We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-23 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a compact USB-C in-ear earbud that plugs straight into a modern phone with no adapter and no charging, choose ABCPOW USB C; if you need a volume-limited, over-ear pair built for a child's ears and a school Chromebook, choose Acer OHW328. Both are wired, both skip Bluetooth entirely — but they solve completely different problems, and picking the wrong one wastes your money. Here is how I'd decide between them.
• ABCPOW USB C — biggest strength: a true USB-C plug with an integrated DAC chip and a 14.2mm dynamic driver, so it works directly with newer iPhones and other USB-C devices that have no headphone jack.
• ABCPOW USB C — biggest trade-off: it will not work in a 3.5mm jack at all, the phone case must not block the port, and on some devices (MacBook, iPad Pro, certain older Samsung models) you get music playback only — no calls.
• Acer OHW328 — biggest strength: dual safe-volume modes (≤85dB for school, 94dB for travel) on top of an over-ear design with big 54x40mm earcup openings and ±10° multi-directional cups.
• Acer OHW328 — biggest trade-off: it's built and sized for kids (the adjustable headband targets ages roughly 2 to teens), the jack is 3.5mm so jackless phones need an adapter, and there's no microphone and no noise control.
• Who ABCPOW USB C is for: an adult or teen with a USB-C phone who wants a cheap, light, no-battery earbud for calls and music on the go.
• Who Acer OHW328 is for: a parent equipping a young child for school, travel or a tablet, where hearing safety and comfort matter more than audio fidelity.
The ABCPOW USB C is a white in-ear earbud with silicone tips, and it comes with three pairs of earplugs in small, medium and large so you can actually find a seal. That seal is doing real work here: the noise control is listed as sound isolation, which means it's passive — the tip blocks outside noise rather than any active circuitry cancelling it. The audio side is a 14.2mm dynamic driver paired with an integrated DAC chip, covering a 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz range. In practice that's a standard full-range spec, but the DAC is the part that matters most, because it's what lets a digital USB-C port drive an analog driver cleanly.
This is the earbud I'd point at someone with an iPhone 15, 16 or 17 series, an iPhone 16e, or another USB-C phone with no headphone jack. You plug it in, and you're done — no dongle, no pairing, no charging. There's a push-button control on the wire, and ABCPOW places the wire control on the right earbud specifically, which is worth knowing before you buy if you're used to reaching on the left.
Who should skip it? Anyone with a 3.5mm jack. The brand is blunt about this: a phone with a 3.5mm port will not produce sound, and neither the volume nor the microphone will work. You also need to check two physical things — that your case doesn't cover the USB-C port, and that the plug seats fully with no gap. And if you own a MacBook, iPad Pro, or an older Samsung like the S8, S9 or Note 5, expect music only, no calls. It ships with a one-year manufacturer warranty and a stated 12-month hassle-free policy with 7x24 support.
The Acer OHW328 is a different animal entirely: an over-ear headphone in purple and green, made of ABS plastic, weighing in at a feather-light 5.29 oz (5.75 oz per the item details). The design brief is clearly "kid wearing this for six hours straight." The earcups measure 54x40mm inside, which gives growing ears room instead of pressing on them, and the cups swivel ±10° in every direction to follow the shape of a small head. The headband is adjustable and the fit is meant to hold from age 2 upward without sliding around during active play.
The headline feature is the Dual Safe Sound Mode. You can cap output at ≤85dB for school and home use, or switch up to 94dB for travel where there's more background noise. For a parent, that's the whole pitch — a hard ceiling on volume so a child can't crank it to painful levels. The materials are BPA-free, and Acer states compliance with US CPC and CPSIA safety standards. There's a push-button volume control on the cable, no microphone, and no noise control of any kind.
Connectivity is a plain 3.5mm jack — plug-and-play, no charging, no Bluetooth pairing. That makes it a natural fit for school Chromebooks, laptops, Kindles, tablets, Yoto players and phones with a headphone jack. The 32-ohm impedance and 40mm dynamic driver (20 Hz – 20,000 Hz) are undemanding specs, which is exactly what you want when the source might be a cheap classroom laptop. It also comes with a one-year warranty.
Who should skip it? An adult who wants serious sound quality, or anyone whose phone has no 3.5mm jack and who isn't willing to carry an adapter. The age guidance is 3–16 years in the item details, and while the adjustable band does stretch to fit adults, this is not a headphone designed around adult listening.
• Best for a jackless USB-C phone → ABCPOW USB C. It plugs into iPhone 15/16/17 series and similar USB-C devices with no adapter.
• Best for a child's hearing safety → Acer OHW328. The 85/94dB dual mode is the single most important difference between these two products.
• Best for school and classroom use → Acer OHW328. 3.5mm plug-and-play, 5.29 oz, and a fit built for small heads.
• Best for calls on the go → ABCPOW USB C. It has a microphone and an inline push-button control; the Acer has no mic.
• Best for all-day comfort on a kid → Acer OHW328. Big 54x40mm cups, ±10° swivel and a soft adjustable band.
• Best for a light, pocketable earbud → ABCPOW USB C. In-ear silicone with three tip sizes and passive sound isolation.
• Best for older or cheaper hardware → Acer OHW328. The universal 3.5mm jack works with Chromebooks, Kindles and laptops.
• Best for a gift → Acer OHW328. The designer color box and vibrant finish are clearly aimed at birthdays and back-to-school.
In my opinion, these two shouldn't really be competing — they're aimed at different people, and the right answer depends on who's wearing them. If you're buying for yourself and you carry a USB-C phone, I'd take the ABCPOW USB C: it's the simpler, more modern fit, and the DAC plus 14.2mm driver make it the more capable listen of the two. If you're buying for a child, I'd take the Acer OHW328 without hesitating — the 85/94dB limiter, the BPA-free build, the CPC/CPSIA compliance and the 5.29 oz weight are exactly what a parent should be paying for. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever one matches your situation before you commit.
how to wired headphones work
A wired headphone sends an analog electrical signal from your device down the cable to a driver inside the earcup or earbud, which converts it into sound. The Acer OHW328 uses a 3.5mm jack and a 40mm dynamic driver at 32 ohm, while the ABCPOW USB C adds an integrated DAC chip that converts the phone's digital USB-C output to analog before it reaches the 14.2mm driver. No battery or pairing is involved in either case.
how to use wired headphones with iphone
It depends on the iPhone's port. If your iPhone has a USB-C port and no headphone jack, the ABCPOW USB C plugs in directly — just make sure your case doesn't block the port and the plug seats fully with no gap. If your iPhone still has a 3.5mm jack, the Acer OHW328 works as-is; a USB-C earbud will not produce sound there.
how to fix wired headphones no sound
Start with the simple checks. For the ABCPOW USB C, confirm the phone actually has a USB-C port with no 3.5mm jack, push the plug in fully, slide the inline volume switch up, and try a different port. For the Acer OHW328, check the 3.5mm plug is fully seated and that the inline volume control isn't turned down.
are these headphones good for kids
The Acer OHW328 is the one built for children: dual safe-volume modes at ≤85dB and 94dB, BPA-free materials, CPC and CPSIA compliance, a 5.29 oz weight and earcups sized for growing ears. The ABCPOW USB C is an adult-oriented in-ear earbud with no volume limiting, so I wouldn't recommend it as a child's daily headphone.
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