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Soundcore’s new Space 2 over-ear headphones arrive at an aggressive price and punch above what you’d expect. Launched after their reveal at Mobile World Congress, these cans aim to deliver long battery life, solid sound, and useful extras without the premium sticker shock.
What the Soundcore Space 2 offer for $129.99
At $129.99, the Space 2 sit between true budget picks and midrange flagships. They cost about $30 more than the previous Space One model, but bring upgrades that matter to everyday listeners.
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- Price: $129.99 at Soundcore and Amazon.
- Battery: Up to 50 hours with ANC on, 70 hours with ANC off. Wear detection can reduce ANC runtime to about 45 hours.
- Quick charge: Minutes of charging deliver hours of playback (official five-minute quick charge helps add several hours).
- Drivers: Dual-layer 40mm diaphragm drivers for fuller sound.
- Connectivity: Multipoint for two devices, SBC/AAC/LDAC codec support.
- Sound tuning: Eight-band custom EQ plus 22 presets and a HearID hearing test.
- Spatial audio: 3D Sound mode supported.
- Controls and sensors: Multiple on-ear buttons, wear detection, and passive playback.
- Colors: Seafoam green, white, and black.
How they sound and what you can customize
The default voicing is balanced and clear. Bass has weight without dominating mids. Vocals remain intelligible at most volume levels.
Where the Space 2 stand out is customization. The companion app unlocks an eight-band equalizer, a HearID calibration test, and 22 preset EQs. You can shape the sound for rock, EDM, or delicate vocal-driven tracks.
Real-world listening notes
- Rock tracks benefit from punchy low end and controlled mids.
- Bass-forward songs keep their groove without sounding muddy.
- Spatial audio adds a convincing sense of space on select tracks.
3D Sound surprised this reviewer by adding immersion on songs with clear separation. It is not perfect across every genre, but it works better than many budget spatial modes.
Comfort, build, and controls for daily use
The Space 2 do not feel like typical bargain headphones. Memory foam ear cushions and a padded headband make long sessions comfortable. They tolerate glasses and hats well.
- Two buttons per earcup allow basic playback, ANC toggle, and volume control.
- Wear detection auto-pauses playback most of the time, with occasional misses if the sensor is blocked.
- Finish and color choices align with more expensive models from established brands.
Occasional creaks can be heard when moving the head. It is subtle, but noticeable compared with pricier rivals.
Battery performance in everyday life
Battery life is one of the Space 2’s strongest claims. In normal use, they lasted across nearly two weeks of intermittent listening in testing.
- ANC on: Around 50 hours of playback.
- ANC off: Up to 70 hours.
- Quick top-up: A short five-minute charge provides useful minutes to hours of listening.
By comparison, many flagship ANC headphones deliver around 30 hours with noise cancellation active. A few rivals reach the 60–70 hour mark, but they generally cost more.
Bonus features you don’t always get at this price
Soundcore packed a couple of extras that feel generous at this price point.
- Nap mode: A white-noise timer intended for naps or focused rest.
- Live translation: On-device translation that worked well in tests, achieving roughly 80–90% accuracy for some languages.
The live translation can be fast and useful for basic conversations. Automatic language detection proved unstable in some app builds, but manually selecting the input language produced solid results.
Where the Space 2 fall short
No headset is perfect, and Soundcore made trade-offs to hit this price.
- ANC limitations: Low-frequency hums are handled well, but higher tones and human voices break through more often than on top-tier ANC models.
- App navigation: The companion app contains many features, but the layout can be cluttered and hard to navigate at first.
- Occasional mechanical noise: Slight creaking on head movement is audible when not playing audio.
Who should consider buying the Soundcore Space 2
These headphones are a strong pick for students, commuters, and budget-conscious listeners who want long battery life and flexible sound tuning. If you need industry-leading noise cancellation or absolute audiophile fidelity, higher-priced rivals may still be better.
For most everyday users, the Space 2 deliver exceptional value.
