We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-05 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a pair of non in ear headphones built specifically for children who struggle with ordinary headphones, choose BENGDII Bee Off Ear; if you need a light, retro-styled wired over-ear set for an adult listener, choose LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones. Those two sentences sum up the whole comparison, because these products barely overlap in who they were designed for. One is a comfort-first open-ear headset for kids, teens and online learning. The other is a vintage-looking over-ear headphone aimed at adults who just want a simple wired set. If your shopping list says "headphones for children," keep reading — the right answer depends on whether you're buying for a kid or for yourself.
• BENGDII Bee Off Ear — biggest strength: the earpieces never touch the ears, so there's no chafing, itchiness, sweat or pressure on the ear itself, and the whole headset weighs under 3 ounces (80 g).
• BENGDII Bee Off Ear — biggest trade-off: it's a wired 3.5 mm headset with no noise control, and it's clearly aimed at kids and teens rather than adult listeners chasing immersive sound.
• LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones — biggest strength: a genuine over-ear fit with adjustable ear pads that accommodate different head sizes, plus a retro black-and-orange look and a very light 0.06 kg build.
• LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones — biggest trade-off: the ear pads sit on and around the ears, so the contact-comfort problem that the BENGDII was invented to solve still exists here, and the age range is listed as adult.
• Who each pick is for: BENGDII Bee Off Ear is for a child, tween or teen (or any adult) who can't tolerate earpieces pressing on or inside the ears; LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones is for an adult who wants a lightweight, retro-styled wired over-ear set for casual listening.
The BENGDII Bee Off Ear exists to solve one very specific problem: kids who cannot wear normal headphones. The design brief is written into the product itself — it targets children with ear pain, allergies, ear inflammation, perspiration issues, kids whose headphones keep slipping off, kids who feel isolated behind a big headset, and kids who find the weight of a headphone unbearable. Instead of clamping earpieces onto or into the ears, the Bee is worn like a hairband, with side supports and a head support holding it in place while the earpieces float away from the ears. That's the whole trick, and it's why this is a true non in ear headphone rather than a marketing label.
The second thing that stands out is the weight. At 80 grams — under 3 ounces — there's very little downward pressure on the top of the head, which matters for a child wearing a headset through a full school day. The earpieces are also adjustable: you can swing them onto the ears for a more immersive listen, or keep them away from the ears for maximum comfort. There's a volume limiter that caps output at 85 dB when the earpieces are positioned on the ears, and it can be turned off when you need more volume or when the earpieces are sitting away from the ears. For online learning, Zoom meetings and phone calls, there's a built-in microphone, and it connects over a standard 3.5 mm jack with a wired cable and remote. It's designed and made in South Korea and listed for kids, teenagers and adults alike.
Who should buy it? In my opinion, this is the pick for any parent whose child has rejected every conventional headphone — the ones who complain about sore ears, sweaty ear pads, or a headset that slides off mid-lesson. It's also a reasonable choice for an adult who simply dislikes things touching their ears during long calls. Who should skip it? If you want strong noise isolation, wireless freedom, or a traditional over-ear fit with deep, immersive sound, this isn't that product. It has no noise control, it's wired, and its whole personality is comfort and lightness rather than audio isolation. Crystal clear calls and online-class audio are the goal here, not blocking out a noisy room.
The LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones are a much more traditional proposition. These are over-ear headphones in the classic sense: the ear pads sit around the ears, and the design uses faux leather and metal for a vintage look in black and orange. The headline feature is fit — the ear pads are adjustable so they can accommodate different head sizes and give a snug, comfortable fit for extended wear. At 0.06 kg, they're extremely light for an over-ear set, which takes some of the sting out of the fact that they do, by definition, rest against your head and ears.
Inside, there's a dynamic driver and a 4 ohm impedance rating, and the connection is the same familiar 3.5 mm wired jack you'll find on most phones, tablets and laptops with a headphone port. Controls are handled through a media control remote on the cable, so you get basic playback control without reaching for your device. There's no noise control here — no active noise cancelling, no isolation claims — so treat these as straightforward wired stereo headphones rather than a noise-blocking tool. The listed age range is adult, which is a useful signal: this is positioned as an everyday headphone for grown-ups, not a child-focused product.
So who should buy them? Anyone who wants a lightweight, wired, retro-styled over-ear headphone for casual music, podcasts and video on a phone, tablet or laptop, and who likes the vintage aesthetic. Who should skip them? If the buyer is a child who struggles with ear contact, pressure or sweat, these don't address that at all — the ear pads are part of the design. And if you need a microphone for calls or online classes, note that the feature list here centers on playback and media control, not a built-in mic. For children specifically, I'd look elsewhere.
• Best for children who can't tolerate ear contact → BENGDII Bee Off Ear. The non-contact earpieces and 80 g build are the entire point.
• Best for online learning and video calls → BENGDII Bee Off Ear. It includes a microphone and is explicitly built for online classes, Zoom meetings and phone calls.
• Best for hearing protection for a young child → BENGDII Bee Off Ear. The volume limiter caps output at 85 dB when the earpieces are on the ears.
• Best for an adult who wants a classic over-ear fit → LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones. Adjustable over-ear pads that accommodate different head sizes.
• Best for retro style → LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones. Faux leather and metal in black and orange, styled as a vintage headset.
• Best for light weight in an over-ear design → LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones. At 0.06 kg it's remarkably light for an over-ear headphone.
• Best for a shared 3.5 mm setup → a tie. Both are wired with a 3.5 mm jack and both use a remote control on the cable.
• Best for kids' waterproof gaming headphones or on ear headphones for children → neither, strictly speaking. Neither sheet lists water resistance, and the LQMBABY is over-ear and adult-oriented, while the BENGDII is an open-ear kids' design rather than a gaming headset.
If I were buying for children — which is exactly what this comparison is really about — I would buy the BENGDII Bee Off Ear. In my opinion, it's the only one of the two that was actually designed around a child's comfort: non-contact earpieces, an 80 g frame worn like a hairband, a built-in mic for online learning, and a volume limiter for safer listening. The LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones are a nice lightweight retro option for an adult, and I'd happily recommend them for that. But for a kid who fights with ordinary headphones, the Bee is the one that solves the problem. Check the current price on Amazon before you decide, since that's the one thing that can shift the call.
Non in ear headphones, like the BENGDII Bee Off Ear, support themselves on the head using side supports and a head support instead of the ears, so the earpieces sit away from the ear canal. The sound is still delivered by small speakers near the ear, but nothing presses on or enters the ear itself.
They're usually called open-ear headphones or non-contact earpieces. BENGDII describes its design as non-contact earpieces worn like a hairband, which is the same idea — the ears stay contact-free while you still hear your audio.
I can't crown a universal winner, but for children specifically, in my opinion the BENGDII Bee Off Ear is the strongest pick between these two: it's under 3 ounces, has a microphone, and includes a volume limiter that caps output at 85 dB with the earpieces on the ears. For adult casual listening, the LQMBABY Retro Over-Ear Earphones are the lighter, more traditional over-ear choice.
These two aren't in-ear models, so there's no tip to insert — the BENGDII rests on the head with adjustable earpieces you can position on or away from the ears, and the LQMBABY sits around the ears with adjustable ear pads. If you specifically want an in-ear fit, neither of these is the right shape.
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