Anker
Soundcore Space One Headphones
About the product
A fantastic value in noise-canceling headphones
In a market for wireless, noise-canceling headphones where every entry exceeds $300 in price, the Soundcore by Anker Space One headphones are a welcome outlier. While they may not be the best possible pair of noise-canceling headphones in sound quality, build quality or even in active noise cancellation itself, the BestReviews Testing Lab has concluded that the Soundcore Space Ones perform competently, even impressively, in all these categories, for a fraction of the price of its competitors. They are an excellent value for the money and should be on anyone’s list of the best noise-canceling headphones for the buck.
What are Soundcore Space One headphones?
Product specifications
Battery life: 40 hr (32 hr tested) | Design: Over-ear | Wireless: Yes | Wireless connection: Bluetooth | Noise canceling: Active
The Soundcore by Anker Space One Headphones are lightweight, circumaural, wireless noise-canceling headphones from popular tech accessory manufacturer Anker. They have a plastic build with circular ear cups and come in jet black, latte cream or sky blue. They have a battery life of 40 hours (however, they only lasted for 32 hours during testing), and recharge via a USB-C port. They also have a 3.5-millimeter stereo miniplug port to connect an aux cable for wired listening.
The Space Ones connect via Bluetooth 5.3 and can maintain a multipoint connection to two devices at a time. Their sound profile can be customized via the Soundcore smartphone app. They come with a charging cable, aux cable and travel bag.
Inline Link: See how it compares to other products in its space — check out our reviews for the best headphones.
Price and where to buy
The Soundcore by Anker Space One headphones retail for $99 and are available from retailers such as Amazon.
Why we like it
- Active noise cancellation: While they don’t offer the best active noise canceling available, the Soundcore Space One headphones provided effective noise cancellation in an office setting, on a busy street and on public transportation.
- EQ: The sound quality of the Space Ones was adequate during testing but greatly improved once adjusted and customized via the Soundcore app.
- Battery life: We obtained 33 hours of playback from our test unit, which was more than enough for a long intercontinental flight and back.
- Weight: The Space One headphones weigh 0.58 pounds and rest lightly on the head and ears.
What we don’t like
- Case: The Space Ones come with a fabric drawstring pouch instead of a hard-sided case. This pouch protects the headphones from scratches, but does nothing to protect them from impacts or being crushed, and there’s no accessory organization of any kind.
- Build: The Space Ones have an almost completely plastic build. They felt flimsy, and we were always concerned about breaking the extendable arms or swivel joints. The padding was also stiffer and shallower than we liked.
- Mics: Call quality on the Space Ones was mediocre with a hollow, artificial sound to both the caller and the receiver.
Soundcore Space One headphones setup
The Soundcore Space One headphones come in a product box made of paper and cardboard, which we liked. Inside the box, the headphones were partially folded on a cardboard tray. Setup was common to all Bluetooth devices: power them on using the power/Bluetooth button on the left earcup, hold down the button until they enter pairing mode, and select the Space Ones from your device’s Bluetooth settings. We recommend downloading and installing the companion Soundcore app for Android or iOS, which adds controls for noise cancellation and sound equalization.
Hidden under a flap of the headphones tray is the travel pouch and accessories as well as startup and warranty booklets. We suggest keeping the charging cable and aux cable inside the travel pouch for safekeeping.
Design and comfort
The Soundcore Space Ones have a fashionable design with both matte and satin finishes on its plastic surfaces. Its headband features leatherette padding on the underside and covers most of the top of the head, while plastic arms with a satin metallic finish slide out and connect to the almost-circular ear cups that surround the outer ear. They’re a little shallower than some other headphones we’ve tested, but we didn’t experience any issues with unwanted contact.
The pads on the ear cups and headband were stiffer and thinner than we would have liked, but not unacceptably so. After two hours of wear, we noticed slight fatigue and pinching in the edges of the outer ear and on the top of the scalp, but nothing unusual. We noted that the Space Ones felt very light while wearing them, and in fact, their 0.58-pound weight is notably light for full-sized headphones.
While buttons make up most of the onboard controls, the left earcup allows EasyChat, a form of touch control. When listening to audio, covering the left earcup lowers the audio volume and enhances the voice of someone speaking to you, allowing you to hear and converse with another person without stopping playback, turning off ANC or removing the headphones, a feature we found more natural compared to other headphones.
Sound quality
At first, the Space Ones did not impress us with their sound quality. While acceptable, they felt closed and tight, with boxy mids and highs and boominess in the low end, especially at volumes below 30%. Increasing volume above 50% expands their sound significantly.
Using the Soundcore smartphone app’s HearID customization feature, we created a customized sound profile based on our individual hearing range. The change in the Space Ones was vivid: mids and highs filled out and became lively and articulate. We recommend using either HearID or a similar EQ setting to get the most out of these headphones.
We noted that with ANC on, the bass was slightly emphasized, compared to when ANC was off.
Battery life and charging
The Soundcore Space Ones lasted 32 hours and six minutes during a battery drain test. While this is almost eight hours shorter than the advertised battery life, it’s more than enough for even the longest plane flight and ensures you won’t need to recharge them until it’s convenient.
The Space Ones charge quickly when connected to a compatible USB-C cable and power adapter. With a third-party 20-watt USB-C adapter and cable, a five-minute charge resulted in two hours and 30 minutes of playtime. The included charging cable is short and terminates in one USB-A jack, which was inconvenient for our setup, but you can use any USB-C charging cable and adapter handy. The Space Ones don’t come with a power adapter.
Active noise cancellation features
In our testing, the active noise cancellation offered by the Soundcore Space One headphones performed capably. They cut down on exterior noises and interior hums and buzzes, such as ventilation fans, when used in a quiet room. On a busy street, they reduced traffic noise. On public transportation, they reduced engine and brake noise and cut down on passenger chatter. They were less effective in a crowded cafe, as conversations around us could still be heard, but they did perceptibly reduce overall loudness.
The Space Ones offer both active noise cancellation and an ambient awareness mode, which allowed us to hear passersby and nearby cars while on a sidewalk. Modes can be switched from a dedicated button on the left earcup or from the Soundcore app. The app also has options to turn off noise cancellation altogether, activate adaptive noise cancellation strength or choose five levels of ANC strength.
Connectivity and compatibility
The Soundcore Space One headphones use Bluetooth 5.3 as their wireless protocol. They’re compatible with any source that offers Bluetooth pairing. The Space Ones also offer multipoint pairing, allowing you to keep them connected to two source devices at the same time. While you can’t play music from both sources at once, you don’t need to disconnect and reconnect when switching.
The Space Ones support LDAC for high-resolution wireless audio. They also support wired playback over an aux cable, although this deactivates their noise cancellation. The Space Ones have a sensor in their left earcup that can automatically stop playback if it senses you have taken them off. They also have mics for making calls and recording audio, but we were less than impressed with the artificial, processed quality of their audio.
How does it compare to other headphones we’ve tested?
The Soundcore Space One headphones perform well at their impressively low price. Compared to the Soundcore Space Q45s, they have a tighter, boomier sound, flimsier build and less comfortable design, but they avoid the Q45’s harsh highs and are up to $100 less expensive. Their sound is similar to the Beats Studio Pro, while being more comfortable, and their noise cancellation is as good or perhaps even better than the Sennheiser Momentum 4, although the Sennheiser’s audio quality, battery life and build quality are significantly better.
They don’t beat the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QC Ultra headphones in ANC or sound quality, but they cost a quarter of the price, and they notably beat the Bose QC Ultras in battery life.
Testing the Soundcore Space One headphones
We examined the Soundcore Space One headphones in sound quality, active noise cancellation, comfort and build, battery life and connectivity. We timed how long it took to set up the headphones from opening the box to audio playback and noted what steps were necessary for setup. To test audio quality, we played a standardized playlist used in all our headphone testing, with tracks from most major genres of music, and listened closely to the Space Ones’ strengths and weaknesses.
To test comfort, we wore the Space Ones for a minimum of three hours without removing them, noting any discomfort or fatigue that resulted.
We wore the Space Ones in various situations to test the noise cancellation, including a quiet room, a crowded cafe, a city bus and a busy sidewalk. We measured how far they could sustain a wireless connection and how easy it was to switch between wireless sources. Finally, we played audio through them nonstop and noted how long it took until their battery died, then noted how much they recharged in five minutes.
Should you get the Soundcore Space One headphones?
The Soundcore by Anker Space One headphones are an excellent value for a pair of wireless noise-canceling headphones. They are not the best in any category, but they are as good or better than most, all for a much lower price. While their build seems flimsy and their travel case is rudimentary, they are probably the best pair of wireless noise-canceling headphones you can find for under $100.