The Anker Soundcore Space 2 headphones are a top alternative to Bose and Sony

Anker Soundcore Space 2

Benefits

• Relatively affordable
• Improved design with a more comfortable fit
• Very good sound for the price
• Improved adaptive noise cancellation
• Long battery life
• Integrated voice commands
• Strong noise reduction for voice calls

Disadvantages

• Callers said my voice was a bit muffled during voice calls.
• Noise cancellation could be even better
• 3D Sound mode worsens sound quality

In 2023, Anker released its Soundcore Space One noise canceling headphones. Although I thought they were good value for money, at around $100, truth be told, I didn’t like them even when they became popular headphones. They seemed a little too big on my head and offered decent, but not exceptionally good, performance across the board. They were a good budget alternative to more expensive headphones from Bose, Sony, and Apple, but they fell well short of those brands’ flagship models.

Anker’s new product for 2026 Soundcore Space 2 the headphones ($130) are a definite upgrade. Not only do they feature a sleeker, more comfortable design, but they also have improved sound and noise cancellation. At about a quarter of Sony’s $450 price WH-1000XM6 And Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Gen 2)they are a great, more affordable alternative to these models. Although they get more of a B-plus for overall performance, they get an A grade in the value department.

Learn more: Best headphones of 2026

Design of Soundcore Space 2

While the Space 2 weighs basically the same as the Space One (265 grams versus 260.6 grams), the Space 2 appears to be a bit lighter and sleeker. Anker upgraded the ear cushions with plush memory foam, and the earbuds are quite comfortable overall and fit my head securely without much clamping force.

They fold flat and include a basic canvas-style carrying pouch as well as a USB-C cable and a 3.5mm cable to plug into audio devices with a 3.5mm jack. While they don’t feature premium build quality, they have a more premium look and feel than the Space One.

As for controls, there’s a pause/play button and a volume rocker on the left earcup (press and hold the volume up button to skip forward a track, and hold the volume down button to go back). On the right earcup, you’ll find a power/Bluetooth button and an “NC” button that lets you toggle between noise cancellation and transparency modes. Long press the power button to access your phone’s voice assistant. You can also answer an incoming call with a simple press of the same button or reject it with a long press. After a few days of use, you should get used to using the buttons by touch, although I took the earbuds off a few times at first to remember which buttons were which.

Soundcore Space 2 Features

The Space 2 doesn’t have many extra features. However, they support multi-point Bluetooth pairing and are equipped with ear detection sensors that pause your music when you remove the earbuds and resume playback when you put them back in (the feature must be enabled in the companion Soundcore app for iOS and Android). Additionally, they have an “AI Chat” mode which is essentially like having Siri always on and allows you to use voice commands to control playback, or simply ask for the weather report and other information. This also needs to be enabled in the app, after which saying “Hey, Anka” can be used for voice commands or to ask questions.

The app offers manual EQ settings to adjust the sound, as well as a few presets and a HearID EQ setting that optimizes the sound for your ears based on a hearing test. On a more critical note, I was disappointed with the 3D Sound mode in the app’s “Sound Effects” setting. This didn’t expand the soundstage or give any sort of spatial audio feel and actually made the sound worse. Maybe this will be improved in a firmware update.

When it comes to audio codecs, iPhone users get SBC and AAC codecs. Meanwhile, Android users have the added option of using Sony’s high-quality LDAC to stream over Bluetooth (this is Bluetooth 6.1), assuming your Android device supports it, as many do.

Although the headphones support analog wired listening with the included cable, USB-C audio is not supported. I kind of hoped they would.

Soundcore Space 2 noise reduction performance

The headphones offer improved adaptive noise cancellation compared to the Space One, with better noise attenuation for low-frequency sounds. That said, walking around the streets of New York, I heard more noise across all frequencies compared to the Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen), and Apple AirPods Max 2. In other words, the noise cancellation is effective, but not in the same league as what you get with these more expensive premium ANC headphones. I’d give it a B-plus, while the noise cancellation of these other models gets an A-plus.

Sound quality of Soundcore Space 2

Right out of the box, I found the Space 2’s sound quality to be quite good with the default Soundcore Signature EQ, but I can’t say it impressed me. There’s decent clarity and definition with a reasonably spacious soundstage, but there’s a bit of bass (which some people may appreciate), and the sound just doesn’t seem as clean, natural, or rich as what you get with some premium wireless earbuds.

After taking Anker’s HearID hearing test in a quiet room, I compared my custom profile to the Soundcore Signature setting and felt a noticeable improvement in sound quality. In my profile, the bass was rolled back a bit, the mids more, and there was a peak where the mids crossed into the highs. Finally, some of the treble has been removed. It was a sort of modified U-shaped profile with some irregularities. I liked how the sound seemed a little more balanced, with a little tighter bass and a bit of edge in the treble.

THE Baseus inspire XH1 are currently among the Space 2’s closest competitors. This model, which costs around $100, features “Sound by Bose” and is overall a well-designed headset with similar overall performance. I like the sound of the Baseus a little more. It also has a bit of bass punch, but the bass has a bit more energy and the sound just seems a bit smoother overall (and the XH1s have a bit more openness). But choosing which sound you prefer will largely come down to a matter of taste. Note that the Inspire XH1s don’t come with ear detection sensors, but they do come with a hard case instead of a pouch.

Ultimately, if I didn’t have a bunch of better-sounding headphones on hand to compare, I might have even more praise for the Space 2’s sound, which is pretty decent with some tweaking. I’d give them an A or an A-minus for sound at this price ($130 is still not cheap), but more of a B-plus in the grander scheme of things.

Soundcore Space 2 voice call performance and battery life

In my testing with callers on the noisy streets of New York, the headphones did an excellent job of reducing background noise almost to silence, but callers said my voice was muffled, like I was speaking through the sleeve of a thick shirt. I could hear the callers well, but based on the feedback I received from them, I would give voice call performance a B grade.

The Space 2 offers strong battery life, up to 50 hours with noise cancellation turned on at moderate levels and up to 70 hours with noise cancellation turned off. The Sony WH-1000XM6 are rated to last up to 30 hours with noise cancellation enabled.

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Final Thoughts

Not everyone can afford to spend more than $250 (or wants to) on high-end noise-cancelling headphones, which is where models like the Anker Soundcore Space 2 come in. A marked improvement over the Space One, they have a better design and build quality than several of the headphones in our top picks. economical noise canceling headphones list and match or exceed their performance. Some of these headphones cost a little less, but the Space 2s are a great option at this price, especially if you see them on sale for over $100.