To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more
- Super comfortable
- Crammed full of features
- Effective cancellation of low frequencies
- Earcups get warm quickly
- 3D sound is unconvincing
- ANC doesn’t tackle voices too well
It’s been a while since I’ve tested over-ear headphones from Soundcore, the audio and video brand owned by Anker. The headphones in question were the Anker Soundcore Life Q30, and I’m secretly convinced that my glowing review, which was one of the first published, played a part in their huge success.
They’re still popular and are among the most prevalent over-ear headphones on London’s streets, along with their stablemates the Soundcore Space One. Nary a day in town goes by without me spying a pair of cost-effective, noise-cancelling Anker cans sprinkled in with the Apples, Boses and Sonys.
I do not doubt that plenty of Soundcore Space 2 will be cropping up on my commute soon enough. They’re pricier than those aforementioned headphones but are very good all-rounders available at a competitive price.
What do you get for the money?
That price is £130, which puts the Soundcore Space 2 in mid-range territory alongside the likes of the Nothing Headphone (a) and Philips H8000E. There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about them in terms of functionality or design, but they do a great job of covering all the key bases. There are three colours available at launch – Linen White, Jet Black and Seafoam Green – a four-stage noise-cancellation system, support for Hi-Res Audio and LDAC on Android devices, wear detection and multipoint pairing.
You’ve also got a proprietary 3D Sound mode; customisable EQs within the Soundcore app; HearID Sound, which analyses your hearing and creates a bespoke tuning; and hands-free controls courtesy of Soundcore’s own AI assistant, Anka (I hardly know her).
That’s about as comprehensive as it gets for this kind of money, and the Soundcore Space 2 headphones wrap it all up in a package weighing just over 260g and capable of lasting up to 50 hours with ANC on, and 70 hours with it off. There’s no hard-shell carrying case included, but Soundcore does ship the Space 2 with a drawstring fabric pouch for transportation.
What did we like about them?
Design and ergonomics
I’ve tested enough headphones to know whether I’ll get on with a pair comfort-wise as soon as I’ve put them on. The minute I put the Soundcore Space 2 over my ears, I knew we were good in this department.
The memory foam lining their cups is incredibly soft, forming a neat seal around my ears, and the same material is used on the underside of the headband. The clamping force is in the sweet spot that ensured they remained stable on my head without applying undue pressure.
Soundcore’s Space 2 may not be shooting for the premium stars where innovative design is concerned, but they’re sturdy, flexible and undeniably good-looking headphones. In fact, no fewer than three people commented on them, saying something to the effect of “They look nice!” These were people who regularly see me with new pairs of headphones, so this is a pretty strong endorsement of the Space 2.
Both earcups can be folded inwards for easy storage in the pouch or a pocket, and the hinges look like they’re built to last. I wouldn’t have naturally gravitated towards the Seafoam Green of my review sample, but it’s a colour that grew on me, with the pastel tone pleasantly differentiating the Space 2 from their rivals.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and other features
ANC was one of the standout features of the Life Q30, and it’s highly effective here, too. It’s particularly good at reducing the impact of low-frequency sounds, such as that low hum that fills an aircraft cabin and the rumble of the Tube, and does so without adversely affecting how the headphones sound.
This allowed me to listen to my music at moderate volume without issue and protect my hearing in the process. To this end, the Soundcore app includes a Safe Volume feature that lets you look at your headphones’ decibel output in real-time. I’ve come across in-app volume limiters in the past, but this is the first app in which I can recall decibels being displayed in such a way, and it encouraged the sensible part of me to set and stick to healthy volumes.
I made good use of several of the Space 2’s other features, too. Wear detection is a must-have feature for me, and the HearID Sound audio personalisation tool proved to be my favourite sound profile after I’d undergone the hearing test process.
Battery life isn’t a glamorous feature, but it’s an important one, and I found the Space 2 delivered stamina pretty close to their claims. After three weeks of almost daily use for a couple of hours with ANC on, so roughly 40 hours, the battery life indicator in the app was down to 20%, which is bang on the 50 hours claimed by Anker.
Companion app
I also want to give a special mention to the Soundcore app. A lot of time and effort has gone into making the experience fulfilling and practically useful. It’s not something I used, but the Anka AI model is very relevant to current societal norms, and it also offers live translation features and even a “Contextual Learning” language mode, which is a bit like a budget Duolingo without animations, tests or green owls.
Finally, you’ve got Soundspace, which has seen Soundcore partner with Calm to integrate aid and relaxation elements such as sleep stories, meditations, white noise and AI Brainwave audio into the app. When the corporate world in the MVF office is getting me down, it’s nice to know I can fire up Forest audioscape, add rain and singing bowl sounds, and find my zen again.
Audio performance
That’s not to suggest that the default preset EQs are bad; the main ones (Acoustic, Bass Booster, Bass Reducer and Classical) shape the sound as you’d expect based on their descriptions, while the Soundcore Signature tuning serves as a decent all-purpose option across a wide range of genres.
There was enough bass presence on Innellea’s We Thrive to maintain a sense of engrossing momentum, and I felt the slightly discordant instrumental effects over it all possessed a pleasing definition. However, the Signature EQ sounded a little claustrophobic during vocal-heavy tracks, which is where the HearID Sound profile came to the fore. The frequency curve created for me brightened and livened things up to an impressive degree on Newton Faulkner’s All I Got, and the HearID mode genuinely felt like the best way to enjoy the Space 2’s sound.
The Soundcore Space 2 may not deliver the last word in pinpoint precision or fine detail. Still, they can belt out a tune pretty faithfully from a high-resolution source, knit the basics together nicely and aren’t found lacking in the low-end department. Framed by a £130 price tag, that’s a strong showing.
What could be improved?
As comfortable as the Soundcore Space 2 are, I found that they got rather warm during an unseasonably toasty spell in April. The soft memory foam and leatherette lining of the earcups heated up rapidly on a sunny train home, leaving my ears and the top of my head sweatier than I’d have liked. My colleague Ben Johnston experienced a similar thing when he tested the Space 2’s predecessor, so I’m putting this down to the design rather than us both being proper sweatheads. It’s not a major issue anyway; these headphones are supremely wearable for 99% of the year.
While the Space 2 do a fantastic job of attenuating low-frequency sound, they’re not quite as capable at tackling voices. This isn’t surprising – it’s the Achilles Heel of the noise-cancelling world – but I did find conversations in the office and on public transport disrupted my listening every once in a while.
The biggest disappointment about the Soundcore Space 2, for spatial audio fans at least, is the 3D Sound mode. Soundcore says it offers enhanced depth and sense of presence, but it just didn’t do anything for me. It made the aforementioned Newton Faulkner tune sound almost robotic, and rarely elevated my immersion in tracks more than the other EQ options.
Should you buy the Anker Soundcore Space 2?
That trio of small drawbacks wouldn’t be enough to deter me from picking up what are otherwise accomplished, affordable headphones. For me, they’re battling it out for supremacy with the Nothing Headphone (a) in the mid-range price bracket.
I very marginally prefer the audio quality of the more expensive Nothing Headphone (a), but the Space 2 have comfort in their favour and offer a better selection of features and functionality.
If I were forced to choose, the Soundcores would get the nod. That said, it would be remiss of me not to mention that the Soundcore Life Q30 are still available to buy and currently only cost £45. Buy those if you’re on a tight budget, and the Space 2 if you already own the Q30 and want similarly styled headphones that perform better across the board.
