Review on 🎧 Anker Soundcore Life Q10 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones - Over Ear, Foldable, Hi-Res Sound, 60-Hour Playtime, Fast USB-C Charging, Deep Bass, Aux Input - Ideal for Travel, Online Classes, Home Office by Gerard Hudson

I was very happy with Anker when they were a small start up company, met their founders at trade shows and gave them lots of free tips and tricks, some of which they used and others ignored themselves. These days I'm less than thrilled with a lot of the things they put their name on, and every now and then I see other companies outdo them in terms of quality and design. Actually the last thing I bought from them was a few years ago and they removed me from their mailing list. I wrinkled my nose when I saw these headphones. As a former radio amateur, producer and sound engineer, I know headphones like the back of my hand and my knowledge of them is at an expert level. I literally have a shelf full of these in my closet, priced in the thousands. The last thing I want or need is another pair. But I was drawn to their seemingly light weight and the fact that they use Bluetooth 5.0 for hopefully fewer dropouts and less compressed audio. Some of the other claims seemed more like marketing gibberish than reality, especially for the price. A good pair of headphones can become very heavy and tiring. At just 10 ounces (by my measurements), they promise to be more comfortable, but that usually comes at the cost of being made from cheap plastic that falls apart after a few months. REAL BASS OR PLEASANT EFFECT Headphones are subject to the laws of science. , the larger the converter and the more powerful the driver, the better it can reproduce ultra-low frequencies. Anker is promoting a by-product of what Bose and other companies have been doing for years to trick ears into believing they're hearing certain frequencies, which I call the wow effect. And that's it, for a few minutes you'll be blown away by the most amazing sound you've ever heard. Then all of this starts to tire your ears and brain, and you realize you're not actually hearing music, but a sound effect. I ran them the same standard test that I've been using since I started working with Henry Kloss and the folks at Shure. My tests aren't entirely scientific, they're just based on actual sound reproduction and user experience. COMPARISON CONDITIONS Evaluating headphones is not an easy task. There will be the inevitable reviews that exaggerate and talk about how impressive they are for being given a sample to try. And on the other hand, those who raise the bar and compare them to audiophile models that are many times more expensive. What we have here is neither, for less than forty dollars it is a mass-produced, all-plastic product that rises only slightly above the toy level. So let's be honest and realistic, I'll tell you what you get for forty bucks and refrain from idealizing them or complaining that they're not as good as studio quality reference cans. PLASTICI has nothing against plastic. and let's face it, even Ferraris are made of plastic these days. Some of the best headphones available are made from man-made synthetic materials. Unfortunately, they are made of low-quality plastic, which has a negative effect on the sound quality. In a way, this is similar to the impact some plastics have on the taste of food and drink. Again in comparison I would call that toy quality. On the positive side, the hinges are made of metal. CONTROLS For the most part, Anker did a good job designing the control panel for these phones. Everything is clustered at the bottom edge of the right earcup and the buttons have a tactile touch and the practice of using buttons that perform multiple functions is kept to a bare minimum. There's a power button that also sets up Bluetooth pairing. It also controls the use of these phones as a smartphone headset, but I won't talk about that use, I think there are much better smartphone headsets out there than this thing. The next button is the volume rocker, which is pretty easy to control, and finally the bass boost button. Nearby are a USB-C charging port and a standard stereo mini audio jack for wired operation. Next to it is a small status LED. Choosing a USB-C port isn't a huge plus or minus, but its potential is minimized by the fact that they don't include a power bank charger. They include a short stereo audio cable, which for the first time makes me call the item boring. The cable is weak, too short and not very secure. When you plug it in, it turns off all onboard electronics, so the headphone drivers are powered solely by your device's amplifier, so the maximum volume is relatively weak. By turning off the electronics, you lose one of the main advantages of headphones - the bass boost system. You also just have to resort to the volume controls on your smartphone or other device. THE BEST AND THE WORST Most products have at least one feature that you like, but on the other hand you wish they valued it more. With this product, it is commendable to have the designations of the left and right shells printed on the inside of each earcup. So many others these days have a tiny cast designation or none at all. It's so nice to be able to catch them even in total darkness and know which ear is which. The negative side of the coin is the loud and somewhat hoarse voice that comes out of the headphones when switching the bass boost on and off (it's also used for a few other functions). The voice is so annoying that having it is almost a total deal breaker for me. It doesn't take them into account, but it's worth noting that the instruction can't be understood in any way. Come on Anker, now you're a big company, you can let someone create a better user experience with your user guides. Bass boost and overall sound quality. Here's a field test, these are pretty standard forty dollar headphones. Their main marketing gimmick is the bass boost button, which they call BassUp. I'm going to merge this discussion with my general opinion on the sound quality of these phones as the two things are intertwined. Here are a few things to know: 1. Unlike other attempts to hit the user with extended bass, they not only attenuate low frequencies, but also work on individual frequencies in real-time to boost some of them without make the overall sound deeper. Yes, it does matter, but not in the kind that changes the tone of everything you hear. It may take several seconds or even minutes before you suddenly hear an increase in certain frequencies. Like many other setups we hear, this one becomes tiresome over time, and once the wow factor hiss wears off, many people can find the effect overwhelming. Due to the rather large membranes and, I suspect, the larger drivers, these headphones produce an above-average bass without any artificial boost. Unfortunately, the plastic sound I mentioned has a worse effect with the bass booster switched on. The cups fit well and fully cover both ears, but don't create excessive pressure. Outside noise is effectively blocked and the sweet spot is right above the ear canal. The headband is soft and adjustable, nothing will pinch or tangle your hair. They fold up and look like they can make the journey, but unfortunately no suitcase or holdall is included. BLUETOOTH COMPRESSION AND SHUTDOWN The use of Bluetooth 5.0 technology is an improvement over older technologies. They don't sound as compressed, but don't expect them to have the expansive soundstage of good wired headphones, that just isn't possible when tuned to Bluetooth. You can listen to them, but if you're really passionate about music, random snippets will bother you. This excludes stage and studio surveillance applications. YES OR NO If your headphone budget limits you to fifty bucks I can't think of many better options as long as you know you get what you pay for. While Anker has outgrown its legendary customer service roots, I still recommend going with an established brand with a US presence when choosing to buy inexpensive Chinese products. These aren't great headphones, but they're not that expensive either. I would be wary of rave reviews, everyone hears it differently and it's hard to separate honest reviews from those of particular interest. The only way to know for sure is to try them on your own ears. Keep them if they sound good to you, and if they don't, move on to something else. [NOTE] Inexplicably, at the time I received them, Anker says they are not currently compatible with the iPhone 11 series, but they advise updating this model at some point.