As WIRED’s chief headphone reviewer, I get asked the same question over and over. It happens at parties, in airport security lines, at family dinners, and even in the middle of a crowded coffee shop. Someone sees me with earbuds around my neck, or notices the telltale wear pattern of someone who tests audio gear for a living, and they ask: “What are the best headphones I should buy?” I start to answer, genuinely excited to talk about sound signatures and noise cancellation and all the little details that make a great pair of headphones feel like a personal concert hall. But before I can get three sentences out, they add the follow-up, the one I hear every single time: “I just don’t want to spend a lot of money.” I completely understand that feeling. Headphones have become ridiculously expensive. The flagship models from the big names—Sony, Bose, Apple—can easily cost $400 or $500, and that’s a serious chunk of change for something you might accidentally leave on a plane, or drop in a puddle, or let get destroyed in the bottom of a backpack. So my answer is always a two-parter. First, wait for a sale. Prices on even the best headphones drop dramatically throughout the year, especially around Prime Day, Black Friday, and random holiday weekends when retailers are desperate for your attention. Second, if you don’t want to wait at all, just buy Soundcore. That’s not a sponsored plug or a throwaway line. It’s a brand that has quietly become my go-to recommendation for anyone who values their wallet but refuses to compromise on sound. The latest proof is the Soundcore Space 2. They launched back in April, they’ve gone on sale a few times since then, and right now they’re sitting at their lowest price ever—even lower than they were on Prime Day. That’s a big deal, because these are already my current favorite over-ear headphones for anyone on a budget.
Soundcore has built its reputation the old-school way: by consistently making products that punch far above their price tag. It’s not a flashy brand. It doesn’t have the marketing budget of Apple or the famous noise-canceling legacy of Bose. It doesn’t need to be the coolest name in the room. Instead, Soundcore has become the kind of brand you recommend to a friend when you want them to be genuinely happy with their purchase, not just impressed by the logo. It’s like the Toyota of headphones—reliable, well-built, and full of features that feel like they should cost more. Over the years, I’ve tested dozens of Soundcore products, and every time I’m surprised by how much thought goes into the little things. The Soundcore Space 2 are a perfect example. They’re understated, with a design that doesn’t scream for attention. You can wear them on a video call, on a long flight, or while walking through a grocery store, and they never look out of place. They’re comfortable to wear for hours at a time, which is something I can’t say for many premium headphones. The weight is well-distributed, so they don’t create that awful pressure point on top of your head that makes you want to rip them off after an hour. The ear cushions are soft and forgiving, even for people who wear glasses. And instead of relying on finicky touch controls that never respond the way you want, the Space 2 have easy-to-use physical buttons. That might sound like a small thing, but when you’re mid-workout and trying to skip a track or adjust the volume, physical buttons are a lifesaver. They also fold down nicely for stuffing into a bag, which is exactly what a pair of everyday headphones should do.
Now let’s talk about what actually matters most: how they sound. The Soundcore Space 2 deliver sound quality and active noise cancellation that are far better than you would expect for something that costs a little over $100. I’ve listened to a lot of budget headphones that promise great audio and then deliver a muddy, distorted mess when you turn the volume up. The Space 2 are not like that. The bass has some real weight to it, but it doesn’t overpower the mids or leave the highs sounding harsh and brittle. You can hear the details in your favorite songs—the pluck of a guitar string, the warmth of a vocalist, the subtle background instrumentation that cheap headphones tend to smush together. It’s not audiophile-level sound, but it’s the kind of sound that makes you want to keep listening, and for most people, that’s exactly what you need. The active noise cancellation is just as impressive. When you switch it on, the world fades away in a way that feels almost magical at this price. The low rumble of an airplane engine, the hum of a refrigerator, the chatter of a coffee shop—all of it gets muffled down to a distant whisper. That does more than just make your music sound better. It lets you use a much more comfortable listening volume. With lesser headphones, you often have to crank the volume to drown out background noise, which is bad for your ears and makes you tired after a while. With the Space 2, you can keep the volume at a reasonable level and still hear your music clearly, which is something I genuinely appreciate as someone who values long-term hearing health. It’s a huge advantage over other budget headphones, and it makes the Space 2 feel like a much more expensive product than they actually are.
Battery life is where the Soundcore Space 2 really flex on the big names. You get 50 hours of playback with active noise cancellation turned on, and 70 hours with it turned off. I need to let that sink in for a second. Seventy hours. That’s more than enough for an entire work week of commuting, listening, and taking calls, all without even thinking about a charger. Compare that to the Sony, Bose, and Apple headphones that dominate the premium market—many of them can’t even hit 30 hours with ANC on, and some are closer to 20 or 25. The Space 2 are absolutely better than all of them in this one specific, incredibly practical way. And the difference isn’t just a number on a spec sheet. It’s the freedom to stop worrying about battery anxiety. You don’t have to pack a charging cable for a weekend trip. You don’t have to panic when you forget to charge them overnight. You don’t have to babysit your headphones the way you do with expensive flagship models that seem to need a top-up every few days. I’ve traveled with the Space 2 for a full week and never once looked at the battery indicator. That might sound like a small thing, but it’s the kind of convenience that makes a product feel truly human and considerate. It says that the people who designed these headphones actually thought about how real people use them. For me, that’s worth more than a brand name. If you’re the kind of person who hates being tethered to a charger, or who always forgets to plug things in, the Space 2 are practically a revelation.
If you’re not looking for over-ear headphones, Soundcore has a few other excellent deals right now that are worth your attention. The Soundcore Liberty 5 are a great pair of earbuds for under $100. They manage to pack in a lot of the same thoughtful design and solid sound that you get from the Space 2, but in a smaller, more portable package. The Liberty 5 don’t have the impeccable call quality of the Liberty 5 Pro—which is a higher-end model with a few extra bells and whistles—but they make up for it by being smaller, slimmer, and more comfortable in your ear. I know that for a lot of people, earbuds are the default choice because they’re easier to toss in a pocket and wear on the go. The Liberty 5 are perfect for that lifestyle. They stay put during a workout, they connect quickly to your phone, and they sound far more expensive than their price tag would suggest. Then there are the Soundcore AeroFit 2. These are an older version of Soundcore’s open-ear earbuds, and right now they’re down to $80. Open-ear earbuds are a totally different experience. Instead of plugging your ear canal, they sit just outside your ear and deliver sound through a clever design that lets you stay aware of your surroundings. That makes them amazing for running, cycling, or just walking around a city where you need to hear traffic and other people. Not everyone loves the form factor, and that’s okay—it’s a very personal thing. But at $80, the AeroFit 2 are a great way to try out an open-ear design without investing a ton of money. You might discover that you love the feeling of freedom and awareness they provide, or you might decide they’re not for you. Either way, you’re not breaking the bank to find out.
So the next time you find yourself wondering what headphones to buy without emptying your bank account, remember this: you don’t need to spend $400 or $500 to get a genuinely great listening experience. You just need to wait for a sale, or go with Soundcore. The Space 2 are the perfect example of what this brand does best. They look good, they feel comfortable, they sound fantastic, they cancel noise better than they have any right to, and the battery life is absolutely insane. They’re the kind of headphones that make you wonder why you ever considered paying twice as much for something with a fancier logo. And if you’re in the market for earbuds instead, the Liberty 5 and AeroFit 2 are both excellent options depending on what you care about—whether that’s comfort and value, or the freedom of an open-ear design. The takeaway is simple: great sound doesn’t have to be a luxury purchase. It can be affordable, practical, and genuinely enjoyable. As someone who spends all day reviewing the latest and greatest audio gear, I can tell you with total confidence that Soundcore has earned its place as the best budget headphone brand out there. And if you enjoy practical recommendations like this, consider subscribing to WIRED. We test thousands of products every year so you don’t have to, and our reporting is supported by readers like you. Power up with unlimited access to WIRED, get best-in-class journalism, and never miss out on advice that can genuinely improve your daily life. Because at the end of the day, the best headphones are the ones you can afford, that you actually enjoy using, and that make you feel like you didn’t have to settle for less. The Soundcore Space 2 give you all of that, and then some.
