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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Sennheiser CX300S earbuds, being less expensive, are wired and offer a decent sound quality but lack a microphone and active noise cancelling; they are portable and suitable for exercise but are not the best for calls or gaming. In contrast, the Soundcore Life Q30 headphones are slightly more expensive and provide better overall sound quality, come with a microphone, active noise cancelling, and a long battery life, making them great for air travel and noise-sensitive environments; however, they are bulkier and not as easy to carry around as the Sennheisers. 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 CX300S
- Good for TV and video
Advantages of the Soundcore Life Q30
- Good for music
- Very good for air travel
Key differences
Gaming
6.1
5.3
The Sennheiser CX300S is only fair for gaming, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
Phone Calls
3.0
5.1
The Soundcore Life Q30 and Sennheiser CX300S are both poor for phone calls, though the Soundcore Life Q30 is somewhat better.
TV and Video
7.3
5.4
The Sennheiser CX300S is good for TV and video, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
Noise Reduction
7.0
8.7
The Soundcore Life Q30 is very good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser CX300S is good.
Battery
N/A
44.0 Hours
The Sennheiser CX300S does not have a battery. The Soundcore Life Q30 has 44 hours of battery life.
Cost
$50
$80
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
The Sennheiser CX300S has a price of $50 and the Soundcore Life Q30 costs $80.
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Key similarities
Music
6.9
7.1
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Soundcore Life Q30 to be good for music, while the Sennheiser CX300S is only fair.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
4.7
4.8
The Soundcore Life Q30 and Sennheiser CX300S are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks.
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
The Sennheiser CX300S and Soundcore Life Q30 both have very good build quality.
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How the Sennheiser CX300S and the Soundcore Life Q30 compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Sennheiser CX300S | Soundcore Life Q30 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$50 | $80 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Sennheiser | Soundcore | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2019 | August 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 7/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 3.1/10 | 5.2/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 6.1/10 | 5.3/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 7.4/10 | 5.4/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 4.2/10 | 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 | 7/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | N/A | |
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 | 7.6/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Small | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 12 Grams | 263 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | N/A | Integrated | |
Shopping
Sennheiser CX300S
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Dig into reviews and images
Major HiFi
Carroll Moore | April 2019
"Sennheiser offers impressive bang for your buck when it comes to the CX 300S. Built like a tank and sounding surprisingly good for such a budget-minded earphone, the CX 300S out-classes many of its would-be competitors. Functional but beautiful, it’s the perfect in-ear listening solution for anyone who wants to hear everything and look good doing it."
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 CX300S 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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