Soundcore Anker Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Wireless Over Ear Bluetooth Headphones, 60H Playtime, Hi-Res Audio, Deep Bass, Memory Foam Ear Cups, Travel, Office, USB-C Charging

(Update 9/9: last night I was enjoying a podcast on these, and they were working great as usual. Suddenly, I heard a weird burst of static in my left ear. I turned the volume on my phone down, thinking it may have been coming from there. There was another burst of static. Hmm. I did a full restart on my iPhone 14 Plus, and on the headphones. More static. Oh no... I called Amazon, and they were great as always about arranging a return. This morning, I tried the Q20s again. No static. None. I called Anker and was on hold for awhile- about 20 minutes- but when I did get through, remarkably, *it was to a live human being*, and this human being was knowledgable, and took the time to answer all of my questions. Remarkably, he also did not try to sell me their priciest (and newest) pair of headphones, the Space 1s. He suggested, in fact, after listening to what I am wanting in a pair of headphones- decent sound, decent volume, good noise cancelling- that I get another pair of Q20s. Our conversation took place over the Q20 headphones. (By the way- not a nanosecond of static. And none since.) He also explained the Anker warranty. Any time any Anker product is purchased via Amazon, the warranty is immediately activated. You don't need to call Anker, send anything in, go online- nothing. The warranty starts as soon as your purchase is made. The warranty covers 18 months of product life. I am still considering purchasing the three year warranty offered by Amazon on top of that, as with my luck, the plastic "headband" (the crescent shaped piece of adjustable plastic that goes over your head) will disintegrate on day one of the 19th month.I was really impressed by the customer service I received throughout this phone call, and *really* appreciated that a live human being took my call. He was easy to understand, and obviously well-versed on his company's products. And also he didn't try to sell me ten things, or get me to sign up for anything or download anything. I am finding that this kind of service is becoming very rare these days.I do think I am going to purchase another pair of Q20s, as I really do like them. So far, they have shown zero sign of the ear cups separating or the plastic weakening or any part of them becoming compromised at all. And no more static in the left ear. Why did that happen- I'll never know, I suppose. But it is good to know that Anker stands behind their products, AND that a person actually answers the phone when you call. (Can you imagine?). I have had to deal with the "customer service" agents when I finally got through at Sony and that experience, sadly, convinced me to never purchase anything manufactured by Sony again. This experience with Anker, even though it did involve discussing a seemingly one-time malfunction in my headphones, has made a loyal customer out of me. Will update after the second pair of Ankers. Thank you!)I share a wall with my next door neighbor. Luckily, there is no one on the other side of me. There has never been an issue with the tenants in this unit making any kind of noise, and I have lived in my apartment since 2016. If you were in my apartment, you wouldn't even know anyone lived next door. Everything had been nice and tranquil as far as that apartment was concerned, for years. That is, until recently.Ever experienced the joys of getting unwillingly serenaded by someone's throbbing subwoofer? The thing about being subjected to a stereo with a subwoofer going, is that the music might be barely audible, but you can *feel* the bass notes physically, especially if the stereo and subwoofer are physically nearby. And that is what is happening to me, right now. There are constant bass throbbings coming through the wall, coming from the apartment that had for so long been perfectly quiet. The music itself really isn't loud enough to be a nuisance. But the low frequency pulsations of the bass certainly *are* a nuisance. Apparently, the woman who owns that apartment has turned it over to her kids for who knows how long. Her kids are in their early 20s. Their stereo is never off, so their subwoofer is never off.I tried asking them to please realize they have neighbors, and their subwoofer is bothering their neighbors, and could they *please* limit the hours when they play their stereo. They just snarled something, and slammed the door in my face. They then started playing their stereo louder- not a lot louder, but noticeably louder. I next requested that the building Super speak to them. He did. They turned their stereo off for a few moments, after he spoke with them. I then heard the sound of something heavy being hurled against our mutual wall. Then, the stereo started up again. It was playing at a slightly lower volume. But the bass was still vibrating the wall.There had been an issue, several years ago, with problem tenants right above me, who REALLY blasted their stereo with their powerful subwoofer at all hours. They were also selling drugs, and a stream of "America's Most Wanted" types were coming and going also at all hours. They used the back parking lot as a stolen car storage lot. Their "guests" started fires in the garbage cans in the lobby, after nodding out and dropping lit cigarettes into them, as they sat in the chairs out there. You don't want to know what they were doing in the laundry room. The list of their unpleasantness goes on and on. This went on for seven years.The HOA here did nothing about them. Nothing. None of the HOA members lived in this state, so all they did was collect our money, and ignore our phone calls and emails about these nuisance, and dangerous, tenants. During this time, I developed PTSD, which was diagnosed by a psychiatrist, along with anxiety disorder and chronic depression. I rarely slept, and could barely function at my jobs. Finally, after seven years, there was a change in HOA personnel. Eventually, the problem tenants were evicted. I could hardly believe how peaceful it then became here.Thinking they would have my back, I emailed the current HOA regarding the current situation with the eternally pulsating stereo. I had recently noticed some "please be courteous to other tenants, and keep your noise down between 10pm and 8am" hand written notices posted around the lobby and in the hallways. I don't know if they are aimed at these particular tenants, but it seems as if this building again has some residents who are inspiring complaints.The HOA told me, basically, that I was on my own. The HOA just told me to keep “negotiating” with the neighbors, who had already demonstrated they could care less if they are bothering me. I will be checking on legal representation this following week, as I am disabled, and my disability was caused in part by the constant unpleasant behavior I was subjected to by the tenants upstairs when the HOA did nothing years ago for so long, though I emailed and called them about their activities, which clearly were in violation of the HOA bylaws, over and over again. It looks like I have another situation like that on my hands again.However! I thought- what can I do that can help me right now? I typed "sound canceling wireless headphones" into the Amazon search bar, and found a lot of choices. Most of the results were far beyond my means, as I am on a fixed income, and it is also the end of the month. But the constant throbbing of the bass right into my physical form through my bedroom wall was starting to literally make me sick. Google the effects that constant low frequency sounds- even when these sounds are not audible- have on the human body. These kind of sound waves are not good for human health, especially in the long term. Needless to say, I felt very vindicated after reading the findings of these scientific studies.The reviews for the Soundcore Anker Life Q20 headphones were predominantly positive. The review that really encouraged me to go for it was the one mentioning the work colleagues who seemed to possess no indoor voices, and who constantly and loudly discussed basketball results et al at the top of their lungs without a care as to who they might be bothering with the volume of their voices. I could totally relate to that story. I used to work in a call center, where you made your living by being on the phone, so you needed to be heard by clients, and you needed to hear who you were talking to. This call center had an open floor plan, so we were in low-walled cubicles, but if someone stood up and shouted, even if they were on the other side of the room, you would hear them clearly from where you were. I found that I was surrounded by the kind of people who thought that yelling across the work floor to a distant friend about the softball game their kid had played the previous evening, while they were standing basically right next to me while I was on a call, was perfectly ok. These people weren’t adults. They were like giant toddlers, with no filter. Many of them were in their late forties and early fifties. When I later would ask them- politely- to be more cognizant of their volume level of their voice, as I was attempting to do my job, they became outraged. The nerve of me, to attempt to request they be considerate of their co-workers! Lol. So reading that these headphones had helped in that situation (I wish I had had them when I had been working at the call center) right then and there I thought that's it- I am ordering these headphones, and right now.And I am so glad I did! I was happily surprised, as they are not expensive headphones, at their ability to block out ambient sound. I usually run a white noise soundtrack in the background when I am home. I had turned it on automatically this morning, and started answering my emails. I hadn't realized I had boosted the volume on the white noise a bit too much, as I had put on and fired up my new Anker headphones before switching on the receiver. I took the headphones off for a moment to adjust my hair at one point, and was amazed, as the white noise was playing far too loudly- far louder than I would ever play it. Had I been using my regular J Lab wireless earbuds, I would have heard that it had been turned up too much right away. I actually dashed into my bedroom to turn down the receiver, as I felt bad for MY neighbors!As far as the subwoofer- so far, I (knock wood) haven't been able to hear it. At all. I have had the headphones and the white noise going in my bedroom, and I took a break from my work (I work from home) after lunch to read ,and hang out with the kitties. I didn't hear any boom boom boom at all. I had heard them playing the stereo earlier, when I had been wearing my regular earbuds, so I am happy to report that these Anker headphones really appear to be helping.The headphones were delivered this morning, so I can't attest as to their long-term performance, or their performance under various conditions (if they turned up their stereo up extra loud, my wearing the headphones without the white noise running, etc.) but so far, I am VERY satisfied with their performance. I was shocked at how fast they charged, and I have been wearing them for hours, yet they are still showing a full charge. They are comfortable to wear. I have a regular sized head, and I am picky about over the ear headphones. A lot of them give me a headache: these, so far, have not. They are nice and snug, so they keep the ambient noise out, but are not excessively tight. I actually fell asleep during my after lunch break hanging out with the cats, which is unusual for me to do with over the ear headphones.Cons: the instructions for the controls for the headphones are rendered in a “cartoon” style, so that was a bit odd, but not too difficult to figure out. The max volume is pretty good, and I like my headphones to get loud. I don't usually listen to music on headphones. There is a "bass boost" feature (a hard to understand voice sort of croaks "bass up" when you push the button with the triangle on it between the up/down volume buttons, and "normal"- I think that's what it says- when you turn the extra bass off) but this feature doesn't seen to make a huge difference. It does make voices sound richer and fuller. --Ok- I just tested the headphones with music. I chose to play "Wardance" by Killing Joke, as I know that song well, and yes, the "bass up" feature does make a noticeable difference. But as far as music goes- these headphones, for an old punk like me, would need to get a LOT louder, when playing music, for my taste. But that is a subjective thing, and I really didn't buy them to play music, but to listen to podcasts and to watch movies and YouTube stuff, and of course to block out that *&^%$!! subwoofer.I've only had one phone call while wearing the headphones. I wasn't crazy about how the other person sounded- they sounded kind of "tinny," and distant- but according to them, they could hear me clearly. So I guess they work fine there, too. —EDIT: I have taken other phone calls with these headphones on after that one initial call. The voice on the the other end at the beginning of the call was a bit crackly, but this happens often with my carrier. After a few moments on the call, I could hear the caller perfectly. I make and receive calls with these Anker headphones all the time now. I always begin the call by saying “I’m wearing a new headset- I just want to make sure- can you hear me ok?” I am always assured that I can be heard just fine. A friend of mine, who is used to my cheaper earbuds on our calls, has told me repeatedly that my voice sounds much clearer on our calls with these headphones.PROS: these headphones are the fastest charging electrical anything I have ever owned- period. It's actually kind of freaky how fast these things charge. It's great. They also hold a charge the longest amount of time of any electrical thing I've ever owned. I wore them all night to block out the thump thump of the subwoofer and, after six or seven hours of sleeping, I checked their charge level on my iPhone. Their battery level was still showing as a solid green circle meaning- they were still at, or nearly at, 100% charge. That's impressive.One of the reviews mentioned these headphones don't come with an ON/OFF switch. They do. Left and Right headphone ear cup side orientations are marked inside the ear cups with an "L" and an "R." The power switch is on the Left side cup, right above the "NC" (noise canceling) switch, which I always leave switched on. Volume Up and Down, and the triangle-marked button, the Bass up or down switch, are located on the Right side cup.Their Noise Canceling capability is VERY impressive, given their low price point. There are times when I can *just barely* hear the bass from next door. But really- it's negligible, compared to what it was. I'm also going to take some other steps to help deal with this situation, but until then, these headphones have given me back the ability to have some nice, unbroken sleep, which is worth its weight in gold.I will update my review if something drastically changes regarding the performance these headphones. But right now- I am really happy I ordered these. I placed my order around midnight, and Amazon got them to me at around noon the next day. I'm really glad of this, as not having to endure that subwoofer- let's just say these headphones arrived just in time to save my last nerve.I am happy with the purchase of these headphones, and highly recommend them. Thank you.

UPDATE: Added the 5th star. Read the review with edits at the end.Wow. I am rarely this blown away by consumer-grade peripherals, but I feel very compelled to write a glowing review of these headphones.I do a lot of audio work, and cans are ubiquitous. I have some wired Sennies that I love behind the mixer, a couple wired Audio Technicas that have stood the test of time in the broadcast studio, and a pair of nice Sony BT cans with ANC, so I will be comparing these Ankers to the Sony model WH-1000MX3.Without question, Anker has come further, faster, than a lot of peripheral manufacturers. The attention to detail in their products is exceptional, and downright attractive. The build quality is great, the packaging is great, the functionality is great, the ergonomics are great. My experience with their hubs is what leaned me toward their headphones.After a bad experience with in-ear phones on an airplane, I decided I really needed some over-the-ear headphones for flying, but I didn't want to carry around a $300 pair of cans that I only use a couple dozen times a year. I looked on Amazon, saw the reviews, read the single-star complaints, and plunked down a whopping $60 (SIXTY BUCKS?!?! Are you kidding?) figuring they couldn't sound that awful and would be perfect for the task.Let me assure you: these are the perfect headphones for flying.I like the idea that if they get lost or stolen, they're easily replaceable. I love how well they fit (with a caveat, below), and they look great. MOST of all, holy cow do they sound great!Pairing the first time was a little bit of a process, but that's to be expected the first time you play with a new toy. After that, I put on my go-to sound check song ("Sacrilege," by Mentallo and the Fixer), cranked the volume way up, and listened.I have no idea what the THD or frequency range on these are, but I don't think I care. The "silent note" at the 1:00 mark of that song came through so clearly, without even the slightest hiss or noise, that I was madly in love with them immediately. The dynamic range is exceptional, there was no need for me to play with the super-duper-bass-button-doodad, I just let it play.The highs are crisp without tinny tones, the lows are deep without rattling the 40mm drivers (I'd love a set like this with 50mm drivers), just a very clean, direct, simple, uncomplicated sound quality that rivals the AT 500's I have and is absolutely on-par with the Sonys.So I tested the ANR. I turned on the A/C in my office, reset Sacrilege, and played the beginning again. The A/C, as expected, kinda dampened the experience, but not any worse than the Sonys. I reset the song again, with the A/C on, and activated ANR (it's called ANC on the Sonys). THIS is where the two headphones differ dramatically.With Noise Cancellation on, the Ankers outperform the Sonys. Period. It's a night and day difference, so if this is why you're considering these headphones, waste no more time and go get yourself a pair.In terms of tonal quality, I put these at the top of the list of any wireless earphones anywhere. I mean it. They're better than ANY earbud type I've listened with, they're better than every other OTE without ANR/ANC, and they're as good as the Sonys, but with better ANR. They're better than any WIRED earbud, too, including the Sony IEMs I used to use back when everything had an 1/8" jack.Sound is, as you would expect, not 'quite' as good as the higher-end wired ATs and Sennies. I don't think Anker would mind me saying that, because they're a completely different application. If you play MP3s and don't think they sound worse than lossless files, you wouldn't appreciate the higher-end phones, so go buy these right away. If you can't hear compression noise in your satellite radio, then you won't appreciate the compression of BlueTooth and you should go buy these right away.That's quite a lot of good stuff to say about a pair of headphones that cost less than a decent dinner.There are 3 reasons for the 4 star review.1. The ear pads are uncomfortable for my ears. Not VERY uncomfortable, but enough that I have to adjust the phones several times during a 3 hour flight. It might be that they're new and I just need to break them in. If that turns out to be true, I'll adjust the review up a star.2. The battery life isn't that great. To be fair, I only need about 12 hours of battery life and I'll just recharge them. However, the advertised battery life is estimated at 40 hours with ANR and 60 hours without. My experience is that with ANR I get about 22-24 hours, and without I get about 48. Now, I have not had these very long, so I've only timed my first recharges, so if it turns out the battery life goes up with proper use, I'll add the 5th star.3. They don't fold up as small as the Sonys or even my ATs. This one alone is not worth docking a whole star, but it's the only other complaint I have. Carry-on space is so limited, and there's a pocket in my bag that the Sonys fit in, and these don't (not by much though).Hope that helps you make a decision. I'm very happy with these, and I just might give them some airtime at sea level just for giggles.UPDATE January 2023: After using these headphones for a reasonable amount of time, I'm adding the 5th star. The earphone cushions did "break in," which I'm not crazy about (if it breaks in, it will break out), but they did become more comfortable. Ordinary movement is sufficient to avoid the urge to move the head phones. On a 3 hour flight, they're perfectly fine. When they are new, the cushions are a bit stiff and I should have realized that, because my AT's needed their cushions replaced after umpteen years.Battery-wise, I am getting pretty close to advertised spec, but I have noticed that if you crank up the volume on your phone or player, then crank up the volume on the headphones, the battery life suffers dramatically. Play with it a bit, adjusting device volume and then headphone volume until you get good sound without noise.Finally, I'll tell you that I like these so much that I bought a BT card for my PC. These are pretty good for videoconferences, and they're nice to have while you run a buzzsaw or have screaming children next door and you just want to not be distracted. I'll still prefer my Sennies for mixing, and I still prefer my AT's for ordinary focused PC work, but these cans are exceptionally good. I cannot get over how good they are, affordable or not.Five stars. When they wear out, or break, or otherwise stop making me smile, I'll just go buy another set.