The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The JBL Live Pro 2 are stemless earbuds, making them more compact and better suited for exercise due to their lightweight and secure fit. They also feature active noise cancelling and wireless charging, providing convenience and isolation for busy environments. The Soundcore Life Q30 headphones offer an over-ear design with better sound quality and comfort for prolonged use, as well as a longer battery life, which is ideal for travel and extended listening sessions. Both are similarly priced and have active noise cancelling, but if you need something for rigorous activities, JBL may suit you better, while for comfort and battery life, Soundcore is the way to go. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the JBL Live Pro 2
Very good for exercise
Advantages of the Soundcore Life Q30
Good for music
Key differences
Music
5.9/10
7.1/10
The Soundcore Life Q30 is good for music, while the JBL Live Pro 2 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.8/10
4.8/10
The JBL Live Pro 2 and Soundcore Life Q30 are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks, though the JBL Live Pro 2 is somewhat better.
Battery
8.3 Hours
44.0 Hours
The JBL Live Pro 2 has 8.3 hours of battery life. The Soundcore Life Q30 has 44 hours of battery life.
Cost
$90
$80
$40
$60
$80
$100
$120
$140
$160
The JBL Live Pro 2 has a price of $90 and the Soundcore Life Q30 costs $80.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.0/10
The Soundcore Life Q30 has very good build quality, while the JBL Live Pro 2 has good build quality.
The JBL Live Pro 2 and Soundcore Life Q30 are both poor for gaming.
Phone Calls
5.2/10
5.1/10
The JBL Live Pro 2 and Soundcore Life Q30 are both poor for phone calls.
TV and Video
5.5/10
5.4/10
The JBL Live Pro 2 and Soundcore Life Q30 are both poor for TV and video.
Noise Reduction
9.1/10
8.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers JBL Live Pro 2 to be excellent for noise reduction, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is very good.
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How the JBL Live Pro 2 and the Soundcore Life Q30 compare to other earbuds and headphones
"The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS occupy an interesting space in the wireless earbuds market. They’re a step up from cheap wireless earbuds and allow you to access better sound quality without having to make the jump to more premium options from the likes of Bose, Sony and Sennheiser. They’re an entertaining listen, easy to use and manage to pack in a lot of useful features. We think they’re well worth a listen."
"Every once in a while, headphones with an excellent price/performance ratio arrive that truly deserves all attention. Anker Soundcore Life Q30 are one of those headphones. Of course, they aren’t perfect, but they do most things better than their competition. Or they give you the option to make them better."
Get a great deal on the JBL Live Pro 2 or the Soundcore Life Q30
About JBL
JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer. Owned by Harman International which is, itself, owned by Samsung Electronics. JBL markets a wide array of monitoring speakers, professional headphones and consumer market headphones and earbuds. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing (whose initials give the company its name) and has become one of the most prolific audio companies ever. Their products were responsible for audio during the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
About Soundcore
Soundcore is a sub-brand belonging to Anker Innovations. Starting in 2014, initially marketing wireless, Bluetooth, speakers, Anker now offers an array of, budget-friendly, wireless earbuds and headphones that directly compete, especially in the Active Noise Canceling field, with other brands several times as expensive.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Luis Torres
Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.