Life Q35 | Unboxing, Understanding Hi Res and Quick Review

#1

So a massive thanks to the team at SoundCore for sending me the Life Q35 headphones to test. They arrived and I immediately jumped in to testing them.

To give you all an idea as to how I prepared for this:
I bought a pair of Sony Professional MDR7560 Headphones for reference,
I purchased my test playlist in the Highest Quality available (CD to Hi Res 196),
I purchased a Hi Res DAP capable of playing the audio via Cable and LDAP.

I’m guessing this unboxing and review is a little longer than most at around 28 minutes so have broken it down in to chapters on YouTube.

You can find the video here (Goes Live at 03:00 GMT):

I’ll be doing a second video in about a months time, once I have had a chance to properly play with the headphones and do some on-going listening. At this time, I’m almost certain these are going to be taking the place of the Bose QC35 II’s I use when in the office - that means I am now totally SoundCore orientated!!

I hope you enjoy and do leave a comment and subscribe, input helps me grow as a channel and video creator!

5 Likes
#2

Congrats! Can’t wait to watch the video!

1 Like
#3

Nice. Looking forward to seeing your review. :+1:

1 Like
#4

This is live now at the above link.

Things I missed which will be picked up in the later review:

Silk vs Fabric Drivers make all the difference.
Wear detection is awesome.
The case could be a few millimetres bigger.

Otherwise, 24 hours later and I am loving the Q35s.

#5

Oh and also the noise cancelling, not only is it next level but in windy conditions, I don’t have to turn it off like my Bose and Q20s. Absolutely amazing!!

#6

Nice. Thanks for sharing

1 Like
#7

Really nice video I like your break down of hi res!

1 Like
#8

Thanks ktkundy! I felt it was important people get a vague idea about what Hi Res when these are advertised as such.

Still think it’s a bit long but it’s done now. I’ll resolve a lot in the follow up.

1 Like
#9

Thanks for the great review!

1 Like
#11

Having not used the Q30s I’m not in a position to argue for or against them versus the Q35. The review is based on my findings when using the Q35s.

A quick look suggests the following differences are probably what make it worth while:

Silk vs fabric drivers - these give a warmer, less harsh sound.
LDAC for Hi Res audio via Bluetooth.
Wear detection although I’d say that’s a niche feature.
Improved ear cup design (based on what others have said).

Ok, so these might feel like a refresh of the Q30 rather than a totally new product but that’s ok. It shows the SoundCore are listening to their users.

The Q30s have now dropped in price to accommodate the new model - feel free to put up a review showing why people should go for them rather than the Q30, it could be helpful.

1 Like
Core Update 84 | Check Out These Reviews!
#13

Your entitled to your opinion, feel free to put together a review yourself and I’ll make sure I take a look. It’ll be interesting to see your point of views.

#14

But Q30’s also come with 40mm Silk Diaphragm Drivers, though?

#15

I don’t believe so, they come with a standard 40mm fabric driver by the specification list.

#16

In their store’s spec list it says 40mm Silk Diaphragm Drivers… as does on Amazon: The highly-flexible silk diaphragms reproduce thumping bass and crisp treble that extends up to 40kHz for improved clarity.

#18

Ignore my last message, you know what it’s like when you look for something and go blind to a word!

Interesting, I’d have expected them to make a big deal of it in the images like they did with the Q35.

I’ll reference this in my next ‘looking back a month later’ video.

#19

@Tj1311 I didn’t notice it either until I scrolled down to Product/Features Chart. Don’t feel too bad.
PS Thanks for the time and effort you put into the review.

#20

So far the (main) differences vs Q30 I see are as follows:

  • matte look, slightly different shade of blue
  • slightly rounder ear cups on the inside
  • velvet case
  • LDAC codec
  • Hi-Res Wireless certification
  • AI-enhanced calling
  • Smart wearing detection
  • AUX cable with inline volume control and microphone
  • Airplane adapter

So probably not worth the upgrade if you are already a Q30 user, unless they also improved ANC and sound drivers (which I presume they didn’t).

1 Like
#21

I wish I could test between the two on the ANC. I went for a walk last night and unlike the Q20, I didn’t have to turn off ANC because of the wind.

#22

@mk2021 I wonder if the padding on the cups of the Q35’s are also thinker. In some reviews it appears they are. I’m not sure if that’s because of wear on the 30’s or if the 35’s are thicker (more padded).

#23

To me the cushioning appears of just the same thickness as on Q30’s…