Highlights
- The Anker Soundcore Space One headphones offer incredible sound quality and an impressively long battery life of 40 hours with ANC on and 55 hours with ANC off.
- The headphones are comfortable for long wearing sessions, thanks to their lightweight design and deep, angled earcups that create a better seal around the ears.
- The ANC feature, while effective at blocking out 98% of outside noise, can create inner-ear pressure when set to the highest setting. Additionally, some users may find the Soundcore app to be frustrating at times.
Anker Soundcore has just released their newest pair of headphones, the Space One, an affordable pair of over-ear headphones with impressive noise-canceling, excellent sound quality, and an incredible battery that can last an entire work week, all for under $100. GameRant was lucky enough to receive a pair early to test them out and see whether they were worth picking up. Spoiler alert: gamers needing a pair of noise-canceling headphones will probably want to. Over the last week, these headphones have been tested by playing games, listening to music, and commuting on public transit.
Anker Soundcore Space One Noise Cancelling Headphones
The Soundcore Space One is a pair of over-ear headphones with 40mm drivers that deliver hi-res audio and, on supported devices, LDAC audio. Paired with unparalleled noise-canceling that blocks out 98% of sound around the user, the Space Ones can make a change for anybody's commute or music listening experience, not to mention that with ANC on, the battery lasts for 40 hours and with ANC off it last up to 55 hours.
- Battery Life
- 40 Hours ANC On 55 Hours ANC Off
- Wireless?
- Yes
- Brand
- Anker
- Transducer Size
- 40mm
- Connection Type
- Bluetooth and 3.5mm wired
- Noise Cancellation
- Yes
Pros
- Incredible sound quality
- Impressively long battery life
- Comfortable for long wearing sessions
Cons
- ANC set to the highest setting creates a lot of inner-ear pressure
- The Soundcore app is sometimes frustrating
Box Contents and Setup
Box Contents
- Soundcore Space One Headphones
- Carrying Case
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- 3.5mm audio cable
Anker Soundcore's packaging has been quite impressive for some time, and with this recent line, it seems like they have transitioned to just using paper packing products, which is lovely to see. Overall, there's not much in the box, but it comes with a USB charging cable and a 3.5mm audio jack to ensure anyone who picks up these headphones is ready to go right out of the box.
Setup
The setup for the Space One is a breeze. For the first-time setup, Game Rant recommends using a phone or mobile device because using Soundcore's app allows users to get complete control of the headphones immediately. From taking the headphones out of the box and listening to music, the setup process takes about 3 minutes, including the firmware update.
The time to download and install the firmware update may vary per user.
Design and Features
The Space One headphones have a very classic style that can look good regardless of the environment they are being used in. The review unit Game Rant received is a sleek black, but Soundcore also offers a sky blue and latte cream color for those users who don't want a black pair of headphones. The earcups are made out of a combination of matte and shiny plastic, and around the edge of the earcups is a textured section, making it easy to find a place to grab when taking off the headphones. People who sweat easily should watch out for the shiny parts of the earcups as they are a magnet for fingerprints.
Soundcore mainly markets these headphones to commuters, so being able to pack the Space One in a bag or be comfortable to carry around all day is essential. After using the Space One on a couple of commutes, they accomplish this task easily, primarily thanks to the fact they fold up into a small compact package and come with a carrying bag to keep them clean. People who usually carry a smaller bag, like a purse or fanny pack, on their commutes might have trouble fitting these headphones, but they will easily fit in most backpacks.
Features
Soundcore has packed the Space One headphones with features, but their most significant selling point is the excellent active noise-canceling (ANC). Within the app, users can control how intense the noise-canceling is, and Anker claims at the highest setting, these headphones can block out 98% of outside noise. For the first couple of days of use, the highest level of ANC was a bit too much; it created a lot of inner-ear pressure, but after more consistent use, it wasn't as big of an issue. For people who don't want to fuss around with changing the level of ANC, there is also active ANC, which responds to the environment around them and either increases or decreases the ANC level accordingly.
Besides the impressive ANC, the Space One also has an incredibly long battery life, lasting 40 hours with ANC on, or 55 hours with ANC off. The unit used for this review arrived at about 50% battery, and after using it for the majority of a week, it only had to be recharged once. The Space One does not need to charge for a long time either; after charging for only 5 minutes, these headphones will get another 4 hours of playtime.
Comfort
Comfort is one of the most important aspects of a good pair of headphones, and the Space One does not disappoint at all. Wearing these headphones all day is possible; just be aware that after having noise-canceling headphones for long periods, everything around might seem much louder after taking them off. The Space One is pretty lightweight, weighing just about 9.2 oz, so there is not the usual strain from wearing a bulky pair of over-ear headphones for long periods.
The earcups are nice and deep, so the drivers are not touching the user's ear. Plus, they are angled, so even bigger-eared users should not have a problem. The earcups themselves also rotate to create a better seal around the ears. When taking off the headphones, the earcups can comfortably lay flat on people's shoulders instead of sticking into people's necks, avoiding that turtle-neck feeling that some headphones create.
Sound Quality & Performance
As far as sound quality goes, the Space One are some of the best-sounding Bluetooth over-ear headphones out there, especially at this price point. Everything was crystal clear and not overly bass-heavy, whether it was for playing games, hanging out in a Discord call, or just listening to some music. Most of the testing was done with the stock EQ for the Space One, but users can also dial in the EQ as they like or use the Hear ID Sound feature to create a custom EQ by listening to a series of tones.
Gaming with the Bluetooth connection, the Space One will not have as fast of a response time as dedicated gaming headsets, but using the included 3.5mm cable will put it right up there with the fastest headsets. Besides response time, almost every feature is the same regardless of whether it is wireless or wired. While listening to music, the Space One absolutely excels in sound quality. To test them, the same song was played through the Space One and a pair of Koss kph30i, which has a very wide sound stage and accurate sound. Fans of open-back headphones will probably be able to tell that the sound stage is not quite as wide on the Space One, but overall, it holds its own pretty well, not to mention there is no noise bleed.
Soundcore App
Almost every device has its own software or app now, so to make it actually worth downloading, they have to offer a good amount of features, and Soundcore accomplishes that pretty well. The Soundcore app is well-designed and easy to navigate, making customizing the headphones straightforward. Most Android phones will prompt users to download the app when first connecting the Space One to complete the setup process, so most people won't even have to search for it.
The only issue that has come up with the app is the wearing detection setup, which would not go past the calibration steps to allow it to turn on. This might be because the headphones are not fully released yet, or the app doesn't support that function yet. GameRant will update this after the full release to see if that feature starts working.
Overall Impressions
After spending a week with the Space One rarely leaving my head, it is safe to say that these headphones are worth checking out. At this price point, most people would be hard-pressed to find a pair of Bluetooth headphones that sound this good, are incredibly comfortable, have an outstanding battery life, and provide some of the best noise-canceling available. People who commute via public transit, are frequent flyers, or need some noise-canceling in their life will not be disappointed with the Soundcore Space One headphones.
Anker Soundcore Space One Noise Cancelling Headphones
The Soundcore Space One is a pair of over-ear headphones with 40mm drivers that deliver hi-res audio and, on supported devices, LDAC audio. Paired with unparalleled noise-canceling that blocks out 98% of sound around the user, the Space Ones can make a change for anybody's commute or music listening experience, not to mention that with ANC on, the battery lasts for 40 hours and with ANC off it last up to 55 hours.
- Battery Life
- 40 Hours ANC On 55 Hours ANC Off
- Wireless?
- Yes
- Brand
- Anker
- Transducer Size
- 40mm
- Connection Type
- Bluetooth and 3.5mm wired
- Noise Cancellation
- Yes
Pros
- Incredible sound quality.
- Impressively long battery life.
- Comfortable for long wearing sessions.
Cons
- ANC set to the highest setting creates a lot of inner-ear pressure.
- Soundcore app is sometimes frustrating.
If the Soundcore Space One didn't seem to fit the bill, there are plenty of noise-canceling headphones to choose from. Be sure to check out Game Rant's complete guide of the best noise-canceling headphones in 2023.
Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 | Check It Out Here! |
Soundcore Anker Life Q30 ANC Headphones | Check It Out Here! |
Sony WH-1000XM5 | Check It Out Here! |
FAQ
Q: Are noise-cancelling headphones worth buying?
This answer can vary from person to person, but noise-canceling headphones are worth it for those who want to tune out everything around them. Most over-ear noise-canceling headphones don't even need anything playing to make them noise-canceling.
Q: Why do I feel pressure with noise-canceling headphones?
When noise-canceling headphones are working, the canceling of external sound has a sucking effect that can trick the brain into thinking there is a pressure difference that it has to compensate for, almost like when ears need to pop when going up in a plane.
