When comparing Anker SoundBuds Sport vs Bose QuietComfort 20, the Slant community recommends Anker SoundBuds Sport for most people. In the question“What are the best Bluetooth earbuds/in-ear headphones?” Anker SoundBuds Sport is ranked 4th while Bose QuietComfort 20 is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose Anker SoundBuds Sport is:
There is no harshness to the highs, the mids are clear and the bass has good oomph without the bloat. Detail from these headphones is also good, with instruments and voices sounding clear and well-defined. This sound signature can work fairly well with all types of music, though if you really want boosted bass or highs for certain types genres, then these might fall short of your needs.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Balanced sound signature with a good level of detail
There is no harshness to the highs, the mids are clear and the bass has good oomph without the bloat. Detail from these headphones is also good, with instruments and voices sounding clear and well-defined.
This sound signature can work fairly well with all types of music, though if you really want boosted bass or highs for certain types genres, then these might fall short of your needs.
Pro Very light
At just 17 grams, these headphones are incredibly light. The mic and remote are on the earpieces instead of the cable, which helps keep the weight down.
Pro Built in mic and remote in the earpieces
Instead of using a remote/mic combo attached to the cable, these functions are built into the earpieces themselves. These features allow for convenient calls and smartphone control.
Pro Can resist sweat/splashes of liquid
The IP4x certification makes these in-ears great for outdoor or active use as liquids will not damage these easily.
Pro Decent playback time off a charge
These can last 8 hours of playback time from a full charge.
Pro Best in class noise-cancelling
These headphones are ideal for long flights. In addition to having overall impressive noise-cancelling (-33dB across all frequencies on some tests), these headphones excel when you need to cancel out low frequencies like jet engine sounds (-45dB).
Pro Comfortable
The headphones stay comfortably in your ear. They don't always offer a complete seal but surprisingly, this doesn't affect noise cancellation or reduce comfort. Also included are 3 sizes of eartips to help better fit your ear. Note that these tips have a unique design so you won't be able to use aftermarket tips.
Pro Cord doesn't tangle easily
These headphones have a 2.5 ft cord that's split chest high with a control module near the jack. It does a good job of not getting too tangled.
Pro Comes bundled with a small pouch
The pouch will make it much easier to bring the headphones and its accessories on the go.
Pro Disable noise-cancelling with "Aware Mode"
You can disable active noise canceling at a press of a button. Aware Mode can be quickly accessed from the remote, which will disable active noise-cancelling and open up the microphones to allow you to hear your surroundings better.
LEDs on the control module will let you know when this mode is turned on.
Pro 16-hour battery
These QC20 has a lithium-ion battery that promises to work for 500 charge cycles without diminished returns. After that it will still work, but won't last as long.
Note that the battery is non-replaceable so when it finally does stop working, you will need to buy a new pair of headphones.
Cons
Con Control buttons make the wire off-balanced
The control buttons are relatively heavy to the rest of the wire which pulls the wire to the right constantly. This makes them uncomfortable for working out as the extra weight dangles on one side and sometimes can pull out the headphones from your ears if you're moving around.
Con Stock ear tips are not great
The included ear tips are quite thin and squishy. They are not able to provide a good grip while in the ears, and can make the earpieces prone to falling off. These tips also adversely affect the sound so using better quality ear tips will result in noticeably improved audio.
Con Expensive
The suggested retail price for these headphones is $300. And although you can get a pair on Amazon for around $200 it still is a lot to pay for a pair of earbuds.
Con Average sound
The sound of the in-ear headphones is decent. The highs are a bit withdrawn, but the sound doesn't come off as too muddy.