How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a pocketable wired DAC/amp that turns any 3.5 mm headphone into an LDAC-capable hi-res rig for work, choose Khadas Tea; if you need a self-contained pair of LDAC over-ear headphones with adaptive noise cancelling and a 60-hour battery for work, choose Amazon Renewed Soundcore Anker Space.
• Khadas Tea — biggest strength: a genuinely ultra-thin (under 0.3 in / 7.95 mm) aluminum DAC/amp built around the ESS ES9281AC Pro and Qualcomm QCC5125, with LDAC, aptX HD, PCM, DSD and MQA decoding — it upgrades headphones you already own rather than replacing them.
• Khadas Tea — biggest trade-off: it is not a headphone. Its Bluetooth radio only receives, so it can't pair with TWS earbuds or other Bluetooth headsets, and it needs a wired 3.5 mm connection plus a 5V≥1A charger (fast chargers can cause problems).
• Amazon Renewed Soundcore Anker Space — biggest strength: a complete wireless over-ear package — 4-stage adaptive ANC, Bluetooth 5.3, LDAC, multipoint, 6-mic calls, 40H with ANC on / 60H off, and folding FlexiCurve design that shrinks 50%.
• Amazon Renewed Soundcore Anker Space — biggest trade-off: it's renewed stock with a 90-day limited warranty, and it locks you into one pair of headphones instead of upgrading whatever you already own.
• Who each pick is for: Khadas Tea for tinkerers, IEM/headphone owners and desk workers chasing hi-res from a phone; Soundcore Anker Space for commuters and travelers who want one wireless do-everything headset.
Khadas Tea is a headphone amplifier first and a Bluetooth receiver second. Inside is an ESS ES9281AC Pro DAC paired with a Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth chip, feeding a 3.5 mm mini jack and outputting up to 130 mW. On paper that combination covers a lot of ground: LDAC at up to 24-bit/96 kHz, aptX HD, PCM, DSD and MQA. If you stream from Tidal, Qobuz or Apple Music and you've been listening through a phone's built-in output, the whole point of Tea is to hand the decoding to a dedicated chip instead.
Buy it if you already own a wired headphone or IEM you love and want to push it into hi-res territory, or if you want a wired-only setup that doesn't drain your phone. Skip it if you want wireless freedom on both ends. Tea's Bluetooth can only receive data — it cannot transmit — so it will not connect to TWS earbuds or Bluetooth headphones. It's a wired output device with a wireless input. Also budget for the right charger: Khadas specifically warns against fast chargers and asks for a 5V≥1A adapter.
Amazon Renewed Soundcore Anker Space: Who It's For
The Soundcore Anker Space One Pro is the opposite philosophy: everything in one box, nothing else required. It's an over-ear wireless headphone with a 4-stage adaptive noise cancelling system that adjusts to your movement in real time, Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint connection, LDAC for hi-res audio, and a 6-mic array for calls. The triple composite diaphragm drivers are rated under 3% total harmonic distortion, with a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency range, 16 ohm impedance and 93 dB sensitivity.
For work specifically, two specs stand out. Multipoint means you can be connected to a laptop and a phone at the same time and take a call without repairing. And the battery numbers are absurd in the best way: 60 hours with ANC off, 40 hours with ANC on, and a 5-minute charge good for 8 hours of playback. A full charge takes about 2 hours. The 9.6 oz weight, pressure-relieving headband and slow-rebound foam earcups are aimed squarely at long listening sessions — the spec sheet literally points at long-haul flights as the use case.
The FlexiCurve structure folds the headphone down by 50%, and it ships with a cable and a protective case. Buy it if you want one device that handles commuting noise, calls and music, and you don't want to think about batteries for days. The honest caveat is the "Amazon Renewed" part: this is renewed stock backed by a 90-day limited warranty rather than a new-unit warranty, so factor that into how you weigh the two.
• Best for upgrading headphones you already own → Khadas Tea. It's a DAC/amp, so your existing wired pair gets the ESS ES9281AC Pro and QCC5125 treatment.
• Best for all-day battery life → Amazon Renewed Soundcore Anker Space. 40 hours with ANC on and 60 hours off dwarfs Tea's 8-hour rating.
• Best for noise in an open office or on a commute → Soundcore Anker Space. The 4-stage adaptive ANC has no equivalent on the Khadas Tea, which does no noise cancelling at all.
• Best for keeping your phone charged → Khadas Tea. Its own 1160 mAh battery carries the load instead of your handset.
• Best for calls on the move → Soundcore Anker Space. Six microphones versus Tea's single built-in Bluetooth mic.
• Best for portability in a bag → both, differently. Tea is under 0.3 inches thick and MagSafe-clings to a phone; the Space One Pro folds to 50% of its size and comes with a case.
• Best for a single-cable desktop setup → Khadas Tea. Wired 3.5 mm out, no pairing, no codec negotiation.
• Best if you want zero setup decisions → Soundcore Anker Space. It's a finished product; Tea is a component in a chain you build.
For work, I'd buy the Amazon Renewed Soundcore Anker Space One Pro. In my opinion, the combination of adaptive noise cancelling, multipoint, 40 hours of ANC-on playback and a foldable frame is simply more useful across a real workday — meetings, focus time, travel — than a DAC/amp, because it solves problems Tea doesn't touch.
That said, my recommendation flips the moment you already own a wired headphone you love. If that's you, the Khadas Tea is the smarter buy: it's the only one of the two that makes the gear you already have sound better, and it does it with LDAC, MQA and DSD support in a body thinner than a phone case. Just check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since renewed stock and niche audio hardware move around.
FAQ
It means the headphone can receive an LDAC signal from a compatible source device — typically an Android phone or a player with LDAC enabled. On the Space One Pro, LDAC is the path to its hi-res mode; on the Khadas Tea, LDAC is one of several supported formats alongside aptX HD, PCM, DSD and MQA.
The LDAC codec is the encoding scheme itself, developed to move high-bitrate audio over Bluetooth. It only helps when both ends support it, which is why the Khadas Tea matters for wired headphones — it adds LDAC reception to gear that never had Bluetooth at all.
LDAC originated with Sony, so you'll often see it described that way, but it's not exclusive to Sony hardware — Khadas and Soundcore both implement it here. Neither product on this page is a Sony product; they simply support the LDAC codec.
• Yistao Open Ear Headphones vs Stiive 5.3
• FIFINE Gaming Audio Mixer vs NEW BAXS Professional DJ Audio
• MAONO DGM20S vs Lenovo Legion H410 comparison
• JINSERTA Gaming Headset vs FDUCE USB/XLR Gaming Microphone
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.