[Earbones]

The only thing that will challenge the Bose for NC will be the 1000X - period. If your #1 goal is NC, Bose and Sony are it.

I have never heard the NAD or the Sennheiser (and I hate Senn cans). I briefly owned the P7 but it sucked on a plane (no NC, horrid isolation), so it didn't stay around. I really like the Space One - I liked it enough to switch from the B&O H8 which I had been using since early 2015.

If all you want to do is block the rumble of the engine, etc., the Space One is more than adequate. I've used them (and the H8 before it) on many flights at this point and they do the job. If you're looking for something that it doesn't cut, well, it may not work.

I think the Bose are horrid, but prior to the 1000X, were the king of NC. I prioritize SQ over NC, but the NC has to be good enough to work on a plane and for that, the Space One is more than fine.

Thanks. Yeah, NC is pretty much the most important factor for travel cans... Maybe I'll revisit the Sony. I didn't like it, but there's no denying it's miles past the Bose, which is essentially terrible.

BTW... If you hate Senn cans but haven't heard the 600 or 650, what are you basing your opinion on? Their lower-tier stuff? Night and day... Give the 600 or 650 a shot, you might be surprised. Even if you're basing your opinion off the 800, which a lot of people don't like because it's so pitchy and fatiguing...

 

[FenderP]

Thanks. Yeah, NC is pretty much the most important factor for travel cans... Maybe I'll revisit the Sony. I didn't like it, but there's no denying it's miles past the Bose, which is essentially terrible.

BTW... If you hate Senn cans but haven't heard the 600 or 650, what are you basing your opinion on? Their lower-tier stuff? Night and day... Give the 600 or 650 a shot, you might be surprised. Even if you're basing your opinion off the 800, which a lot of people don't like because it's so pitchy and fatiguing...

 
The 1000X is acceptable when it comes to music, but it's not the H9 or the Space One.
 
I generally do not use headphones. I only need them really for the road so I would never have a need for a 600/650 ever. I've had a few different of Senn's IEMs and heard a few different headphones over the years, including the Momentum. They have a sound I just don't like. Like Sony has a house sound to a degree, so does Senn and I think it sucks. The P7 and the Aedle VK-1 are much better to my ears.

 

[JonC]

I'm hoping once these are available on Amazon, some more people will get them and post their impressions.

 

[Ling Vu]

I'm hoping once these are available on Amazon, some more people will get them and post their impressions.

It has been available on Amazon UK since the beginning but still too few to have some actual response. PD is doing a really bad job of marketing or not doing that at all

 

[FenderP]

I've had mine since they came out (obviously). I also tried the B&O H9 but prefer the Space One. So it looks like these will stick.

 

[FenderP]

Quick comfort update. I purchased one of the third party snap on replacement type things off of Amazon and it solved my issues. I'm about 10 or so hours into a 14 hour flight and no problems. The Space One is still the best sounding portable set of cans I've heard that have ANC. I don't regret returning the H9.

 

[justinre]

Quick comfort update. I purchased one of the third party snap on replacement type things off of Amazon and it solved my issues. I'm about 10 or so hours into a 14 hour flight and no problems. The Space One is still the best sounding portable set of cans I've heard that have ANC. I don't regret returning the H9.

What "third party snap on replacement" are you referring to? I'm interested in testing the SO and its comfort since it sounds like these might have the best SQ among all ANC cans. 

I've tried the 1000X, H8, H9, QC35 and am debating the SO. I love the comfort and sound quality of the H9, but will be testing the ANC against the QC35 up in the air to see if it's sufficient. 

 

[FenderP]

What "third party snap on replacement" are you referring to? I'm interested in testing the SO and its comfort since it sounds like these might have the best SQ among all ANC cans. 

I've tried the 1000X, H8, H9, QC35 and am debating the SO. I love the comfort and sound quality of the H9, but will be testing the ANC against the QC35 up in the air to see if it's sufficient. 

I got this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H57G7Y8

 

[alchemical]

Seriously considering picking up the Space One. Surprised that reviews are still so limited. M500 remains one of my favourite portables though, and I'd always wanted a circumaural version, so I'm hoping the tuning is similar. I'm certainly willing to give KEF the benefit of the doubt on these, and 
@FenderP's comments are really encouraging.

 

[FenderP]

My biggest issue is really comfort. I can wear them on long flights, they are far from the worst I've ever had in that regard, but these are not the B&O H9 (super comfortable, didn't like the sound). I'd be happy to talk to Porsche Design and Kef to make these better in a v2
 
Although I am curious about the new Tumi ones, just don't know who their OEM is. Not sure I'm up for another $300 experiment when I love the sound of these.

 

[FenderP]

Still using the PD cans. Haven't found anything yet that sounds better for travel to my ears. The earpads have softened a bit after all the time and what I added for making the headband more comfortable seems to work.

 

[Anonymous User2222]

Based on the review by FenderP I decided to purchase the Kef Space One headphones, I haven't previously used many headphones although I have owned the Bose QC25 and the Superlux 668B and various earbuds, I've had the Kef Space One's for a bit over 2 months now.

I was extremely impressed with the sound quality, this was better than anything I have ever tried before.
The active noise cancelling is semi-useful, I've generally found that it's easier to just turn the volume up then use the noise cancelling feature. In fact the noise cancelling feature does sound a little bit like the volume was increased and a tiny amount of background noise is removed.

In terms of passive noise cancelling, this is much, much better than the Bose QC25. While the Bose QC25 excelled at active noise cancellation, it came at the price of sound pressure which sometimes caused me to feel sick.
I've used both on trains in Australia and I find the Kef Space One blocks more noise passively than the Bose QC25 on a moderate volume with the active noise cancelling on!

In terms of comfort I find that the ear pads do not cause sweating as easily as the Bose QC25's did, and I can wear the headphones for a longer period of time.

My only note was that for the first month I had a lot of difficulty with the comfort, and I find if I place them on a slightly wrong angle on my head they can pinch part of the skin quite quickly, mainly because the ear cups are not very large.

Overall I'm thoroughly impressed and over time they have become more comfortable...

 

[JML]

Picked up the Space One, and they're burning in right now. Sound in either mode is very similar to the KEF M500, which is good, and better than any Bose or other noise-reduction headphones I've been able to try. Biggest audible difference between the two modes is the slightly elevated and somewhat woolier bass response with the noise reduction in place, which I can probably address somewhat with my Sony WM-1A equalizer controls if it's still present after burn-in (it seems to be lessening as they burn in, but I'm only about 36 hours into the process). The build quality is simply outstanding, comfort is quite good, and the passive isolation very good (better than my OPPO PM-3). The pads are quite large and the ear recesses small, so persons with large ears may not find them comfortable. The noise reduction is far more noticeable and effective with low-frequency and mid-range sounds (such as HVAC noise and fans), which is to be expected or hoped-for if you plan to use them on aircraft. Absolutely no pressure effects from the noise reduction!

The supplied 3.5mm-to-3.5mm cable is flat and thin, and aftermarket replacements will not be easy or cheap because of the recessed fitting on the left earpiece; the V-MODA cables & jacks will fit, but they have a plastic sleeve that rubs against the headphone's recessed jack. Eidolic makes some 3.5mm plugs that should work, however, because they have thin extended sleeves. The phones do come with a fitted hard-shell case molded to fit perfectly.

I did not find the battery case (the entire cover of the right-hand earpiece) hard to open at all; that earpiece comes with a cardboard insert that fits within the ear pad that shows where to push to open it up; I think the design is very smart. The Space One comes with cheapo alkaline batteries, but I'm using either AAA Duracell Lithium or rechargeable AAA Eneloop Pro batteries, because they won't leak if stored in the headphone, unlike alkalines.

I went for these because the OPPO PM-3 (which is outstanding running balanced from the Sony) doesn't isolate well enough in the aircraft environment. I am unable to tolerate in-ear models and don't want Bluetooth (although if Sony's Bluetooth LDAC was more widely adopted, I might feel differently).

 

[FenderP]

If you didn't notice, they just announced the update to the Space One. It's supposedly more comfortable (which was/is my main gripe) and it has bluetooth. The battery life seems kinda crazy if true.

http://www.porsche-design.com/en/Men/Space-One-Wireless.html

It is $399 in the US, which is cheaper than the $420 the original Space One went for.

I am currently comparing the Space One to the Sony WI-1000X on a trip to Europe ... but I am curious about the new Space One's comfort. I have to say so far I'm impressed with the WI-1000X. I haven't heard the WH-1000X, and don't plan on it - I really didn't like the MDR-1000X's sound. The WI-1000X is a whole different animal.

 

[JML]

Of course this came out in the US after I upgraded the cable and a new Sony WM-1A firmware upgrade offers more Bluetooth connection options...

FenderP, where did you read that it's more comfortable? The KEF explanation of the wireless version doesn't really say it's any different in construction or fit from the wired version, and all I can find about the new version is KEF ad copy recycled on other websites.