How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want true wireless earbuds that bring planar magnetic drivers, adaptive noise cancellation and all-day listening in one package, choose Edifier NeoBuds Planar; if you need a plug-and-play USB transmitter that upgrades your existing headphones to aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless, choose Sennheiser BTD 700. These two products share a keyword and almost nothing else — one is a complete listening system you wear, the other is an audio bridge you plug in. That difference decides everything.
• Edifier NeoBuds Planar — biggest strength: a 12 mm planar magnetic driver with Hi-Res Wireless certification and Snapdragon Sound, wrapped in true wireless earbuds with adaptive ANC and multipoint.
• Edifier NeoBuds Planar — biggest trade-off: it is a closed system. The sound you get is the sound Edifier built in, and there is no way to swap in another pair of headphones.
• Sennheiser BTD 700 — biggest strength: aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless streaming to whatever Bluetooth headphones or speakers you already own, with a gaming mode rated at 30 ms of latency.
• Sennheiser BTD 700 — biggest trade-off: it makes no sound on its own. Without a paired headset or speaker, it does nothing, and its highest-quality codecs only matter if your audio gear supports them.
• Who each pick is for: Edifier NeoBuds Planar is for someone buying one pair of earbuds to do everything. Sennheiser BTD 700 is for someone who already owns good Bluetooth headphones and wants them to sound better on a computer.
The NeoBuds Planar is built around a single idea: put a planar magnetic driver — 12 mm, with a frequency range of 20 Hz to 40 kHz — into a pair of in-ear wireless buds. Planar drivers are usually associated with big over-ear headphones, so finding one here is the headline feature. Edifier pairs it with Hi-Res Wireless certification and Snapdragon Sound, which together signal that the earbuds are designed to handle high-resolution audio rather than just get by.
Around that driver sits a fairly complete everyday package. Adaptive ANC targets traffic, office chatter and household noise. Dual microphones with noise suppression handle calls. Multipoint pairing lets you jump between a phone, laptop and tablet without re-pairing each time, and the stated battery life runs to about 30 hours total with the charging case. Bluetooth 5.4, a 10-meter range, touch controls and app-based adjustment round it out. There is no headphone jack — this is wireless only.
Sennheiser BTD 700: Who It's For
The BTD 700 is not headphones. It is a Bluetooth dongle — a USB transmitter that plugs into a computer and sends audio out to Bluetooth headphones or speakers. That sounds modest until you look at what it carries: aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless, the two codecs people hunt for when they want better-than-standard Bluetooth quality from a laptop that would otherwise fall back to a basic codec.
The second headline is latency. Sennheiser rates the gaming mode at 30 ms, which is a big deal for anyone who has watched video with a Bluetooth delay or felt a lag between a game action and its sound. Setup is plug-and-play with no drivers: plug it in, pair your headphones, done. Connector type is USB Type A, and it works over Bluetooth with Bluetooth-enabled devices. It also supports Auracast multistreaming, so several pairs of headphones or speakers can receive the same stream at once — genuinely useful for watching something together or filling a room with synced speakers. The package includes a weather-resistant hard-shell case with a mesh pocket, elastic strap, zipper closure and carabiner.
This is the product for the person whose headphones are fine but whose computer's Bluetooth is the weak link. It is also for the household that wants two people listening to one source, or the gamer and streamer chasing sync. Who should skip it? Anyone without Bluetooth headphones or speakers to pair it with, and anyone expecting it to improve audio on a device that already handles aptX Adaptive well — in that case the benefit is smaller. It is also worth checking whether your headphones support aptX Adaptive or aptX Lossless before buying, because that is where the upgrade actually lives.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for someone buying their first serious wireless earbuds → Edifier NeoBuds Planar. It is a complete product with drivers, ANC, mics and a case.
• Best for noise cancellation → Edifier NeoBuds Planar. Adaptive ANC is built in; the dongle has no noise control of its own.
• Best for gaming and video sync → Sennheiser BTD 700. Its gaming mode is rated at 30 ms, versus 80 ms of audio latency on the NeoBuds Planar.
• Best for battery life and portability → Edifier NeoBuds Planar. Roughly 30 hours of total playback with a charging case beats a dongle that needs a host device to function.
• Best for sharing audio with other people → Sennheiser BTD 700. Auracast multistreaming sends one stream to multiple headphones or speakers.
• Best for high-resolution listening on a computer → Sennheiser BTD 700, provided your headphones support the codecs. On a phone, the NeoBuds Planar with Snapdragon Sound covers that ground instead.
• Best for a simple one-box answer → Edifier NeoBuds Planar. No pairing puzzles, no codec compatibility research, no host device required.
If I had to pick one, I would buy the Edifier NeoBuds Planar — because it is a finished product that works the moment you open the case, and the planar magnetic driver, adaptive ANC, multipoint and long playback cover the widest range of real situations. The Sennheiser BTD 700 is the smarter buy only in one specific scenario: you already own good Bluetooth headphones that support aptX Adaptive or aptX Lossless, and your computer is holding them back. In my opinion, most shoppers are better served by the earbuds; the dongle is a specialist tool, and a very good one, for a narrower problem. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever fits your setup before deciding.
what is aptx adaptive headphones
aptX Adaptive is a Bluetooth audio codec designed to balance sound quality and connection stability, and it is one of the standards the Sennheiser BTD 700 supports alongside aptX Lossless. "aptX Adaptive headphones" simply means headphones that can receive that codec. To benefit from it through the BTD 700, your headphones need to support it too.
The Sennheiser BTD 700 has the edge on paper, with a gaming mode rated at 30 ms of latency versus 80 ms of audio latency on the Edifier NeoBuds Planar. If audio-video sync matters most, the dongle wins; if you want one wireless product for everything, the earbuds are more versatile.
Not necessarily. The NeoBuds Planar already supports Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint and Snapdragon Sound, so it pairs directly with phones, laptops and tablets. The BTD 700 only adds value if you want aptX Adaptive transmission from a computer to headphones that support those codecs.
The Edifier NeoBuds Planar, clearly — it has dual microphones with noise suppression and adaptive active noise cancellation built in. The Sennheiser BTD 700 is a transmitter with no microphones or noise control of its own, so call quality depends entirely on the headset you pair with it.
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.
See also: rockpapa Comfort+ Kids Headphones vs iClever BTH22, Sony S100F vs TOZO HT2, Onhear Protection Headphones vs Perytong Sleep Headphones, WESEARY Gaming Headset vs Yealink UH46