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Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Review: Anker's Soundcore Life 2 Bluetooth Headphones Offer Active Noise Cancelation Without Breaking the Bank
http://bit.ly/2Hpb08W
Anker is best known for its well-received power banks and mobile charging accessories, but the Chinese company has also been busy building its subsidiary Soundcore brand, under which it offers home audio products like smart Bluetooth speakers and wireless earphones.
Anker says its ethos of making quality electronic devices at an affordable price also extends to its audio accessory lineup, so I gave the company's new Soundcore Life 2 noise-canceling headphones a spin to test out this claim.
The latest addition to Anker's headset range costs $80 and replaces the company's first attempt at over-ear active noise-canceling (ANC) headphones, last year's Space NC cans. As with that pair, Anker is aiming to corner the sub-$100 noise-canceling market, so direct comparisons with premium ANC headphones offered by the likes of Bose and Sony wouldn't be fair. So how do they stack up on their own?
The foldable Life 2's come in a sturdy compact travel case that has a pouch for the included 3.5mm gold-plated stereo auxiliary cable and a black USB-A to micro-USB charging cable. There's no classic airline adapter with these cans though, in case that makes a difference to you.
Weighing 263 grams, the Life 2's feel slightly lighter than more expensive headphones of similar size, but the steel headband and polycarbonate hinges feel robust enough to take a decent amount of strain, and maybe even a drop or two. That's all the more impressive when you consider the chassis houses a battery that can power up to 30 hours of wireless use with ANC on.
The inset Anker Soundcore branding appears on the headband and ear cup, but it avoids being lurid by taking the same color tone as the rest of the headset. The adjustable headband also affords plenty of margin for ampler heads, and combined with the memory foam protein leather earcups, the fit is plush and the cushioning sits just right, even after a couple of hours' wear.
On the left earcup rim you'll find a power button and separate noise-canceling activation switch, so unlike some headphones you don't have to have the ANC on for the cans to process an audio signal. Over on the right earcup meanwhile are the play/pause and volume controls.
There's an encouraging sense of familiarity as you begin to use the tactile buttons to pair the cans to your Bluetooth device of choice, adjust output volume and play/pause tracks. Anker has chosen to do away with the gestural controls of its earlier Soundcore Space NC's, and the decision to do so feels reassuring from the off.
Apart from the fact that gestural interfaces seem to divide headphone users, the touch/swipe setup for controlling volume and skipping tracks on the Space NC's just wasn't as responsive as can be found on more expensive cans like the Sony MDR-1000X, and it's the kind of feature that isn't worth the hassle unless you can get it spot on.
Sound-wise, the Life 2's aren't going to set your ears alight, and the output from the 40mm drivers certainly won't satisfy hardened audiophiles, but it does a creditable job of separating out most instruments as they hover around the mid- to high-range, and both indie and electronic music enjoy a wide soundstage with a good amount of detail.
There's an impressive bass response in general that remains crisp at higher volumes, but if you just want to enjoy heavy unapologetic beats then a quick double-click of the play button enables "BassUp" mode, although distortion soon makes its entrance here as you ramp up the decibels.
As for the active noise-canceling feature, the Life 2's happily reduce the sort of low-level ambient drone you'd expect from a jet engine or nearby traffic, but they're not so hot at attenuating the sound of office chatter or heavy-handed key tapping. There's no adaptive filtering either, so the cans don't correct for changes in ambient levels as you move around.
On the plus side, the low hiss characteristic of noise-canceling systems is extremely non-intrusive on the Life 2's and is unlikely to impede enjoyment of even quiet music. In addition, you can continue to benefit from the comforts of moderate ANC for up to 60 hours by plugging in the auxiliary cable, and when the battery does finally run out, you can continue to listen comfortably in wired mode as the passive noise-canceling still provides a semblance of insularity.
On a related note, the Life 2's built-in microphone makes use of Qualcomm's clear Voice capture (cVc) noise reduction algorithms, which meant that when I took a call through the headphones the sound of the voice on the line wasn't so jarring.
They may not reach the performance heights of Sony's MDR-XXXX range or Bose QuietComfort 3's, but neither do Anker's Bluetooth headphones ask as much of your wallet. The Soundcore Life 2's are a solid option for music listeners looking for a first step into the world of active noise-cancellation – they also sound good, sit comfortably, and offer smashing battery life for such a lightweight headset.
Pros
Cons
The Anker Soundcore Life 2 headphones cost $79.99 and are available to order on Amazon.
Note: Anker supplied the Soundcore Life 2 headphones to MacRumors for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received.
This article, "Review: Anker's Soundcore Life 2 Bluetooth Headphones Offer Active Noise Cancelation Without Breaking the Bank" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2AR24Uj
Anker is best known for its well-received power banks and mobile charging accessories, but the Chinese company has also been busy building its subsidiary Soundcore brand, under which it offers home audio products like smart Bluetooth speakers and wireless earphones.
Anker says its ethos of making quality electronic devices at an affordable price also extends to its audio accessory lineup, so I gave the company's new Soundcore Life 2 noise-canceling headphones a spin to test out this claim.
The latest addition to Anker's headset range costs $80 and replaces the company's first attempt at over-ear active noise-canceling (ANC) headphones, last year's Space NC cans. As with that pair, Anker is aiming to corner the sub-$100 noise-canceling market, so direct comparisons with premium ANC headphones offered by the likes of Bose and Sony wouldn't be fair. So how do they stack up on their own?
Design
The foldable Life 2's come in a sturdy compact travel case that has a pouch for the included 3.5mm gold-plated stereo auxiliary cable and a black USB-A to micro-USB charging cable. There's no classic airline adapter with these cans though, in case that makes a difference to you.
Weighing 263 grams, the Life 2's feel slightly lighter than more expensive headphones of similar size, but the steel headband and polycarbonate hinges feel robust enough to take a decent amount of strain, and maybe even a drop or two. That's all the more impressive when you consider the chassis houses a battery that can power up to 30 hours of wireless use with ANC on.
The inset Anker Soundcore branding appears on the headband and ear cup, but it avoids being lurid by taking the same color tone as the rest of the headset. The adjustable headband also affords plenty of margin for ampler heads, and combined with the memory foam protein leather earcups, the fit is plush and the cushioning sits just right, even after a couple of hours' wear.
On the left earcup rim you'll find a power button and separate noise-canceling activation switch, so unlike some headphones you don't have to have the ANC on for the cans to process an audio signal. Over on the right earcup meanwhile are the play/pause and volume controls.
Performance and Features
There's an encouraging sense of familiarity as you begin to use the tactile buttons to pair the cans to your Bluetooth device of choice, adjust output volume and play/pause tracks. Anker has chosen to do away with the gestural controls of its earlier Soundcore Space NC's, and the decision to do so feels reassuring from the off.
Apart from the fact that gestural interfaces seem to divide headphone users, the touch/swipe setup for controlling volume and skipping tracks on the Space NC's just wasn't as responsive as can be found on more expensive cans like the Sony MDR-1000X, and it's the kind of feature that isn't worth the hassle unless you can get it spot on.
Sound-wise, the Life 2's aren't going to set your ears alight, and the output from the 40mm drivers certainly won't satisfy hardened audiophiles, but it does a creditable job of separating out most instruments as they hover around the mid- to high-range, and both indie and electronic music enjoy a wide soundstage with a good amount of detail.
There's an impressive bass response in general that remains crisp at higher volumes, but if you just want to enjoy heavy unapologetic beats then a quick double-click of the play button enables "BassUp" mode, although distortion soon makes its entrance here as you ramp up the decibels.
As for the active noise-canceling feature, the Life 2's happily reduce the sort of low-level ambient drone you'd expect from a jet engine or nearby traffic, but they're not so hot at attenuating the sound of office chatter or heavy-handed key tapping. There's no adaptive filtering either, so the cans don't correct for changes in ambient levels as you move around.
On the plus side, the low hiss characteristic of noise-canceling systems is extremely non-intrusive on the Life 2's and is unlikely to impede enjoyment of even quiet music. In addition, you can continue to benefit from the comforts of moderate ANC for up to 60 hours by plugging in the auxiliary cable, and when the battery does finally run out, you can continue to listen comfortably in wired mode as the passive noise-canceling still provides a semblance of insularity.
On a related note, the Life 2's built-in microphone makes use of Qualcomm's clear Voice capture (cVc) noise reduction algorithms, which meant that when I took a call through the headphones the sound of the voice on the line wasn't so jarring.
Bottom Line
They may not reach the performance heights of Sony's MDR-XXXX range or Bose QuietComfort 3's, but neither do Anker's Bluetooth headphones ask as much of your wallet. The Soundcore Life 2's are a solid option for music listeners looking for a first step into the world of active noise-cancellation – they also sound good, sit comfortably, and offer smashing battery life for such a lightweight headset.
Pros
- Comfortable to wear for long periods
- Excellent battery life
- Decent sound output
- Solid construction and controls
Cons
- Middle-of-the-road ANC
- Non-replaceable battery
- No companion app
How to Buy
The Anker Soundcore Life 2 headphones cost $79.99 and are available to order on Amazon.
Note: Anker supplied the Soundcore Life 2 headphones to MacRumors for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received.
Tag: Anker
This article, "Review: Anker's Soundcore Life 2 Bluetooth Headphones Offer Active Noise Cancelation Without Breaking the Bank" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
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How to Use the macOS Help Menu
http://bit.ly/2SY0LtJ
The ever-present Help menu in your Mac's menu bar is an easily overlooked aspect of macOS, but it's home to some surprising and extremely handy features that every user can benefit from.
Apart from being a useful first port of call for any queries you may have about the application in use or your Mac in general, it also serves as a menu navigator. Let's take a look a closer look.
You can use the keyboard shortcut Command-Shift-/ to quickly access the macOS Help Menu. At the top of the Help menu is a Search field for typing in the subject you need help with. Below this, you'll also see a direct link to the help documentation for the currently active application, which is useful for looking up topics manually.
If it's an Apple app you're using, search results come from the official macOS User Guide, while the direct help link below the search field takes you straight to the relevant section of the guide, or in the case of Finder, the main contents page.
It's important to remember that if the active app is a third-party one, the contents of the Help menu can differ depending on how much effort the developer has put into it. For example, some apps may include FAQs, manuals, or links to online help, while others may offer very little.
Another neat built-in feature of the Help menu is its ability to point to available actions in other menus for the currently active app.
Next time you type into the Help menu's Search field, check to see if the results include any Menu Items. Hover over one of these with your mouse, and macOS will locate the action for you by pointing an arrow at it in the corresponding menu. Hit Enter, and the action will be performed for you.
Depending on the app, this feature can even extend to contextual menu functions. For instance, you can use Safari's Help field to search your bookmarks and recent browsing history for keywords to quickly navigate back to web pages. Next time you're in your favorite app, try out its Help menu functions to see how deeply they've been implemented.
This article, "How to Use the macOS Help Menu" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2FuyHLk
The ever-present Help menu in your Mac's menu bar is an easily overlooked aspect of macOS, but it's home to some surprising and extremely handy features that every user can benefit from.
Apart from being a useful first port of call for any queries you may have about the application in use or your Mac in general, it also serves as a menu navigator. Let's take a look a closer look.
How to Use the Mac Help Menu
You can use the keyboard shortcut Command-Shift-/ to quickly access the macOS Help Menu. At the top of the Help menu is a Search field for typing in the subject you need help with. Below this, you'll also see a direct link to the help documentation for the currently active application, which is useful for looking up topics manually.
If it's an Apple app you're using, search results come from the official macOS User Guide, while the direct help link below the search field takes you straight to the relevant section of the guide, or in the case of Finder, the main contents page.
It's important to remember that if the active app is a third-party one, the contents of the Help menu can differ depending on how much effort the developer has put into it. For example, some apps may include FAQs, manuals, or links to online help, while others may offer very little.
How to Use Help's Action Search Feature
Another neat built-in feature of the Help menu is its ability to point to available actions in other menus for the currently active app.
Next time you type into the Help menu's Search field, check to see if the results include any Menu Items. Hover over one of these with your mouse, and macOS will locate the action for you by pointing an arrow at it in the corresponding menu. Hit Enter, and the action will be performed for you.
Depending on the app, this feature can even extend to contextual menu functions. For instance, you can use Safari's Help field to search your bookmarks and recent browsing history for keywords to quickly navigate back to web pages. Next time you're in your favorite app, try out its Help menu functions to see how deeply they've been implemented.
Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
This article, "How to Use the macOS Help Menu" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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