How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-05 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• Otium Headphones — biggest strength: IPX7 waterproofing plus an ear-hook and neckband design that keeps the buds locked in during running, gym work and cycling.
• Otium Headphones — biggest trade-off: Sound isolation means you're cut off from traffic and gym announcements, and the battery figures in the spec sheet aren't as generous as the other option here.
• Selouj 2025 — biggest strength: Open-ear design with ambient awareness, a 30-hour rated battery life and a smart digital display on the case.
• Selouj 2025 — biggest trade-off: Open-ear sound leaks both ways — you hear the world, and the world can hear a bit of you — with only passive noise cancellation.
• Pick Otium Headphones if you want maximum stability and sealed-in sound for intense sessions.
• Pick Selouj 2025 if you want to stay aware of your surroundings and hate the feeling of something jammed in your ear canal.
The Otium set is a sports-first design, and everything about it points that way. The shell uses a sealed construction with nano-coating to reach the IPX7 waterproof standard, and the brand explicitly frames it as sweat-proof for running, hiking, cycling, fitness, yoga, travel and gym use. Note the honest caveat in the description: it's not built for swimming. So "waterproof" here means rain, sweat and splashes — not laps.
Fit is where this pair earns its keep. There's an ear hook plus a neckband, and the tips come in four silicone sizes so you can dial in a seal. If you've ever had a bud pop out mid-burpee, that combination matters more than any spec on a box. The in-ear placement also gives you sound isolation, which cuts down gym noise and lets you run the volume lower.
Battery is the murky part. The feature bullet claims up to 15 hours of playtime and 250 hours of standby, while the battery field lists an average life of 10 hours and a 15-hour charge time. I'd treat the reality as somewhere in the middle and plan on charging regularly. There's a one-year warranty listed, and the whole unit weighs just 18.14 g.
Buy it if: you want sealed-in sound, a locked-down fit and don't mind being less aware of your surroundings. Skip it if: you need to hear traffic on road runs, or you want to keep an eye on battery percentage without checking your phone.
Selouj 2025: Who It's For
The Selouj 2025 goes the opposite direction: it sits outside your ear canal entirely. The open-ear placement plus silicone-and-plastic build is designed to feel almost weightless, and the brand's pitch is comfort over hours of wear plus full awareness of your surroundings. For outdoor runners, cyclists sharing roads, and anyone who works out in a busy gym, that ambient awareness is a genuine safety and convenience feature, not a gimmick.
Sound comes from a 13mm dynamic driver — larger than the Otium's stated 11mm — tuned for rich bass, clear mids and bright highs. Bluetooth 5.3 is listed for a fast, stable connection. Noise control is passive only, which is exactly what you'd expect from an open-ear design: nothing is blocking your ear canal, so there's no active cancellation to speak of.
The standout convenience feature is the smart digital display, which shows battery life at a glance — handy when you're heading out and want to know whether you've got enough juice. And you likely will: the rated battery life is 30 hours. The listed package contents are the M8 open-ear headphones, a charging case and a Type-C cable, which tells you the case is part of the charging setup.
The trade-offs are real. Open-ear means bass feels less physical than a sealed in-ear fit, and at higher volumes people near you may hear some of your audio. There's also no ear hook or neckband here, so "secure fit" relies on the shape of the open-ear arm rather than mechanical retention. Weight is listed at 0.13 kg for the product entry.
Buy it if: comfort and situation awareness are your priorities, and you want a long rated runtime. Skip it if: you train in a noisy gym and need isolation, or you want maximum bass impact.
• Best for maximum fit security → Otium Headphones. Ear hook plus neckband plus four tip sizes is the more locked-down setup.
• Best for all-day comfort → Selouj 2025. Open-ear, near-weightless design that never seals your ear canal.
• Best for staying aware of traffic and surroundings → Selouj 2025. Ambient awareness is the whole point of the open-ear shape.
• Best for noisy gyms and sealed-in sound → Otium Headphones. Sound isolation plus a bass-forward in-ear tuning.
• Best for battery life → Selouj 2025. 30 hours rated versus Otium's conflicting 15-hour and 10-hour figures.
• Best for checking battery at a glance → Selouj 2025. The smart digital display on the case beats digging your phone out mid-session.
• Best for a bass-heavy, immersive listen → Otium Headphones. Sealed fit plus an 11mm dynamic driver tuned for punch.
• Best for rain and sweat protection → a tie. Both carry IPX7 waterproofing; neither is intended for swimming.
For a workout, I'd buy the Selouj 2025. In my opinion, the open-ear design, the 30-hour rated battery and the digital display solve the three things that actually annoy people mid-session: sore ears, a dead battery and not knowing how much charge is left. The ambient awareness is a real safety plus for outdoor training. That said, if your priority is a bud that simply will not move and you want sealed, bass-heavy sound, the Otium Headphones is the better workout tool — its ear-hook and neckband design is built for exactly that. Two good picks, two different jobs.
FAQ
are headphones waterproof
are headphones water resistant
Water resistance and waterproofing are often used loosely, but IPX7 is the stronger claim of the two. Both the Otium and the Selouj 2025 are rated IPX7, so they handle sweat and wet weather during workouts. For pool use, look elsewhere.
No. Otium uses sound isolation from the sealed in-ear fit, while Selouj 2025 lists passive noise cancellation — which for an open-ear design mostly means it blocks very little. If you need active noise cancellation, neither of these is the right category of product.
If your gym is loud and you want to block it out, I'd go with the Otium Headphones thanks to the sealed fit and isolation. If you want to hear your surroundings or train outside, the Selouj 2025's open-ear awareness is the better call. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding.
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