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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you're looking for detailed and authentic sound, the Sennheiser 560S may be your choice, especially for critical listening, and they don't require a battery. However, if you're often in noisy environments and want noise cancellation, the Soundcore Life Q30 offers that feature, which the Sennheiser lacks. The Q30 also provides wireless convenience with a built-in microphone for phone calls, and they are significantly less expensive. Remember that while the Sennheiser may offer superior sound quality, the Q30's extra features like portability, noise cancellation, and the convenience of wireless may outweigh that if those features align with your lifestyle or use cases. 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 Sennheiser 560S
- Best in class for music
- Excellent for TV and video
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Soundcore Life Q30
- Very good for air travel
Key differences
Music
9.5
7.1
The Sennheiser 560S is best in class for music, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is good.
Gaming
6.9
5.3
The Sennheiser 560S is only fair for gaming, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.1
4.8
The Sennheiser 560S is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
TV and Video
9.1
5.4
The Sennheiser 560S is excellent for TV and video, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
Noise Reduction
2.5
8.7
The Soundcore Life Q30 is very good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser 560S is poor.
Battery
N/A
44.0 Hours
The Sennheiser 560S does not have a battery. The Soundcore Life Q30 has 44 hours of battery life.
Cost
$180
$80
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The Sennheiser 560S has a price of $180 and the Soundcore Life Q30 costs $80.
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Key similarities
Phone Calls
5.1
5.1
The Soundcore Life Q30 and Sennheiser 560S are both poor for phone calls.
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
The Sennheiser 560S and Soundcore Life Q30 both have very good build quality.
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How the Sennheiser 560S and the Soundcore Life Q30 compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Sennheiser 560S | Soundcore Life Q30 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$180 | $80 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Sennheiser | Soundcore | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | September 1, 2020 | August 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 9.5/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.1/10 | 5.2/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 6.9/10 | 5.3/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 9.2/10 | 5.4/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 4.5/10 | 5.3/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | N/A | 44 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | N/A | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | N/A | 1.7 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | N/A | 5 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 2.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Android App | |||
Android App | N/A | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | N/A | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | N/A | 8/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 8.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 244.9 Grams | 263 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | N/A | Integrated | |
Waterproof Rating | |||
Waterproof Rating | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Sennheiser 560S
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphonesty
Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir | March 2022
"Sennheiser made a near perfect pair of studio monitors with the HD 560S. Flat bass response? Check. Neutral and uncolored midrange? Check. Extended treble with a bit of lower-treble emphasis to highlight mastering flaws? Check. Fairly easy to drive? Check. Good soundstage and imaging? Check, and check."
Soundcore Life Q30
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphones Addict
Peter Susic | December 2021
"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 Sennheiser 560S or the Soundcore Life Q30
About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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