Soundcore Space 2 Headphones Review: High-End Noise Cancellation on a Budget

Noise-canceling headphones continue to one-up each other, immersing listeners in near-dizzying layers of sonic solitude. But innovation comes at a cost, and not everyone can afford ever-rising prices from top brands. Thankfully, Soundcore (as it often does) has a solution for budget buyers who want to share in the spoils, courtesy of its new Space 2 headphones.

As a tech writer and audio reviewer for over a decade, I’ve tried hundreds of headphones. While the active noise cancellation (ANC) on budget models has gotten increasingly good, the Soundcore Space 2 deliver the best ANC I’ve ever encountered at this price point. At $130, they cost around a third of what you’d pay for a flagship pair from Bose or Sony. I was amazed at how great the Space 2 dampen the frustrating sounds in my life, and they’re proof that you no longer need to spend big to get fantastic noise cancellation.

They also feature a comfy design, great battery life, and convenient features like multi-point pairing and auto-pause sensors, further sweetening the deal. There are some compromises, like a lack of a hard case and lackluster controls, but if you’re looking for serious noise killers without spending big, the Soundcore Space 2 headphones are the new bar to clear.

The best noise cancellation you can get at this price

The Soundcore Space 2 headphones deliver class-leading ANC for the money. They easily outdo the original Space headphones, other pairs like Sony’s WH-XB900, and one of my favorite Soundcore models ever, the Life Q30. They even hold their own against the pricey (and powerful) Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2. In my tests, the Ultra 2 still had an obvious edge (they’re our pick for the best noise-canceling headphones), but I frankly didn’t expect the Space 2 to perform so well.

Soundcore says the Space 2’s noise cancellation is optimized for low frequencies, and there’s no question the headphones do a stellar job of suppressing sounds like HVAC noises and fans. While reviewing the headphones in my audio lab, I was instantly impressed by how well they eliminate powerful airplane drones from my go-to YouTube test video.

Maybe just as impressive is how well the Space 2 performed in everyday circumstances, like my daily dog walk. Shifting from the transparency mode that lets in exterior sounds to noise-canceling gave a “Bose-like” vibe, as the headphones instantly eliminated everything from chirping birds to the din of traffic for an almost off-putting level of quietude.

They’re not quite as impressive for higher-register noises, like the buzz of my lawn mower or the machinery of the annoying construction site down the block, but even sounds like my wife’s Zoom meetings take a major step back with noise canceling engaged — especially with a little music playing.

The Space 2’s transparency mode is more ho-hum, without the pristine, barely-there clarity of pricier headphones like Apple’s AirPods Pro and Max, but again, it’s pretty decent for the money. I had no trouble hearing exterior sounds, including my own voice, without feeling markedly cut off from the world around me.

Audio performance is solid, with little to complain about

In addition to standout ANC, the Space 2 headphones offer relatively accomplished sound quality with better clarity, detail, and overall instrumental definition than most rivals at their price, including their predecessor.

Voices are present in the center of the mix, and you’ll find some sweet instrumental moments, like the effortlessly golden guitar tones in songs like the Barr Brothers’ “Even the Darkness Has Arms.”

Bass can occasionally overwhelm in hefty mixes (or poorly recorded ones), but dropping the lowest two frequency notches by a few clicks in the multi-band EQ evens things out nicely. At the other end of the spectrum, you’re missing some sparkle and presence in the highest registers, but there’s a keen click to cymbals and percussion, and I rarely had to strain to hear any softer elements.

The Space 2’s effortless warmth in the center of the sound balances things out for a pleasant and accessible listen.

The headphones are slim and surprisingly stylish

Though the Space 2 initially reminded me of the original Space One, a side-by-side comparison reveals some clever changes to the new pair. They’re markedly slimmed down, with smaller earcups and slimmer arms (AKA yokes), now more reminiscent of Sony’s old WH-1000XM4 headphones.

Like the previous Soundcore Space One, the Space 2 headphones have thick foam along the band and earpads to provide a comfy fit for long-term listening. Their 264-gram weight matches the previous pair almost exactly. My only complaint about the fit is that the faux-leather covering along the pads tends to get pretty warm after a few hours.

I’m also not crazy about the controls. The key layout is intuitive enough: a volume rocker and a multi-key for play/pause and calling on the right cup, and power and noise-canceling keys on the left. But the buttons are less responsive than I’d like, and track skipping is oddly annoying. Instead of simply double- or triple-tapping the multi-key to skip forward or backward, you’ve got to long-press the volume rocker up or down. After a few podcast commercials, you’ll likely find yourself reaching for your phone, and there’s no way to adjust this in the Soundcore app.

The app does let you tweak a few controls, including the ability to swap the multi-key’s long-press command from your phone’s primary voice assistant for Soundcore’s “Anka” AI voice assistant, as well as a Nap Mode that plays four different flavors of white noise on a loop, and even AI Translation that supports up to 100 languages. I tested the latter with some Spanish YouTube videos. Like most such services, it requires your phone to work, and it’s a bit slow relaying audio, but it did a solid job translating conversations.

You get plenty of features and excellent battery life

The Space 2 pack in plenty of other extras, including audio-centric options like LDAC support for high-quality Bluetooth audio with compatible Android devices, an adjustable EQ and presets, and a volume limiter to keep playback at safe levels. Like a lot of new headphones I test, there’s also a spatial audio feature designed to provide a virtualized 3D sound effect for music and movies. Soundcore’s version is pretty subtle, offering some modest expansion of the soundstage, but as usual, I preferred the stereo sound.

There’s also a wear-detection sensor that pauses or plays sound when you remove or put the headphones back on, which must be turned on in the app since it puts a slight drag on battery life. It’s rather easy to trick, turning back on when you put the headphones around your neck, for instance, but it’s otherwise pretty consistent. Another staple, multi-point pairing, lets you switch quickly between a phone or other device, handy for taking Zoom calls.

The Nap Mode may be the most intriguing inclusion. Engaging it accesses four different white-noise tracks, while holding the volume key for two seconds lets you skip between them. I wasn’t convinced at first, but I found the third mode, a howling storm, to be surprisingly calming.

The other big get here is battery life of up to 50 hours (!) with noise canceling, and a whopping 70 hours without it, going well beyond the battery life of most pricier headphones I’ve reviewed. Your experience will vary based on volume and other variables, but I was able to listen to the Space 2 on and off for nearly two weeks before worrying about charging them.

Should you buy the Soundcore Space 2?

You’ll have a hard time finding a more convincing pair of noise-canceling headphones than the Soundcore Space 2 for your money. I’d happily take them on my next cross-country or international flight, which might just be my biggest endorsement.

You can get more tranquility (and better transparency mode) by stepping up to flagships like Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra 2, but at around a third the price, the Space 2’s combination of features, performance, and comfort provides the best value I’ve encountered. If you don’t have a big budget and still want serious noise canceling, this is the pair to grab.