Anker Soundcore Space Q45

The nearest thing to hard data on longevity is the shape of the owner ratings rather than a lab test: Amazon's US listing averages 4.3 from 14,150 ratings, but the histogram runs 66% five-star against a 10% one-and-two-star tail — heavier than a headphone this well-reviewed would normally carry. The repair ecosystem corroborates it; an iFixit answer posted in January 2026 opens “If you have Soundcore Space Q45 that has broken headband plastic, like thousands of others, this is a solution” and links a printable replacement base. Weight is the other build fact, and the published figures disagree: SoundGuys lists 281 g, Tom's Guide 10.3 ounces, and RecordingNOW put its own pair on a scale at 297.5 g — heavy for the class either way, which is the price of the metal.

⚠ vs. listeners — Nobody is wrong here. A one-week review unit genuinely does feel better made than its rivals, and the same headphone genuinely does crack at a known point months later, so the reviews and the owner reports describe different phases of the same object rather than different opinions of it.

TechGearLab measured active attenuation of 19.1 dB in the lows, 23.1 dB in the mids and 41.6 dB in the highs, against group averages of 15.6, 22.4 and 36.9 dB — above average in every band, and furthest above it down low. SoundGuys places the same result relative to the class leaders: “The ANC is fairly solid, although it doesn’t compare as well to market-leading headsets like the Sony WH-1000XM5”.

⚠ vs. listeners — The hiss is the recurring qualifier and it is consistent across independent sources: PCMag hears “a thin band of higher-frequency masking hiss”, and Head-Fi's reviewer reports that “increasing the ANC to higher levels will increase the hiss at higher frequencies”. So the measured attenuation and the complaint are compatible — it blocks a lot, and it adds a little of its own noise doing it.

RTINGS reads Sound Signature “Warm,” Bass Amount “Emphasized (3 dB)” and Treble Amount “Balanced (0 dB)” — a gentle consumer tilt, not a bass cannon. TechGearLab, measuring against its own target, is blunter about the result: “The Soundcores take some misteps in the frequencies, creating a mix that is less appealing than many competitors, but one of the better budget mixes.” Head-Fi's reviewer, reading published measurements, calls the shape W-shaped with “several dramatic peaks”.

⚠ vs. listeners — A 3 dB bass lift and a balanced treble average sound mild on paper, which is why the listening reports run hotter than the headline numbers: the character comes from the unevenness within the bands, not from the level of any one band. It is also mode-dependent — PCMag notes that “Each mode in the Ambient Sound section delivers a different sound signature with varying degrees of bass depth and brightness.” So ANC on and ANC off are not the same headphone.

RTINGS reads Treble Amount “Balanced (0 dB)”. TechGearLab's expert-ear treble score is 3.4 out of 10 against a 6.3 group average — its lowest sub-score by a wide margin — and its listening note is “The treble is pitchy and inconsistent, making it the weakest link for us.” SoundGuys measured the mechanism: “the higher frequencies are besieged by an undulating change in response that causes high-end elements in music to sound hissy”.

⚠ vs. listeners — A treble that measures balanced on average and reads as harsh to listeners is not a contradiction — averaging a run of peaks and dips returns roughly zero. That is why the complaint is so specific (cymbals, sibilants, speech) rather than a general “too bright,” and why the app's EQ helps some people more than others depending on which peak is bothering them.

SoundGuys measured the dip and named its range — “the mid scoop around 200 Hz to 500 Hz noticeably impacts some songs” — and reports the midrange “depressed slightly” against its preference curve. TechGearLab scores the mid-range 6.1 out of 10 against a 7.2 group average. Head-Fi's reviewer, hearing the same region positively, puts it as “mostly focused at the centre with a slight slant to the upper mids”.

TechGearLab is the only source that scores soundstage on a scale: 5.4 out of 10 against a 6.7 group average and a 9.6 best-in-test. It also allows what the other camp is hearing — “There is adequate width but not much height” — which is roughly where the two descriptions meet.

RTINGS reads Bass Amount “Emphasized (3 dB)” — real but modest. SoundGuys measured the lift lower down, “The sub-bass is slightly exaggerated,” yet found it did not pay off in practice: “The slight bump in the sub-bass doesn’t really transfer over to a perceptible benefit in bass-heavy genres such as house music.” TechGearLab scores bass 6.2 out of 10 against a 6.9 average, its strongest sonic sub-score. PCMag, listening rather than measuring, reaches the opposite headline — its stated con is “Light on sub-bass frequencies” — which is the usual gap between a measured shelf and how much of it you feel.

TechGearLab scores comfort 6.4 out of 10 but still managed “about 6 hours, even with glasses”; SoundGuys scores it 8.2 and RecordingNOW 9.0. The one dissent is postural rather than material — Head-Fi's reviewer reports that “The headband under certain conditions does exert some pressure”, giving a fatiguing hot spot on the forehead. Weight is the other variable: measured figures run from 281 g to 297.5 g, heavy for the class.

The price the verdict is written against has moved. Soundcore's own US store still lists $149.99 with no discount, while live retail widgets on the sourced pages show $119 at Amazon (PCMag) and $139.99 with a $89.99 refurbished option (RecordingNOW). RecordingNOW makes the dependency explicit: “At full price, I’m less excited about the Q45. But I’ve seen them on sale for around that $90 price point, which I think is a fairly amazing value.”