How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wired-or-wireless desktop speaker setup with real bass, a built-in mic and a headphone jack, choose kstime Computer Speakers; if you need open-ear, open-back headphones you can wear for marathon gaming sessions while still hearing the room around you, choose Xmenha Open Ear Open-Back.
These two products sit in completely different corners of the audio world, and that's the whole point of this comparison. One is a pair of small powered desktop speakers designed to sit on your desk and fill a room. The other is a wearable open-ear headset built around airflow, awareness and long battery life. If you're torn between them, you're really asking a bigger question: do you want sound that comes at you, or sound that comes with you?
• kstime's biggest strength: a proper stereo desktop speaker with a 15° rear tilt, dual 52mm drivers and a bass reflex port — real physical bass you feel on the desk, plus a built-in mic and front headphone jack.
• kstime's biggest trade-off: it's a stationary, desk-bound device. It's made for PCs and general digital devices, and the manufacturer notes it is not compatible with TVs. It also needs USB power, so it's not something you carry around.
• Xmenha's biggest strength: open-ear, open-back comfort with 360° airflow, a detachable boom mic and up to 50 hours of playtime with the RGB lighting off (12 hours with effects on).
• Xmenha's biggest trade-off: open-back means open-back — you get almost no isolation, there is no noise control at all, and the 50-hour figure only applies with lights off.
• Choose kstime if you want one compact stereo system for a desk, laptop or phone and you care about bass and a private-listen headphone jack.
• Choose Xmenha if you want a lightweight over-ear headset for gaming, calls and all-day wear, and you'd rather hear your surroundings than block them out.
The kstime set is a compact stereo speaker system — 6.4" H x 3.1" W x 3.1" D per unit, 1.4 lbs each — built around two 52mm full-range dynamic drivers and 14W RMS total output across two channels. That's a modest but honest power figure for a desktop speaker, and the design choices around it are what make it interesting. The cabinets tilt back 15°, which aims the drivers up toward your ears instead of firing flat into the desk surface. In practice that reduces the amount of sound bouncing off your desktop before it reaches you, which is exactly the kind of detail that separates a speaker designed for a desk from a generic box.
Connectivity is where kstime is genuinely flexible. You get Bluetooth 5.4, USB and AUX inputs, and it ships with a 49" combo audio/USB cable plus a 43" speaker bridge cable. There's a built-in microphone for calls and chats, and a front-facing headphone jack so you can switch to private listening without crawling behind your PC. Controls are touch-based. It's backed by a 12-month limited manufacturer warranty.
Who should buy it: anyone building a simple desk setup — a PC, laptop, tablet or phone — who wants stereo sound, some bass, a mic for meetings and a headphone jack in one unit, without adding a subwoofer or an amp.
Who should skip it: TV owners (it's explicitly not compatible), anyone who wants portable audio, and anyone who needs serious room-filling volume — 14W RMS is a desk-and-bedroom proposition, not a party speaker.
Xmenha Open Ear Open-Back: Who It's For
The Xmenha B16 is a different animal entirely. It's an open-ear, over-ear headset in beige plastic that weighs almost nothing — the spec sheet lists 18.14 g, and the feature copy describes it as 6.4 ounces, so treat the weight figure as roughly "barely there" either way. The defining feature is the open-back, hollow ear cup design, which the brand says delivers 360° airflow and around 50% more breathability than a standard headset. If you've ever finished a four-hour session with hot, sweaty ears, that's the problem this design is solving.
The trade-off is baked into the same feature: noise control is listed as "None." Nothing is sealed. You will hear your room, your keyboard, your family, your doorbell. For a lot of people that's the entire point — the brand pitches it directly at gamers who don't want to be isolated and remote workers who need to stay reachable. If you need isolation, this is the wrong product, full stop.
The detachable boom mic is the second headline feature. It's positioned for both gaming chat and video meetings, and because it unplugs, the headset can turn into a plain, low-profile pair of open-ear headphones when the call ends. Battery life is the standout number: up to 50 hours with the RGB lighting off, dropping to 12 hours with effects on. Charging is quick at a claimed 10 minutes to charge, though the sheet doesn't specify how much playtime that top-up buys — so don't assume 10 minutes equals a full day.
Connectivity covers Bluetooth with a stated 20-meter range, plus a 3.5mm jack for wired use, which is what makes the PC, Switch, Xbox One, PS4 and PS5 compatibility claim possible. There's also adjustable RGB lighting if you want the aesthetic.
Who should buy it: gamers on long sessions, remote workers who live in meetings, and anyone who wants to hear their household while wearing a headset.
Who should skip it: commuters, noisy-office workers, and anyone who wants deep bass or any kind of sound isolation — open-back plus no noise control means your environment is part of the mix, always.
• Best for bass and physical impact → kstime. A bass reflex port and two 52mm drivers moving air on a desk will always beat an open-back headset for low-end weight.
• Best for long sessions without ear fatigue → Xmenha. Open-back airflow plus a very light frame is designed for hours, not minutes.
• Best for private listening → kstime. It's the only one of the two with a headphone jack built in.
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → Xmenha. That's the whole design premise; kstime is a speaker, so everyone hears it.
• Best for battery life → Xmenha. Up to 50 hours with lighting off versus a USB-powered speaker that draws from your computer.
• Best for a TV setup → neither, honestly. kstime explicitly states it isn't TV-compatible, and the Xmenha is built around gaming consoles and PCs via Bluetooth or 3.5mm.
• Best for calls → a tie, for different reasons. kstime has a built-in mic for desk chats; Xmenha has a detachable boom mic that sits closer to your mouth.
• Best for a minimal desk → kstime. One small pair of speakers replaces speakers, a mic and a headphone extension.
If I had to pick one for myself, I'd buy the kstime Computer Speakers. My reasoning is simple: it's the more versatile object. It handles music, movies, meetings and gaming from a PC, laptop, tablet or phone, it gives me actual stereo separation and bass from two drivers, and it has a headphone jack for when I want everyone else to stop hearing my audio. In my opinion, it's the better single purchase for a desk.
The Xmenha is the smarter buy only if open-ear awareness and marathon comfort are your priorities — and if that's you, it's genuinely excellent at that specific job. Just go in knowing you're buying zero isolation.
Yes, if you want better sound than built-in laptop speakers. It connects over Bluetooth 5.4, USB or AUX, so a laptop works fine. Just remember it needs USB power and isn't designed for TVs.
No. Noise control is listed as "None," and the open-back design is intentionally built to let outside sound in. If you need isolation, this isn't the right headset.
Up to 50 hours with the RGB lighting turned off, or about 12 hours with lighting effects on. The brand also states a 10-minute charge time, though it doesn't specify how much playtime that gives you.
If you play at a desk and want room-filling stereo sound, the kstime speakers make more sense. If you want a headset for long sessions and voice chat, and you're okay hearing your room, the Xmenha with its detachable boom mic is the better fit.
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.