I wasn’t really sure what to expect from these so called “budget” headphones. I already own a pair of JBL Live 650BTNC headphones – which cost 120 when new. So the benchmark was quite high. I needed an extra pair at work. I work in a busy shared office – so wanted the noise cancelling feature – but without spending a fortune. After reading lots of reviews the Anker Q20 came out as top choice, with 58K reviews on Amazon alone. At 36 – I thought its a low risk since I can always return the item if I’m not happy with it.
Once I received it, I opened the box – it was well packaged. Its fairy light with good soft padding and all the buttons are in the usual places. The muffs fit comfortably over the ears without too much pressure. I managed to pair it instantly to my Mac via bluetooth – but it took a bit more fidgeting on my work PC which runs Windows 11. So…the real question is how good is the sound?
I need not have worried. The sound is much, MUCH better than I had expected. Its rich, warm, fairly crisp and slightly bass-heavy at the default settings. So if you like bass – you’re in for a treat. Guitar and drum sounds are loud and there is a noticeable, audible boom on the drums. Vocals are not quite in your face – they seem to be ever so slightly in the background. Classical music works really well too – very clean. Flute sonatas sound scarily realistic – it feels like the flute is being played right next to you. If you listen to Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, the deep organ sound reverbs through your head!
The noise cancelling is reasonably effective. It blocks out background office chatter and traffic noise from outside.
There is not much else to say – except that for the money, you get a VERY good pair of headphones. The Q20 may not be “up there” with the big boys if you’re a picky audiophile – but if you want a pair of very good headphones for using at work – these actually exceed expectation.

ANC doesn’t exactly blow my mind if I’m completely honest with you. It makes a slight difference, as I’ve tested it on and off. But I wouldn’t say it’s a defining feature of the headphones. That doesn’t mean that these headphones don’t drown out background noise. I would actually say that it does an exceptional job of it. But from what I can tell, the ANC doesn’t make that huge of a difference.

I’m very impressed with the quality of phone calls I’ve had using these headphones. Before I got these, I was using Earfun pros, and the phone calls never worked, even when they were fresh out of the box. There’s no delay, you can hear the other person’s voice nice and clear, and if I were to guess so can they, as no one has complained about noise quality from their end. So I’m very happy with this feature.

Overall, Very comfortable and affordable headphones. Battery life is exceptional. I’ve been using them now for about 2 weeks, and that’s off of one charge. I use them most mornings when working. Everything about them is what I would look for in headphones. I can’t attest to the sturdiness, or life span. However, I would say that I wouldn’t want to drop them on the floor, as they don’t feel like the most indestructible things ever. That would be my only negative. And maybe a better quality carrying case,, as the one it comes with is pretty lame.. The sound and over all comfort of these are of good quality. If you’re in a tight budget, and need something quick, I’d highly recommend these. If you’re someone who has a bit more money to throw around, then get a more expensive brand that has the potential to last longer.