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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless vs JBL Tune 520BT
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless
JBL Tune 520BT
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated May 28, 2025 03:09 PM
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comTested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Jan 29, 2025 07:04 PM
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOn-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- Soundcore Life Q20 (Black)
- Soundcore Life Q20 (Blue)
- Soundcore Life Q20 (Pink)
- Soundcore Life Q20 (Silver)
- Tune 520BT (Black)
- Tune 520BT (Blue)
- Tune 520BT (Purple)
- Tune 520BT (White)
Our Verdict
Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless
JBL Tune 520BT
If you want active noise cancelling (ANC), the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless are better than the JBL Tune 520BT in that regard. While the JBL fit on-ears and can only passively isolate, they have other features missing from the Anker headphones, such as multi-device pairing with lower latency and a comprehensive app that includes an equalizer. Their battery also lasts about twice as long. On the other hand, the Anker headphones have a better mic, support both Bluetooth and wired listening, and are more comfortable. Still, you can't change the very bassy sound profile on the Anker, which can be a dealbreaker. However, depending on your needs, the Anker's ANC can outweigh the upsides of the JBL headphones.
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Black
Soundcore Life Q20
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Tune 520BT
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Soundcore Life Q20
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Tune 520BT
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Soundcore Life Q20
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Tune 520BT
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Soundcore Life Q20
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Tune 520BT
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Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
6.8
7.7
Bass Accuracy
5.4
8.4
Passive Soundstage
4.5
5.7
Mid Accuracy
8.5
8.9
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
On-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
6.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.57 lbs
0.35 lbs
Clamping Force
0.9 lbs
0.7 lbs
Controls
7.1
7.1
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Decent
Good
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
Bass Effect + Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
6.1
7.0
Portability Picture
L
5.5" (14.0 cm)
3.9" (9.8 cm)
W
5.6" (14.2 cm)
7.0" (17.8 cm)
H
3.0" (7.6 cm)
1.3" (3.4 cm)
Volume
92.00 in³ (1,507.60 cm³)
36.19 in³ (593.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
5.5
0.0
Case Picture
Type
Pouch
No case
L
N/A
N/A
W
N/A
N/A
H
N/A
N/A
Volume
N/A
N/A
Build Quality
7.0
6.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.0
5.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
1,000 Hz
Bass Amount
5.28 dB
-1.6 dB
Treble Amount
-1.53 dB
-2.0 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
6.8
6.9
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.66 dB
0.63 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
5.4
8.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
7.69 dB
3.6 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
23.79 Hz
Low Bass
8.89 dB
-4.09 dB
Mid Bass
10.36 dB
1.04 dB
High Bass
5.42 dB
-0.22 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.5
8.9
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.97 dB
1.16 dB
Low Mid
0.86 dB
-0.52 dB
Mid-Mid
0.94 dB
-0.13 dB
High Mid
1.98 dB
-1.39 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
7.4
7.4
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.94 dB
2.94 dB
Low Treble
2.71 dB
-1.19 dB
Mid Treble
2.94 dB
-2.98 dB
High Treble
-7.27 dB
-7.55 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.1
7.5
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.96 dB
1.43 dB
Dips
1.26 dB
1.66 dB
Imaging
8.4
7.2
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.3
0.31
Weighted Phase Mismatch
6.7
9.38
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.63
2.9
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.03
1.84
Passive Soundstage
4.5
5.7
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
3.53 dB
5.11 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.4 dB
4.72 dB
PRTF Distance
7.4 dB
12.46 dB
Openness
2.4
6.1
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.6
2.9
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No App
No
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.4
7.2
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.287
0.337
WHD @ 100
0.205
0.273
Test Settings
Firmware
Unknown
3.5.0
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Default
No EQ
ANC
On
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
7.6
3.8
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
No
Overall Attenuation
-20.77 dB
-9.03 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
-12.68 dB
1.23 dB
Mid
-20.67 dB
-6.56 dB
Treble
-29.76 dB
-23.78 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
3.8
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-7.71 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-8.26 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-8.84 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
Leakage
7.7
7.5
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
35.14 dB
36.8 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
7.3
6.8
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
243.22 Hz
310.89 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.36 dB
2.39 dB
HFE
7,240.77 Hz
4,974.24 Hz
Weighted THD
0.803
5.458
Gain
-3.16 dB
13.27 dB
Noise Handling
6.7
6.3
SpNR
18.03 dB
13.44 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.0
6.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
7.7
8.6
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
32.3 hrs
65.2 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
32.3 hrs
65.2 hrs
Charge Time
1.8 hrs
1.9 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
No
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Yes
No
Charging Port
micro-USB
USB-C
App Support
0.0
7.5
App Picture
App Name
No App
JBL Headphones
iOS
No
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Parametric + Presets
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.5
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
No
Length
4.10 ft (1.25 m)
N/A
Connector
1/8" TRS
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
N/A
Latency - USB
0 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Bluetooth Connection
7.0
8.4
Bluetooth Version
5.0
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
No
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
247.00 ft (75.29 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
362 ms
119 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
AAC Support
No
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
93 ms
Android Latency
69 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Black
Soundcore Life Q20
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Tune 520BT
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Soundcore Life Q20
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Tune 520BT
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Finding storePink
Soundcore Life Q20
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Tune 520BT
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Soundcore Life Q20
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Tune 520BT
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Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless
JBL Tune 520BT
Comments
Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless vs JBL Tune 520BT: Main Discussion
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