Soundcore Space A40 by Anker

The Soundcore Space A40 are available in black, navy blue and white and comes with ear tips in five different sizes, which allow for a specific fitting to the individual ear. With a weight of five grams per side, these earphones are pleasantly light and fit snugly into the ear. The ergonomic design ensures a stable fit and a high degree of passive shielding in both directions, with very little sound passing from the outside to the inside and vice versa. In addition, the housings protrude only slightly, which means that these in-ears can also be worn under a hat during the winter.

Battery life

With noise cancelling set to maximum and the volume turned up, the Soundcore Space A40s achieved six hours and 45 minutes per charge in our battery endurance test. In basic mode, however, the listening time increased to a good nine hours. In addition, the in-ears can be fully charged in their case six times before an external power source is needed; the said case has a handy format and weighs 49 grams. This results in a total runtime of more than 47 hours in ANC mode and about 64 hours in standard mode. A full recharge of the headphones takes 45 minutes, with a ten-minute quick charge providing capacity for a good four hours in basic mode. The case can be charged either via the USB-C port or wirelessly via Qi, and according to the manufacturer, this takes three and a half hours. If the included USB-C to USB-A charging cable is used, the battery reserve is restored after two hours and 40 minutes.

Operating the Soundcore Space A40

Pairing the earpieces can be done directly when the case is opened, and they support Bluetooth standard 5.2, single-sided use in single mode and multipoint connections with two devices simultaneously. Removing them from the case switches the system on and automatically puts it into pairing mode, while putting the earpieces back into the charger causes them to switch off. It is also possible to switch the Space A40 on and off manually via the touch-sensitive earpiece surfaces by holding them down, and this function works well. If there is a wireless connection, in the factory settings, double-tapping the right side controls playback while tapping the left in-ear jumps to the next track. A double tap can also be used to accept or end calls, and this is possible on both sides. Switching between basic, ANC and ambient modes is done with a short press and hold.

If you wish, you can expand the device control via the app and, for example, add a volume control that can be operated with a single tap. Double tap and short hold controls can also be configured according to your personal preferences, so you can call up the voice assistant or activate the gaming mode if desired.

Soundcore App

The Space A40 app is well-organised and offers versatile personalisation options. The ambient noise control offers adaptive noise cancelling, which automatically adjusts to the environment and an adjustable mode with three intensity levels. The amplification of external noise is also divided into a complete transparency mode and a special variant for voices. A practical widget can be set up in addition to the app, which enables quick switching between the operating modes and settings. For individual sound adjustment, it is possible to complete a hearing test; this creates a HearID profile that compensates for imbalances between the left and right ear and counteracts age-related hearing loss. What is particularly interesting about this is that this profile can be edited with the EQ and adapted to one’s own preferences. The EQ section can also be used independently of the HearID. In addition, there are 21 pre-configured pre-sets that cover different musical genres and styles.

In the app’s listener settings, gaming mode, multipoint connections and wind noise reduction can also be activated or deactivated. There is also an option for firmware updates, while a fit test helps to select the appropriate ear-tip size, and a beep search function is designed to make finding the earpieces easier.

Gaming mode

Gaming mode can be used to improve the synchronicity of picture and sound in films, as well as computer and mobile phone games, and this is particularly noticeable when using the Bluetooth standard codec SBC, which has a rather high latency. On a positive note, the latency optimisation setting has hardly any effect on the stability of the wireless connection. While the Soundcore Space A40s can easily bridge several rooms indoors, the Bluetooth range outdoors is up to 20 metres.

Speech intelligibility during phone calls

The microphone technology of the earpieces offers impeccable intelligibility when making phone calls, with both sides of the conversation being presented quite accurately and closely. Filtering of wind noise also works well, and this means that even stronger breezes hardly have any adverse effect. Louder background noises are also noticeably attenuated with a slight delay, although occasionally, the other person on the call may perceive certain frequencies as fragments.

Soundcore Space A40: How good are noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency mode?

While the Soundcore Space A40’s noise cancelling only had quiet background noise, the noise was more pronounced in transparency mode, and this might affect playback at moderate volume levels. The sound differences were of a subtle nature, the basic mode gave a fuller listening impression and playback in ANC, and the ambient mode seemed a little brighter. However, the amplification of outside sounds could have been more efficient, with the intensity in full transparency mode not sufficient due to the high isolation properties at room volume. Also, while pausing playback, the targeted amplification of voices allowed for intelligible communication without having to take the earpieces out of the ears. However, during playback, the benefit was rather limited.

In contrast, noise cancellation was much more powerful, as low and high-frequency noise sources were filtered extremely effectively. Voices were reduced to a noticeably lesser extent, but the in-ears themselves already provide good attenuation. In this respect, very satisfactory results were achieved overall with the interaction of passive shielding and active noise suppression. And this was true in both adaptive and manual modes at maximum intensity.

Sound of the Soundcore Space A40

The Soundcore Space A40’s fun-oriented tuning has a rich bass response with a meaty low end, but it doesn’t falter when challenged. Despite their fullness, the lower registers don’t sound boomy or dull but come across as defined and punchy, and this works well across different genres. The midrange also seems present, with a pleasing basic warmth and assertiveness without appearing obtrusive for mobile use. Relaxed listening on the sofa also revealed details such as the sound of hands reaching for instruments. Voices were reproduced with full-body and clear intelligibility.

In contrast, the representation of the upper ranges was rather more restrained, which seemed pleasant, but lacked accents and freshness. However, this could be easily corrected with the help of the listening profile or the EQ, especially as the combination of these is highly recommended and enables a significant improvement in sound. When using the HearID, the overall reproduction seemed tidier, more detailed and spatial, while it clarified and added coherence in the best sense.