How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want open-ear comfort with long battery life and environmental awareness for running, cycling, and all-day wear, choose OpenRock Pro Open Ear; if you need a travel-focused bundle that turns a plane's seat-back jack into wireless ANC listening, choose Avantree Relay.
• OpenRock Pro Open Ear — biggest strength: True open-ear design with adjustable silicone ear hooks, 46 hours of total playtime (19 hours per charge plus a 27-hour charging case), IPX5 water resistance, and aptX high-resolution audio with TubeBass enhancement.
• OpenRock Pro Open Ear — biggest trade-off: No active noise cancelling — by design, it lets the surrounding world in, so it's the wrong pick if you want to block out airplane cabin noise.
• Avantree Relay — biggest strength: A complete wireless travel bundle — a Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into a 3.5 mm airplane jack plus ANC earbuds with a six-microphone noise-cancelling system and aptX Adaptive.
• Avantree Relay — biggest trade-off: It's a specialized two-piece kit rather than a do-everything headset, and the transmitter is explicitly not compatible with TVs, phones, assistive listening devices, musical instruments, or real-time monitoring.
• Who OpenRock Pro is for: Runners, cyclists, hikers, and anyone who wants nothing inside their ear canal and needs to stay aware of traffic and surroundings.
• Who Avantree Relay is for: Frequent flyers and travelers who want to wirelessly use in-flight entertainment with active noise cancellation.
The OpenRock Pro is built around one idea: nothing goes inside your ear. Instead, a patented ergonomic silicone ear hook holds each earpiece outside the ear canal, and you can adjust it to match the shape of your ear. That spreads the weight across the whole ear rather than pressing on one spot. For people with small or sensitive ears, or anyone who finds in-ear buds uncomfortable after an hour, this is the whole point of the design — no pressure, no irritation, no ear-canal issues from long sessions.
Buy it if you want open-ear comfort, long battery life, and awareness of your surroundings for sports, commuting, or all-day office wear. Skip it if you need noise cancelling — the OpenRock Pro has none, and it's designed to let sound in, not shut it out.
Avantree Relay: Who It's For
The Avantree Relay is really two products sold as one travel bundle. The first piece is the Relay transmitter itself — a compact adapter that plugs into a 3.5 mm audio source, most notably an airplane seat-back entertainment system, and sends that audio wirelessly to Bluetooth headphones. It supports two pairs of headphones at once, has onboard volume controls, and runs up to 25 hours on a charge. The second piece is the Avantalk Infinity NC earbuds, which use a six-microphone active noise cancelling system to cut down cabin, office, and general background noise.
Both halves support aptX Adaptive, so when used together they deliver synchronized, low-latency audio — important for watching a movie on a plane without the dialogue drifting out of sync. The earbuds also work with compatible phones, PCs, TVs, LE Audio devices, and Auracast broadcasts, and the transmitter can pair with other Bluetooth headphones you already own. Note the limits: the Relay transmitter is not compatible with TVs, phones, assistive listening devices, musical instruments, or real-time monitoring. It's a source-to-headphones adapter, not a universal audio hub.
Buy it if you fly regularly and want to use your own wireless earbuds with in-flight entertainment, and you value active noise cancelling for the cabin. Skip it if you want a single open-ear sports headphone or need to transmit audio from a TV, phone, or instrument.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for flights and travel → Avantree Relay. The transmitter plugs into a 3.5 mm airplane jack and the Infinity NC earbuds add six-mic active noise cancelling.
• Best for long battery life → OpenRock Pro Open Ear. 19 hours per charge plus a 27-hour case for 46 hours total, versus 25 hours from the Relay transmitter.
• Best for blocking out noise → Avantree Relay. ANC is the Infinity NC's core feature; the OpenRock Pro deliberately has none.
• Best for ear comfort over long sessions → OpenRock Pro Open Ear. Nothing sits inside the ear canal, so there's no pressure or irritation.
• Best for low-latency video and gaming → Avantree Relay. Both Relay and Infinity NC support aptX Adaptive for synchronized audio; the OpenRock Pro also lists aptX low latency.
• Best for listening to your own headphones → Avantree Relay. The transmitter pairs with other Bluetooth headphones, not just the included earbuds.
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → OpenRock Pro Open Ear. The open design keeps you tuned in to your environment, which ANC actively works against.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the OpenRock Pro Open Ear — for the majority of people who want one headphone for running, commuting, the office, and long listening sessions, its open-ear comfort, 46-hour total battery, and IPX5 durability make it the more versatile everyday choice. The Avantree Relay is the better buy only if your priority is air travel: turning a plane's 3.5 mm jack into wireless ANC listening is a specific job, and it does that job well. Match the tool to the task, and either one will serve you.
Not really. It has no active noise cancelling and is designed to let ambient sound in, so engine noise will come through. For flights, the Avantree Relay's ANC earbuds are the better fit.
No. The Relay transmitter is specifically not compatible with TVs, phones, assistive listening devices, musical instruments, or real-time monitoring. It's built for 3.5 mm audio sources like airplane entertainment systems.
Only for long trips. A single charge gives up to 19 hours, which covers most days; the case adds another 27 hours, bringing the total to 46 for extended use.
The OpenRock Pro Open Ear. Its open design keeps you aware of cars and surroundings, while the Avantree Relay's ANC is made for blocking noise out — the opposite of what you want on a busy road.
The OpenRock Pro lists a cVc 8.0 four-microphone beam-forming array specifically for calls in wind and noise. The Avantree Relay's six mics are for active noise cancelling, not call pickup, so the OpenRock Pro is the clearer choice for phone calls.
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.