Soundcore Space Q45 over-the-ear headphones review – a world of your own

REVIEW – Given our modern environment, dealing with external noise while listening to content is a constant problem. New products fill the virtual shelves of retailers promising the best noise-canceling headphones. We have reviewed many here. I’m going to add another to the mix today, the Soundcore Space Q45 over-the-ear headphones. Are they the best? The cheapest? Well, let’s take a look.

What is it?

Soundcore Space Q45 over-the-ear headphones are a set of wireless over-the-ear headphones which offer active noise cancellation (ANC).

What’s in the box?

• Soundcore Space Q45 over-the-ear headphones
• Zippered flex-sided travel case
• Audio cable (TTTP<=>TTTP)
• USB-C<=>USB-C charging cable

Hardware Specs

From company website

• Upgraded noise canceling system reduces noise by up to 98%
• Make every space your own with adaptive noise canceling
• Ultra-long 50-hour playtime for travel
• Sound with exceptional detail
• Secure and comfortable fit

Design and features

The Soundcore Space Q45 over-the-ear headphones are only available in black. The foam of the ear cups rises about an inch from the edge of the fabric speaker cover. The outer edge of the pads is a low-density foam covered by a smooth yet cloth-like fake leather. Very nice to touch, and seems pretty breathable. The cups are ellipses 3.75″ x 3.375″ across. There is a hard plastic “handle” about 3″ long above the hinge holding them to the headband, so the adjustment is higher up than most headphones. The adjustable portion is a little over 4″ at the smallest, but can expand to 7″. That portion of the band is a piece of spring steel .875″ across and less than 2 mm thick, with a thinner band of the same foam material as the earcups glued to it.

Setup

Standard charge and Bluetooth pairing. There is also an app (available for both iOS and Google Play) that you download to configure advanced settings like ANC, Spatial Audio, etc.) Firmware updates are also delivered through the app. All SoundCore devices can be set up for use at once, but only one can be active at a time.

Another feature of the Soundcore app is to assign EQ profiles to your content. You can choose from the presets, or edit/save them as you wish. (If you remember doing this in iTunes years ago, congrats, you’re old!)

Performance

The Soundcore Space Q45 headphones are comfortable and not overly heavy. The cushions are medium-density memory-ish foam, covered in a finely-textured fake leather. It feels very soft and luxurious to the touch. The cans fit nicely over the ears, giving enough room inside to not feel your ears touching the fabric. Power and pairing controls are on the left, playback and volume controls are on the right. The charging port is on the left, and the wired pass-through is on the right. The microphone picks up your voice without you having to feel as though you’re shouting.

The headband has a decently-thick memory foam padding that made resting them on the top of your head comfortable, rather than having more pressure on the sides via the ear cups. The adjustment is a friction lock and held my chosen setting nicely.

The Soundcore Space Q45 over-the-ear headphones ear cups can swivel and fold into a compact “ball” for transport, or swivel to make the cups lie flat in the same plane as the headband. Either is nice for packing and transport. The flat layout is slightly irritating in that the cups fold away from your head as you remove them, which means the ear cups will sit with the open end up, potentially gathering dust and such. If you place them open-end-down, they are inverted – the left cup is on the right and vice-versa. I always place my cans face down, so I’d prefer them to swivel the other way or to have the ability to swivel either way.

They have replaced my usual noise-canceling headphones for vacuuming while listening to podcasts. I also tested them with several movies/TV shows with my Mac mini and the new Studio Display. The sound stayed perfectly synced when I switched to the Q45s, and the microphone worked well as I took a call that interrupted my viewing time.

What I like

• Provides an excellent sound stage and full sound
• Battery life outlasted my listening sessions (but I didn’t travel)
• ANC offers full isolation, as well as Transparency, where close sounds are allowed through while canceling background sounds.

What I’d change

• The inward swivel. Why? I kept reaching to pick them up, did a half swivel to get them ready to put on, then realized the left cup was in my right hand.

Final thoughts

I’ve been very much into the Apple ecosystem, and am a bit spoiled with the full OS integration of Spatial Audio, pairing, and ANC with my various devices. When testing other devices, it has been a bit hit-or-miss with features like these. Soundcore, with their dedicated app, has given a place for all users to access the advanced features of their products easily, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quick response and powerful performance of these devices at such a low price.

The fit of the Q45s provided very comfortable listening for extended sessions, and I never worried about battery life. I look forward to using them on my next plane ride.

Price: $149.99
Where to buy: Soundcore and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Soundcore.