Both Bose and Anker are known for making some of the best noise-cancelling headphones on the market. This is a very crowded field, so it’s telling that their names often appear on best-of lists.
Anker released their
In this guide, we’re going to review both pairs of headphones side-by-side. We’ll take a look at design, battery life, sound quality, app functionality, price, and noise cancellation to see which pair of headphones we think is the winner.
~~~ Check Price: Soundcore Space Q45 ~~~
~~~ Check Price: Bose QuietComfort 45 ~~~
Design
Soundcore Space Q45
The Space Q45s have cushioned, memory foam earpads which make long listening sessions very comfortable. The undersides of the earpads and the headband have faux leather lines that make for a secure fit whilst on the move.
The pairing and power functions are controlled by a button in the left earcup. There’s also a button that you can use to cycle through normal, ANC (active noise cancellation), and transparency mode. Calls and playback are controlled by a button on the right earcup.
There’s a rocker-style control next to this that controls volume and track navigation. Unfortunately, this does make it easy to skip tracks accidentally when you’re trying to adjust the volume.
Bose QC45
In terms of design, the Bose QuietComfort 45s aren’t that much different from their predecessor. The main changes are a USB-C charging port, a smooth underside on the headband, and no pleating on the earpads.
The earcups have vents which add depth but don’t increase the size. The headphones are also well-protected against dropping as the headband is reinforced with glass-filled nylon.
On the right earcup you have 4 buttons. They control the playback, power, and volume. On the left, there’s 1 button that’s used to switch between the noise-cancelling and transparency modes.
Battery Life
Soundcore Space Q45
The Anker
Anker says that it takes about 2 hours to fully charge the headphones and that 5 minutes of charging time adds 4 hours of playback time.
Bose QC45
The Bose QuietComfort 45s don’t do as well when it comes to battery. They can last for around 24 hours on a full charge. Although this is better than their predecessor, which only had 20 hours, it’s less than half as much battery longevity as their Anker rivals.
Bose claims that a 5-minute charge will provide 2.5 hours of playback time.
Sound Quality
Soundcore Space Q45
In terms of sound quality, the Anker
If you want a more thumping bass, then you can turn on the BassUp feature. However, this does affect the clarity of the sound.
If you prefer a brighter sound there are 8 customization modes, allowing you to sculpt the sound to get the right textures for you.
Bose QC45
If you’re looking for wireless headphones with amazing audio quality then the Bose QuietComfort 45s aren’t for you. The high-end is far too over-emphasized, which makes for a tinny listening experience.
This isn’t too noticeable for tracks with a lot of bass but for songs that have more high-end elements it isn’t great.
Don’t get us wrong, the sound quality isn’t terrible,
it just isn’t as good as their Anker rivals and even many Sony headphones.
Apps
Soundcore Space Q45
The
On the app’s home page you can check the remaining battery and also access 4 different controls sections.
The Ambient Sound control lets you switch between transparency, noise cancellation, and normal mode. The Safe Volume control allows you to enable volume limitation. You can customize the on-ear controls with the Controls option, and the Sound Effects option gives you access to different EQ presets.
Bose QC45
The Bose Music app is a little basic but still offers some nice features. With Bluetooth 5.1, you now have access to true multi-point pairing. For example, this means that you can toggle between audio on your MacBook and iPhone at the same time.
So, you could be listening to music on your phone but then jump to a video call with the audio switching automatically. When you turn the headphones on, you’ll hear a voice that’ll let you know the devices you’re currently connected to. That’s a nice touch.
Noise Cancellation
Soundcore Space Q45
The active noise cancellation on the Space Q45s is delivered by a 4-mic hybrid system. The adaptive noise cancellation mode is the best for all-round performance and is easily adjustable to suit different environments.
They’re great for wind noise reduction, but they don’t perform as well as other noise-cancelling headphones when it comes to audible higher frequencies. You won’t notice it when music is playing, but there is an audible hiss that gets through.
Bose QC45
The QC45s perform better than the Space Q45s when it comes to noise cancellation. When you have the Quiet mode activated, most ambient noise is effectively filtered out. They hold up well when used in busy areas with lots of noise from traffic.
However, the headphones don’t allow you to adjust the noise cancellation levels. Once Quiet mode is on, you just have to make do with it as it is.
The same goes for Aware mode. This allows some ambient sounds to filter in for times when you need to be aware of your surroundings.
Price
Soundcore Space Q45
A pair of Anker
Bose QC45
A pair of Bose QC45s costs upwards of $300 at full retail price. This makes them almost $200 more expensive than the Space Q45s, which is a massive difference. We’re not sure there’s much of a difference in quality between the two, so this price gap really does seem excessive.
Pros & Cons
Soundcore Space Q45
Pros
- Pretty good noise cancellation performance.
- App allows you to customize EQ settings.
- Good audio experience.
- Long battery life.
Cons
- Sub-bass frequencies are a little light.
- Audio signature is impacted by noise-cancelling modes.
Bose QC45
Pros
- Good noise-cancelling performance.
- Comfortable design.
- Multi-point pairing.
Cons
- Features are fairly sparse.
- Over-emphasized high-ends affect sound quality.
- Really expensive.
FAQs
Can Bose QC45s be used with no battery?
If the battery in your Bose QC45s is fully drained then you can still listen to music on them whilst they charge. However, you won’t be able to activate noise cancellation or use the Active EQ setting without power.
This means the quality of the sound will be much lower than usual.
Are Bose QC45s resistant to sweat?
Bose QC45s are sweat-resistant to an extent. The vents in the earcups help to reduce the amount you sweat during physical activities and allow sweat to drain away from the earcups.
Still, if you consistently use them during intense workouts, the moisture and the salt content of your sweat will eventually start to damage the headphones. So, try to avoid exposing them to sweat where possible.
Do Bose QC45s have microphones?
Bose QC45s have 4 external microphones. They isolate your voice using noise-cancelling algorithms so that you can have clear conversations even when you’re in noisy environments. This is particularly noticeable in windy conditions.
Final Thoughts
It’s time for the verdict.
Whilst the QuietComfort 45s perform really well when it comes to cancelling noise, the app is pretty basic and in terms of audio quality, they’re not the best. Although the sound is decent we’d expect much better for headphones with such a high price tag.
The Space Q45s are also good at cancelling noise but perform much better when it comes to sound quality. The app is also superior and allows for customization of the EQ settings.
For us, the Anker
~~~ Check Price: Soundcore Space Q45 ~~~
~~~ Check Price: Bose QuietComfort 45 ~~~
Sources
https://www.whathifi.com/advice/bose-qc45-vs-sony-wh-1000xm4-which-are-better
https://reviewsbestheadphones.com/anker-space-q45-review/
https://uk.pcmag.com/headphones/142275/anker-soundcore-space-q45
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/bose-quietcomfort-45
https://www.soundguys.com/bose-quietcomfort-45-review-60657/
