Soundcore Space NC Wireless Headphone (Review)

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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.






























8 Likes

Great review thanks for all of the pictures. :+1::+1::+1:

1 Like

Clarity? Sound stage? Bass heavy? How long do they last on the head before your ears start to feel like they’re burning from the trapped heat? :smiley:

2 Likes

Great pictures… thanks for sharing your review!

1 Like

Thanks for the pictures and I look forward to your updates on soundstage and clarity. How well is the fit? For people with big heads/small heads and ear sizes.

1 Like

Noise cancellation effectiveness against Bose? Do you have both, and tried them?

I’m on a 11 hour flight tomorrow so packing my Bose QC35. What I found is on the longest flight there is a dull headache (not really pain) which is lessened with noise-cancelling headphones, but by Bose cost me $382 delivered 2 years ago. On shorter flights I’m fine with Anker Life or Slim+, Slim+ does a good noise isolation job but insufficient battery life for long flights.

1 Like

Wow, I think that’s the most pics I’ve seen on a review… love it :slight_smile: You said they are more comfortable then the Vortex eh? Shhhh, don’t tell my hubby since I just gifted him the Vortex and he loves it. :stuck_out_tongue: I’ve been trying to find these at Brookstone to try them out but my local store still doesn’t have them. They do look a lot more comfortable. And I especially like the control buttons. Pushing the volume button, etc… does it create an audible click? And do you have to press hard? I’ve found that with the Vortex, I do have to push the volume buttons a bit hard to get it to change. Thanks for the great comparison between the two. :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Very nice review and amazing pictures!

It’s a nice touch to not only include the picture of how the headphone should be folded, but also the nest to receive them in the case.

I’m surveilling Amazon.ca waiting for those to be available in Canada, I want one!

2 Likes

Thank you for addressing my question about the audible click. Good to know. Last Christmas, I was going to get the Bose QC35 for the hubby but he didn’t want to spend that much for it so I’ve been waiting for the price drop. Then I won the Vortex in the Power Draw and gave it to him instead. He seems to be satisfied with it … for now :stuck_out_tongue: I am still curious about the NC so next time I go by a Brookstone, I’ll have to sneak a peek without the hubby. :wink:

Love this :slight_smile: It’s almost unheard of to get great sounding headphones for under that price mark nowadays.

This is one main reason why I can’t wear these types of headphones… earache after a short period of time. So it’s nice that it is much lighter.

Thanks again or addressing some of my questions :slight_smile: Excellent job with the review :slight_smile:

1 Like

i don’t believe weight is what causes ear ache. It is orientation of the oval pads with your ears tilt. Then if that needs the over-head part to be tilted too far back, for example, then that is where weight helps - is that what you mean?

I think its a combination of both. weight and axis of rotation for the cups. If you see Vortex, it has a very restricted movement compared to Space NC which has a very flexible movement of the cups. Also the cup pressure on the ear is more in Vortex which in combination of the weight can cause fatigue much sooner than Space NC.

Great review and nice set pics. The review is detailed and gives me a lot information about the produtct. These might work better for me than the Vortex.

1 Like

Good review and excellent pictures…thanks for sharing :thumbsup:

For me, I find the issue is with the weight of the headphones, placement of it over my ears, and pressure that it creates against my head. I don’t know, maybe it could also be due to allergies :stuck_out_tongue:

I do not have the Soundcore Space NC, I have the Bose QC35 so I’m extrapolating too. I just did ~ 15 hours use during flying with the Bose. The ear ache thing was there towards the end and I think it was due to the depth of the padding.where the ear ended up pressed up pinched. The fix would be deeper pads and/or bigger pads circumference, but that would make them pack larger. I would prefer in-ear NC if they could be made as good at NC.

I alternated between Bose QC35 and Anker Soundbuds Slim+, as I passed through 2 flights, and taxi, and recharging off a Powercore+ Mini to recharge them “just in case” to keep everything charged.

Back to the Space NC. If they are nearly as good as the Bose, for $99, they drift into “why not” where I’d buy them as gifts. On longer flights (say > 5 hours) NC really makes a difference the next day. What NC does is let you listen (movies, music or just silence) with less volume, you need to push into your ears less noise to understand things (voice) so you are left with better hearing… Try to use the supplied free airline options where you’re forced to go to maximum and left exhausted. The next day the dull ache and extra exhaustion is apparent. Without my Bose QC35 there is dull ache in the head, which does not occur with the Bose. Would Space NC be as good? If the Space NC are nearly as good as Bose for $99 or less then it would become my Xmas present to regular travelers.

I watched the Black Panther and Last Jedi from the free in-flight movies, with the Bose and the rest of time just sleeping with the noise reduced off aircraft engines. Anker was used for the airport find-each-other taxi conversation.

And at that point I ask if I win the prize for first to mention Xmas in 2018. July? Anyone?

Anker products used last 24 hours:

  • Powercore 10000 I used to keep my phone charged
  • Powercore+ Mini to recharge Bose / Buds
  • Soundbuds Slim+ for taxi and moving needs
  • lots of Anker cables
  • UK Powerport 2
2 Likes

Do you notice more compression in your source music with these compared to the Vortex? I ask because I noticed that the Vortex have the aptX codec listed while the Space NC does not.

1 Like

I have to be very honest and say that I like the sound of Vortex more than NC (with ANC off). Vortex has a much wider soundstage. NC (with ANC off) lacks the bass vs Vortex. With ANC on it becomes a different animal, bass becomes prominent and soundstage opens up as well. I tend to use Vortex more when NC is not required due to better sound reproduction. I don’t know if this is due to different impedance of the headphones (32 ohm vs 16 ohm of Vortex).

just ordered a pair for $80 to use while doing yardwork…

Just found a read another review for these headphones on GearPatrol.com

https://gearpatrol.com/2018/10/19/anker-soundcore-space-nc-headphones-review/