We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-06 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want open-ear awareness and a lightweight, sweat-ready companion for your laptop and your commute, choose eppfun Bone Conduction Earphones; if you need serious active noise cancellation and marathon battery life for long days at the laptop, choose SOAR NBA Active Noise.
• eppfun's biggest strength: bone conduction drivers sit outside your ear canal, so you stay aware of traffic, announcements and coworkers while you listen — plus Bluetooth 5.3 and IPX5 water resistance.
• eppfun's biggest trade-off: no active noise cancellation at all, and a modest 8 hours of playback that needs a magnetic charging cradle rather than a plain USB-C cable.
• SOAR's biggest strength: true active noise cancellation in an over-ear design with a claimed 40 hours of battery life and a 3.5 mm jack for wired listening.
• SOAR's biggest trade-off: it's a bulky over-ear can with a plastic shell and fabric/foam pads, and it seals you off from the world — the opposite of what open-ear buyers want.
• Pick eppfun if you want in ear style freedom, situational awareness and a set that survives sweat and rain on the way to work.
• Pick SOAR if you want to mute a noisy train, open-plan office or café while you work at your laptop.
The eppfun set is built around one idea: your ears stay open. Instead of pushing a tip into your canal, it uses bone conduction drivers rated 32 ohm across a 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz range, so the sound reaches you without blocking the outside world. That matters on a commute. You hear the platform announcement, the cyclist coming up behind you, the colleague who needs thirty seconds of your time. For anyone who finds in ear headphones claustrophobic or uncomfortable after an hour, this is the whole appeal.
Connectivity is where it earns its place next to a laptop. Bluetooth 5.3, touch controls, and ultra-low latency tuning aimed at keeping audio and video in sync — useful when you're on video calls, watching a lecture recording or squeezing in a game between tasks. The DSP microphone setup works to isolate your voice from background noise and limit sound leakage, so calls stay private and intelligible even when you're walking. IPX5 water resistance covers sweat and bad weather, and there's a moisture-detection alarm that warns you before charging, which is a genuinely thoughtful touch. Playback runs about 8 hours, charging takes roughly 2 hours via a USB Type-A to magnetic cable, and the box includes ear cushions and a protective case.
SOAR NBA Active Noise: Who It's For
The SOAR NBA Active Noise is the opposite philosophy. It's an over-ear headphone with active noise cancellation, a dynamic driver, and a Los Angeles Lakers theme that signals exactly who it's aimed at — sports fans, teens, and anyone who wants their gear to say something. The build is plastic for the outer shell and headband with fabric and foam ear pads, which keeps the weight reasonable for a full-size can while giving you the soft, enveloping fit over-ear designs are known for.
The headline number is battery: 40 hours of average life, with a 40-hour charge time listed. Realistically that means you can go days of commutes and work sessions without hunting for a cable, which is the single biggest practical difference between these two. Bluetooth 5.3 handles wireless, and there's a 3.5 mm jack as well — genuinely useful when you want zero latency for a call, or when you're plugging into a laptop that's already juggling too many Bluetooth devices. The ANC is the point: it's designed to knock down the drone of a bus engine, the hum of an office HVAC, the chatter around your desk.
Who should buy it: commuters on loud routes, students and office workers who need to concentrate, gamers who want an over-ear set for laptop sessions, and Lakers fans who want the team colors on their head. Who should skip it: runners and cyclists who need to hear traffic, anyone who dislikes the pressure and warmth of over-ear pads, and people who specifically want the open, airy feel of bone conduction.
• Best for noise cancellation → SOAR NBA Active Noise. It's the only one of the two with ANC; eppfun has none.
• Best for battery life → SOAR NBA Active Noise. 40 hours versus 8 hours is not a close contest.
• Best for awareness and safety → eppfun Bone Conduction Earphones. Open-ear listening keeps you tuned into traffic and surroundings.
• Best for workouts and wet weather → eppfun Bone Conduction Earphones. IPX5 water resistance and a secure open-ear fit beat fabric and foam pads for sweat.
• Best for wired backup → SOAR NBA Active Noise. The 3.5 mm jack works with laptops, consoles and in-flight systems; eppfun is wireless only.
• Best for all-day comfort in warm rooms → eppfun Bone Conduction Earphones. Nothing sits over your ears or presses on your head.
• Best for blocking out a commute → SOAR NBA Active Noise. If your train or bus is loud, this is the one that quiets it.
• Best for a mixed laptop-and-outdoors day → eppfun Bone Conduction Earphones. Take calls, hear your surroundings, then get back to work.
For a commute-first, laptop-heavy routine, I'd buy the eppfun Bone Conduction Earphones. In my opinion, the open-ear design is the feature that actually changes your day: you stay present, you stay safe on the street, and you can wear them for hours without the sealed-in pressure of over-ear pads. The 8-hour battery and magnetic charging are the compromise I'd accept for that. If your commute is genuinely loud and your priority is silence plus a week of battery, the SOAR NBA Active Noise is the better laptop companion — just know you're trading awareness for quiet. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one thing that can tip a close call.
Both connect over Bluetooth 5.3, so either works. The SOAR adds a 3.5 mm jack for wired, near-zero-latency listening, while the eppfun leans on low-latency wireless tuning for video and gaming. For pure laptop work, the SOAR's ANC and 40-hour battery are the stronger fit; for calls where you need to hear your surroundings, the eppfun wins.
They solve opposite problems. Bone conduction sends sound through your cheekbone and leaves your ear canal open, so outside noise comes in. Active noise cancellation uses electronics to cancel outside noise before it reaches you. You pick awareness or silence — you don't get both here.
The SOAR NBA Active Noise, by a wide margin — 40 hours of average battery life against 8 hours for the eppfun. The eppfun recharges in about 2 hours with its magnetic cable.
The eppfun carries an IPX5 water resistance rating and handles sweat and bad weather, though it isn't for swimming. The SOAR has no water-resistance rating listed and uses fabric and foam ear pads, so I'd keep it dry and indoors.
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See also: TSYUCXH Noise Cancelling Headphones vs Csasan Earbuds, wireless earbuds bluetooth, CONVELIFE DNA Replacement Earpads vs CHENRUIDA Ear Buds, iJoy Over-Ear vs demusea 20W: Portable Headphones