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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 wired headset for desk work, calls and voice chat on a PC, choose エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted; if you need non in ear headphones that stay put through running, boxing, yoga and even sleep, choose RunPhones Classic Exercise Headphones. These two are sold as headphones, but they solve completely different problems. One is an overhead office headset with a boom microphone. The other is a headband with ultra-slim speakers that sit over your ears instead of inside them.
• エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted — biggest strength: a foldable, both-ears-overhead design with an attached microphone, a 3.5 mm stereo mini plug and a 1.8 m cable — built for sitting at a desk and talking, not for sweating.
• エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted — biggest trade-off: it is a wired, PC-oriented headset. The 3.5 mm plug needs separate mic-in and headphone-out jacks to work as intended, and the long 1.8 m cable is a desk accessory, not something you want bouncing around on a run.
• RunPhones Classic Exercise Headphones — biggest strength: a patented "headphone in a headband" design with super-slim 4 mm padded speakers that never enter your ear canal, so nothing falls out mid-workout and you can even lie on your side.
• RunPhones Classic Exercise Headphones — biggest trade-off: the headband is the product. If you want deep bass, active noise cancellation or a sealed, isolated listening bubble, this is the wrong tool — it is deliberately not noise-canceling.
• Pick エレコム(ELECOM) if you need a cheap-feeling-free, practical wired headset for a desktop PC, online meetings, language study or voice chat.
• Pick RunPhones Classic if you want non in ear headphones for exercise, travel, sleeping or all-day wear where earbuds normally drive you crazy.
This is a classic Japanese office peripheral, and it behaves like one. ELECOM builds it as a folding overhead headset with a boom microphone, a 3.5 mm stereo mini plug and a 1.8 m cable, and it lists compatibility with PCs and AT-compatible machines that have both a microphone input and a headphone output. That last detail matters: this is a two-plug-style headset meant for a computer that has separate mic and headphone jacks, not a phone with a single combined socket.
The design is quietly practical. It folds down to roughly 95 mm wide, 71 mm deep and 120 mm tall including the microphone, so it can live in a drawer or a laptop bag without much fuss. The over-ear, overhead fit means the ear cups rest around your ears rather than inside them, which is the whole point of the "large-diameter speaker" idea — you get a bigger driver sitting outside the ear canal instead of a tiny bud jammed into it. At around 0.1 kg it is light enough to forget about during a long call.
Who should buy it? Anyone who spends hours at a desktop doing video meetings, dictation, transcription, online classes or voice chat, and who wants a simple wired headset with a real microphone boom. The 1.8 m cable gives you slack to lean back or stand up without yanking the plug out, and wired means no charging, no pairing, no latency.
Who should skip it? Runners, gym-goers and side-sleepers. This is not a sports product. It has no moisture-wicking headband, no washable fabric, and no sweat management. If you want to wear headphones while moving, look at the other option.
RunPhones takes the opposite approach. Instead of putting speakers over your ears on a headband frame, it hides super-slim 4 mm padded speakers inside a sweat-wicking polyester headband that you wear like a sport headband. The speakers are fully adjustable inside the band, and the whole point is that nothing goes inside your ears. The band keeps hair, back and sweat out of your face while you run, box, do cross training, yoga or whatever else.
The audio side is honest about what it is. The speakers cover a 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency range, which is a full-range spec, and the electronics are lead-free. It is a wired design with a 3.5 mm jack, and it includes an in-line microphone with variable volume control, so you can take a call mid-run without pulling out your phone. The headband itself is washable, and the electronics are removable so you can clean the fabric without ruining the speakers.
The safety angle is the most interesting part. RunPhones is explicitly not noise-canceling. Ambient sound filters through the headband and past the open speakers, so you can still hear traffic, other runners or your surroundings while training outside. If you run on roads, that is a genuine feature, not a compromise. The same openness is why side-sleepers like it: you can lie on your side and the speakers don't dig into your head the way earbuds do. It also works for travel, errands and anyone who just hates the feeling of something lodged in their ear canal.
Who should skip it? If you want thumping bass, total isolation on a noisy plane, or Bluetooth freedom, this is not that product. It is wired, open and deliberately ambient. The model here is the large size in Wild Orchid, so fit and color are fixed to that variant.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for desk work and calls → エレコム(ELECOM). Boom microphone, 1.8 m cable, PC/AT compatibility with dedicated mic-in and headphone-out jacks.
• Best for running and gym work → RunPhones Classic. Sweat-wicking headband, adjustable flat speakers, nothing in your ears, guaranteed to stay put by design.
• Best for side-sleeping and travel → RunPhones Classic. The flat speakers sit over the ears, so you can lie on your side without buds pressing into your head.
• Best for taking calls while active → RunPhones Classic. The in-line microphone with variable volume control lets you answer without reaching for your phone.
• Best for a fixed desktop setup → エレコム(ELECOM). Wired, no battery, no pairing, and a cable long enough to move around your desk.
• Best for cleaning and hygiene → RunPhones Classic. The headband is washable and the electronics are removable.
• Best for a simple, no-fuss PC headset → エレコム(ELECOM). Foldable, light at roughly 0.1 kg, and it stores down to a compact size.
In my opinion, most people searching this comparison are really asking one question: do I want headphones for my desk, or headphones for my body in motion? If it's the desk, I would buy the エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted headset. It is a purpose-built wired PC headset with a boom mic and a long cable, and it does that job without drama. If it's motion — running, boxing, yoga, travel or sleeping — I would buy the RunPhones Classic, because the headband design solves a problem earbuds never will, and the open, non-noise-canceling sound is a safety feature outdoors. Two different jobs, two different answers.
how do non ear headphones work
Non in ear headphones place the speakers outside your ear canal instead of inside it. On the RunPhones Classic, super-slim 4 mm padded speakers sit inside a headband and rest over your ears, so sound reaches you without anything being inserted. That's why they stay put and feel comfortable for long sessions.
what are non in ear headphones called
They're usually described as open-ear, over-ear or headband-style headphones, depending on the design. The RunPhones Classic uses a patented "headphone in a headband" approach, while the エレコム(ELECOM) headset is an overhead design with large-diameter speakers sitting around your ears rather than inside them.
what are the best open ear headphones
That depends on your use case, and "best" is personal. In my opinion, the RunPhones Classic is the stronger pick for exercise, travel and sleeping because of its washable, sweat-wicking headband and flat over-ear speakers. If your priority is desk calls on a PC, the エレコム(ELECOM) wired headset with its boom mic is the more sensible choice.
how to wear in ear headphones
This comparison is really about avoiding that question. In-ear headphones need to be seated and sealed inside the canal, which is exactly why they fall out during runs and dig in when you sleep. Both products here skip that step: the RunPhones band slides on like a headband, and the エレコム(ELECOM) headset simply rests over your ears.
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