[Bloodflowerz]

329 EUR vs 399 EUR here in Germany.....

 

[JML]

If you want to save some weight (I doubt you'd ever notice the weight of any battery), lithium batteries (the AA and AAA sizes, at least) are lighter than alkalines or rechargeables. Plus they don't leak and work in cold weather.

 

[Bloodflowerz]

The question is can the Space One be used without any battery installed? Just with simple wire?

 

[Anonymous User2222]

The question is can the Space One be used without any battery installed? Just with simple wire?

Tested, yes, it appears to work fine with the battery removed (which makes sense as it can work with a flat battery without noise cancelling).

 

[Bloodflowerz]

Thanks Matey!

 

[Bloodflowerz]

So then, curiosity killed the cat.....I went ahead and placed an order for the Space One via Amazon and will be delivered tomorrow. I'll be comparing these directly to the B&O H6 (version 1).

From what I have read thus far I am super excited about the sound signature. I still have some reservations about the weight compared to the 230g of the H6 but I remain hopeful...

 

[JoshG1217]

Just ordered a pair through Amazon. Delivery is Jan 5-10. Im excited to get them and compare. I'll try the Aventhos if I'm unsatisfied with these, but I have high hopes.

 

[Anonymous User2222]

So then, curiosity killed the cat.....I went ahead and placed an order for the Space One via Amazon and will be delivered tomorrow. I'll be comparing these directly to the B&O H6 (version 1).

Well the comparison should be interesting. I did find the Kef Space Ones quite uncomfortable for longer than 10-20 minutes for the first few weeks (I didn't use them super often) and then at some point the memory foam or the pads seemed to soften a little bit and since then they have been comfortable...

 

[Bloodflowerz]

So then, I've spent enough time comparing the B&O H6 to the Space One....and all I got to say in MMA terms is....

.....AND STILL.....!!!!!

The Space Ones will be going back, the H6 still reigns supreme.

Build
While I had no issues with the weight, which is around 308g without battery, the earcups themselves are a little small for my liking, and I have small ears. I much prefer the round, larger shape of the H6 earcups.
The build quality of the Space One is top notch, no complaints, screams premium quality.

Sound
Bass: The Space One has a little more mid bass, I find the sub bass equal.
Mids: The Space One has more forward mids, vocals are pushed forward, guitars sound better, however at the expense of soundstage,
Treble: I find both of them about equal.
Soundstage: H6 has a wider soundstage as the mids are slighter further back,

The Space One reminds me of the DT1350, they both have similar sound. For me, the B&O H6 has this unbeatable balanced sound, with the right amount of air between instruments, and vocals which are inline with the rest of the range. It's just beautifully smooth, balanced, and nothing dominates something else, music is liquid. The Space One vocals can, at times, sound a little too forward for my liking.

 

[JoshG1217]

Interesting, fender had suggested that they beat out the H8 and 9, which I assume beat the 6? I have not heard any of them. If these sound like the 1350, I wonder how they compare to the 1770's and the Aventhos. I tend to really like Beyer products.

 

[JoshG1217]

Anyone have any other comparisons? I ended up cancelling my order to buy a pair here, but it got sold moments before I could buy it. I've been enjoying my UE9000's more than I thought I would, but my curiosity is really peaked for these. Wish they had aptx HD, but otherwise seem to be pretty ideal. Would love some more impressions/comparisons in regrds to detail and clarity. Also curious how they do on bass. The 1770's are dark headphones, but the UE 9000's are really fun with their bass kick. It's tight, and not overwhelming, but very present, like a well tuned sub woofer. I like primarily to hardcore/metalcore, so bass presence is essential for the music to sound its best.

 

[JoshG1217]

So, I got my Space One's today. They came charged and ready to use. Paired in a couple seconds and we were off. So...

Build, Comfort, and Aesthetics
So the build is a mix of metal and leatherette. One of the reasons I gravitated to these is the fact that they are not real leather, as I'm a vegan. The metal feels solid, but the leatherette feels cheap. The cups snap on and off, which is great for replacement, but there is some looseness to them that I don't care for. They also feel a bit thin to me. They could use just a bit more paddy. The 1000x or the Sony's are more comfortable to wear. The ear cup is also a bit small. They don't surround my ear, but sit on it.

Button and feature-wise, they went pretty low-tech. The right cup has a series of buttons to go to the next track, previous track, and pause. SImple enough. Then there is another switch to turn them on, and then engage anc. The head phone jack site in between these.

Summary: The build was disappointing to me. I was expecting amazing for these, and they are just okay. They fit wide. They remind me of the PXC 550 from Sennheiser. For someone bald, they look goofy. Maybe if you have a head of lush fluffy hair, they would look a bit more normal, but they looked sort of silly on me, as they tend to arc around my head, rather than a bit more flush.

Sound and ANC
So this was why I bought them. While my primary use is gym and office, rather than travel via plane, having noise reduced impacts sound quality. I also don't want to compromise sound quality unnecessarily. I have tried the Skull Candy Grinder, Sony MDR 1000x, and the new version, Bose QC 35 and 35 II, Logitech UE 9000, Sony 950bt, Sennheiser PXC 550, and the Crossfade wirelss II. Of those Of those, I prefer the sound the Sennheiser's the most sound-wise, though the UE 9000's are the only ones I actually kept. These are pretty much on pair with the Senns, I think, though I can't A and B them. They have pretty decent clarity. Certainly better than Bose or Sony. However, the sound quality takes a decent dip when the ANC is engaged vs off. The sound gets sort of hollow and tinny. As a result, I would choose the Senns over these. ANC is decent. Probably similar to the PXC 550. Certainly better than the the UE9000, but the sound quality hit makes them less appealing to me as a go to.

Summary: I was hoping they might be a BT equivalent of my 1770's. They are not. While the ANC is pretty effective (though not Bose effective), it worked well at the gym. The Sony MDR 1000x were basically totally silent. These were not, but still pretty good. They did reduce a lot of background noise. If you are debating between these, the PXC 550, and the Sony's, I would likely go with the Sennheiser, if you don't mind the big headband.

Overall

So my current go to BT is the UE9000. They are more comfortable than the space one's, have worse ANC (it barely does anything, except reduce rumble), but have decent clarity and are fun to listen to. I didn't see the Space One's as much of an improvement of these. Yes, they are a minor sound improvement, but because they look goofy and are uncomfortable for ears my size, I will be returning them. The UE9000's will be my go to until Beyer does a noise cancelling aventho or AT does a NC DSr9bt

 

[JoshG1217]

Updated review.

 

[ejswa51]

I was in for a new BT headphone, and I usually tend not to follow the masses, so I like to not go straight for Sony or Bose. Source is an LG V30, Deezer and the Re-Equalizer app to tweak a bit. I currently own a ATH-DSR7BT since it launched, with unrivalled sound quality (haven’t listened to the 9’s). However, these things creak and squeak like crazy, and therefore are horrible to walk around with. Their best use is at a quite office, so you can move around your desk a bit, and get coffee without any wires.

So unsure what I wanted, I ordered 3: ATH-ANC700BT (yep, ATfanboi), Aiaiai TMA-2 and these Kefs. The ATH’s are €100 cheaper, I know, but AT doesn’t have any higher-end ANC ones yet. In short, comfort on these is great, they’re light and fit very well. However, sound was unsatisfying, so yep I’m spoiled and hardly can’t go under €300 anymore. It sounded metallic and hollow. Decent ANC btw.

Then the Aiaiai, I got the H05 BT-headband, s04 speakers and e04 (overear) pads. Built quality is good, even though it’s all plastic. Comfort is great, they are really light (maybe comparable to the ATH), and surprisingly the sound came quite close to my DSR7BT’s. Soundstage was quite wide, clarity was very good, bass was maybe a bit overwhelming for me (so I eq’d it down a bit) and voices were surprisingly clear.

Then the Kefs. The box already weighed a lot, it immediately lets you know you’re not dealing with a low end headphone. Presentation is wonderful with the nice matte-black case. The cans themselves are literally built like a tank, and thus also weigh accordingly. You feel these on your head, but as I’m now listening to them since 1-1.5 hours ago, I sometimes get warm ears or have to move it a bit, but its not too bad (and I’m used to the also not very lightweight DSR7BT’s). So sound. I’ve tried a few headphones lately (IEMs, overear, bt) and found out that good bass is easier to do than good midrange, let alone good treble. In midrange/lowend headphones you tend to easily find good to decent bass, but the clarity and soundstage is where headphones at the higher end of the spectrum shine. So take the ATH-ANC700BT’s: bass is very decent, not muddy, tight and deep, but it lacks in good clarity (probably fine for its pricerange though). The Aiaiai’s being €300, delivered surprisingly decent overall quality, bit too much bass (it can get a bit muddy) for my likings, but large soundstage, clear vocals and highs. Then the Kefs, they are a bit of a mixed bag, also since SQ changes (as with the ANC700bt’s) quite some bit with and without ANC on. In general, I would say that the bass is again fine, deep, tight, not muddy, midrange is forward (which I like), and highs are crips and clear. But then soundstage, with ANC off, it’s ok, not too wide, a can be a tiny bit hollow. Turning it on results in a smaller soundstage, not hollow at all, and everything tends to become very tight, intimate. For some frequencies, tight is good, for others it can feel a bit cramped.

All in all, these are the ones I’m keeping, since sq is generally speaking good, ANC is good, and built quality is good (no squeeking yet). I was a bit doubting whether or not I needed ANC, but I do fly now and then, and use public transport a lot, so it’s good to have it after all. When the Aiaiai’s had ANC though, there would be a chance I kept them because of the added comfort (due to the lack of weight).

 

[JoshG1217]

I tried the Kefs, but sent themthem . They sound good without ANC, but with it on, the sound changes quite a bit. Did an A/B with my UE9000. Without ANC, they were note detailed and sounded great. With ANC, they get way more tinny and detail disappears. I'm pretty happy with the Sony XM3. I would encourage an A/B using LDAC set at 660 Mbps in developer options in settings. I personally like Poweramp, and it upscales the audio with LDAC.