for general media consumption. They use Bluetooth 5.0 and have a good wireless range and an easy pairing process, but their latency is high. Their integrated mic is also mediocre in noisy places, which is a common issue among truly wireless headphones. The headphones ship with a good hard travel case, plus a small bag containing a USB charging cable, 3.5mm headphones cable with an in-line mic and an aeroplane audio adapter. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian Price Given you can tweak the audio to your liking, it’s easy enough to let the exaggerated bass reproduction of the default sound profile slide. But there are a couple of simple ways the Life Q30 could be improved.

Anker headphones generally have high latency on PC. You may notice your audio and visuals fall out of sync, which can be frustrating if you like to stream video on your laptop. 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. The noise reduction can’t match that of the industry’s big hitters like the Apple AirPods Max, the Sony WH-1000XM4 or Bose’s NC700 but it’s a mighty fine attempt from a pair of headphones costing a fraction of the price. My one minor grumble is that you can only switch between the three modes via the app, but having to do so is certainly not a dealbreaker. Anker Soundcore Life Q30 review: How do they sound? The noise-cancelling is surprisingly effective for the money, beating the majority of rivals at this price and even some models twice their cost. The noise of a boiler, dishwasher, cars, drills and other rumbling noises were much reduced, while speech was quietened significantly. They can’t quite match the very best in the business from Bose and Sony but otherwise do a very good job, particularly set to the “transport” mode with 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. The overall performance of the Spirit X is mostly good. They are even better in some aspects than more expensive wireless earphones. They utilize Bluetooth 5.0 for their wireless connection and have a good wireless range. They connect easily with compatible devices and support multi-device pairing, allowing you to connect up to two devices at the same time. Their sound quality is decent for budget earphones while their in-line mic is adequate enough for non-business calls. 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.