Soundcore by Anker Life Q35 Multi Mode Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Bluetooth Headphones with LDAC for Hi Res Wireless Audio, 40H Playtime, Comfortable Fit, Clear Calls (Black)

I did a lot of research before choosing a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I am an autistic adult who uses ear defenders and/or earplugs often in public and wanted to invest in a pair of headphones with ANC, but definitely couldn't afford Bose's Quiet Comfort or Sony's NC headphones. I've been using them over a month now, here's my thoughts. Shape/Fit/Comfortability: I have a fairly small head and most headphones are a bit big on me. These fit pretty well. If I'm wearing them for a long period of time while laying down, the headband will start to slip towards the back of my head- similarly if I'm bending forward, it'll start to slip towards my face. Even when this happens, the ear cups stay in place. The padding is really comfy, both on the headband and the ear cups, and I can wear them all day long without any pain or discomfort. The padding is firm enough to do a good job assisting with noise cancelling, but soft enough that it doesn't press my glasses into my face. Active Noise Cancelling: The ANC is as good as it can be considering the price point. Overall about an 8/10 in the ANC market. If I wear my earplugs underneath, the noise cancelling is easily as good as a pair of high-end headphones. The three different modes do vary a little bit, but I haven't had the chance to use them all in their correct environments. The transparency mode is pretty good as well, and the hand gesture on the ear cup is a really really nice feature rather than needing to find the button super quickly. Sound Quality: I definitely agree with some of the other reviews that say the default "SoundCore Signature" EQ setting is garbage - but the app customization is great and made it easy to fix that issue. I use these really often while watching videos/movies/TV and the sound quality is really good. I prefer them over my other headphones and again, the EQ customization is a super helpful feature. Microphone: I've been told the mic quality is average, and I can be heard well/clearly. The only issue is that I believe the microphones are only on the right ear cup, so if I'm laying down and want to roll over onto my right side, I can't be heard at all, but since they have the 'beam forming' microphones, I also can't flip the headphones around because my voice then gets considered background noise and muffled. This is a really minor issue though, since I'm not usually laying down with these on. Battery: the battery life is pretty consistent with what it claims to be, and it charges quickly. Every time you turn the headphones on it tells you if your battery is High, Medium or Low. Overall they're a really great option for their price, and provide some really nice ANC. Highly recommend :)

Why these: Been using older version AirPods but wanted to try an over-the-ear version to see how sound quality compares and to save a little money by not upgrading to the newest version of AirPods. I am loving these headphones. Equalizer: Chose these because of great reviews and the Soundcore app with equalizer. I use the equalizer on my phone and thought it might enhance that. (Listen to a fair variety of types of music. ) The Soundcore equalizer is on par with Apple’s. I can’t tell a huge difference but the app is free so no issue there and it may give some different options. There’s a custom option too that I haven’t tried yet. Noise cancellation: You can definitely tell a difference between the noise cancellation options. I find it handy for various situations in my home where I need to hear what’s going on around me or when I definitely don’t want to. It does a good job in each mode. Sound quality, bass: These definitely have a bigger bass than the AirPods and great sound quality overall. I think they sound better than my AirPods because even when not in the noise cancellation mode, they filter out the outside/background noise that I can normally hear with my AirPods. Fit/comfort: These do fit pretty snugly on my not so large head but after just a few minutes, I stop noticing that and can wear them comfortably for several hours. So much so that I’ve fallen asleep with them on. They adjust too so should accommodate most people. I can wear them with glasses but not with post style earrings. Battery life: The battery life is SO good, I wish all my electronics could compare. Value: I got these with a $20 discount on Amazon and a Xmas gift card so came in a lot less than new AirPods, Bose etc. For reference: I don’t know the technical part of why these are good but to my ears, they’re great. I’m retired and spend many hours a week listening to music and/or podcasts and couldn’t be happier with this affordable and quality purchase. The case and accessories are perfect. I didn’t need to purchase anything else, which is always a plus to me. Got the blue, which is very nice and a little different.

Amazing headphones, really comfortable, good ear space and padding, good natural noice canceling for the padding, battery is amazingly good, I’ve been using every day from Monday to Saturday for the last 2 weeks and I’ve charged only 2 times, including the first time when they arrived, active noise cancelling is great, works amazingly and transparency also works good, personally I don’t listen the difference between the noice cancellation modes (maybe because I only use them inside my work office) but works great, sound quality is really great, HiFi is really good, my only complaint about the sound is that this headphones are naturally with higher bass, but the his could be fixed with som eq. I also use this for my teams/google meetings and mic works great, the sound of my voice is clear to other people even when I have some people speaking around myself, this headphones worth every dollar.

Very pleased with this purchase. Delivers rich, ambient sound. Noise canceling worked very well, especially while riding on jet plane. Pairing was easy. Comfortable headset. And price is right.

I bought these to replace my Razer Barracuda's I paid $130 for... which broke in 8 months. Even though they are still within warranty, Razer refused to replace... so here we are. Out of the box I was not aware these came with a case. Pleasantly surprised there! The case is solid and has a felt texture all around. Love the zipper on that thing. Smoooooth. After owning for a week... The headphones have all the adjustability you'll need. The cups turn and fold inward for storage and transportation. The metal on the outside of the band makes for a great solid feel and adds a nice spring to it which makes it easy to take on and off. They don't squeeze too much like some tend to do. These have good bass output. Better than some of the more expensive headsets I've used. The noise cancelling function works superb. I feel sometimes like I am in a sound depravation chamber. It's eerie, in a good way. It's easy to adjust the noise cancellation if you want to listen to music but still hear others around you like in a work setting. The bluetooth links up easily and has a pleasant tone when connecting or disconnecting. The ear cups are nice and comfortable to wear. Cons: I have a few things... but they are very minor. *The bluetooth will sometimes randomly disconnect but quickly reconnect. This is usually after like 45 min to an hour of listening... I don't have to intervene at all.... but is just annoying. *Like many ear cups... they use some kind of vinyl covering which does not breathe. So if you use these to jam out while working... you could be wearing them for hours. They get hot after prolonged use. I much prefer the cloth ear cups others come with as they breathe so much better. Maybe just a preference thing for me. *The power button requires a very long press to turn on and off. I feel this is a bit excessive but not a deal killer by any means. Just seems excessive. *I wish the buttons were a bit thicker as they are very thin. It makes them easy to find when feeling around but tactilely, I feel a wider button would be better. *The app you can download to manage the headphones is great... I just wish the equalizer had more frequency choices to balance to get more out of the experience. Again, minor issue. So far these are great headphones. For the price it's hard to beat. We'll see how they hold up to light to minor use.

The Soundcore Life Q35s are an insanely good deal for the price point. I was looking for a set of Bluetooth cans that support LDAC without having to shell out some serious cash on the Sony WH-1000s. The sound quality is fantastic. I've noticed some reviews mentioning the loud bass. The default EQ is indeed quite bass heavy but the Soundcore app features a large selection of EQ presets as well as custom capability. After some browsing and tinkering I created a custom EQ that sounds exactly right, with some of the sub bass rolled off and 100-200 Hz boosted for some good punch. The thing is the Q35s are capable of reproducing bass at many different frequencies, instead of just that generic muddy boom bass that you hear in Beats or cheap brands. The key is to find an EQ that balances those bass frequencies to your liking. Beyond that the mids have wonderful presence and an immersive soundstage. They remain wonderfully distinct from the bass frequencies. Treble is clear and detailed without fatiguing the ears. The high frequencies are pushed behind the mids to create the perfect balance of clarity and softness. I think Boss does this slightly better but Boss doesn't feature LDAC as a Bluetooth option. When LDAC is engaged on the Q35s the sound is hard to believe for wireless. I don't take my Q35s out of my apartment but for inside use the ANC works perfect. The hum of my swamp cooler, fans, or any low ambient sound is almost totally muted. I've heard the ANC falls short when used out in public and that the Sony WH-1000s are better. That wouldn't surprise me, they're nearly three times the price of the Q35s. But for normal indoor use the ANC is great. Battery life is insane. I charge them a few times a week (I'm neurotic about having full charged batteries, total OCD) but everything I do they're already at 70-80%. I basically top them off every couple days for an hour or so and literally never worry about running out of battery. I could be lost in the woods for a week and these things would last the whole time, probably outlive me. The build quality is awesome too. I'm not worried about these things snapping or cracking and the lack of a cord means I also don't have to worry about snagging the cord on a doorknob and having them violently hurled across the room right before the best part of the song hits. That was the absolute worst. If you're phone supports LDAC I can't recommend these enough, some of the best money I've ever spent.

So, my son has the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, and loves them. I tried them out, and they are inded impressive. But I wasn't about to spend $300+ on a set of bluetooth headphones. So, after searching around for a bit, I came across these. At a more attractive price, these seemed to offer much of the features that the Sony's did, so I figured I'd try them for less than 30 days, and see how it went. The packaging is great, along with the included case, and accessories are pretty standard but fine. They are about identical in design and construction to the Sony's. I then listened, and they sound really good! Music wise, they don't beat my Sennheisers, but they're studio grade and designed for that, so not gonna knock them for that. But, as far as general music listening, they're not bad. My main areas of focus, were YouTube, PlutoTV, and voice chatting/phone calls. In these areas, they are very good. The mic is nice and clear according to people on the other end. For hearing conversations, including phone calls, YT, and PlutoTV for TV watching, these are amazing. Keep in mind, I'm reviewing these without the use of the app. This is straight out of the box. I'm sure I could make them sound better for music and likely even better for my purposes, but I haven't felt the need to. When it comes to human voice purposes, it's great out of the box. I haven't felt the need for an app to modify the sound in any way. The noise cancelling is very good as well. When I'm listening to something with the NC enabled, I can't hear anything outside of what's being played through them. One feature that I like better on these than the Sony's, is that on the Sony's, you have to hold your hand over the outside of one of the ear cups to disable the NC in order to hear people in the room. On these, you merely have to hold your hand up to the cup for 2 seconds, and it disables it and you can remove your hand. Repeat the process to enable it again. That way you don't have to stand around with your hand stuck on the side of your headphones, looking like an idiot when you need to talk to someone. Between the sound (out of the box), construction, features, and all, this is more than worth the asking price. Since using the app to make adjustments is going to be a subjective thing and determined by taste, I thought it'd be best to give an out of the box opinion. Given that they sound this good to me for my purposes, I'm sure they could sound even better with the app, which I may eventually play around with. But with what I use them for, I just haven't felt the need to. Solid headphones for the price, and definitely the way to go if you don't want to shell out $300 for the Sony's or equivalent.

I was introduced to Soundcore with the Life Q10, an upper budget tier headset that had an amazing battery, decent sound and fussy wireless connectivity. When the Q35 brought the brand out of the budget tier, I considered its positive reviews reason enough to give it a shot. They've certainly doubled down on their strengths, with another amazing battery, even better sound and somehow worse wireless connectivity. I'd really be shocked if Anker couldn't do a headset with a decent battery life. While I don't want to underplay just how market leading they are in this area, I've come to expect this from them and won't dwell on it. The sound quality is solid for the price. Soundcore products have a certain affinity for bass, which holds true for the Q35 too. I was nonetheless pleased with the overall sound separation and clarity. I toyed with the Soundcore app's accompanying EQ, but ultimately felt the hardware was usually at its best with its defaults, letting it be its bassy self shine through. I'm really close to abandoning the bluetooth connectivity entirely, and am glad it has 3.5mm to fall back on. Of the first 5 devices I tried to connect to the Q35, only one accepted it on the first try. Most took a double-digit number of attempts to pair. Periodic disconnects have been common, even at an arms reach away across open air. Bluetooth Multipoint is a feature in name only, as there's no convenient way to toggle between connected devices. When it does switch devices, it'll sometimes jump to max volume and blast your ears out. Bluetooth is a garbage standard and I hate that we live in the darker timeline where it somehow became the protocol of choice, so I can't fully blame Anker. But as things are, this just isn't a reliable product. Maybe firmware updates will improve this down the line, which is thankfully an option through the Soundcore app. The active noise cancellation is above average. While the amount of noise it eliminates isn't significant, I give it extra acknowledgement for accomplishing it without a tight fit or obnoxious hissing. The ANC system is operated by one button that cycles through "Normal" (off), "Noise Cancelling" (on) and "Transparency" (instead amplifies noise to simulate wearing an open-backed headset). Each press of the button has a voice announce the mode it switched to, which makes going through them sluggish and disruptive to the listening experience. "Transparency" is slightly more accessible in that you can rest your hand on the right ear cup to toggle between it and your other most recent ANC mode, though it still does so with the obtrusive narrator and is prone to accidental activation. An ordinary switch would've been much preferred. Another feature the Q35 touts is a sensor that pauses your media when you remove the headset. This is the kind of feature where the convenience can be rapidly overshadowed if it doesn't work right. I'm sad to say it really does not work. Listening from a stationary, upright position resulting in frequent false pauses. It was infuriating and I ultimately turned it off in the Soundcore app. An interesting idea very poorly implemented. As for comfort, the headset has large, soft cups and a very loose fit. I found it fairly easy to wear for extended periods of time. Though the loose fit does make it a less ideal choice for vigorous activity, and they can easily fall off when bending over or the like. I'll be keeping the headset, but I'm nonetheless disappointed in its shortcomings. Here's hoping some of it is improved with firmware or in the next iteration.