A Shockingly Stellar Value for Budget ANC Wireless Headphones

If there’s one thing the gadget could use more of right now, it’s price. There’s a time and a place for premium products, don’t get me wrong, but in a world where RAM prices are sending MSRPs through the roof for a lot of tech, getting More For not even that much Feels borderline radical.

And in that way, Soundcore’s Space 2 is as revolutionary as a pair of wireless headphones can be right now.

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medium range thriller

The first thing you need to know about the Soundcore Space 2 is that they cost $130. That is, objectively – moving away from the rest of the personal audio sphere – not that much money. In fact, it is very little. For context, I recently reviewed the AirPods Max 2, which cost $550, which is steep even by Apple standards. Recent releases like the Fender Mix and Nothing Headphones 1, which are both interesting and surprisingly good, cost $299. Sure, they’re great, but both of those companies are still relatively new to the wireless headphone world, so $300 isn’t anything to balk at.

In most cases, a huge price cut would mean a significant change in quality, but in the case of the Space 2, the quality-to-cost ratio seems pretty ideal. The first thing you’ll notice that you’re getting a good deal on is Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). While the Space 2 aren’t typical ANC headphones like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones (2nd generation) or the AirPods Max 2, they’re better than many midrange wireless headphones I’ve used, including the headphones from Fender and Nothing I mentioned.

On the subway and sidewalks in New York, I was surprised by how well the Space 2 blocks out noise, even when listening to low-noise audio like podcasts. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to bring the Space 2 onto a plane or any other environment where ANC might be a higher priority. In quiet settings, the Space 2 is more than adequate — I couldn’t even hear myself typing when I wrote these words, and the wireless headphones were only at 50% volume.

A big part of that immersion is the ANC, but also, based on my testing, the Space 2 does a great job of creating a passive seal. When using the Soundcore app to switch back and forth between noise cancellation and “normal” mode, I still got a fairly high level of ANC. It’s not enough to provide a buffer against subway noise, but it certainly blocked out the noise in the Gizmodo office.

If ANC and non-ANC modes aren’t your thing, there’s also a Transparency mode, which is headphone-speak for using the onboard mic to provide audio passthrough. I won’t lie, most transparency modes on wireless headphones are pretty bad (especially when you listen to AirPods Max levels of transparency), but the Space 2 impressed here too. Soundcore’s Space 2 Transparency mode surprisingly doesn’t feel laggy and allows you to hear your surroundings quite well, though not perfectly. Again, this falls short of being typical, but is ahead of many mid-range transparency modes I’ve used, and possibly even all the budget pairs I’ve tested.

If ANC and various noise modes are a big selling point for you, the Space 2 is an impeccable value, but those modes are only good if you actually like listening to the sound that’s helping you drown yourself. On that front, I have more good news, though with a small caveat.

good sound that needs help

Putting the Space 2 on your head and expecting them to sound as good as the AirPods Max 2 or any other super-premium pair of wireless headphones is unreasonable. Although some people would like to convince themselves that there is no difference between premium and budget wireless headphones, that is actually not the case.

That being said, you should still be satisfied with your sound even if the price is on the budget side, and with the Space 2, I was certainly satisfied, although there is one caveat (a good thing) that I’ll dwell on momentarily.

Out of the box, the Space 2, which comes with 40mm drivers, feels pretty solid. I wasn’t blown away by the soundstage, but I wasn’t disappointed either. When listening to rock songs like the Rolling Stones’ “Waiting on a Friend” at 50% volume, the tuning was good, the vocals were forward and clear, and the bass and low end were audible but not overpowering. The sound doesn’t sound as wide as premium headphones or even the aforementioned Nothing Headphones 1, but it doesn’t sound muddy either.

In more bass-heavy songs like Daft Punk’s “Da Funk”, I was a little less impressed. Some of the mid-range frequencies sounded a little faint and muffled – a subtle reminder that these are budget ANC wireless headphones and not premium ones. However, even with that reminder, I think the Space 2 outshines CMF’s competitors like the Headphones Pro in terms of sound quality and natural out-of-the-box tuning.

So, that’s the point, right? Is the sound ok on Space 2? Not enough. I’ve written this before, and I’ll probably write it a million more times, but you should always take advantage of personalized EQ when you have the option, and Soundcore’s Space 2 is a perfect example of that. Using the Soundcore app, I was able to personalize the Space 2 tuning to my specific hearing, and the results were much better after taking the plunge.

Soundcore’s hearing test is similar to the others. You listen to the frequencies and report them to the app when you hear them, so the app can read what range to increase. Soundcore’s approach also adds another twist. After frequency testing, Soundcore’s app actually lets you A/B test sound tuning by playing music. You listen to a brief snippet and then choose which profile—A or B—sounds better. I like this, because it gives you some options in this matter and also helps promote personalization. I like it even more because the results are really noticeable.

After personalizing my EQ, my opinion of the Space 2’s sound quality went from “okay” to “surprisingly good.” I still don’t think it’ll be able to reach the level of midrange/flagship competitors like the Headphone 1, but with the personalized EQ, it’s a fair contender. On songs like Daft Punk’s “Da Funk,” which I mentioned earlier, the immersive midrange is greatly improved, and the soundstage sounds much less flat. I can’t guarantee that everyone who personalizes their EQ through Soundcore’s app will get the same results, but it’s definitely worth giving it a try – you might just squeeze even more value out of an already value-rich pair of wireless headphones.

Solid, but nothing flashy

If there’s one area in which the Space 2 definitely seems to be on the budget side, it’s materials. There’s a lot of plastic and leather, as you’d expect, and although the look is unimpressive, it definitely leans towards a casual vibe. If style isn’t high on your priority list, that’s okay, but if you want something more unique, you should look elsewhere.

The upside of the cheap construction is that the Space 2 are lightweight at 264 grams, making them comfortable to wear for long periods of time. I also like that the fit around my ears is quite tight, so it creates a solid seal and provides passive noise cancellation.

There are also a few buttons built into the ear cups, including a play/pause button, a volume rocker, a power button, and a programmable multi-function button that changes noise-canceling modes by default, though it can be programmed to do other things like activating the voice assistant in the Soundcore app. I have no complaints about the buttons—they’re not the most tactile-feeling buttons I’ve used, but they get the job done.

It also has two ports—a USB-C and a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can listen to Space 2 wired if you want. The app also has some features. One, called HearID Sound, I’ve already mentioned – it personalizes the EQ. There are also preset EQs for bass boost, bass reduction, acoustic, classical, and about a dozen more that are genre-specific. To be honest, the options are a bit overwhelming, and while they certainly adjust the EQ from preset to preset, I can’t see myself going into an app and changing the EQ every time I hear a new style.

It also has 3D sound, which adds a sense of spatiality to what you’re listening to, but I barely noticed any difference with this feature on. Either the 3D nature is too subtle, or it is not working as intended. I’m rarely impressed by 3D sound or spatial sound anyway, so I don’t think I’m missing much, but it would be nice to know if it works or actually does something.

Like other products, you can also take advantage of things like white noise in the Soundcore app, which is great if you’re trying to block out noise or just zone out.

Battery life, like sound and ANC, blows above its weight class with an advertised 50 hours with ANC active. According to my testing, that estimate seems pretty accurate. The Soundcore app seems to assess battery in 10% increments, and it took me a little over three hours to get from 100% to 90% with ANC activated and the volume at 60%. If the advertised battery life is 50 hours with ANC active, this should equate to about a 2% drop every hour, but this is dependent on volume and other factors. My best guess is that you should get somewhere in that ballpark, which is pretty good considering that many pairs that cost twice as much can only get an average of 30 hours if you’re lucky.

Time 2 Space End?

When it comes to headphones, Soundcore’s Space 2 are the best for the budget. At $130, they offer better-than-expected sound as well as better-than-expected ANC, topped off with better-than-expected battery life.

Are they the best wireless headphones I’ve personally used in any of these categories? No, no, they are not. But that being said, they do offer high marks that exceed similarly priced competitors in the field and even manage to hold their own against pairs that cost twice as much.

Budget wireless headphones aren’t for everyone, but if you’re looking to get the most out of spending around $150 or less, I see no reason not to look at the stars on this one and go with the Space 2.