If you want to keep the small earbuds you already own — the ones that actually stay put — and simply get your TV's audio into them, choose MakerHawk Upgrade; if you need a complete TV headphone that fits a smaller head straight out of the box, choose RETRADEKING TV Headphones. That's the short version. The longer version is mostly about fit, because shopping for TV listening gear when your ears run small is a fit problem first and a sound problem second — and these two products solve it in completely different ways.
• MakerHawk Upgrade — biggest strength: a Qualcomm Bluetooth 5.2 adapter that works in both directions, transmitting to two pairs of headphones at once or receiving from two phones, with aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency and aptX HD on board.
• MakerHawk Upgrade — biggest trade-off: it isn't a headphone. There are no earcups, no headband and no padding here, so comfort and fit are entirely whatever your own earbuds or headphones already give you.
• RETRADEKING TV Headphones — biggest strength: a genuinely accommodating physical design for smaller heads — retractable and rotatable earcups, a headband that straightens to 180°, oval protein-leather cushions and a 206 g build that's meant to sit over glasses.
• RETRADEKING TV Headphones — biggest trade-off: almost no controls on the headset itself. No volume buttons, no headphone jack, and the earpieces are locked to the bundled transmitter — you adjust volume with your TV remote.
• Choose MakerHawk Upgrade if you want to upgrade the audio gear you already own, need two people listening at once, or want a transmitter/receiver you'll reuse on a PC, car stereo or home amp.
• Choose RETRADEKING if you want to open one box, plug in one transmitter and hand a simple headset to someone who doesn't want a learning curve.
Think of the MakerHawk Upgrade as a small audio hub rather than a listening device. In transmit mode it pulls sound from a TV, PC, stereo or anything with a 3.5mm AUX, RCA or USB output and beams it wirelessly to as many as two pairs of Bluetooth headphones at the same time. Flip it into receive mode and the job reverses: an older wired speaker, amp or car stereo becomes a Bluetooth target, and two phones can be connected simultaneously. A built-in DAC chip handles the conversion, and the whole thing is plug-and-play with no drivers to install.
Here's why that matters if your ears are small. The most reliable answer to "best earbuds for small ears" is usually the pair you already found after months of trial and error — the ones that don't ache after an hour. The MakerHawk lets you keep them. Pair your own earbuds with the adapter, and your television becomes a private listening station without you gambling on another set of earcups that may or may not fit your head. It's also handy in a mixed household: one person on in-ear buds, another on over-ears, both hearing the same broadcast.
How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
What else it brings is unusually broad for a device this size. There's an HD LED display so you can see which mode you're in, a built-in microphone for calls and navigation, USB stick playback up to 128GB with support for several lossless formats, adjustable RGB lighting, and a 400mAh battery rated at up to 6 hours of playback from a roughly 1-hour charge. Controls are push-button, and there's a note in the product details that FM transmission depends on local signal stations — if you get interference, you switch to AUX or RCA.
Who should skip it? Anyone who wants a headphone. There's literally nothing here to put on your head. Also skip it if you want dead-simple operation — this is a mode-switching, display-reading, button-driven device. And be realistic about the codecs: aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency and aptX HD only pay off if the headphones on the other end support them too.
The RETRADEKING set is designed around one very specific viewer: someone who wants the TV loud without bothering the room, and whose head isn't the size most headphones quietly assume. Everything about the fit is adjustable — the earcups retract and rotate, the headband straightens a full 180°, and the cushions are oval rather than round, wrapped in protein leather with a breathable mesh layer. At 206 g with sound isolation and a frame described as glasses-friendly, this is a headphone built for long evening sessions rather than short bursts.
The simplicity is deliberate. There's a single button and no volume rocker at all; you change loudness with your TV's own remote. For an older parent or anyone with stiff hands, that removes an entire category of fiddling. The transmitter is a tiny micro-USB unit with an embedded F-type antenna, rated for 30 metres of coverage — enough to walk to the kitchen and still hear the broadcast — and it accepts optical, 3.5mm AUX, RCA or USB, so it covers both newer and older televisions.
On the audio side you get Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX low-latency coding for lip-sync, plus a 40mm dynamic driver tuned for clear dialogue — 32 ohm impedance, 105 dB sensitivity, 20Hz to 20kHz. If you're comparing extra bass headband headphones for small ears, be honest with yourself about what this is: the description leans toward intelligible speech and balanced output rather than bass slam. Battery is a 500mAh cell rated at 30 hours on a 2-hour charge, which is roughly a week of nightly viewing between top-ups.
Where it falls short: the headset and transmitter are matched and must be used together, and there's no headphone jack, so this isn't a pair you'll take on a walk with your phone. It also needs a TV with an actual audio output — and if you connect optically, you'll need to set the TV's digital audio format to PCM.
• Best fit for small ears out of the box → RETRADEKING. Retractable, rotatable cups and a 180° headband give you real adjustment; the MakerHawk has no fit to adjust at all.
• Best if you already own earbuds that fit → MakerHawk Upgrade. It turns the pair you trust into TV headphones.
• Best battery life → RETRADEKING, at up to 30 hours versus the MakerHawk's 6 hours — though the MakerHawk charges in about half the time.
• Best for two people listening together → MakerHawk Upgrade, which pairs two headphones simultaneously in transmit mode.
• Best for one-button simplicity → RETRADEKING. No menus, no display, no modes to remember.
• Best for glasses wearers and marathon sessions → RETRADEKING, with its oval cushions, sound isolation and low 206 g weight.
• Best for a multi-device household → MakerHawk Upgrade, thanks to AUX, RCA and USB inputs, the built-in mic and USB-stick playback up to 128GB.
• Best codec flexibility → MakerHawk Upgrade, if — and only if — your headphones also support aptX Adaptive, Low Latency or HD.
My Verdict
Yes. It's a Bluetooth transmitter and receiver, not a listening device — you supply the earbuds or headphones. Its transmitting mode supports two pairs at once, which is useful if two people want the TV at the same volume.
They work with any TV that has an optical, 3.5mm AUX, RCA or USB audio output. Check the port before buying, and if you're using optical, set the TV's digital audio output format to PCM. A USB port only carries audio if it's designed to.
For a dedicated TV headphone, the RETRADEKING's adjustable headband and oval cups are the more direct answer, because the fit is built in. The MakerHawk wins only if you already have in-ear buds that fit you well.
Not as a normal Bluetooth headphone. The earpieces are matched to the bundled transmitter and there's no headphone jack, so it's a TV-first product. For phone or PC use, the MakerHawk's receiver mode is the more flexible option.
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