Anker Soundcore Space Q45

Measured

The owner record is the hard data here. Amazon's US listing (4.3 from 14,239 ratings, histogram 66/16/8/5/5) tags durability in 337 reviews — 85 positive, 252 negative — the only topic besides fit that runs net negative, while sound (1,266/372), noise cancellation (548/157) and value (496/88) run strongly positive. One recent owner writes “Originally purchased 11/2023. Two years later it had the infamous cracked headband.” An iFixit answer from 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 part. Weight is the other build fact: soundcore lists 292 g, headphonecheck states 295 g and RecordingNOW's scale read 297.5 g — heavy for the class, the price of the metal.

vs. listeners — Nobody is wrong. A review unit genuinely does feel better made than its rivals in its first weeks, and the same headphone cracks at a known point much later — SoundGuys, which bought its unit, saw no problems in testing but still scores durability 6.0 and notes it is “primarily made out of plastic.” Not every unit fails: one owner reports two years of world travel “still good as new,” so careful handling and the case seem to matter.

Measured

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. headphonecheck calls the combination of passive shielding and ANC “impressively effective” but lists the noise floor in ANC and transparency mode as its only con. On Amazon, noise cancellation is mentioned 548 times positively and 157 negatively.

vs. listeners — The hiss and the pressure are the recurring qualifiers, and they are consistent: PCMag hears “a thin band of higher-frequency masking hiss,” Head-Fi's reviewer reports that raising the level increases it, and Tom's Guide passes on Anker's own warning that higher levels mean higher in-ear pressure. Owners comparing it with Sony and Bose flagships are the ones who find it falls short — against its own price class it does not.

Measured

Five rigs, each diffed against its own HD 600: 50 Hz sits 9.6–13.3 dB above the HD 600 on four rigs (18.6 dB on the fifth), which against the Harman over-ear target on oratory1990's GRAS rig is a moderate +4.6 dB at 50 Hz — RTINGS reads Bass Amount “Emphasized (3 dB)” and Sound Signature “Warm.” Four rigs show a dip at 3–4 kHz, and the rigs place the treble peaks differently (around 6 kHz on three, 10 kHz on a fourth). The modes measurably differ: Kuulokenurkka's ANC-on file sits 4–5 dB above its ANC-off file from 2 to 6 kHz, and oratory1990's wired-passive file sits far below his ANC-on file around 3 kHz.

vs. listeners — The mode dependence explains part of the split — PCMag tested with ANC off and BassUp off, DHRME and headphonecheck each heard the normal mode differently from ANC mode, and owners rarely say which mode they mean. SoundGuys sums up the critical reading as “The frequency response curve deviates noticeably from our headphone preference curve across all areas of the frequency spectrum,” while headphonecheck, comparing it with the Life Q35, finds it “much more balanced with an appealingly clear sound image.”

Measured

RTINGS reads Treble Amount “Balanced (0 dB)” but notes “notable deviations in the treble range that can sharpen sibilants.” TechGearLab's treble sub-score is 3.4 out of 10 against a 6.3 average. 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.” Across the five rigs the 3–4 kHz region sits 3–6 dB below the HD 600 with ANC on, with peaks of +5.6 to +10.2 dB at 6 kHz on three rigs and +10.9 dB at 10 kHz on a fourth; above 8 kHz the rigs spread by ±10 dB.

vs. listeners — A treble that averages out balanced and reads as harsh to some listeners is not a contradiction: a dip next to a peak averages to zero but makes sibilants and cymbals stand out. Which peak bothers you depends on your ear and seal, which is why the app's EQ fixes it for some owners and not for others. headphonecheck sits between the camps — sibilants “rather gently,” but the treble “could lose its smoothness at higher volume levels.”

Measured

SoundGuys measured the dip and named its range — “the mid scoop around 200 Hz to 500 Hz noticeably impacts some songs.” TechGearLab scores the mid-range 6.1 out of 10 against a 7.2 average. RecordingNOW, after a year of ownership, lists “vocal and instrument timbre is very artificial and unrealistic” among its flaws, while headphonecheck hears “a detailed, lively midrange with verve.”

Measured

Against each rig's own HD 600, 50 Hz sits 9.6–13.3 dB higher on four rigs and 18.6 dB on Filk's; against the Harman over-ear target on oratory1990's GRAS rig (ANC on) it is +4.6 dB at 50 Hz and +6.6 dB at 20 Hz. RTINGS reads “Emphasized (3 dB).” TechGearLab scores bass 6.2 out of 10, its best sonic sub-score.

vs. listeners — The light camp runs against every graph, and its members point at why: PCMag tested with ANC off (its stated con is “Light on sub-bass frequencies”), Tom's Guide found that ANC on “boosts the bass a smidge,” and Reviews.org's reviewer, who heard “there was no bass” until BassUp went on, also found the headphones “quite loose.” RTINGS warns that glasses and long hair change the response, and Amazon owners tag fit 254 times negatively — a broken seal empties the bass first.

Measured

DHRME measured the heat: in a 27.6 °C room the earpads reached 31.5 °C after a couple of hours. TechGearLab logged 6.5 comfortable listening hours (average 5.9). Amazon owners mention comfort 417 times positively and 182 negatively, but fit 140 positively and 254 negatively — “This does not adjust small enough to fit well,” as one puts it. Published and measured weights run 292–297.5 g.

Measured

TechGearLab scores soundstage 5.4 out of 10 against a 6.7 average, and allows the other camp's point — “There is adequate width but not much height.”

Measured

The price the verdicts were written against has moved: soundcore's US store still lists $149.99 but showed it out of stock in October 2026, Amazon sells it for $99.99, PCMag's retail widget shows $119.99, and RecordingNOW's shows $139.99 new and $99.99 renewed. RecordingNOW makes the dependency explicit: “But I’ve seen them on sale for around that $90 price point, which I think is a fairly amazing value.” Amazon owners mention value 496 times positively and 88 negatively.