Soundcore Space One Review
Ryan
$99.00
Amazon.com
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Design
The Soundcore Space One features a new “floating-axis” design, allowing the ear cups to rotate in either direction, allowing for a more comfortable fit. I also found the ear cushions to be very soft and comfortable as well. The headphones themselves feel very light and almost too “plastic-y,” which may bring their long-term durability into question. However, the all-plastic design also means that they are very lightweight and very comfortable to wear for extended periods. Our review headphones feature Soundcore’s new Sky Blue color, but the headphones are also available in Jet Black and Latte Cream.
Performance
Soundcore has implemented 40mm dynamic drivers into the Soundcore Space One as well as LDAC for high-res audio. Even without LDAC, the sound quality from the Soundcore Space One is great, with rich bass and strong mids and highs. If you initially don’t like the sound, there are several equalizer options available within the Soundcore app, as well as the ability to perform a “Hear ID” hearing test to create a personalized hearing profile.
Noise Cancellation
Many Active Noise Cancelling headphones focus on cancelling out lower frequencies, like the hum of an airplane. Soundcore designed the Space One headphones, so they cancel out the higher frequencies of human speech. Soundcore claims that this results in 2 times the reduction of voices when compared to Soundcore Life Q30. In their testing, they also found that the Space One performed better in overall noise reduction compared to the Sony WH-CH720 headphones.
I tested these headphones with a news broadcast playing in the background, but found that the Soundcore Space One was not quite as good as the Sony WH-1000XM4 when it comes to people speaking. I also tested them with a white noise machine and found that, like most ANC headphones, they also reduced the sound of it very well.
In addition to voice cancellation, the headphones also include Adaptive Noise Cancellation, as many of Soundcore’s newer headphones do. With this, Soundcore only turns up its Active Noise Cancellation powers when needed by using an outward facing microphone to determine the amount of sound around you. If it isn’t that noisy around you, the Active Noise Cancellation effect is reduced, so you don’t get that underwater effect when you don’t need it.
They also support Transparency Mode, which is an important feature found on many new headphones and earbuds with active noise cancellation. It allows you to hear the sounds around you while listening to music or other audio. This can be useful for situations where you need to be aware of your surroundings, such as walking in a busy street.
Features
- Active and Adaptive Noise Cancellation: As noted earlier, the Soundcore Space One headphones feature effective noise cancellation focused on voices specifically. The amount of Active Noise Cancellation used is also adjusted automatically based on the ambient sound around you.
- Auto-Pause: The headphones will automatically stop playing your music when you remove the headphones. You need to activate this feature first by using the Soundcore app, as it does need a calibration process to be completed.
- Hi-Res Audio: The Space One headphones support LDAC (if your phone supports it) for higher quality sound than standard Bluetooth.
- Hear ID: Like many of Soundcore’s other headphones, the Space One include Hear ID, which can be calibrated to your individual hearing using the Soundcore app. You’ll then have a personalized hearing profile tuned to your ears.
Soundcore Space One vs Sony WH-1000XM4
When comparing the Soundcore Space One to the popular Sony WH-1000XM4, you can find that you get most of the features and longer battery life. The Space One may have fewer microphones for phone calls, but calls still sound fine.
I tested out the Space One’s voice cancellation while watching a news program and found that the noise cancellation wasn’t quite on the same level as the Sony WH-1000XM4. Still, the Space One will get you about 80-90% of the way there for a much smaller price tag.
Battery Life
The Soundcore Space One headphones last up to 40 hours with ANC on (55 hours with ANC off), making them great for charging and long trips. The headphones can be recharged with a USB-C cable, and a quick 5-minute charge can yield up to 4 hours of listening time.
