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If you want a class-ready bulk set of wired headphones that can survive being passed around a room full of kids, choose Gaosen 20; if you need one pair of wireless earbuds with ear hooks for running, workouts and calls, choose xiwxi Earbuds.
• Gaosen 20 – biggest strength: A 20-pack of wired on-ear headphones with adjustable headbands, bendable plastic frames and a 3.5mm plug that fits Chromebooks, laptops, tablets and phones. Built for sharing across a group.
• Gaosen 20 – biggest trade-off: Wired only, no noise control, and it's one bulk bundle rather than a single pair — you're buying for a class or a group, not for one person's pocket.
• xiwxi Earbuds – biggest strength: Bluetooth 5.3 wireless freedom with ear hooks, touch controls, up to 12 hours of playback per charge and up to 60 hours total with the charging case.
• xiwxi Earbuds – biggest trade-off: You have to keep them charged, and being in-ear buds with hooks they're a personal item — not something you'd hand out to 20 students.
• Who each pick is for: Gaosen 20 is for teachers, schools, libraries and anyone equipping a group. xiwxi Earbuds are for one person who wants wireless sound for sport, commuting and calls.
The Gaosen 20 is not really a "headphone" in the sense of one product you keep in your bag. It's a classroom kit. You get 20 pairs in one box, in mixed colors, which matters more than it sounds: bright, varied colors make it easy for a teacher or a room monitor to spot which set belongs to which table, and kids tend to be more careful with something that feels like theirs. The model number is GS857, and the whole thing weighs about 1.25 kg for the pack.
On the head, these are lightweight on-ear headphones with soft foam cushions and an adjustable headband. That combination is exactly what you want when a device is shared between a six-year-old and a teenager in the same afternoon — the band slides to fit, and the foam keeps things comfortable for a full lesson rather than ten minutes. The frames are made from flexible plastic that the manufacturer says can be bent at a large angle without snapping. In a school setting, that flexibility is the single most important spec on the sheet, because the most common way cheap headphones die is a cracked headband after being shoved in a tray.
Audio comes from 40mm dynamic drivers with a 20Hz–20KHz range, 32 ohm impedance and 115dB sensitivity. Practically, that means they're easy to drive from a Chromebook, tablet or phone at normal volume, with balanced, clear sound — good for spoken-word lessons, testing and video, which is what classroom audio is actually for. There's a 4-foot cord terminating in a standard 3.5mm plug, so they work with iPads, laptops, PCs, Android tablets and MP3 players without adapters. The manufacturer lists a one-year warranty and a 12-hour response window for support questions.
Who should buy it: teachers, school IT staff, librarians, homeschool co-ops and anyone buying audio for a group of 20 or fewer. It's also a sensible pick for a computer lab or a testing room where wired connections are the simplest, most reliable option.
Who should skip it: if you want one pair of headphones for yourself, for the gym, or for wireless listening, skip this. There's no Bluetooth here, no noise cancellation, and no carrying case — it's a fixed wired setup for a shared space.
The xiwxi Earbuds are the opposite philosophy: one pair, no wires, built around movement. The design is hook-on and in-ear, with soft silicone ear hooks that loop over the ear to hold the bud in place. If you've ever had a regular bud pop out mid-sprint or while bending over a bench, you know why that hook matters. It also means the weight sits on your ear rather than hanging from the cable, and at roughly 25 grams for the pair, there's not much to notice.
Wireless is handled by Bluetooth 5.3, with a stated range of up to 33 feet (10 meters). That's enough to leave your phone on a bench, a desk or a treadmill tray and keep listening while you move around a room. The connection is described as stable with audio and video in sync, which is the part that actually matters for watching video or gaming — a laggy connection is what makes cheap wireless buds feel cheap.
Battery is the headline number here: up to 12 hours of continuous playback on a single charge, plus up to 48 more hours from the charging case, for up to 60 hours total. A 48-hour charge time is listed, so this isn't a "five-minute top-up before the gym" product — you charge the case and then forget about it for days or weeks of normal use.
Sound is handled by a 16.1mm dynamic driver covering 20Hz–20,000Hz, tuned for deep bass with crisp mids and clear highs. There's a built-in microphone that the manufacturer says isolates your voice for calls, and touch controls on each earbud let you adjust volume, skip tracks, answer calls and trigger a voice assistant without touching your phone. Physically, they're black plastic over-ear/in-ear buds with no jack at all — wireless only.
Who should skip it: if you need headphones for a whole classroom, or you want something that never needs charging, this isn't it. Wired sets like the Gaosen 20 win on zero-maintenance reliability.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for equipping a group → Gaosen 20. Twenty pairs, one purchase, no pairing, no charging, no lost buds.
• Best for one person on the move → xiwxi Earbuds. Ear hooks, wireless range and touch controls are built for activity.
• Best for battery life → xiwxi Earbuds. Up to 12 hours per charge, up to 60 hours total with the case. The Gaosen 20 has no battery to worry about at all, because it's wired.
• Best for zero-maintenance reliability → Gaosen 20. Nothing to charge, nothing to pair, nothing to lose. Plug in and go.
• Best for sport and workouts → xiwxi Earbuds. The hook-on design is specifically about staying put during movement.
• Best for classroom testing and shared devices → Gaosen 20. The 3.5mm plug works instantly with Chromebooks, iPads and lab PCs.
• Best for calls and voice assistants → xiwxi Earbuds. Built-in mic plus on-bud touch controls for answering and volume.
• Best for durability against rough handling → Gaosen 20. Bendable plastic frames and thickened cord are designed around repeated student use.
If I were buying for myself, I'd take the xiwxi Earbuds. Bluetooth 5.3, ear hooks that survive a run, touch controls and up to 60 hours of total playback make them the more useful object for one person in 2026 — that combination is hard to argue with for everyday wireless listening. But if I were the one responsible for a classroom, a library or a testing room, I'd buy the Gaosen 20 without hesitating: 20 pairs, a 3.5mm plug that just works, and frames built to be bent and abused. In my opinion, the right answer here depends entirely on whether you're buying for one person or for twenty.
The Gaosen 20, clearly. It's sold as a 20-pack of wired on-ear headphones with adjustable headbands and a 3.5mm plug, so a whole class can be equipped at once with no pairing or charging. The xiwxi Earbuds are a single wireless pair, which doesn't scale to a room of students.
Yes — they're wireless. xiwxi lists up to 12 hours of continuous playback per charge, plus up to 48 more hours from the charging case, for up to 60 hours total. The listed charge time is 48 hours, so plan on charging the case rather than the buds in a hurry.
Yes. The 3.5mm plug and 4-foot cord are compatible with Chromebooks, iPads, laptops, PCs, Android tablets and MP3 players, and the 32 ohm impedance and 115dB sensitivity mean they're easy to drive from those devices.
That's what they're designed for. The hook-on, in-ear shape with soft silicone ear hooks is meant to hold the bud securely during exercise, and the Bluetooth 5.3 connection has a stated range of up to 33 feet so your phone can stay on the bench.
Whichever one fits your situation, it's worth checking the current price on Amazon before you commit — the button on this page will take you there.
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