I just tested these new headphones and I like them more than Bose QuietComfort Ultra — and they're $200 cheaper

the soundcore space one pro headphones; a photograph of a pair of black over-ear headphones with cushioned cups and a soft headband, photographed in front of a blue background
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

When I first picked up the Soundcore Space One Pro headphones this week, I did not anticipate them being one of the best headphones I've ever tested.

I've tried a fair few headphones at this point — $4,000 audiophile open-back headphones that altered my perception of audio reality; $70 headphones that made me shrivel up my nose in disgust; $550 headphones that elicited nothing more than a 'meh'.

But when I started listening to the Soundcore Space One pro headphones, a kind of celestial, euphoric haze settled over me. I was blown away by the sound quality with respect to the mid-range, easily affordable price point. What do you mean, these headphones are under $200? I've tried headphones double the price that sound exactly the same!

Soundcore Space One Pro
Soundcore Space One Pro: $199 at Amazon

As the newest iteration of Soundcore’s headphones, the Space One Pro perform exceptionally well for their price. Not only do they have fantastic sound quality for their $199 price, they are comfortable to wear for long periods, the battery lasts 60 hours, and there’s a range of premium features in the app.

Soundcore sound supreme

a photograph of a pair of black over-ear headphones with cushioned cups and a soft headband, photographed in front of a blue background

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

When I first tried the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, I thought they were decent. Not excellent, certainly not worth over $400, but decent. The QuietComforts are very bass-heavy, which I find is sometimes a symptom of headphones that don't quite have the audio prowess they think they do.

The Space One Pro are bass-heavy, too, but there's a way around the muddled sound quality that so often comes with that. Venture into the Soundcore app and try something called 'HearID'. It's basically just a personalized EQ (not a custom EQ, although they could arguably be interchangeable).

HearID takes you through a series of hearing tests and then a 'this or that' game to generate you an optimal EQ setting. If you're familiar with an eye test at the opticians, where they ask you which lens is clearer, it's basically just that, but with music.

hearID feature on the anker soundcore app for the space one pro headphones

(Image credit: Future / Anker / Soundcore)

Then, once you've completed the game, you're greeted with a personalized EQ suited to your tastes. If you like bass, you'll obviously lean towards a bass-heavy EQ, but if you like a little more detail in your tracks, you might want a treble-heavy EQ. Here's what I was generated.

As you can see, mine is a more gentle curve than a basshead might choose. This EQ brightened quieter sounds in tracks and pumped up the bass just a little, so it didn't overpower the rest of my music.

Choose your playback

a photograph of a pair of black over-ear headphones with cushioned cups and a soft headband, photographed in front of a blue background

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Although the majority of headphones I've tested have this, I love that the Space One Pro have a 3.5mm jack. This means I can plug into my laptop or listening device and listen for hours without worrying about draining the battery.

Not that you'd need to worry — the Space One Pro battery lasts for a mind-boggling 60 hours with ANC turned off.

However, with wired playback, you can extend that battery life to eternity.

Not so budget anymore

a photograph of a pair of black over-ear headphones with cushioned cups and a soft headband, photographed in front of a blue background

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Whereas the Space One — the previous iteration of the Space One Pro — was just $99, the Space One Pro headphones are over double, at $199. But this doesn't mean Soundcore has merely gotten greedy and decided to charge as much as they want for mediocre headphones — there's a reason for the price increase.

The Space One Pro headphones are not priced as budget cans, because they simply aren't budget cans. There's an audio finesse you wouldn't get on budget offerings; the app is user-friendly and intuitive; the multi-point connection means you can shift from phone to laptop to phone and the Space One Pro will follow you along like a loyal companion. No more going into settings and selecting the headphones on each device you switch to.

a photograph of a pair of black over-ear headphones with cushioned cups and a soft headband, photographed in front of a blue background

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

One of the main reasons why I'm such an AirPods Pro 2 fanatic is because of how seamlessly they switch from iPhone to MacBook to iPad. But really? The Space One Pro can do it too, now.

Is the sound quality as good as audiophile-grade headphones? No. But do the Space One Pro sound phenomenal for their sub-$200 pricetag? You bet.

More from Tom's Guide

Erin Bashford
Staff Writer, Reviews

Erin Bashford is a staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering reviews. She has a Masters in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of East Anglia and 7 years of experience writing music, events, and food reviews. Now she’s turned her attention to tech for Tom’s Guide, reviewing everything from earbuds to garlic crushers. In her spare time you can find her reading, practising yoga, writing, or stressing over today’s NYT Games.

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