Question about noise-cancelling headphones for open offices

Everyone swears by the Sony WH-1000XM5s for blocking out chatter, but I tried a pair at my coworking space in Denver and they made my ears sweaty after 30 minutes. I switched to the Anker Soundcore Life Q30s for $60 and they actually work better for my needs, plus the battery lasts 60 hours. Has anyone else found a cheaper option that outperforms the top brands?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahj499d ago

Honestly I used to be the type who thought you had to spend at least $200 to get decent noise cancelling. I had those Sony XM3s for like two years and thought I was living the dream. But then I grabbed a pair of Soundcore Q20s on a whim for $45 and they block out my office HVAC hum way better than the Sonys ever did. The ear cups are way comfier too no sweat after an hour of wearing them. I guess sometimes the expensive stuff is just overhyped and the cheaper options actually listen to what people need. Definitely making me rethink my whole audio budget now.

ben_fisher9d ago

Oh man, @hannahj49 you're totally speaking my language here. I had the same thing happen with my Beats Studio 3s I got on sale for like $180, and then my buddy let me borrow his $50 Anker headphones and they crushed it on noise cancelling for the bus. The audio quality was maybe a tiny bit less crisp but honestly for everyday use I couldn't tell the difference. It's wild how the cheap brands just nail the basics without all that extra markup.

shane_morgan9d ago

Coworking sweat is real but try washing those ear pads in warm water once a month.