The Soundcore Q45 ANC headphones offer great levels of comfort and efficient noise canceling.

You can wait for ages for one of your favorite earbud brands to release some new products and then two come along simultaneously. Soundcore is the audio sub-brand from Anker Innovations, which makes excellent cables and power banks. Today Soundcore is announcing a new pair of true wireless ANC headphones and a pair of ANC true wireless earbuds, both at sensible prices. I’ve tried them out, so let me tell you more about them.

Soundcore’s two new products are the first to bear the brand’s new “Space” moniker and look set to cause a bit of a stir. The Space Q45 are a superbly comfortable pair of over-the-ear headphones, while the Space A40 are true wireless earbuds with an ANC function for canceling unwanted noise.

Each new model features an upgraded hybrid active noise-canceling system. The company claims the new Space series offers a leap forward in the customizable, noise-free listening experience while delivering incredibly long playtimes and impressive audio performance.

The Space Q45 from Soundcore are a great value pair of ANC headphones with support for AAC and LDAC ... [+] audio codecs, although no support for aptX.

Rock Gao is the general manager for headphones at Soundcore. He says that consumers' two of the most requested features are improved battery life and stronger ANC performance. He added: “When designing the Q45 and A40, our engineers wanted to offer consumers a no-compromise listening experience, with remarkable ANC performance and industry-leading battery life and improved sound reproduction that is perfect for traveling or everyday usage.” Well, let’s see if Rock is on a roll, shall we?

The Space Q45 headphones are described as offering Soundcore's “best-ever noise cancellation.” I’ve had a chance to test that bold claim, although I haven’t been able to test them out in an airplane, which I think is the true test of a good ANC function. The Space Q45 are a significant step up from the previous Q35 model, which is down to a newly designed three-stage noise-canceling system. The Q45 headphones capture and block up to 98% of unwanted noise, while adaptive noise canceling automatically varies the amount of ANC based on how much noise is being made around the listener.

The Space Q45’s ANC performance relies on an updated earcup design. The earpads on these headphones are up there with Sony and Bose for comfort levels. Each earpad is stuffed with memory foam that creates an enhanced acoustic seal, allowing listeners to focus on their favorite music or movie without being distracted by the cacophony of the outside world.

The Soundcore Space Q45 are aimed at frequency flyers and are designed to compete against Sony and ... [+] Bose ANC headphones.

The Space Q45 headphones also offer a customizable transparency mode that can vary using the Soundcore smartphone app. This handy function ensures the listener can be aware of hazards like traffic. Transparency mode is also good if you need to listen out for a travel announcement or maybe even a child asleep in another room should they wake.

The Soundcore Space Q45 headphones are fitted 40mm, double-layer diaphragm drivers in each earcup. The drivers are made with silk and metal-ceramic material that produces a fulsome sound across the entire frequency range, creating a pleasing and well-focused soundstage. The Bluetooth circuitry supports SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs, although there’s no support for the Qualcomm aptX family of codecs. The headphones can also be used in wired mode and are certified for Hi-Res listening.

Regarding battery life, Soundcore has managed to extend the performance of the Q45 to offer a respectable 50 hours of playtime with the ANC function turned on. With ANC turned off, the Q45 will play for a staggering 65 hours, more than enough juice for up to three months of commuting. If the Q45s do run out of juice, they can be recharged and after just five minutes, they’ll be ready for up to four hours of playtime.

With their neat folding design, the Soundcore Space Q45 take app less space in carry-on luggage.

For making phone calls or taking part in Zoom meetings, the Space Q45 have dual microphones featuring an AI algorithm that produces good call quality. Furthermore, the Soundcore includes a mode to limit the maximum volume levels, which is an excellent feature if children use headphones. In addition. the Space Q45 support multi-point connectivity, so they can connect to a couple of Bluetooth devices at the same time. This is ideal if you are watching a movie on a laptop but still want to be able to take calls coming through on a smartphone.

Verdict: The Soundcore Space Q45 are the brand’s best wireless ANC headphones yet. The team has done a great job of improving the ANC function, while the soft earpads and supportive headband make them very comfortable to wear, especially on long flights. The battery life is superb and the sound is excellent. Great value for money.

The tiny Space A40 true wireless earbuds from Soundcore have adaptive ANC onboard and support the ... [+] LDAC codec.

Soundcore’s new Space A40 true wireless earbuds were also announced today. These compact earbuds offer Adaptive ANC using a combination of noise-sensing microphones and a passive acoustic seal that work together to reduce external sounds that would otherwise spoil the music. Like the Q45, Soundcore claims the A40 earbuds can reduce up to 98% of external noise.

The Space A40 offers Adaptive ANC, which means the amount of noise canceling is ramped up or reduced depending on how much external noise is being made. This makes for a better listening experience due to the analysis of ambient sounds in real-time by the ANC function, which then adjusts the strength of the noise-reduction processing as required.

Thanks to large 10mm double-layer-diaphragm drivers made from a metal-ceramic material, the Space A40 earbuds produce a powerful bass and a well-focused treble, pulled together by a clear midrange that holds everything together nicely. Furthermore, a HearID feature in the Soundcore mobile app can tailor the user’s listening experience by customizing the earbuds. A simple process automatically tunes the audio frequencies of the earbuds to suit the user’s hearing. In addition, the app also includes several preset sound profiles. There’s also an 8-band custom EQ enabling users to customize the EQ of the earbuds.

Each earbud of the Soundcore Space A40 weighs less than 5g and yet they can deliver a playing time ... [+] of up to 10 hours on a single charge.

Thanks to a battery life of 10 hours, the Space A40 should be good for a whole day’s worth of listening from a single charge, plus there are 50 hours of total listening time with the power stored in the pocket-sized charging case that holds the earbuds when they aren’t being used. That’s an additional four full charges, meaning you could use the earbuds for a full working week before you’d need to recharge the storage case. There’s also a fast-charging technology that can offer four hours of playtime from a 10-minute charge. The case can be charged wirelessly on any Qi-compatible charging mat or by using a USB-C cable.

The Space A40 have a compact and ergonomic shape. They fit nicely in the ears and there’s a selection of five different sizes of silicone ear tips to suit most ears and create a comfortable fit where the earbuds won’t drop out or work loose. The lightweight design makes them ideal for commuting and the built-in mics can be used for taking phone calls or taking part in a Zoom meeting.

The Bluetooth earbuds use the latest version of the wireless protocol and support multi-point connectivity so two devices can be connected to the earbuds, enabling a computer and a smartphone to be connected simultaneously with smooth switching between the two. However, there’s no support for Qualcomm’s aptX family of audio codecs, but the Space A40 can offer SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs.

The Soundcore Space A40 feature touch sensitive controls and come with a choice of silicone ear tips ... [+] in a range of five sizes.

Verdict: I’ve had a chance to listen to the Space A40 with an early set of earbuds. They sound great with a nicely balanced sound and plenty of volume. What I like about these earbuds is the balance in the tone with bass, mid and treble all nicely pitched. In addition, the ability to shape the sound to other tastes by using the Soundcore app means these earbuds should suit almost anyone’s hearing.

Availability & Pricing: The Soundcore Space Q45 headphones are available in a Black finish for $149.99 / £139.99 / €149.99 from Amazon.com, soundcore.com and other retail partners such as Best Buy and MediaMarkt. Later in the year, White and Blue finishes will be available in selected markets.

The Soundcore Space A40 will be available in Black, White and Navy Blue. The earbuds cost $99.99 / £89.99 / €99.99 and can be bought from Amazon.com, soundcore.com and other retail partners such as Target and Verizon in the US, Best Buy in Canada and MediaMarkt in European countries.

The small charging case of the Soundcore Space A40 means they can slip in the smallest of pockets.