Playtime Claims Update

[Insider]

Anker almost always provides a playtime estimate for all of their speakers/headphones. Previously, it was stated that the testing was done while playing music at 80% volume. Now, it appears as though Anker has changed the way they test the battery life.

While I had noticed that Anker hadn’t been listing the volume percentage lately, I just assumed that they were still testing it at 80%, but now is appears Anker has changed that benchmark to 60%. Keep in mind that it is still unclear if this is true for all new releases. The new SoundCore brand may be changing things up a bit… Who knows? Not us.

This information can be found under the FAQ section of the SoundBuds Curve listing on Anker’s website.

I find this to be an interesting change. If I perform battery tests in the future, I will now test at around 60% volume instead of 80% so it is a better test of the manufacturer’s claims.

What do you all take from this change? What volume do you usually listen to music at through your headphones/speakers? I’m curious to know.

• 80% +
• 60% - 80%
• 60% -

[Tank]

I always test at volumes I listen to when at work or out and about. Sure they test at say 60 percent, but their 60 could be someone else’s 80 or even 50 percent. Every device is different in terms of volume output…take my Motorola for instance, it’s max volume is way higher than my Samsung, but switch to bluetooth and the volume highs change and the samsung becomes louder than the moto using bluetooth. So really it’s all subjective

[ndalby]

I mainly listen at 90-100% when using headphones as I prefer to isolate myself from things around me at the time but for speakers it’s normally in the 40-75% area depending on the speaker in use (Mini, Nano, Boost etc) and the location and jobs I am doing at the time.

For testing I normally use the earbuds at max, and often meet or beat the time estimates given but there always a margin of error depending on the quality of the tracks (lossless / lossy). The speakers normally in the 60-70% range so I can test quality vs distance vs battery claims.

As @elmo41683 has mentioned (and I put on my reviews), audio is really subjective as to loudness and quality vs battery claims, in my experience…

As you are asking about two different product ranges, a poll for each might be good as I doubt many will match up for both…just a thought…

[professor]

With the exception of the Nano, the battery life is ample long enough anyway. Plus have Powercore with me all the time if away from wall socket, so do not care.

Also it is very music dependent. The absolute volume of 60% of a piano concerto is less than of Carl Orf’s O Fortuna

Which would drain battery faster?

[Chiquinho]

Normally :
speaker FULL power.
EQ Preamp -7dB.
Volume given by bt source.

Haven’t checked the battery duration of my old ( > 2 years) ANKER 3143 the last time.

Was never lucky enough to receive a newer model.

[Chiquinho]

Ludwig van Beethoven
9. Symphony
or
3. Symphony as well.

Try Philip Glass : The light

[Insider]

a poll for each might be good as I doubt many will match up for both

Good point, but looks like I can’t now.

[ndalby]

On second thoughts there probably going to be two issues with my suggestion. Firstly, unfortunately you can only have one poll per single thread. Second, because you already have some votes it most likely will not allow changing. You would need to remove the poll and create a new single poll with options for headphones and speakers, with an option of 1 choice min 2 max.

[k_pug2003]

Bluetooth speaker is pretty much always at 100% as I use it while in the shower.

For headsets it’s normally 80-100% as only time I use them is while out walking or travel on plane. In fairness prob starts off about 80% then I turn up to 100% when a banger comes on and I just leave it from there on lol

[paperairplaneguru]

When I test speakers, I use 30-50% volume. Then, I use and equalizer (app, physical equalizer, etc.) and change the frequencies there. That way, I can experience the best sound that the speakers can output to my preference.

However, when testing flat (no equalizer changes) I use around 55-75%. If a sound is too loud, the speakers distort and puts an unnecessary strain on your ears.

But for headphones, I prefer around 50-80% volume for most songs. If it is too quiet, you won’t hear the full tonal range. If the music is too loud, again, the sound may distort or you might not notice some elements of the song.

-PaperAirplaneGuru

[Element321]

I listen to full blast or just loud enough the base doesn’t distort volume. I test my devices in real world not what the manufacture state. However, I do test at what they say 60% or 80% to see how long they run. The downside to this testing is I really don’t have the time to run these tests. I guess I’ll start logging the run times and move on from there.

[Oggyboy]

I always go for the 60-80 zone to avoid any distortion in the sound and prolong battery life. Seem to work for me

[professor]

OK '70s is in, reluctantly