Key Takeaways
- The Soundcore Space One Pro offers comfort and great sound for under $200 with a unique foldable design.
- Customizable sound quality and passable ANC provide good value for the price.
- Long battery life up to 60 hours; additional settings in the Soundcore app enhance the overall experience.
Finding a great pair of over-ear headphones with ANC, long battery life, and immersive sound usually requires spending a pretty penny. But the Soundcore Space One Pro proves the traditional wisdom wrong. For less than $200, you can snag a pair of comfortable headphones with great sound and a compact design that folds up when not in use.
Soundcore Space One Pro
The Soundcore Space One Pro provides high quality sound and active noise cancellation for less. Along with the nice sound profile, the headphones feature a unique design that allows them to fold up into a small travel case, helping you to save space when on the go.
- Very comfortable with foam-backed headband and ear cups
- Foldable design allows you to pack up the headphones into a small bag
- Great sound profile
- App brings additional customization options
- Hardware buttons on ear cups are difficult to use
- ANC is a few steps behind more expensive models
Price and Availability
The Soundcore Space One Pro retails for $199.99 and is available from Soundcore, Amazon, and other retailers.
A Comfortable and Unique Design
When looking for over-ear headphones, comfort is usually at the top or near the top of the list of requirements. With long battery life, these types of headphones are meant to be worn for long periods of time. It doesn’t matter how good the headphones sound if they aren’t comfortable.
I especially value comfort for over-ear headphones for a few reasons. I have a large head, wear glasses, shave my head, and usually wear hats most of the day. With that combination, many headphones that market comfort don’t work well for me.
The Soundcore Space One Pro are one of the most comfortable pairs of headphones I’ve tried. Both the ear cups and headband are covered with a soft, leather-like material and use a substantial amount foam with a nice amount of give. The headband and ear cups were secure and didn’t wiggle around my head or ears during use.
I tried out the white and gold version of the headphones, but there is also a black model to choose from.
I’ve worn the headphones for a full day of work and on a 5-hour flight and never felt any discomfort. They weigh a little more than 0.63 pounds.
Along with being comfortable, the headphones are designed not to take up a lot of space when not in use. Thanks to a unique folding design, when you’re ready to put the headphones away, the ear cups fold up together, around the size of a large smartphone. It’s one of the best foldable designs I’ve seen from over-ear headphones. When space is at a premium in my bag, it’s nice to know that the Space One Pro won’t take up a lot of space.
To help protect the headphones while traveling, Soundcore includes a small bag that can be closed up. For more protective options that are more bulky, there are some optional Soundcore cases available.
The only part of the design I was disappointed in was the hardware buttons on the bottom of both ear cups. On the left ear cup, there is the power button and a button to switch ANC modes. You’ll also find the USB-C charging port and 3.5mm line-in jack. The right side sports the volume control and play/pause button.
In day-to-day use, the buttons are too thin. It was hard to find the buttons on the ear cup and properly push them. When I needed to push the buttons, I usually resorted to taking the headphones off my ears to find the correct button to push. After being a long-time user of Apple’s AirPods Max, I definitely missed the simplicity of the Digital Crown and single Side Button.
Customizable Sound Quality and Passable ANC
The other big part of high-quality headphones is the sound quality. The Soundcore Space One Pro isn’t the best I’ve used, but it provides a nice bang for the buck.
I listened to a wide variety of different media—everything from hard rock music to streaming video—and came away pleased. Vocals were always crisp and easy to understand, with nice bass, mid-range, and high range even at higher volumes.
Another headlining feature of the headphones is active noise cancelation technology. If you’re unaware of the technology, it’s designed to cancel out background noise so you can better focus on the audio playing. That’s done with microphones that actively listen to sound outside and then “cancel” that with sound waves.
Headphones with ANC are a must on any long flight, as they can help drown out noise from the engines and other passengers.
I can only describe the Space One Pro’s ANC during my two-leg flight as passable. It did a nice job cutting down the engine noise. But it didn’t do as well with other cabin noises, including the screaming baby that was sitting behind me.
In the car, the ANC did better, completely drowning out road noise and even other people talking.
Compared to my AirPods Max, the ANC was a few steps behind. But at more than half the cost, it’s a compromise most buyers will likely be OK with. Just like with most over-ear headphones, you can use the built-in microphone to take phone calls as well. Callers reported they could hear me very well while inside a quiet room. My voice wasn’t as clear when outside, but it still came through strong.
Long Battery Life and a Nice App
Make sure to download the companion Soundcore app for iPhone or Android. There are a number of additional settings that you can customize. While you can set a Custom EQ, I’d recommend trying the HearID Sound test. You’ll create a unique sound profile by testing your hearing sensitivity and selecting music genre preferences.
The entire testing process takes around two minutes. First, you’ll take a quick hearing test and then select the best-sounding piece of music with two different sound profiles. I was surprised about how well the feature worked, and the music sounded great.
With the app, you can also further customize the ANC and the headphone’s Transparency mode. Much like the feature of the same name with Apple’s AirPods, the Soundcore mode provides a mix of music while keeping you aware of what’s happening around you. That worked well and allowed me to hear what was going on at the airport when I was changing flights.
Another sound setting, Easy Chat, didn’t work as well. It’s designed to lower the music volume so you can hear another person you are talking to during a short conversation. But it seemed like any sound would enable it, and I quickly turned it off.
Battery life on the headphones is another strong point. You can listen for up to 40 hours with ANC turned on and 60 hours without the feature on a single battery charge. In a rush, you can charge the headphones with the included USB-C cable for 5 minutes to provide up to 8 hours of music playback.
Should You Buy the Soundcore Space One Pro?
The Soundcore Space One Pro perfectly balances price and features. Sure, there are other headphones on the market with better ANC and soundstage, but you’ll likely be paying double or more the cost of the Soundcore option.
If you’re on a budget or don’t want to spend a lot of money on over-ear headphones, there is a lot to like about the Soundcore option. They are very comfortable to wear for long periods of time, sound good, and don’t take up a lot of room thanks to the unique foldable design. Before spending more, Soundcore has a nice option to consider.
Soundcore Space One Pro
The Soundcore Space One Pro provides high quality sound and active noise cancellation for less. Along with the nice sound profile, the headphones feature a unique design that allows them to fold up into a small travel case, helping you to save space when on the go.
