Soundcore Life Q20 Over-Ear Headphones with Hybrid ANC

Getting to a spot often means hours on a train, a bus or a plane, and a pair of headphones that isolate engine and road noise makes that stretch easier. RTINGS rates this model as a very good travel pair, with excellent noise isolation in common scenarios such as aircraft cabins and busy streets, and a battery long enough to last several days of use. They are a travel companion for getting to the railway, not an item to wear beside it.

Noise cancelling works by reducing the sound around you, so at the lineside or on a platform the safe habit is to take them off, or at least switch noise cancelling off, whenever a train may be approaching. Keep them for the journey, not the wait. In RTINGS' testing the headphones fold flat for hand luggage, come with a thin pouch rather than a hard case, and the earpads are prone to flaking with heavy use, so a bag pocket is a better home than a loose jacket pocket. The maker lists a travel pouch and an AUX connection among its features.

Expert pick · RTINGS: RTINGS names the Life Q20 2024 the best cheap noise cancelling headphones it has tested, close to its top pick in noise isolation, with a battery that lasted 49 hours in its test, and with a pouch instead of a hard case. Read the review

They suit a railfan who travels a long way to reach a line and wants an affordable pair that still cancels noise well. Anyone who wants the strongest cancelling of low engine rumble, a hard case, or a firmer fit over glasses should look elsewhere. They are not meant for wear beside active track.

RTINGS' top pick in the same guide is the Anker Soundcore Space Q45 Wireless, which cancels bass-range noise better but has about half the battery life measured here. For a lower price the same guide points to the TOZO HT3, which it finds less comfortable.