As a professional headphone blogger, I often receive messages asking how to choose open headphones. The variety of open headphones available in the market can be overwhelming. Below, I will share some tips for beginners on selecting open headphones. Of course, for those who prefer not to think too much, I will also recommend a few outstanding open headphones currently available.
Guide to Choosing Open Bluetooth Headphones
Battery Life
The battery performance of Bluetooth headphones is crucial. Firstly, they should have a long single-use duration to easily handle a full day of usage; secondly, they should be equipped with fast charging capabilities and a low-power mode to extend battery life.It is best for headphones to have a single-use battery life of over 6 hours.
Wearing Design
For the wearing design of headphones, it is preferable to choose products that conform to ergonomic design. Some ear-hook headphones are designed to closely follow ergonomic principles, adapting to the ear structure of most people, ensuring that the hooks can securely attach to the ears and are not easily dislodged during movement.
Bluetooth Version
The higher the Bluetooth version, the more improvements there will be in various performance aspects of the Bluetooth headphones.For example, headphones with Bluetooth version 5.4 have better connection stability, effectively reducing lag and disconnection issues; they perform excellently in terms of latency, making them very suitable for watching videos or gaming; they possess strong sound quality resolution capabilities, delivering clear and realistic sound effects; and they have low power consumption, which helps extend battery life.
Choose According to Your Budget
When purchasing, consider your actual budget range and avoid buying products that exceed your budget significantly. Also, choose based on your needs. For example, if I buy headphones for enjoying music, I should focus more on sound quality. If I buy them for sports, I should pay more attention to the stability of the headphones and whether they fit securely, as they can easily fall off during exercise.
Brand Selection
With many manufacturers launching open headphones today, selecting the right headphones can be somewhat overwhelming. It is recommended to prioritize professional and reputable brands, such as Shokz, Hongmi, Edifier, and Baseus. These brands are well-regarded by consumers for their excellent sound quality, comfortable wearing experience, and high-quality after-sales service.
Next, I will introduce a few open headphones that I personally think are good
Hongmi Ultra
Reference Price: 399 Yuan
Bluetooth 5.4 | Touch Charging | IPX6 | Battery Life 8+32h | Anti-Leakage Mode
Recommendation: A versatile and cost-effective headphone, comparable to flagship models priced in the thousands.
Sound Quality: In terms of sound quality, the Hongmi Ultra is one of the best open headphones in the 500 price range. It features a16.2mm large dynamic driver, providing stronger acoustic drive for fuller volume and sound quality. Additionally, the diaphragm material is carefully selected to usegraphene technology diaphragms, utilizing the strong deformation capability of graphene materials to articulate sound details more delicately. Combined with the Hongmi Acoustic Laboratory’s“high-fidelity” tuning philosophy, the sound of the Hongmi Ultra can embody both rich emotion and abundant detail, making it one of the best in sound quality among products in the same price range.
Wearing Experience: To better fit the ear canal, the Hongmi Ultra adopts astreamlined ergonomic design, ensuring that the headphone sound holes are accurately aligned with the ear canal, which can better enhance sound quality performance. The ear hooks are made of liquid silicone material, making them soft and comfortable to wear, while the stability of the headphones is also very good, making them suitable for sports.
Performance Configuration: The Hongmi Ultra also has many innovative features in terms of functionality. It uses an innovativetouch charging technology, which increases the charging area and efficiency, effectively solving common issues with traditional contact charging such as poor contact, disconnection, and slow charging. Additionally, to address the leakage issue of open headphones, the Hongmi Ultra has specially developed ananti-leakage mode, which significantly reduces leakage when activated. The headphones are equipped with aBluetooth 5.4 chip, featuring four microphones for ENC call noise reduction. Furthermore, it hasIPX6 waterproof performance, and the smart dual-device connection feature allows users to connect to two devices simultaneously with ease. The single-ear battery life can reach 8 hours, with a total battery life of32 hours, meeting the needs for long-term use.
Edifier Comfo Solo
Reference Price: 599 Yuan
Bluetooth 5.3 | Single Ear 10.2g | IPX4 | Battery Life 10.5+42h
Recommendation: Gold standard certification and supports LDAC high-definition encoding, with good sound quality performance.
Sound Quality: The sound quality of the headphones is quite good, utilizing high-frequency track-type units and PU + fiber paper diaphragms. Although there has not been much promotion of the unit parameters, the overall listening experience is indeed good, with powerful bass and clear highs. It would be better if the volume could be increased a bit. The headphones do not have anti-leakage treatment, which is a bit regrettable.
Wearing Experience: The ear hooks of the headphones are thin and do not interfere with glasses, although the material is somewhat hard, it is wrapped in silicone. The single-ear weight is 10.2g, providing moderate comfort.
Performance Configuration: The Edifier Comfo Solo features four microphones for call noise reduction, accurately capturing human voices to ensure clear calls. It supports dual-device functionality, making it more convenient for use with two devices. Additionally, it has an IP54 waterproof rating, making it suitable for sports.
Soundcore Leap Air
Reference Price: 799 Yuan
Bluetooth 5.4 | Single Ear 10g | IPX5 | Battery Life 10+42h | Adjustable Ear Hooks
Recommendation: Four adjustable ear hooks for comfortable wearing
Sound Quality: The Soundcore Leap Air provides an excellent sound quality experience, equipped with 20*11.5mm dynamic drivers, specifically optimized for low, mid, and high frequencies, combined with LDAC decoding technology to efficiently restore audio details. Its gold standard certification ensures clear differentiation between high, mid, and low frequencies, delivering outstanding sound quality for an ultimate auditory experience. Whether it’s delicate vocals or powerful bass, it can be accurately presented.
Wearing Experience: The headphones are made of skin-friendly liquid silicone material, providing a soft touch. The four adjustable ear hooks fit different ear shapes, ensuring stability and comfort. The single-ear weight of 10g is carefully designed to distribute weight, making it easy to wear for long periods without pressure on the ears, suitable for both sports and daily commuting.
Performance Configuration: The Soundcore Leap Air uses Bluetooth 5.4 technology, providing stable connections and low latency. Its long-lasting battery supports up to 10 hours of continuous playback and an additional 42 hours of total battery life, and it supports IPX5 waterproofing and fast charging. The four microphones for call noise reduction, combined with directional transmission technology, ensure clear call quality even in noisy environments.
Oladance OWS Pro
Reference Price: 1599 Yuan
Bluetooth 5.3 | Single Ear 13.8g | IPX4 | Battery Life 16+58h | Ceramic Skin
Recommendation: Six microphones with wind noise reduction mode for worry-free calls.
Sound Quality: The Oladance OWS Pro has good sound quality performance. Its high-precision layered speakers, through dual diaphragms and dual magnetic circuits, break through the limitations of speaker size, enhancing sound quality. The single-machine dual-chip design, driven by the main chip and amplifier chip, outputs powerful bass. Combined with bass algorithm compensation, it enhances bass volume, making it powerful and impactful.
Wearing Experience: The outer side of the Oladance OWS Pro headphones is made of ceramic skin created through an 8-layer coloring process, giving it a premium feel. Utilizing ergonomic design, with a three-point arc support structure, it can adapt well to different ear shapes. However, the single-ear weight of 13.8g is somewhat heavy, which may cause some burden during prolonged wear.
Performance Configuration: The Oladance OWS Pro has a single full charge battery life of up to 16 hours, and when used with the charging case, the total battery life soars to 58 hours, easily meeting all-day usage needs. Additionally, it employs anti-phase sound wave cancellation technology to significantly reduce sound leakage. The built-in six microphones, combined with intelligent wind noise reduction algorithms, ensure clear and stable calls even in strong outdoor winds. It also has an IPX4 waterproof rating.