5Rank 05 of 8 · Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Anker Anker Soundcore Space One
€66 with LDAC, a 3.5 mm socket, a claimed 40 hours of ANC battery, and a transparency mode a German lab called more natural than premium rivals. The ANC itself is the compromise.
8.0BPR score
- €66Price
- 40.4 dB peak — but HIFI.DE calls the ANC "quite weak"Measured ANC performance
- 5 of 8in Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones
- 8.0BPR score 0–10
Review
What this product is
Written after the analysis, from the same sources the score is built on: the manufacturer's documentation, available studies and verified owner feedback.
The budget entry, and a good case study in why a single dB figure tells you nothing.
SoundGuys measured a 40.4 dB peak at 12,200 Hz, which sounds impressive — until you note that peak passive isolation is 42.4 dB at 9,720 Hz. That peak is the seal, not the circuit. It beats 38% of over-ears tested.
HIFI.DE, testing independently, called the ANC "recht schwach" — quite weak — noting it barely dampens office conversation. Both findings are correct, and together they demonstrate the whole problem with peak attenuation figures.
What €66 genuinely buys is impressive elsewhere. LDAC support, which several €300 headphones here lack. A 3.5 mm jack included in the box. Claimed 55 hours without ANC and 40 with it, from a 120-minute charge. Bluetooth 5.3 with two-device multipoint. 40 mm drivers.
And the transparency mode is the surprise. HIFI.DE described it as "sehr naturgetreu" — very true to life — which is a feature usually associated with flagship products. They scored the headphone 8.1/10 overall and praised the battery and app alongside it.
Audio quality is where the price shows: SoundGuys rated it 3.8/5, in the bottom third of over-ears tested, with a U-shaped tuning.
Buy it for a train, a plane or a gym. Do not buy it expecting to work in a noisy office — but note that no headphone here truly does that, and this one costs a fifth of the alternatives that fail at it less badly.
Sources disagree on weight: SoundGuys says 263 g, HIFI.DE says 256 g. No IP rating.
Technical data
Specification
Figures from the manufacturer's documentation, verified against available outside sources. Values we could not confirm are marked as declared.
- Measured peak ANC
- 40.4 dB at 12 200 Hz (passive peak 42.4 dB at 9 720 Hz)
- ANC ranking
- Beats 38% of over-ears tested (SoundGuys)
- HIFI.DE verdict on ANC
- "recht schwach" - quite weak
- Battery claimed
- 55 h ANC off / 40 h ANC on; 120 min charge
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LDAC. No aptX, no LC3
- Bluetooth
- 5.3, multipoint 2 devices
- Weight / driver
- 263 g (SoundGuys) or 256 g (HIFI.DE) / 40 mm
- Wired
- 3.5 mm jack included
- IP rating
- None
- Audio quality
- 3.8/5, bottom third of over-ears
- Impedance / sensitivity
- 16 ohm, 93 dB/mW
- Price
- EUR 99 RRP; from EUR 66.13 street
Component scores
Where the score
comes from.
Four components, equal weight, each on a 0–10 scale and each resting on a named source. The overall score is their mean — the full procedure is in the methodology.
What we liked
- €66.13 street — a fifth of the flagship prices here
- LDAC support, which several €300 rivals lack
- 3.5 mm cable included in the box
- Claimed 55 h without ANC / 40 h with, from a 120-minute charge
- Transparency mode described by HIFI.DE as "very true to life"
- HIFI.DE 8.1/10 overall
Worth knowing
- HIFI.DE calls the ANC "quite weak" — barely dampens office conversation
- The 40.4 dB peak is at 12 kHz where passive isolation dominates
- Audio 3.8/5, bottom third of over-ears at SoundGuys
- No IP rating
- Sources disagree on weight (256 g vs 263 g)
- No measured battery figure
Comparison
How it compares
within the category
All values come from the same analysis and are comparable only within the category Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones.
| Product | Score | Measured ANC performance | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony WH-1000XM6Top score | 9.3 | ANC 8.7/10 — beats 90% of over-ears (SoundGuys) | €315 |
| Anker Soundcore Space OneThis product | 8.0 | 40.4 dB peak — but HIFI.DE calls the ANC "quite weak" | €66 |
| Category average8 products analysed | 8.3 | — | — |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Its peak dB beats the B&W. Is it as good?
No, and this is exactly why we do not rank on peak dB. Its 40.4 dB peak sits at 12,200 Hz, where the earcup seal does the cancelling, not the circuit — its own passive isolation peaks at 42.4 dB. HIFI.DE tested it and called the ANC quite weak. Read the ANC score and the frequency at which a peak occurs, never the peak alone.
Is €66 enough for decent ANC?
For steady low-frequency noise — a train, a plane, a bus — yes, adequately. For an office full of conversation, no. But it is worth being clear that no headphone in this ranking solves the office problem, because ANC physically cannot cancel speech. The premium models simply seal better passively. At a fifth of the price, this is a reasonable trade.
From the same ranking
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The same protocol, the same key parameter, the same set of sources.
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