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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're looking for top-notch sound for music and are willing to pay a premium, the Sennheiser IE600 earbuds provide excellent build and sound quality, but lack features like a microphone and wireless capabilities. In contrast, the Soundcore Life Q20 headphones offer very good noise isolation, active noise cancelling, and are suitable for air travel with superior battery life, at a more budget-friendly price. However, they may not match the Sennheiser's sound quality for music and have a poorer soundstage, making them less ideal for critical listening. The Soundcore also offers the convenience of being wireless with integrated controls for ease of use. 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 IE600
- Very good for music
- Excellent for TV and video
Advantages of the Soundcore Life Q20
- Excellent for air travel
Key differences
Music
8.3
7.0
The Sennheiser IE600 is very good for music, while the Soundcore Life Q20 is good.
Gaming
6.7
5.2
The Sennheiser IE600 is only fair for gaming, while the Soundcore Life Q20 is poor.
Phone Calls
3.5
4.9
The Soundcore Life Q20 and Sennheiser IE600 are both poor for phone calls, though the Soundcore Life Q20 is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
4.7
The Sennheiser IE600 and Soundcore Life Q20 are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks, though the Sennheiser IE600 is somewhat better.
TV and Video
9.3
5.3
The Sennheiser IE600 is excellent for TV and video, while the Soundcore Life Q20 is poor.
Noise Reduction
7.0
8.7
The Soundcore Life Q20 is very good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser IE600 is good.
Battery
N/A
32.3 Hours
The Sennheiser IE600 does not have a battery. The Soundcore Life Q20 has 32.3 hours of battery life.
Cost
$600
$50
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The Sennheiser IE600 has a price of $600 and the Soundcore Life Q20 costs $50.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Sennheiser IE600 has excellent build quality, while the Soundcore Life Q20 has very good build quality.
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How the Sennheiser IE600 and the Soundcore Life Q20 compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Sennheiser IE600 | Soundcore Life Q20 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$600 | $50 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Sennheiser | Soundcore | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | November 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 8.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 3.5/10 | 4.9/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 6.8/10 | 5.2/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 9.3/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 4.6/10 | 5.3/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | N/A | 32.3 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | N/A | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | N/A | 1.8 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 | No | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | N/A | No | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 2.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 8.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Large | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 6 Grams | 258.5 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | N/A | Integrated | |
Shopping
Sennheiser IE600
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Dig into reviews and images
Soundguys
Jasper Lastoria | August 2023
"If you've got the bucks, the Sennheiser IE 600 is a nice, upscale set of in-ear monitors made of a lightweight metal with an unusual texture. It comes with a suite of extras, and performs well at virtually every task."
Soundcore Life Q20
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Christian Thomas | January 2022
"As far as headphones that cost under $100 go, the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is a really solid option. Like any good tool, it does the job well without much guff, and it’s affordable to boot. Sure: it’s not going toe to toe with any of the higher-end models of ANC headphones out there—but the headphones do well enough for commuters that it’s a good stand-in if you were never planning on spending a bunch of money anyway."
Get a great deal on the Sennheiser IE600 or the Soundcore Life Q20
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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