Today, Anker is expanding its collection of Soundcore headphones with an all-new sub lineup for the series. Arriving with two new offerings, the Space collection now sports a pair of true wireless earbuds to go alongside a set of over-ear headphones and both are equipped with ANC and more budget-conscious price points. We’re going hands-on with the Anker Soundcore Space Q45 and A40 offerings to see how these new debuts stack up.
Anker Soundcore Space Q45 Headphones
First up, we’re checking out the over-ear addition to the Anker Soundcore Space lineup. The new Q45 arrive as the latest pair of headphones from the brand and arrive as something of a predecessor to the Life Q35 cans from last year.
Right out of the box, Anker has kept up my impressions from going hands-on with previous Soundcore devices by delivering a solid build with its Q45 releases. I immediately noticed the plush ear cups, which turned out to be super comfortable for extended-wearing sessions. That was complemented by a lightweight build and adjustable design. The form factor is one of the more evident areas that Anker refreshed with its newest headphones, and it has certainly paid off.
Feature-wise, Anker has also given the Soundcore Space Q45 headphones some improvements that are packed within the updated build. Battery life is going to be one of the most eye-catching adjustments, which now rises to as much as 65 hours per charge. That’s with the ANC tech turned off, but so far from my testing, it seems like Anker is right on the money with its estimate. Turning on the sound isolating tech will drop down the playback time to 50 hours, which even still is quite impressive compared to other models on the market.
Speaking of, the active noise cancellation this time around is another star of the show, at least on the product page, that is. I have to say that actually listening with the feature turned on wasn’t the most noise that I’ve had blocked out by a pair of over-ear cans, which is to say that I could still pretty noticeably hear the hum of my AC in the background even at lower audio levels. The companion transparency mode was right on par, as well.
Audio quality though does take a step up. The pair of 40mm drivers that power the listening experience do a solid job at creating a balanced soundstage out of the box, and like many other Anker releases, the Soundcore Space Q45 also have adjustable EQ settings in the app for fine-tuning things even further. There’s also support for LDAC hi-rise audio to complement the Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.
All of those features arrive at the $149.99 price point in a single black colorway. You can buy the Anker Soundcore Space Q45 direct from Amazon right now as well. All in all, though, it’s an impressive build and feature set for the price, even if the performance on every front isn’t quite as consistent as the second addition to the new lineup.
Alongside its over-ear headphones, the Anker Soundcore Space lineup is also debuting with a pair of true wireless A40 earbuds. These arrive with an untethered build that also manages to take a page out of the bulkier alternative’s playback by sporting a whopping 50 hours of playback per charge. That’s of course with the companion charging case, but even so, you’re getting 10 hours of listening on the buds themselves with the case providing the extra 40. And on that note, I love the build of the actual case. It’s one of the more premium builds for the price point I’ve used and has a nice hinge to click open and closed for all you fidgeters.
While the active noise cancellation on the Q45 didn’t deliver exactly what I would have liked to hear, the feature on the Anker Soundcore Space A40 do stack up quite favorably. The rubber ear tips can create a pretty notable seal as is, with the software side of the feature then tagging in to block out a decent amount of ambient sound. Anker notes that it has upgraded the noise canceling tech this time around, and the results really do speak for themselves.
Sound quality is also pretty solid! I was not only impressed by how well these sound right out of the box but also by how much I could adjust the EQ in the companion app. The bass isn’t going to be quite as booming as other options out there, but I am actually relieved to hear a much more balanced soundstage than some of the other options out there at this price point that tends to focus a bit too much on the low end of the spectrum.
All of those specs earn the new Anker Soundcore Space A40 Earbuds a $99.99 price point. You can score them right now from Amazon, where all three styles are in stock.
gadgetnewsonline’ Take:
After spending the past few weeks with the new Anker Soundcore Space lineup, I have to say that it’s a bit of a mixed bag overall. Build quality across both of the releases certainly delivers what I’ve come to expect, which I can easily recommend. It’s just that the active noise cancellation on the Q45 specifically isn’t quite as good as the $150 price point would beg you to believe. That being said, if you can find these on sale or value a more well-rounded package versus the kinds of ANC, these are definitely worth your attention.
On the other hand, the Anker Soundcore Space A40 are certainly the real star of the show. These earbuds easily punch above their weight class with some impressive features that outperform what you’d expect from just reading the listing page. The $100 asking price is quite fair, even if you’re missing out on the autoplay and pause features.
Buy the Anker Soundcore Space Q45 headphones and A40 earbuds.
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