Soundcore, the audio brand of Anker Innovations, already introduced the Life Q35 over-ear headphones last spring, which are placed above the very popular Life Q30. Compared to these, the Life Q35 now offers Hi-Res Audio via Bluetooth with LDAC. Another innovation is the wear detection.
Apart from that, the headphones are very similar. They still rely on 40 mm drivers, active noise cancelling (ANC), Bluetooth 5.0 with multi-connect, NFC, and a very long battery life of up to 60 hours or up to 40 hours with activated ANC, so that one can rather speak of a small upgrade instead of a big leap compared to the Life Q30. The price is still reasonable for what’s on offer at 130€ (RRP).
Technical data
| Headphone type | Over-ear (closed) |
| Bluetooth version | 5.0 |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Bluetooth range. |
Up to 15 m (without obstacle) |
| Battery life | Up to 60 hours (ANC off), up to 40 hours (ANC on) |
| Quick charging | 5 minutes charging for 4 hours playback |
| weight | 268 g |
| Driver |
40 mm |
| Frequency range | Bluetooth: 20 – 20,000 Hz, AUX: 16 – 40,000 Hz |
| Impedance | 16 ohms |
| Connections | USB-C, 3.5mm jack |
| Scope of delivery | Soundcore Life Q35, USB-C charging cable, jack cable, airplane adapter, cloth bag for cable, carrying case, user manual |
| Colors | Blue, Pink |
| Price | € 89.99 * |
Scope of delivery
Soundcore ships the blue variant of the headphones along with a gray-blue case. This leaves a good impression and offers enough space inside for the headphones, which are folded and stowed with the ear cups turned 90°, and cables. However, there is no partition or separate compartment for the latter. Instead, the USB-C charging cable and the jack cable are stored in a small fabric bag. This also contains an airplane adapter. The scope of delivery is thus very extensive and offers everything that can be expected in this price range.
Design and finish
Visually, the Soundcore Life Q35s are almost completely similar to the familiar Life Q30s. While the Life Q30 are available in black, navy blue and powder pink, they now rely on a very dark blue or alternatively pink. The headband is made of metal on the surface, with plastic underneath. The headband’s padding is rather soft. The ear cups of the headphones are slightly oval-shaped, and there is a Soundcore logo on the outer sides of each. While these were still golden in the Life Q30, they are now also blue, slightly glossy and thus much more inconspicuous.
The over-ear headphones are operated entirely via buttons, with the exception of the transparency mode. Soundcore does without touch or other special features for the most part. The power button, the NC button and the USB-C port are located on the left headphone cup. Three media control buttons and the jack are found on the right. Furthermore, there is a single touch control surface on the right headphone cup, which can be used to activate or deactivate the transparency mode.
Soundcore relies mostly on plastic for the material, which is probably mainly due to the low price. However, it is very well manufactured and has no flaws.
Setting up and adjustment options
A long press of the on/off button takes you into Bluetooth pairing mode. Then, the Soundcore Life Q35 can be selected and connected to the desired device. Another device can be paired by pressing the power button twice. Pairing is even easier with the help of NFC. All you have to do is hold the smartphone close to the right side of the headphones.
Soundcore also provides an app for smartphones. It displays all your devices and their last connection and allows for extensive settings. Among other things, you can choose between three noise cancellation modes (traffic, indoor and outdoor) and 22 different EQ modes. It is also possible to create and save your own EQ modes. Furthermore, various ambient sounds are available for falling asleep.
Practical test and sound quality
The over-ear headphones are operated using the aforementioned five buttons and touch control panel on the right side. The NC button on the left side lets you switch between normal (ANC off), transparency mode, and noise cancelling (ANC). If your choice falls on Noise Cancelling, then the Life Q35 falls back on the mode set in the app. Switching between the different ANC modes is not possible directly via the headphones. The majority of actions are performed via the right side. Here you will find a button for play/pause, one for quieter and another for louder. The buttons also have a double function. If you hold down the volume down button for a second, you jump to the previous track. Similarly, a longer press on the louder button jumps to the next track. A detailed explanation of the key assignment can be found in the Soundcore app under Quick Start or in the detailed user manual.
Furthermore, the wear detection automatically pauses the music as soon as you take off the headphones and resumes it ~1-2 seconds after you put the headphones back on. This mostly worked reliably, but occasionally there were unwanted pauses when the headphones slipped just slightly.
The basic tuning of the headphones is clearly bass-heavy. The bass is by no means extreme, but it does push itself strongly into the foreground. The trebles, on the other hand, seem very restrained. However, this can be mitigated with the help of the extensive 8-band equalizer. It is definitely advisable to test the different modes and choose the one that suits your preferences. Alternatively, it is also possible to adjust the frequencies manually. We very much like the reproduction of voices, e.g. in podcasts, audio books and phone calls. These are very precise and clear.
If you use high-resolution content, the sound becomes even clearer and more differentiated thanks to LDAC. You don’t have to be an audiophile for this, even untrained listeners should notice a difference. It is important that your playback device supports LDAC, which is the case with many current Android smartphones, and that the audio file offers sufficient quality. The latter is not always given, especially with streaming providers.
Active Noise Cancelling
The Active Noise Cancelling left a good impression in the test. The effect was clearly noticeable at all times, disturbing noises on public transport, outside or even in the office were clearly reduced. We also found the different modes helpful and useful. There are no different levels of ANC, but you can switch to transparency mode if necessary. This is possible quickly and easily via the touch control panel. However, Soundcore’s ANC cannot keep up with the high-end models from Bose and Sony at all. However, this cannot be expected considering the high price difference.
The user’s own voice was mostly well and clearly understandable during calls, and background noise was also noticeably filtered out. The voice of our opposite was very easy to understand at all times.
Comfort
Due to the low weight and good padding, the Soundcore Life Q35 sit very comfortably. The contact pressure of the headphones is low, so the comfort only decreases after several hours.
The padding of the headphone cups is sufficiently thick, the memory foam is rather firm and does not yield too much. The distance to the headphone drivers is sufficiently large. Unfortunately, the headphones’ padding cannot be changed by the user, or Soundcore does not provide for this.
Battery life
Soundcore claims a very long battery life of up to 60 hours for the Life Q35, or up to 40 hours with ANC enabled. During the test, we used the headphones almost exclusively with ANC and can roughly confirm this claim. The runtime we measured was only a few hours below that and thus represents a very good value. If the battery is nevertheless empty at an inconvenient time, then the quick-charge function provides relief in just a few minutes.
Conclusion
In summary, the Soundcore Life Q35 is a great overall package at a very attractive price. Sound, ANC and wearing comfort are good to very good. The same applies to the workmanship, although Soundcore unfortunately relies almost exclusively on plastic for the material. Furthermore, you get Hi-Res Audio Wireless for only 130€, which is not self-evident even in higher price ranges, a long battery life, and a large scope of delivery. The gap to high-end headphones from other manufacturers is noticeable, but you still get a lot for your money.
However, the biggest problem for the Life Q35 is probably the competition from its own house. While the Life Q35 is an upgrade over the Life Q30 and offers a bit more, the latter is now often available at very low prices, so this may be the better choice if the price difference is high.
If you are looking for good over-ear headphones at a very good price, noticeable ANC, good sound including Hi-Res Audio Wireless and a long battery life, you should take a look at the Soundcore Life Q35.
Soundcore Life Q35
Workmanship
Comfort
Sound quality
Noise Cancelling
Features
Value for money
89/100
Very good overall package with many features, long battery life and large scope of delivery at an attractive price.
No replies yet
Neue Antworten laden...
Neues Mitglied
Beteilige dich an der Diskussion in der Basic Tutorials Community →