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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-01 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted — biggest strength: a traditional over-the-head, both-ears design with an attached microphone and a 1.8 m cable that plugs straight into a 3.5 mm stereo mini jack. No pairing, no charging, no dropouts.
• エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted — biggest trade-off: it is wired and PC-oriented. It expects a machine with both a headphone output and a microphone input, so it is not a phone-and-gym product.
• Traggo Airflex — biggest strength: wireless Bluetooth 5.3 freedom in a 12 g open-ear frame that lets ambient sound through, with a 10-hour battery and a 2-hour quick charge.
• Traggo Airflex — biggest trade-off: it depends on charging and pairing, and the open-ear, air-conduction approach deliberately trades isolation for awareness — there is no noise control at all.
• Who each pick is for: エレコム(ELECOM) for a fixed desk setup where reliability and a real mic matter; Traggo Airflex for movement, outdoors and anyone who must hear traffic or coworkers.
This is an old-school computer headset in the best sense. It sits over your head and covers both ears, and the microphone is part of the frame rather than an afterthought on a dangling wire. Connection is a 3.5 mm stereo mini plug, and the cable runs 1.8 m — long enough to reach from a tower under a desk to a seated user without a extension cable. ELECOM lists compatibility with PCs and AT-compatible machines that have both a microphone input and a headphone output terminal. That detail matters: this is a two-plug, analog headset, and it is happiest on a desktop or a laptop with separate mic and headphone jacks.
The folding design is the practical touch. Stored, it measures roughly 95 mm wide, 71 mm deep and 120 mm tall including the microphone, so it can collapse into a drawer or a laptop bag without taking over the space. At 0.1 kg, it is light enough to forget you are wearing it during a long call. The color is black, and it is sold as a single adult-oriented item.
Who should skip it? Anyone who wants to move around while listening. The cable is a leash. There is no Bluetooth here, and no mention of water resistance, so gym sessions and rainy runs are out. And if your laptop has a single combined headphone/mic port, you will need to check your setup before assuming this plugs straight in.
Traggo Airflex: Who It's For
The Airflex is the opposite philosophy. It is wireless, it is open-ear, and it is built to be worn while you are doing something else. Bluetooth 5.3 gives you a 10-meter range, and the frame weighs just 12 grams, so the "is it even there?" factor is the whole point. Air-conduction with an open-ear design means your ear canal stays open — you hear your music and the world at the same time, without the pressure or vibration that bone-conduction designs are known for. Traggo explicitly positions this around ambient awareness, and that is the feature, not a compromise.
Battery life is stated at 10 hours of average use with a 2-hour charge, and the kit includes a USB-C charging cable. Controls are touch-based and on-ear, with voice assistant support, so you can answer a call or skip a track without hunting for a button mid-stride. There is also no headphone jack at all — Bluetooth or nothing.
Durability is where the design gets interesting. The build is plastic and silicone, highly flexible and bendable, and Traggo says it survives being dropped or accidentally stepped on. For a sports headphone that lives in a bag or a pocket between runs, that flexibility is a genuinely useful trait. Audio specs include a 16 mm driver, 32-ohm impedance, a 20 Hz frequency response, 96 dB sensitivity and 40 ms latency — the last figure is worth noting if you plan to watch video, since low latency keeps audio and picture closer together than many budget wireless sets manage.
Buy it if you run, cycle, commute, work out, or work in a space where someone might call your name. Skip it if you want isolation on a noisy train or plane — there is no noise control, and the open design means the outside world stays audible. Skip it too if you want a boom mic for long, focused voice work; this is a call-answering headset, not a broadcast headset.
• Best for clear desk-to-PC voice calls → エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted. The attached mic and wired connection are built for exactly that.
• Best for running, workouts and outdoor awareness → Traggo Airflex. 12 g, open-ear, air-conduction, ambient sound stays in.
• Best for battery life → Traggo Airflex. 10 hours of playback on a 2-hour charge.
• Best for "never think about charging" → エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted. Wired means no battery at all.
• Best for portability and storage → Traggo Airflex. 12 g and a flexible, bendable frame that shrugs off being stepped on.
• Best for a folding, packable headset with a mic → エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted. It folds down to roughly 95 × 71 × 120 mm.
• Best for low-latency wireless video watching → Traggo Airflex. 40 ms latency with Bluetooth 5.3.
• Best for a single, dedicated workstation → エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted, provided your PC has separate mic and headphone jacks.
If I had to pick one, I would buy the Traggo Airflex — for the simple reason that it fits more of my day. It goes running with me, it takes calls, it survives being tossed in a bag, and the open-ear design keeps me safe on roads and reachable in an office. The 10-hour battery and 2-hour charge are easy to live with.
The エレコム(ELECOM) headset is the better tool for one specific job: sitting at a PC and talking into a real microphone with zero fuss. If that is your job, buy that one instead. If you are torn, buy for the setup you actually use most — and check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
how do non ear headphones work
They sit outside the ear canal rather than inside it. The Traggo Airflex uses air-conduction with an open-ear design: a 16 mm driver pushes sound toward your ear while the canal stays open, so ambient noise reaches you too. That is why open-ear sets are popular for running and commuting.
how to wear in ear headphones
This pair is not in-ear, so the fit is different: the Airflex hooks over the ear and rests against the side of your head, with the 12 g frame holding it in place. The エレコム(ELECOM) headset is the other style — an over-the-head band with both earcups and a boom mic. Neither goes inside the canal.
what are non in ear headphones called
You will see them sold as open-ear, air-conduction, or over-the-ear headphones. The Traggo Airflex is labelled open-ear and air-conduction; the エレコム(ELECOM) HS-HP20BK is a mounted, over-the-head headset with a microphone. Both avoid inserting anything into the ear.
what are the best open ear headphones
In my opinion, the right open-ear pick depends on your priority. If you want wireless freedom, ambient awareness and a 10-hour battery, the Traggo Airflex is the one I would choose. If you want a wired PC headset with a real microphone instead, the エレコム(ELECOM) large-diameter speaker mounted model is the better fit.
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