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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a safe, volume-limited wired headset for a younger child, choose Planet Buddies Kids Headphones; if you need a wireless, long-battery on-ear pair for an older kid or teen, choose LORELEI Q60. Both are foldable on-ear headphones, but they solve very different problems. One is built around hearing safety and a 3.5 mm cable; the other is built around Bluetooth freedom and a 40-hour battery.
• Planet Buddies Kids Headphones — biggest strength: An 85 dB volume cap plus a wired 3.5 mm connection, so there is no pairing, no charging, and no way for the volume to creep past the limit.
• Planet Buddies Kids Headphones — biggest trade-off: Wired only, no active noise control, and a kid-focused design that older listeners may find too young.
• LORELEI Q60 — biggest strength: Bluetooth 5.4 wireless audio with a claimed 40-hour battery life, a bass mode, and a carry case included.
• LORELEI Q60 — biggest trade-off: No wired jack at all, no volume limiter, and it is aimed at teens rather than small children.
• Who each pick is for: Planet Buddies for parents of kids ages 3+ who want safety first; LORELEI Q60 for teens and older users who want wireless convenience.
Planet Buddies is a wired on-ear headset built around one idea: keeping young ears safe. The headband is adjustable and the earpads are soft and padded, so it rests on the ear rather than pressing hard against it. The volume is capped at 85 dB, which is the level the World Health Organization recommends and roughly what lets a child listen for up to 8 hours a day without overloading their ears. For a parent, that cap is the whole point — there is no app, no hidden menu, and no way for a curious kid to push it louder.
The build leans hard into the kid angle. It is made from 50% recycled plastic, the packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable, and the animal character on the earcups is meant to get kids interested in wildlife and conservation. It folds down small and comes with a woven nylon hemp travel pouch, which is exactly what you want for a car journey, a flight, or a school bag. The multi-function button handles play, pause, skip, mute, and calls, and the inline mic makes it work for home learning and video calls. It pairs over a standard 3.5 mm jack, so it plugs into an iPhone, a Galaxy Tab, an e-reader, a tablet, a laptop, or a handheld console without any setup.
Who should buy it? Parents of children around 3 and up who want a first proper headset, and who value the volume cap more than wireless freedom. Who should skip it? Anyone who wants Bluetooth, anyone who wants active noise cancellation, and older kids who will feel the animal theme is babyish. Also skip it if your device has no headphone jack and you do not want to deal with an adapter. There is no warranty listed on this model, so treat it as a straightforward, durable kids' accessory rather than a long-term investment piece.
The LORELEI Q60 is a wireless on-ear headphone aimed at a much older audience — the listing itself puts the age range at teen and up. It connects over Bluetooth and, per the spec sheet, uses Bluetooth 5.4 with a range of around 10 meters, which is enough to leave your phone on a desk and walk around a room without the audio dropping. The 40-hour battery life is the headline number here: that is roughly a full week of normal listening between charges, and it refills over USB-C with the included cable.
Comfort and portability are clearly the other priorities. It weighs just 115 grams, the headband adjusts, and the earcups use memory foam cushions, so it is designed to stay comfortable over a long stretch rather than clamp down. The ear cups swivel and fold flat, and LORELEI throws in a carrying case plus a charging cable, so it packs away neatly for commuting or travel. The 40 mm dynamic drivers cover a 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz range with 110 dB sensitivity and 32 ohm impedance, and there is a bass mode if you want a heavier low end. A built-in microphone handles calls, and the button controls run playback from the earcup.
Who should buy it? Teens, students, and adults who want an inexpensive-feeling-but-capable wireless on-ear pair for music, podcasts, and calls, and who care about battery life and portability. Who should skip it? Parents shopping for a small child — there is no volume limiter and no wired option, so it is not a safety-first pick for a 3-year-old. Skip it too if you need a 3.5 mm jack for a wired connection, because this model has no jack at all. Noise control here is sound isolation from the cushions, not active noise cancellation, so do not expect it to silence a plane cabin.
• Best for young children (3+) → Planet Buddies Kids Headphones. The 85 dB cap and soft on-ear fit are built for small heads.
• Best for hearing safety → Planet Buddies Kids Headphones. The volume limit cannot be bypassed.
• Best for battery life → LORELEI Q60. Around 40 hours per charge versus no battery at all on the wired model.
• Best for wireless freedom → LORELEI Q60. Bluetooth 5.4 with roughly 10 meters of range and no cable to snag.
• Best for travel and packing → tie. Both fold; Planet Buddies includes a nylon hemp pouch, LORELEI includes a full carrying case.
• Best for calls and schoolwork → LORELEI Q60 for older students thanks to the wireless mic; Planet Buddies if the child is on a wired school device.
• Best for use with a 3.5 mm device → Planet Buddies Kids Headphones. The Q60 has no jack.
• Best for eco-conscious buyers → Planet Buddies Kids Headphones. 50% recycled plastic and fully recyclable packaging.
• Best for teens and adults → LORELEI Q60. The design and age range are aimed squarely at older listeners.
In my opinion, the right pick comes down to the listener's age, not the feature list. If I were buying for a child around 3 to 8, I would buy the Planet Buddies Kids Headphones — the 85 dB cap, the durable build, the travel pouch, and the plug-and-play 3.5 mm jack make it the more sensible choice for a young kid, and the volume limit is the feature I would not want to give up. If I were buying for a teen or for myself, I would buy the LORELEI Q60 — 40 hours of battery, Bluetooth 5.4, memory foam cups, a bass mode, and a carry case make it the more useful everyday headphone. Neither is "better" in the abstract; they are built for two different people.
are on ear headphones good
Yes, on-ear headphones are a solid everyday choice, and both of these are on-ear designs. They tend to be lighter and more compact than over-ear models — the LORELEI Q60 weighs just 115 grams, for example — which makes them easy to fold and carry. The trade-off is that on-ear cups rest against the ear rather than around it, so isolation depends on the cushion fit rather than a sealed enclosure.
what are the best open ear headphones
"Open ear" usually means a design that does not seal over the ear canal, and neither of these two is that style — both are on-ear headphones with cushions that sit against the ear. If you specifically want an open-ear fit, you would be looking at a different category entirely. Between these two, the Planet Buddies 85 dB cap and the LORELEI Q60's sound isolation are the relevant differences.
which are the best over the ear headphones
Over-ear and on-ear are different fits, and both products here are on-ear, not over-ear. If you want the fully enclosing over-ear feel, neither of these matches that description. For on-ear use, the choice between them comes down to wired safety versus wireless battery life rather than one being objectively better.
what are the best over the ear headphones to buy
Since both of these are on-ear rather than over-ear, the honest answer is that the better buy depends on the listener. For a young child, the Planet Buddies Kids Headphones win on safety and simplicity; for a teen or adult, the LORELEI Q60 wins on battery, Bluetooth, and portability. Check the current price on Amazon for each and let your use case decide.
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