00:00 Can you really tell the difference between $150 headphones and headphones that cost $400 more?
00:05 Given their relatively unknown name and low price point, you might be quick to dismiss
00:16 the Soundcore Space Q45 headphones, but they're actually some of the best affordable noise-canceling
00:21 headphones that you can buy.
00:23 In fact, there's a lot to like about these Soundcore headphones, but do they have what
00:26 it takes to stand up to the $550 AirPods Max?
00:30 I reviewed these when they first came out about three years ago and found that they
00:48 look great, sound awesome, and have enough smart features to justify the very high $550
00:54 price tag for some people.
00:56 Now, price aside, what do these two headphones offer, and which one is actually right for you?
01:01 Let's start with the basics and why either of these headphones are worth getting in the first place.
01:05 Design is going to be a huge factor for a lot of people.
01:09 I mean, take the AirPods Max.
01:11 These became such a status symbol mostly for how they look.
01:15 They're very iconic, very Apple.
01:17 Now, the Soundcores aren't nearly as recognizable, but in terms of comfort and build quality,
01:22 things get a little bit interesting.
01:24 I've never thought that the AirPods Max are the most comfortable pair of headphones.
01:28 These cushions, they're decent, but the way that the headband is balanced, you don't
01:32 get any extra cushion here.
01:34 When I was trying out the Soundcores, the headband cushion is the first thing that stood
01:38 out, and these ear cups are extra plushy.
01:41 I also like the metallic detail on the top of the headband, though the rest of the headset
01:45 is kind of plasticky.
01:51 It's worth mentioning that after using the AirPods Max for about three years, the ear
01:55 cups are starting to feel a little bit deflated, but on a positive note, they're magnetic,
01:59 so they're removable, replaceable, and washable.
02:02 Both headphones are also one size fits all.
02:05 The Soundcore has this clicky band.
02:07 It's pretty typical, like listen to that, but in very Apple fashion, the telescoping
02:11 arms are like completely silent.
02:14 Do you hear the difference between that?
02:16 In terms of connectivity, both headphones have Bluetooth, but for those who want a wired
02:20 connection, the Soundcore Space One also have a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack.
02:25 Unsurprisingly, the AirPods Max only have a lightning port.
02:33 They haven't been updated to USB-C yet, so you're stuck either getting an adapter or
02:37 a solution like the AirFly Pro if you want to hook up to the entertainment console in
02:42 an airplane.
02:43 Of course, if I'm going to talk about connectivity, I have to talk about one of the biggest selling
02:46 points of getting not just AirPods Max, but AirPods in general.
02:50 The AirPods Max have Apple's H1 chip, and although they haven't been updated to the
02:53 newer H2 that's in the AirPods Pro Gen 2, they still offer plenty of connectivity features.
02:59 You can seamlessly pair to any of your Apple devices, switch between devices easily, and
03:03 they also have Find My, so you never have to worry about where you last left them.
03:07 Instead, you might need to worry about battery life.
03:09 The AirPods Max only have 20 hours of active listening time, and they don't have a power
03:14 button, which is something I've just never been able to wrap my head around, which wouldn't
03:18 seem that bad if the Soundcore didn't get up to 50 hours with active noise cancellation
03:23 and up to 65 hours with active noise cancellation turned off.
03:28 Then when your headphones are out of juice, the Soundcore gets you four extra hours with
03:32 a five-minute charge, where you only get an hour and a half with a five-minute charge
03:35 on the AirPods Max.
03:37 Maybe if Apple would just add a power button, things would be easier.
03:40 Whenever I'm testing the ANC performance of headphones, I like to get some anecdotal experience
03:44 around the office or when I'm traveling.
03:47 I've lined up some tracks that simulate the sounds that you might hear while you're commuting
03:50 in a busy city, then some of the high frequencies that you might hear from sirens driving by,
03:55 and then low frequencies that you get from the rumble of an airplane engine.
03:58 Sorry if I'm yelling.
03:59 I already turned on active noise cancellation on the Soundcores, and what I'm going to do
04:03 is play the same track at half volume through my phone's Bluetooth connection.
04:07 Then I'm going to feed in the tracks and see just how much of the outside noise I can hear.
04:11 It's quite faint, and if I am lost in a song, I'm not going to hear it, but it almost sounds
04:16 like there's a very faint background track on my headphones that has people talking in
04:22 the background.
04:23 Someone's talking right now, right?
04:24 That's exactly...
04:25 Yeah, I can hear that.
04:26 I don't hear anything right now.
04:28 During this part of the track, I remember on the Soundcore headphones, I could feel
04:31 like I heard someone talking in the background.
04:33 What?
04:34 No, I didn't hear.
04:36 There was a beeping sound.
04:37 I'm sure you guys heard it.
04:39 I did not hear that at all.
04:41 Even from just that first test, I can tell how the difference in effectiveness is reflected
04:44 in the price.
04:45 Now I'm going in for the low frequency noise, which again is like the rumble of an airplane
04:50 engine.
04:51 It's one of those things where when I take these off right now, I feel like I'm on an
04:54 airplane and I did just take my headphones off.
04:57 Wow.
04:58 Okay, so now that the track was just loading up, I could hear it through.
05:00 For the low frequency sounds, these are very good, but you still are going to hear some
05:04 of that rumbling, especially when you pause your track or skip to the next one.
05:08 The performance for low frequency sounds is so good that even when I'm not playing music,
05:12 a large majority of the low frequency is blocked out and when I do have music playing, I can
05:17 hear absolutely nothing.
05:18 For our last test, we're getting to our high frequencies.
05:21 I could still tell that there was ambient sound, but it was far more bearable than I'm
05:24 sure you guys could hear through my microphone.
05:27 So as was the case with the Soundcore headphones, on the AirPods Max, I can hear the high frequency
05:32 kind of like around my head almost.
05:35 It just has that extra little level of muffling the sound, but these still perform surprisingly
05:39 well for the price.
05:40 And if I had no idea what headphones these were, I would think that they cost more than
05:44 $150.
05:53 So do the AirPods Max sound $400 better?
05:57 Not quite, but I've noticed some key distinctions between the two.
06:00 One thing I really like about the Soundcore is the stereo performance.
06:03 I get a lot of distinction between the different sound elements.
06:07 The bass is good.
06:09 It doesn't give that deep body thump, but if you put these on without having previously
06:14 tried the AirPods Max or the Sony Mark Vs or even the Bose QC Ultra, I don't think you'd
06:19 know what you were missing out on.
06:21 I'm remembering why I like these so much when I first reviewed them.
06:24 The vocals are unmatched and I think that was the biggest difference that I picked up
06:27 compared to the Soundcores.
06:30 The singer sounds like he's right in front of me singing.
06:33 I'm not missing out on any of the nuances or sophistication in the voice.
06:37 I'm getting like a full range of the vocal frequencies and they feel like they're on
06:42 top of the song.
06:44 They're not just getting mixed up and lost.
06:46 By comparison, I'm remembering that the sound of the vocals was a bit murkier on the Soundcore
06:52 headphones.
06:53 The best analogy I could give is that the Soundcores put you in the middle of a concert
06:56 floor, whereas the AirPods Max puts you in the center of the actual stage, especially
07:01 when you factor in a feature like spatial audio that uses head tracking to keep the
07:05 music in place.
07:07 You could turn around in a circle and feel like all the instruments and singers stay
07:10 where they're supposed to be.
07:11 It's pretty cool.
07:13 Is it an extra $400 cool?
07:15 For audiophiles?
07:16 Probably, but for the average listener?
07:19 So what's the deal?
07:20 We have what I would consider the best headphones that you can get for $150 and then we have
07:25 what many would consider the best premium headphones, especially for Apple users.
07:29 No shocker, the AirPods Max have better sound quality, but they also have the conveniences
07:33 of being part of the Apple ecosystem and features like spatial audio are a game changer.
07:38 On the other hand, all-day comfort, a headphone jack, and epic battery life are things that
07:43 matter to a lot of people.
07:45 Don't get me wrong, the AirPods Max walk the walk and talk the talk, but if we're talking
07:49 about practicality, I think these are hard to beat.
07:51 But what do you think?
07:53 Which headphones would you buy?
07:54 Be sure to let me know in the comments below and if you want to see more of what we're
07:57 up to, be sure to follow us on social @tomsguide.
07:59 And as always, I'm @KateKozich.
08:02 Thanks for watching.
08:03 I'll catch you next time.
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