The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 10, 2024·
If you prioritize overall sound quality and are willing to pay a premium, the Sennheiser IE600 earbuds may be a better choice, especially for high-fidelity music listening. However, they lack wireless capability, a built-in microphone, and active noise cancelling. On the other hand, the Soundcore Life Q30 headphones offer very good noise isolation, integrated microphone for calls, wireless connectivity, and active noise cancelling at a significantly lower price. These headphones may be more suited for varied everyday use, including during travel, and if you frequently make calls. Keep in mind that the Sennheiser IE600 may offer better build quality and soundstage but are not as feature-rich as the Soundcore Life Q30 which provides more modern conveniences. 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 Q30
Very good for air travel
Key differences
Music
8.3/10
7.1/10
The Sennheiser IE600 is very good for music, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is good.
Gaming
6.7/10
5.3/10
The Sennheiser IE600 is only fair for gaming, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
Phone Calls
3.5/10
5.1/10
The Soundcore Life Q30 and Sennheiser IE600 are both poor for phone calls, though the Soundcore Life Q30 is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4/10
4.8/10
The Sennheiser IE600 and Soundcore Life Q30 are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks, though the Sennheiser IE600 is somewhat better.
TV and Video
9.3/10
5.4/10
The Sennheiser IE600 is excellent for TV and video, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
Noise Reduction
7.0/10
8.7/10
The Soundcore Life Q30 is very good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser IE600 is good.
Battery
N/A
44.0 Hours
The Sennheiser IE600 does not have a battery. The Soundcore Life Q30 has 44 hours of battery life.
Cost
$600
$80
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The Sennheiser IE600 has a price of $600 and the Soundcore Life Q30 costs $80.
Build Quality
9.0/10
8.0/10
The Sennheiser IE600 has excellent build quality, while the Soundcore Life Q30 has very good build quality.
"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."
"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 IE600 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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