Pros
- Good sound
- Good noise cancelling
- Long battery life
Cons
- Basses a little loud
- Slightly low fidelity
Like its Life siblings, the latest member of the Soundcore family has round ear cups emblazoned with the distinctive manufacturer’s logo. Anker uses a lot of plastic but ensures that the headphones don’t look cheap. Among other things, this is due to the matt finish and the buttons. The manufacturer seems to have found the screw to fix them, and the buttons no longer wobble – great. The leatherette pads on the earcups and the headband are attractive and comfortable. The Soundcore Space Q45 sits softly on the ears but heats them a little over time.
No touch, only buttons
Unlike well-known models from Sony or Bose, the Anker over-ear uses only buttons. The buttons are clearly divided and easy to learn. Due to double assignment, there are only five buttons with which the Soundcore Space Q45 can be easily controlled. In addition, the manufacturer offers the free Soundcore app for iOS and Android. In the application, for example, the sound can be adjusted via an equaliser or presets. Music fans can also switch between adaptive and active noise cancellation. Anker also knows that loud music is harmful in the long run: If you like, you can use the volume limit that can be switched on.
Powerful sound
The Soundcore Q45’s sound is mainly characterised by deep and powerful basses, which, however, play in the foreground. On the other hand, the mids come up short, making the music reproduction sound somewhat unbalanced. Voices, on the other hand, sound clean but slightly nasal. It delivers a much clearer and more discreet sound than the Life Q30 and Q35.
Adaptive or manual?
The Anker headphones have microphones that capture ambient noise. At the same time, the Soundcore Space Q45 send a sound in the opposite direction to the wearer’s hearing. The wave superposition creates silence in the ear. Train noise or construction site noise then fades into the background, leaving enough space for the music. The active noise cancellation works effectively but only comes close to the top models from Apple, Sony or Bose. The over-ear headphones let through voices and other sounds in the high-frequency range. The strength of the noise cancellation can be lowered and increased via a slider in the smartphone app. Alternatively, music fans can leave this work to the Soundcore Space Q45 and activate the adaptive mode. The anchor then automatically regulates the intensity of the noise cancellation.
Battery Life
The battery life is also good but not outstanding. At 35.5 hours, it is almost on par with the related Soundcore Life Q30. The playing time is quite decent and even surpasses top performers like the JBL Tour One. The equipment is okay with a smart plastic case, a jack cable and a USB-C charging cable.
Conclusion
The Soundcore Space Q45 are Anker’s best noise-cancelling over-ear headphones to date. It secures a good score and passes its relatives by a narrow margin. It achieves this with its good sound, which has to contend with weaknesses such as the loud bass. Also good is the noise-cancelling feature, which protects music fans from the annoying noise. The long battery life is also perfect. However, the price range of around £100 is highly competitive. Models like the Philips Fidelio L3 or the Razer Opus make life difficult for the stylish Anker.
