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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a single pair of everyday wireless headphones for music, movies and phone calls, choose Bose SoundLink Around Ear; if you need a hands-free intercom system for a small team working on a set or stage, choose SYNCO XTalk X1.
• Bose SoundLink Around Ear — biggest strength: Deep, immersive sound from a combination of TriPort technology and Active EQ, with clearer calls thanks to an advanced microphone system and HD voice. Up to 15 hours of play time and seamless switching between two Bluetooth devices.
• Bose SoundLink Around Ear — biggest trade-off: No active noise cancellation, so it won't block out the world the way noise-cancelling headphones do, and the 3-hour charge time is slower than some rivals.
• SYNCO XTalk X1 — biggest strength: A MasterFree design that automatically assigns a master headset so a group of 2-5 people can talk hands-free, with up to 20 hours of battery life and a 2-slot charging station.
• SYNCO XTalk X1 — biggest trade-off: It's a one-ear intercom headset, not a music-first pair of headphones — the 150Hz-7KHz frequency range and 2200 ohm impedance are tuned for voice, not immersive audio.
• Who each is for: Bose is for the individual listener who wants one pair of headphones for everything; SYNCO is for crews who need to stay in constant voice contact while their hands are busy.
The SoundLink Around Ear Wireless Headphones II is built around one idea: making wireless listening feel effortless. Bose pairs TriPort technology with Active EQ to deliver crisp, strong sound at any volume, so quieter tracks don't lose body and loud ones don't turn harsh. The over-ear, angular earcups and impact-resistant materials are designed for daily wear, and at 6.88 ounces it's positioned as lighter and more comfortable than comparable wireless headphones — a real consideration if you wear them for hours.
The feature set is clearly aimed at someone who moves between devices. Bluetooth 4.2 with a 30-foot (9-meter) range keeps you untethered, and the headset can stay connected to two Bluetooth devices at once. If you're watching a movie on a tablet and a call comes in on your phone, the audio pauses and the call takes over; when you hang up, the movie resumes. Earcup controls let you handle calls and music directly, and the advanced microphone system with HD voice and enhanced sidetone is meant to keep your voice clear at the other end even in windy or noisy places. Battery life is rated up to 15 hours with a 3-hour charge, and you get a USB charging cable, a backup audio cable and a hard carry case in the box.
SYNCO XTalk X1: Who It's For
The SYNCO XTalk X1 is a different species of product entirely. It's a 2.4GHz wireless intercom headset system designed for theatre, film shoots, live shows and stage performance — anywhere a small team needs to talk to each other continuously while their hands are occupied. The headline feature is SYNCO MasterFree: instead of a fixed master unit that the whole group depends on, the algorithm intelligently designates a master headset, so losing or draining one battery doesn't take the whole group down. It forms a group of 2-5 people with minimal setup.
Range is the other big selling point. SYNCO rates it at 350m line-of-sight, expanding to 700m line-of-sight when both remotes are connected to the master — enough that you don't have to walk back toward anyone to re-connect. The audio chain is tuned for speech, not music: AEC (acoustic echo cancellation) spans 150Hz to 7KHz, cutting echo, reverberation and ambient noise so the primary voice comes through clearly even in noisy environments. Latency is listed at 50 milliseconds. Battery life is rated over 20 hours on a low-power design, and the included 2-slot charging station lets you top up two headsets efficiently, with a 2.5-hour charge time. In the box you get the headset, a rechargeable battery, a charging cable, a one-ear foam cushion and a mic windshield. The single-ear, on-ear fit with leather and plastic construction is deliberate — you keep one ear open to the room while you talk.
Who should buy it: stage managers, camera operators, directors, event crews and anyone running a small production who needs hands-free group voice contact. Who should skip it: if you mainly want to listen to music or take personal calls, this is the wrong tool — its frequency range and single-ear design are optimized for voice communication, and it's sold as a single headset, so you need to plan for a group.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for music and immersive sound → Bose SoundLink Around Ear. TriPort plus Active EQ with a wide-range 20Hz-20,000Hz driver is built for listening, not just talking.
• Best for battery life → SYNCO XTalk X1. Over 20 hours versus up to 15 hours on the Bose.
• Best for fast charging and multi-unit logistics → SYNCO XTalk X1. A 2.5-hour charge and a 2-slot charging station beat the Bose's 3-hour charge and single cable.
• Best for listening to two devices at once → Bose SoundLink Around Ear. Two-device Bluetooth switching and automatic call-over-video behavior is a daily-life convenience.
• Best for clear personal calls in noisy places → Bose SoundLink Around Ear. The advanced mic system, HD voice and sidetone are aimed squarely at phone calls.
• Best for long-range coordination on a set → SYNCO XTalk X1. 350m line-of-sight, up to 700m with both remotes on the master, with no need to walk back to reconnect.
• Best for a single, versatile everyday headset → Bose SoundLink Around Ear. One pair covers music, video and calls; the SYNCO is a specialist tool.
If I had to pick one for myself, I'd buy the Bose SoundLink Around Ear. It's the one that fits most of my day: music on the way to work, a video on a tablet, a call that interrupts both, and up to 15 hours before I need to plug in. The SYNCO XTalk X1 is genuinely impressive at what it does — MasterFree grouping, up to 700m line-of-sight and over 20 hours of talk time are exactly what a small production crew needs. But unless you're coordinating a team with your hands full, that capability is wasted on you. In my opinion, buy the Bose for personal listening and calls; buy the SYNCO only if group voice communication is the actual job.
For personal phone calls, I'd lean Bose: it has an advanced microphone system with HD voice and enhanced sidetone for clear two-way audio in windy or noisy conditions. The SYNCO is built for continuous group talk-back over an intercom link rather than one-to-one phone calls.
Does the SYNCO XTalk X1 work for listening to music?
The MasterFree system forms a group of 2-5 people, and it automatically designates a master headset so the group keeps working even if one unit's battery runs down. The Bose, by contrast, connects to two Bluetooth devices per user but isn't a group intercom.
They sit in very different product categories, so pricing reflects that — one is a consumer headphone, the other a professional intercom system. Check the current price on Amazon for each using the buttons on this page before deciding.
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