Life Q30 ANC & Transparency problem

Whenever I put them in Noise Cancellation or Transparency mode there is a constant buzzing but only on the left speaker. Around there is an AC and my laptop cooler that are pretty quiet but still make some noice. The purpose I bought these headphones is because they have ANC, for those noices to just vanish.
Got them yesterday and immediately updated them to the latest firmware update.
Does anyone else have this problem?

I have a problem similar to this. In my Q30s, whenever i switch to Noise cancellation mode the bass and treble are less punchy and less crispy compared to the effect in the normal mode. Even after i adjust the equalizer in the Noise cancellation mode still audio quality/Bass/Treble reduced noticeably.

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Unfortunately I think this might be a hardware problem. I had the same issue - flat sound with ANC and also ANC modes switching problem. After receiving new pair of headphones all the problems had gone - the sound with ANC is nearly identical to Normal mode.

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Look at the packaging.

and

The older model seems to have an issue in hardware the newer model has fixed.

Older model label:

Newer model label:

What does yours look like?

How is the “newer” model supposed to sound like? I got my Q30’s yesterday and they seem to have the older label on the box still. I noticed that the sound in Normal mode is somewhat fuller/bassier than in ANC mode, but you can still feel the bass in ANC mode - just slightly less than in Normal mode.

Is that how it’s supposed to be? (I’m pretty sure they don’t sound just flat in ANC mode though.)

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Chances are the ANC is picking up and cancelling itself for the lower frequencies which can bleed past the cups.

But then… The hardware components are entry level.

Ensure a good seal for passive noise isolation first and keep the volume down.

Try the ANC modes like not the transport one.

All ANC modes sound the same, though. Can you describe how do your Q30’s sound?

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Why don’t you just make a custom EQ you use while in ANC?

If bass sounds bad for you in ANC then simply boost the bass yourself?

Yeah, but why I’m asking is because I’m trying to figure out how does it actually sound for those who claim to have defective Q30’s… I guess in those the sound is really flat (no bass whatsoefer) or what?

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Does custom EQ not correct?

Exactly this. Hardware defect shows in complete absence of bass with ANC on. Q30s that aren’t affected show an ever so slight reduction in bass and overal cleaner, crisper sound with ANC on vs. off. That difference is very subtle, though, and can easily be (over)compensated for using the custom EQ, as even with ANC on, they’re absolutely capable of going very deep - some of the very best deep/sub bass performance I’ve ever experienced in over 3 decades of headphones use. Imo, the Q30 are top notch for a pair of closed-backs and I even prefer them over my Buyerdynamics now.

I’ve just tried a bass audio test.

With “normal” mode it works down to 20Hhz (hurts to the hear!)

With ANC, around 45Hz the bass becomes a hiss but can still hear something.

If you cannot hear anything in ANC but can in normal, then your unit is dud.

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Interesting, how loud was your volume while listening?

I can get to 20hz just fine both in Normal and ANC (all 3 modes)! But I used volume of cca. 40% on iOS. If the volume is low (e.g. 20-25%) then those lower frequencies (sub-30 hz are increasingly harder to catch in ANC mode).

For those of you that have the same problem as me, I found what causes the problem. On the headrest there is a pillow, on the left side of the pillow (above the left speaker) if you touch in the middle there you will notice that there is a wire. If you slightly move that wire it will fix the buzzing. Anytime there is buzzing just move a little that wire and if will fix itself, don’t know how, don’t know why, I just know that it works.
Here is an image that show you where to press.