After 2 days of testing:
I have been using them for around 2 days now. I’m very happy to note that the sound reproduction has improved (which is typical with burn-in period). It has a wide soundstage (you can perceive separation in individual instruments). This is excellent for a closed back headphone.
When NC is not engaged, Bass is not overwhelming (it is there but not like beats). Its sound signature is very similar to Vortex. Again it is really enjoyable and clean. I strongly suggest using good quality input (Uncompressed or at least 320 kbps or over bit rate).
Interesting thing happens when NC is engaged. Bass suddenly jumps up (which could happen if even lower frequency sounds are reproduced). When no music is played and NC is turned on you can actually feel a little pressure in your ears (which is a sure shot sign that the headphones are producing very low frequency sounds). These low frequency sounds are generally not perceived by majority of population.
*I can hear sounds as low as 8 Hz (tested during my yearly hearing test).
Bose QC35 are around 3.5x more expensive then these. Do they produce 3.5x benefits? I’m not sure…
One thing is for sure, for $99 there is nothing in the market that can beat the quality and features of these headphones.
About the touch sensitive controls. It do not produce any audible clicks, these controls are more like swipe gestures. You swipe top to bottom to reduce volume, bottom to top to increase. swipe horizontally for skipping songs. Tap anywhere on the touch surface to pause/play.
One more thing…Comfort
Unfortunately, these are significantly more comfortable than Vortex (sorry @Nhi) but that doesn’t mean Vortex is by any means not comfortable… Since these are much lighter than Vortex, it will put much less pressure. It is not getting warm and sweaty. Ear pads are better in fit for people with larger ears. Its overall fit is better for larger heads as well. I wear Vortex at maximum opening in headband. I can wear these at a few notches lower than max. It will fit fine for the biggest heads.
I do have Grado SR80i (my absolute favorite), Sennheiser HD598 but it will not be fair to compare since those are open airs. I don’t own Bose QC35 but have tried them multiple times in store. I like the NC quality but cannot justify the premium.
Also, these headphones do report battery charge % to iPhone.
I hope i’m not forgetting to respond to any comments. I’ll be happy to answer any more questions.
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Original Impressions:
These are my initial observations about Anker Soundcore Space NC (Active noise cancellation) wireless headphones.
Package is very nice Anker signature White/Blue colored. Inside the package there is headphone storage case which contains all the items. Below it is quick start guide.
These headphones have the following specs:
Input: 5V DC, 0.5A
Charging time: 3 hours
Play time: 20 hours (with NC on in wireless mode), 50 hours on wired mode (with NC on).
Weight: 259 g/ 9.14 oz
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Drivers: 40 mm x 2
Frequency response: 16 Hz - 20 KHz
Bluetooth version: V4.1
Range: 12 m/ 39.4 ft
Audio cable: 48" long
In the package there are happy/not happy card, safety card and user manual.
Out of the box, these sound awesome. Sound signature is very similar to Soundcore Vortex. Impedance of this is double (32 Ohm vs 16 Ohm) that of Vortex. NC is very good (I still have to test it in varying environments). I have to say that NC is best in Bose (it shuts off outside world). Still these are very good and provide unbeatable value for the price.
Quality wise these headphones are amazing. See the pictures…
Earpads are supersoft and oozes quality. These are definitely more comfortable than Soundcore Vortex.
Another interesting spec is that Soundcore Space NC are lighter than Vortex (259 g vs 288 g). Also, while Vortex cans don’t fold flat, these do fold flat.
Looking inside the storage case there is a stitched picture of how to fold and store the headphone (this is extremely thoughtful of Anker and I’ve never seen anything like it before).
Comes with 48" long audio cable and a microusb charging cable.
On the headphone left can you will find NC on/off switch and on right can you will find power/phone button plus 3.5mm input and microusb charging port.
On right can is the touch activated vol/track controls (which is covered with a very nice leather like material) and is very responsive.
I’ll update these observations as I continue using these headphones. In the meantime enjoy the pictures and let me know of any questions…
I will run some performance evaluation over next few days and will update. Out of box sound quality is outstanding and i hope it will improve after burn-in period. Bass gets deeper after turning on NC which is kind of strange. Soundstage is great for a closed back cans.