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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-01 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
• BASN Bmaster — biggest strength: Triple-driver in-ear design (two dynamic plus one balanced armature) with a proper MMCX detachable cable system, two cables in the box, and passive sound isolation that seals your ear canal.
• BASN Bmaster — biggest trade-off: It's fully wired, so there's no ANC, no app, and no battery-free wireless freedom; it asks you to accept a cable and a deeper in-ear fit.
• Anker Soundcore Space 2 — biggest strength: Travel-first over-ear comfort with a 4-stage low-frequency ANC system, up to 50 hours of playtime with ANC on (70 with it off), LDAC hi-res support and dual connection.
• Anker Soundcore Space 2 — biggest trade-off: It's a wireless-first product; the 3.5 mm jack is there as a fallback, not as the main event, and it weighs 264 g on your head versus 100 g in your pocket.
• Who each pick is for: BASN Bmaster for players, vocalists and anyone who wants isolation without electronics; Anker Soundcore Space 2 for commuters, flyers and remote workers who want quiet at the press of a button.
The Bmaster is built around a simple idea: get a good seal, feed it a clean signal, and let the drivers do the work. BASN fits three drivers into each housing — two dynamic drivers plus a balanced armature — and describes the tuning as detailed with enhanced bass, a slow decay, and vocals and highs sitting pleasantly against the mids. That's a monitoring-style voicing. It's not trying to be a party speaker; it's trying to let you hear what's actually in the track.
The parts that matter most for a wired studio or stage use case are the cables. BASN includes two MMCX cables: one with an inline remote and microphone for calls and volume, and one silver-plated OFC audio cable. The MMCX connector uses a lock-snap mechanism with 360° rotation, which means the cable can swivel to sit however your ear wants it and still lock down. The over-ear wire routing keeps the cable behind your ear and out of the way, which is exactly what you want when you're holding an instrument or a mic. In the box you also get a 6.35 mm adapter — the big plug that fits a mixing desk or an amp headphone output — plus a cable clip, a cleaning tool, a carrying case, three pairs of memory foam tips and six pairs of silicone tips.
Isolation is passive, not active. The housing seals your canal and blocks ambient noise, and BASN frames it as sound-canceling technology that keeps outside noise from interfering whether you're on stage or on the go. In practice that means it works best when you get the right tip size — which is why there are nine pairs in the box to choose from.
Buy it if you play an instrument, sing, monitor yourself on stage, or just want a wired earphone that shuts out the room without a battery. Skip it if you want active noise cancelling, app-based EQ, wireless freedom, or you dislike anything sitting deep in your ear canal. The 3.5 mm jack and 1-year parts-and-labor warranty (with a 30-day refund and 365-day replacement window) round out the package.
The Space 2 is the opposite philosophy. It's a Bluetooth 6.1 over-ear headphone with a 40 mm dynamic driver, a hybrid noise cancelling system and app control, and it's clearly designed around long journeys. Anker's own framing is travel: a 4-stage low-frequency ANC system that targets everything from jet engines to general environmental rumble, an ergonomic headband, and upgraded protein leather ear cushions with slow-rebound memory foam so your ears don't ache after hour four.
Battery is the headline number. You get up to 50 hours with ANC on and up to 70 hours with it off, and a 5-minute charge buys you roughly 4 hours of listening — enough to survive a layover. A full charge takes about 2 hours. It also supports LDAC for hi-res audio over Bluetooth, dual connection so you can be paired to a laptop and a phone at once, and a 15-metre Bluetooth range.
Two features are worth calling out because they're unusual. First, wearing detection — the headphones pause when you take them off and resume when you put them back on. Second, Nap Mode in the soundcore app, which gives you built-in white noise and soundscapes with a single tap. If you sleep on planes, that's a genuinely useful trick that most headphones in this class don't offer.
The trade-offs are honest ones. At 264 g it's a real object on your head, and the ABS/polycarbonate build is functional rather than luxurious. The 3.5 mm jack exists, so you can go wired if the battery dies or if you're on a plane with an inflight system, but this is a wireless product at heart — the controls are app and push-button, not inline on a cable. And active noise cancelling is very good at low-frequency drone but it is not the same thing as a sealed in-ear monitor; you'll still hear a baby crying two rows back.
Buy it if you fly, commute, work in a noisy open office, or want one pair of headphones that handles calls, music and quiet time without a cable. Skip it if you need a wired monitoring tool for stage or studio work, or you want the smallest possible thing in your bag.
• Best for wired studio and stage monitoring → BASN Bmaster. Detachable MMCX cables, a 6.35 mm adapter for desk and amp outputs, and a sound-isolating in-ear seal are exactly the features that matter when a cable is non-negotiable.
• Best for active noise cancelling → Anker Soundcore Space 2. Hybrid ANC with a 4-stage low-frequency system is something the Bmaster simply doesn't have, and can't have, because it runs no electronics.
• Best for battery life → Anker Soundcore Space 2. Up to 70 hours with ANC off, 50 with it on, and 4 hours from a 5-minute charge. The Bmaster has no battery at all, which is either a feature or a dealbreaker depending on you.
• Best for cable flexibility → BASN Bmaster. Two included MMCX cables — one with an inline mic and volume control, one silver-plated OFC audio — plus a lock-snap connector that rotates 360°.
• Best for long-haul comfort → Anker Soundcore Space 2. Over-ear memory foam cushions and an ergonomic headband spread pressure across your head instead of plugging your canals.
• Best for isolation without power → BASN Bmaster. Passive sealing blocks ambient noise with zero battery, zero pairing and zero app.
• Best for calls and multitasking → Anker Soundcore Space 2. Dual connection, AI-assisted clear calls and push-button plus app control make it the better desk companion.
• Best for fit customization → BASN Bmaster. Nine pairs of tips (three memory foam, six silicone) plus a formable over-ear wire is a lot of adjustment for a set of in-ears.
If I could only own one, I'd take the Anker Soundcore Space 2 — but only because my daily life involves planes, trains and a noisy room more than it involves a stage. It's the more versatile object: it does ANC, calls, hi-res wireless, dual connection and marathon battery, and it still has a 3.5 mm jack for the times you need a cable. That said, if your actual job is playing or monitoring music, I'd recommend the BASN Bmaster without hesitation. The detachable MMCX system, the 6.35 mm adapter, the sealed fit and the triple-driver tuning are built for that world in a way the Space 2 is not. Pick the tool that matches the room you're standing in. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since both sit in very different budget brackets.
what are the best wired studio headphones
That depends on whether you need in-ear or over-ear, open or sealed. For in-ear monitoring specifically, the BASN Bmaster is a wired-first design: triple drivers, MMCX detachable cables, a 6.35 mm adapter and passive sound isolation, which are the traits that matter when you're plugged into a desk or an amp rather than a phone.
are all studio headphones wired
No. Plenty of studio-adjacent headphones are Bluetooth, and the Anker Soundcore Space 2 is a good example — it's wireless-first with LDAC, ANC and dual connection, and its 3.5 mm jack is a wired fallback rather than the main signal path. For latency-free monitoring, though, wired is still the safer choice, which is why the Bmaster is built around a cable.
what are wired headphones
Wired headphones carry the audio signal through a physical cable from your source to the drivers, with no battery, pairing or codec involved. The BASN Bmaster is a pure wired in-ear monitor using MMCX cables, while the Anker Soundcore Space 2 is primarily wireless but includes a 3.5 mm jack so it can also run wired when you want or need it.
what headphones do professional studios use
Studios typically use sealed or open-back over-ear monitors for tracking and mixing, and in-ear monitors for performers who need isolation on a stage or in a booth. The BASN Bmaster fits the second category — an in-ear monitor with a 6.35 mm adapter, a detachable cable system and passive noise isolation — rather than the over-ear reference category.
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