Was $219.99, now $186.99.
Similar to the other deal from the Anker/Soundcore website , but this one is via Amazon.
Special thanks to user TwoDollar for the heads up.
CamelCamelCamel.
Pretty good deal… Have really been waiting for them to go under $100 before I pull the trigger though….
yeah, was watching this all day yesterday as it said it starts at 1300, then it must have been 1am as it dropped overnight..
Also hoping / waiting for sub $100. But, the call quality from 3 reviews so far isn't impressive so I should just skip them…
Can't really justify yet another TWS BT earphone atm
How is this Q45 compared to the current $129 Sennheiser HD 450SE?
Q45 gets pretty good reviews on Linus. Newer too I think.
Q45 sound quality sucks, ANC is better. It's possible it gets an update to support LE Audio, but don't buy based on that without official comment.
Better sounding options today are the AKG N700NC M2 for $130 or less, and potentially the 1More SonoFlow but good quality reviews are still trickling in, but both would have weaker ANC, almost exclusively in the bass and lower mids.
But we're talking 5-7 dB here, so it's only a problem in extremely noisy environments.
My priority is sound quality over ANC, so Sennheiser HD 450SE is a better choice?
No, the AKG is the strongest choice. The 1More may prove to be better with updates due to the quality of the driver, but so far it's a tad bass-forward.
There's a slew of LE Audio headphones coming that will further improve audio quality at this price point, so don't be too eager to buy today. Some Bluetooth 5.2 and 5.3 headphones may get updates too.
@edfoo: you're probably not gonna get those prices again
i consider myself lucky to get one for less than $150 and that was a while ago
@edfoo: Then I would definitely steer you towards the 1More if you absolutely have to buy today. The Sennheiser is a darker headphone without being super bassy, while the Q45 is too bassy and lacks detail.
The 1More likely strikes a better balance between neutrality, sound quality, and ANC. It's also $115 with coupon right now on Amazon as a launch promotion.
the akg is absolutely amazing sq
its not up to say something ridiculous like the Bowers PX sereies but its such a linear signature… bad sides is less that up to date codec and passable anc but theyre long eol now
I have the Q30 right now and fairly happy with it. Use it for WFH calls on Zoom/Teams and wanting to get the A40 for commute to work etc. Is the noise cancelling on A40's comparable? Any opinions welcome :)
These are very new though so checkout reviews.
I have soundcore q30 and their noise cancellation is very average.. Can't even cancel my bathroom exhaust fan. This is compared to Sony 1000xm3 which make the noise completely disappear.
@cycleri3: Yeah my wife has the Bose NC 700 and compared to Q30 they are way ahead but Q30 are not too bad for what they are worth though. I'm on a busy street and they do a fairly good job of cutting out a lot of background traffic noise which is my primary use case.
"Q45 sound quality sucks,"
Really? I heard the Q45 had a big change in sound quality and is a more balanced sound so it's better than the Q30/Q35 which had a very bass heavy sound making the mids and highs sound muffled.
"But we're talking 5-7 dB here, so it's only a problem in extremely noisy environments."
I read somewhere that every 3dB in difference is equal to doubling the loudness. So if the ANC is 6dB less effective, doesn't that mean the better ANC cancels out quadriple the volume level of a certain noise?
I have heard the quote "better audio quality = worse ANC performance" though.
Really? I heard the Q45 had a big change in sound quality and is a more balanced sound so it's better than the Q30/Q35 which had a very bass heavy sound making the mids and highs sound muffled.
For a USD $150 headphone, it's meh. The 1More stands atop it, and that's at $115.
I read somewhere that every 3dB in difference is equal to doubling the loudness. So if the ANC is 6dB less effective, doesn't that mean the better ANC cancels out quadriple the volume level of a certain noise?
The doubling figure is 10dB. The bigger issue is the processing of noise via the microphone array: as things stand the 1More isn't great for strong wind gusts and bike rides compared to the Q45, and I would guess that's primarily due to a looser seal. But for standard repetitive noises, it should be no problem unless you're in environments where the external noise is consistently at say 80dB or higher and you want
I have heard the quote "better audio quality = worse ANC performance" though.
That's definitely going to be a thing when and where the ANC technology and driver technology are equal. At that point, you're bound by physics, and distortion and perceived bit depth and detail will suffer as you send cancelling waves out along with your raw audio. Lace in bluetooth codec limitations and the battery drain of both technologies as you balance for all this, and you're looking at a quality trade-off to accomplish your goals.
Between the passive noise cancellation of the materials, and the areas where the ANC works without severely hampering the sound, you're probably looking at maybe -35 dB to -40 dB noise cancellation across the spectrum with best practice today while having good audio quality, but it takes a lot of work and good quality materials.
Better audio processing for both bluetooth and ANC need to continue to progress, though of course machine learning methods are already being weaved in for more intelligent ANC processing. In time, metamaterials and maybe MEMS mics and speakers will lead to better and better devices.
@jasswolf: Interesting you say 1More's sounds quality is better than Q45. In this YouTube's review (and comparison), they are said to be different but not better than each other.
@edfoo: If you listened to both reviewers in that, you'll find that they both rate the raw detail, but that one felt the ANC implementation on the Q45 made for better 'sound quality' overall.
@jasswolf: Just watched a YouTube review on the Sonoflow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMA0PneF4OY
Not good.
@edfoo: Stands in contrast to more refined reviews that I've seen so far. Possible there may have been an issue with fitment, or that it was straight up faulty.
When you land a faulty product on YouTube, you'll tend to find people publish the product review for clicks, then post the re-review down the track. Double the ad revenue.
@jasswolf: Possibly. Anyway thanks for your input in this thread, I have ended up ordering a B&W PX7 from David Jones earlier today for $286, hopefully it was still in stock and ready to be shipped to me soon.
@jasswolf: "The doubling figure is 10dB."
Thanks yeah I got that wrong lol. I looked it up again "doubling in perceived loudness is +10db" and "every doubling in acoustic power equals +3dB", so that means running a 2W amplifier at maximum is 3dB louder than a 1W amplifier at maximum correct?
Also I thought the Sonoflow and Q35 were clone products of each other but you pointed out the different driver so I noticed the 1More uses a diamond like carbon coated DLC driver compared to the silk driver in the Q35. Not sure how much is true and how much is marketing but there is an advertised difference. Mostly all the other specs are identical between the two.
@harshbdmmaster718: DLC has commonly been used in IEMs to this point, but I'm not sure on the specifics of other carbon fibre-based drivers that have been used in headphones over the years. This might not be completely novel, but it's certainly very rare to this point. 1More and Xiaomi have a history of this kind of experimentation in the market over the years, though probably only 2 long term success stories.
On the other side of things, a silk-domed dynamic driver is something you would typically see used as a tweeter in speaker systems, so I'd imagine there'd be a host of bass distortion in an effort to get the full audible spectrum.
The video linked earlier shows that the 1More works best with ANC off as things stand, but I'd imainge they'll somewhat refine the ANC tuning via firmware.
@jasswolf: I recently discovered a possibly less known ANC headphone it's called the Korg NC-Q1.
https://www.korg.com/au/products/dj/nc_q1/
Some reviews state ANC is not great but it seems to be similar to the 1More Sonoflow in that it puts a priority on sound quality vs ANC so I thought you might like to read up on it.
Currently $499 so definitely not going to consider it unless they are discounted to like $200 but I thought they looked interesting.
I found 2 negative reviews though on Amazon that state the headphones refuse to charge after using them once which is odd but makes me think it's some kind of user error like they are using the wrong type of USB cable or something.
Any decent one for Teams/Zoom call? I'm looking for a wireless one, and have been waiting for the Bose 700 to come down to around $300 again.
Heard that the Jabra ones with a boom mic is the best, but they are way too expensive.
Thanks.
Bluetooth headphones won't really offer good quality mic audio until Bluetooth LE Audio and LC3 are in full swing.
Wireless gaming headsets are mostly garbage in terms of the headphone component, but some do have decent mic bandwidth on their 2.4GHz connection.
If you're not really using Teams/Zoom much on the go, or away from home, I would instead look at a desk mic, a lapel mic, or even just testing out the mic array in your laptop/mobile/tablet if that's what you're using, as recent models offer some outstanding MEMS microphone arrays compared to a lot of basic microphone options.
That's not going to cover you in a busy area, but it might be completely suitable for your needs at home and office, which frees up your options as the market matures.
@jasswolf: Thanks. I have an wired Jabra one with a boom mic, using that at home and no one is complaining. I also use the Macbook's builtin mics sometimes.
However, I'm looking for one to use on the go (like on a not so busy train, or while taking a walk)
$150 and I’ll bite
I bought the Space a40 earbuds when they came out. Paid full price (I know, I know).
Still feel like I got a great pair of earbuds for the price!
The sound quality is good, multipoint works decently, connection stability is near perfect, call quality is good. But the battery life! Absolutely amazing! Aside from when I first got them, I haven’t had to charge them even once yet.
Thank you for publishing this deal OP. I accidentally broke an earpiece of my trusted Sony headset yesterday and noticed this price drop on Amazon which was perfect timing :)
My Q45 was delivered yesterday. I'm no audiophile by any means but pretty happy with the build quality and sound quality of this headphones. The Soundcore app for Android is very sleek. Overall very happy with my purchase.
Can you check if ANC works while on calls?
Yes it does
Merged from Soundcore by Anker Space A40 ANC Wireless Earbuds - $110.49 Delivered - Sold by AnkerDirect via Amazon AU
Go to Deal
Was $129, now $110.49.
Special thanks to user TwoDollar for the heads up.