Scored on 61 verified owner verdicts, from 110 comments read across 1 community
TL;DR
Most owners who stick with the Space A40 point to the fit and the battery as the reasons why, calling them comfortable enough to sleep in and able to run for days between charges, with ANC and overall value rounding out the appeal at this price. A meaningful minority pushes back hard on the sound, describing bass that is thin or absent, especially before certain firmware updates, and ranking the tuning behind other Soundcore models like the Liberty 3 Pro and 4NC. A smaller group also reports batteries fading within a year or two, sometimes down to one working bud, plus scattered complaints about fit and inconsistent ANC. The split lands along expectations: buyers focused on comfort and battery come away satisfied, while anyone chasing bass or long-term reliability tends to leave disappointed.
31% of 61 verified owners recommend the Soundcore Space A40, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
110 comments reviewed · scored on the 61 clearest verdicts
31%
Recommend
19 owners
43%
Neutral
26 owners
26%
Don't recommend
16 owners
Last 6 months:57% recommend(7 recent verdicts)↑ trending up 29pts vs older reviews
Source
Breakdown
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
31%
61
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
No clear verdictiGood-to-know notes — setup, tips, and things to watch for. We use them for the pros, cons, and who it's for, but they don't reflect a definitive opinion on the product, so they're never counted in the score. See the 'Good to know' section below the quotes.Setup, tips & quirks
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16
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
What owners like
Comfortable, secure fit that owners specifically praise for all-night sleeping use · 6 · 10%
Strong value for the price, often called a good buy on sale or against pricier rivals · 6 · 10%
ANC performs well for the price, blocking out background noise effectively for most wearers · 5 · 8%
Battery life is a standout strength, with owners charging only occasionally even with heavy use · 5 · 8%
What owners flag
Bass is thin, washed out, or missing entirely for many owners, especially before certain firmware updates · 13 · 21%
Sound quality is seen as a step down from other Soundcore and rival models like the Liberty 3 Pro, 4NC, and OnePlus Buds 4 · 8 · 13%
Battery health fades over months of use, with one bud sometimes losing charge fast or dying early · 5 · 8%
ANC quality is inconsistent, ranging from average to unable to cut fan or background noise · 5 · 8%
Fit complaints surface too, including buds feeling too big for sleeping, stock tips slipping off, and mild ear soreness after long wear · 5 · 8%
Who it's for
A great fit if
Budget shoppers wanting solid ANC and battery life without a premium price
Side sleepers who need small, low-profile buds that stay comfortable overnight
People with small ear canals who struggle to get a secure fit elsewhere
Owners willing to run custom EQ or chase firmware updates for better bass
Look elsewhere if
Bass-heads expecting punchy low end straight out of the box
Buyers who need long-term durability, given reports of battery fade and single-ear failure
Frequent callers who need a clear, reliable microphone
Synthesized from what Soundcore Space A40 owners say — not a spec sheet.
Top quotes, sourced
110 reviewed · 61 shown
Sentiment
Sort
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“These were definitely not the best choice in earbuds. Sound and ANC are pretty bang average for the price. The only good thing about them really is the battery life, even the fit is poor on me.”
Reddit— neutral
“They are rather flat-sounding except for a treble peak around 8khz that brightens things up without sounding too harsh. A well-balanced tuning that works for many different types of music.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“It’s probably the most comfortable in-ears I’ve ever worn before, and I liked that they kinda went against the grain by having a more neutral sound out-of-the-box”
Reddit▲ recommend
“They are great for the price one of the ones I miss most (I lose a lot of buds) and have a soft spot for. Extremely ergonomic fit, and the NC isn’t bad either.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“battery life has gone down the drain, bever reaches 100% and drops by 20% after 5minutes of use. Anc was nediocre at best but sound quality with anc off is not bad”
Reddit— neutral
“I have them they are okay sound and okay anc. The battery life on them are crazy especially with the case. I only have to charge maybe once a week. I would only buy them on sale. For the money they are bang for your buck.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“One ear gradually became quieter, eventually only producing high-frequency sounds. While I enjoyed them and found them comfortable, I believe the brand may produce a product with a limited lifespan.”
Reddit— neutral
“my right bud only lasts 1 hr, so can only use them for a run pretty much. Sucks to see but was a decent pair back when i was daily-ing them”
Reddit▲ recommend
“for how much these cost, they sound great, are very discreet, have good sound, decent transparency and ANC and extremely good battery”
Reddit▲ recommend
“So far so good. Very light and comfortable to wear for long periods. For the price they seem to punch well above their weight.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I bought these because I saw Rtings gave them rave reviews and I thought they were sub par for the price 6 months ago.”
Reddit— neutral
“I have the space and buds pro 2 The space have better fitment (for me) But the features, app, and sound of the cmf destroy the space”
Reddit— neutral
“aside from receiving a defective pair, I realized I much prefer stem style tws so they're going back”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I use the Space A40 all night with no problem. Much more comfortable than the A2 NC and battery life on the A40 is great”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“It really lacks bass on this one even I try the official app's EQ and third party ones also a very piercing treble”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“to me they are mediocre in every way; sound quality, comfort and anc are all just alright but nothing special”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I love my Space A40'S. I have 3 sets. 2 at home and 1 at work. Sound is excellent. ANC is really good too”
Reddit— neutral
“Soundcore somehow screwed up the SQ of the Space A40 compared to the L4NC. It's just plain bad imo.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“the lack of proper bass really turns me off. I needs my bass, else it sounds weirdly flat.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“just got them yesterday. amazing. much better to sleep with than my old bose quietcomfort 2 earbuds”
Reddit— neutral
“If I didn’t need a better mic for calls or better transparency mode, I’d say they are pretty good.”
Reddit— neutral
“yes that is annoying actually and theres no way to turn off the Battery Low announcement either.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I had the Space A40 for like a week before returning and it wasn't that impressive.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I’ve had the Liberty 4, 4NC and 3 Pro and I always prefer my Space A40’s over all of them”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
Redditⓘ good to know
“OP did you get your firmware update? They had bass when I first got them. Then I got an update that made the bass lacking. I got a firmware update that made the bass bump again.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I did this and they didnt offer the firmware update, how do I get the firmware update cause they're not even replaying back to me about it, just telling me other ways to improve my earbuds”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Yes, all of those are things I can do. It's worth noting that audio works completely fine on my phone, it's only on my laptop where they refuse to play anything.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“im connecting them to my phone, but I doubt that changing the sound balance is gonna be the fix tbh. ill try nonetheless but the left ones are practically silent”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Is your firmware version 4.11 now? I also had support downgrade my firmware and it says 4.20 is available but it installs 4.11 and keeps telling me 4.20 is available for update even after installing.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“So far they haven't given me trouble. Granted, I don't use them heavily. The tips are still fine, one of them just got a little dirty so I was worried if it was unusable, but it appears to have cleaned well.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Ooh, as someone who has the Space A40 specifically for the ANC, I’m intrigued. I sleep with the Space A40s, can you sleep with the Life P3s?”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Hi, I face the same issue, lack of bass, how can I reach out to Soundcore, directly from the apps or somewhere else? thanks for the answer”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Sorry for resurrecting this, but just wanted to get this out there for others that have problems with Space A40's. I actually have had this issue on multiple sets and even got 2 replacements from Soundcore cause it kept happening.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I think by default they will turn off after like 30 min, but you can change it in the Soundcore app so they don't turn off at all.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I did get the update and it worked decently. Did you have to contact Soundcore for the upgrades or did they just send them to you?”
Redditⓘ good to know
“The Space A40'S have LDAC after you update the firmware. ANC is as good as or better than the Life Q20i that I have”
Redditⓘ good to know
“not anything to do with firmware but when i downloaded their app and changed my a40s mode to noise cancellation instead of transparency, the bass is so much better. and when you press sound effects with both buds on, you can choose a bass booster option”
Redditⓘ good to know
“They told me that it was a downgrade to the older firmware, but it says 4.2 and the one I had was 4.19”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Got both. Life P3’s do go in a little deeper than the A40’s which give you better passive noise isolation against low frequency sounds. Try putting the a40s in adaptive mode, for some reason the ANC cancels out more noise that way than manually setting them to ‘strong’.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“All of your comments are getting pretty old now, so I'm wondering: what should I do with my A40s I've just bought? Are the newest firmwares better than the ones from 2 years ago? Thanks for your help u/SmellySweatsocks u/tedfreitag u/Odd-Temperature2664 u/Difficult_Spot_937”
