Audio review
Soundcore Space One Review: Switching On the ANC Changes the Sound
One reviewer tuned them properly with the app, then turned on the noise cancelling and got a large bass boost that undid the work. That is the catch in an otherwise remarkable budget pair.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Anker
Soundcore Space One
Good · researched from 3 sources
At this price the battery, the codec support and the app are all better than they have any right to be. Set the equaliser with the cancelling in the position you will actually use, because turning it on moves the sound underneath you.
- Buy if
- Commuting and travel on a small budget · Anyone with an Android source that can use LDAC · Very long days away from a charger
- Skip if
- Listeners who want a flat, neutral signature · Anyone sensitive to the pressure sensation of strong cancellation · Wired USB audio, which is not supported
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The finding worth reading twice
Recording Now did what any careful buyer would do. They ran the HearID hearing test, built a custom equaliser profile, and got a noticeably better balance out of headphones whose default they describe as a store demo, all bass and no room for anything else.
Then they turned the noise cancelling on and reported a large bass boost appearing, undoing much of the improvement.
SoundGuys arrives at the same territory from measurement rather than listening, recording a U-shaped response that lifts both bass and treble while pulling the midrange down, and recommending the Bass Reducer preset as the closest fit to their preference curve.
The practical instruction is simple. Whatever equaliser you settle on, set it with the cancelling in the state you will actually be listening in, because the two do not behave independently.
The battery is the headline
Anker claims 40 hours with cancelling on. SoundGuys measured 42 hours 57 minutes.
Beating a manufacturer's claim is rare. Beating it at this price is remarkable, and it is the reason these keep turning up in recommendations.
Game Rant's version is more human: most of a week of use, starting from half charge. Five minutes on the cable returns about four hours.
Cancelling, honestly rated
SoundGuys puts it plainly. At maximum, noise falls to about a quarter of its perceived loudness, and that is not as good as the best noise cancelling headphones.
Recording Now calls it the best in its budget class and better than the Sony WH-CH720N.
Both are compatible statements. Against hundred-dollar rivals this wins; against flagships it does not.
Game Rant adds the physical caveat: the highest setting produces noticeable inner ear pressure at first. Some people never stop noticing that sensation, and it is worth knowing before you buy.
What a hundred dollars now buys
LDAC, so an Android phone can send more data than AAC allows.
An eight-band equaliser, a HearID hearing test that builds a profile from your own responses, adaptive cancelling, and a decibel meter that tells you how loudly you are listening.
Three microphones with vocal isolation, which SoundGuys found kept voices clear on a simulated windy street.
Folding hinges and a case.
That feature list would have been a flagship specification a few years ago.
The corners that were cut
No touch controls, only buttons. That is a preference rather than a fault.
No USB audio despite the USB-C port, which SoundGuys flags: the socket charges and nothing else.
A soft case rather than a hard one.
And two small annoyances from long use: Game Rant had wear detection fail to calibrate, and found the glossy plastic sections collect fingerprints readily.
How it scored
The overall 8.1 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
SoundGuys measured a U-shaped response that lifts bass and treble while pulling down the mids. Recording Now rates the sound about 7.6 out of 10 with cancelling off and worse with it on.
Value
SoundGuys scored 7.7 out of 10 and calls them luxury features at a budget price. Recording Now scored 7.9 and says they are objectively worth the money.
Build quality
They fold flat and come with a case, though SoundGuys notes it is not a hard case. Game Rant reports the glossy plastic sections showing fingerprints.
Ease of use
An eight-band equaliser, a HearID hearing test and a built-in decibel meter. SoundGuys notes there are no touch controls, and Game Rant had wear detection fail to calibrate.
Noise cancelling
SoundGuys says noise falls to about a quarter of its perceived loudness at maximum, short of the best. Recording Now calls it the best in its budget class.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- SoundGuys measured 42 hours 57 minutes with cancelling on, above Anker's own claim
- LDAC support alongside AAC and SBC at this price
- An eight-band equaliser, a HearID hearing profile and a decibel meter in the app
- SoundGuys found the three-microphone array clear on a simulated windy street
- They fold flat, and Game Rant found them comfortable enough to wear all day
- Five minutes of charging returns about four hours per Game Rant
What we didn’t
- Recording Now reports a large bass boost appearing when the cancelling is switched on
- SoundGuys measured a U-shaped response and calls the bass and treble over-emphasised
- SoundGuys notes there are no touch controls and no USB audio despite USB-C
- Game Rant found the highest cancelling setting produced uncomfortable ear pressure
- Recording Now calls them heavier than budget rivals at about 260 g
- The supplied case is soft rather than hard
Specifications
| Battery | 42 h 57 m with cancelling on per SoundGuys, against claims of 40 on and 55 off |
|---|---|
| Quick charge | Five minutes for about four hours per Game Rant |
| Noise cancelling | Noise reduced to about a quarter of perceived loudness at maximum per SoundGuys |
| Weight | 263 g per SoundGuys; about 260 g per Recording Now |
| Drivers | 40 mm |
| Codecs | LDAC, AAC and SBC over Bluetooth 5.3 |
| App | Eight-band equaliser, HearID profile, adaptive cancelling, decibel meter |
| Microphones | Three, with vocal isolation |
| Controls | Physical buttons, no touch |
| Case | Soft carrying case, and they fold flat |
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How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the measured battery figure, the frequency response finding, the codec list, the weight and the microphone assessment, and is the only source that measured on a test fixture. Recording Now supplies the finding about the cancelling altering the sound signature, the comparison against rival budget models and the comfort observation. Game Rant is the long-use account and supplies the quick charge figure, the ear pressure observation and the app problem. No source published measured attenuation in decibels for these headphones, so none is claimed here.
What we read
Common questions
Does the noise cancelling change the sound on the Soundcore Space One?
How long does the battery last?
How good is the noise cancelling?
Is LDAC worth having on headphones this cheap?
What is missing?
The bottom line on the Soundcore Space One
At this price the battery, the codec support and the app are all better than they have any right to be. Set the equaliser with the cancelling in the position you will actually use, because turning it on moves the sound underneath you.
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