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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 wired headset built for clear, private voice communication at a desk, choose Plantronics 78712-101; if you need headphones that stay put through sweat, movement and long sessions without anything inside your ears, choose RunPhones Classic Exercise Headphones. These two products share almost nothing except a wire — they solve completely different problems, and the right pick depends entirely on what you're actually doing while you wear them.
• Plantronics 78712-101 — biggest strength: A purpose-built communication tool with a telescoping noise-cancelling microphone, active noise cancellation and a quick-disconnect cable that lets you walk away from your desk without taking the headset off.
• Plantronics 78712-101 — biggest trade-off: It's not made for music or workouts. It's over-ear with leatherette pads, weighs 1.9 ounces, and its "not USB compatible" labeling means you must match the connection to the right Plantronics base or cable.
• RunPhones Classic Exercise Headphones — biggest strength: Flat speakers sit inside a moisture-wicking, washable fabric headband that stays put during running, yoga, boxing or sleeping on your side — with no earbuds to fall out and no ear fatigue.
• RunPhones Classic Exercise Headphones — biggest trade-off: No noise cancellation and no microphone, so you hear everything around you and can't take calls. Sound is delivered through a headband rather than sealed in your ear canal.
• Who each pick is for: Plantronics for office, call-centre and desk-based voice work; RunPhones Classic for runners, gym-goers, travellers and side-sleepers who want comfortable, secure audio.
The Plantronics 78712-101 is part of the EncorePRO 710/720 line, and everything about it points to one job: professional voice communication. The curved, telescoping microphone arm is designed to sit out of your peripheral vision while still picking up your voice clearly, and the pivoting boom lets you position it precisely. Combined with active noise cancellation and a frequency response rated up to 6,800 Hz, the focus here is intelligibility — making your voice sound clean and consistent on the other end of a call, not reproducing deep bass for music.
Comfort is clearly a design priority too. The nylon composite frame keeps the weight down to 1.9 ounces, and the soft leatherette over-ear pads are meant for people who wear a headset for hours at a stretch. The quick-disconnect feature is the detail I'd point to first if you work a phones-based job: it lets you unplug and walk away from your desk without wrestling the headset off your head, and it's built to work with Plantronics' own USB and connection accessories. Note the "not USB compatible" wording on this specific model — it's a quick-disconnect headset, so you need to pair it with the right Plantronics cable or base rather than plugging straight into a laptop.
Who should buy it: customer service reps, receptionists, dispatchers, sales callers, and anyone whose day is built around talking on a headset. Who should skip it: runners, gym users, music listeners and anyone who wants wireless freedom — this is a wired, desk-bound tool, and the touch-style controls plus active noise cancellation suit a quiet office far more than a trail.
RunPhones Classic takes the opposite approach. Instead of sealing sound into your ears, it puts flat, adjustable speakers inside a snug fabric headband that sits over your ears. Nothing goes inside your ear canal, which is the whole reason these stay comfortable and stay put. The elastic headband holds the speakers in place, so there's no earbud to wiggle loose mid-run — a problem anyone who trains regularly knows well.
The design also solves problems you don't think about until you're mid-workout. The headband is moisture-wicking and machine washable (pull the headphones out first), so it absorbs sweat before it runs into your eyes and keeps hair out of your face. Because the headphones aren't noise-cancelling, ambient sound filters through — which matters a lot if you run or cycle on roads or shared paths. You hear traffic and other people while still hearing your music. And because there's nothing pressing into your ear, you can lie on your side while wearing them, which makes them genuinely usable for travel and sleep.
Who should buy it: runners, cross-trainers, boxers, yoga and gym-goers, travellers, and side-sleepers who want audio without earbud discomfort. It connects via a standard 3.5 mm jack, so it works with any device that has one. Who should skip it: anyone who wants to take calls (there's no microphone), anyone who needs to block out a noisy commute, and anyone who wants isolation-style bass — an open headband design simply doesn't deliver that.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for workouts, running and sweaty training → RunPhones Classic. The washable moisture-wicking headband and over-ear flat speakers are built for exactly this.
• Best for all-day desk comfort → Plantronics 78712-101. At 1.9 ounces with leatherette over-ear pads and a quick-disconnect cable, it's designed to be worn for a full shift.
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → RunPhones Classic. No noise cancellation means ambient sound comes through, which is safer outdoors.
• Best for blocking out office noise → Plantronics 78712-101. Active noise cancellation is a feature RunPhones deliberately leaves out.
• Best for sleeping, travel and lying on your side → RunPhones Classic. Nothing presses into your ear, so side-sleeping is comfortable.
• Best for connecting to whatever you already own → RunPhones Classic. The standard 3.5 mm jack plugs into almost anything; the Plantronics is a quick-disconnect headset that needs the matching Plantronics connection.
• Best for long hair and sweat management → RunPhones Classic. The headband doubles as a sweatband and keeps hair out of your face.
In my opinion, these aren't really competitors — they're two different tools, and I'd pick based on your daily reality rather than specs alone. If your job is talking on the phone, I'd buy the Plantronics 78712-101: the noise-cancelling boom mic, all-day comfort and walkaway quick-disconnect are exactly what a desk-based voice worker needs. If your priority is moving, sweating and staying comfortable without earbuds falling out, I'd buy the RunPhones Classic Exercise Headphones — nothing else here solves the workout and side-sleeping problem the way a washable speaker headband does. For most people reading a "vs" page, the honest answer is that only one of these matches how you'll actually use it.
FAQ
It can play audio, but it's tuned for voice communication with a frequency response up to 6,800 Hz and a speech-focused boom mic. For music and workouts, the RunPhones Classic is the better fit.
RunPhones Classic. It's designed for exercise: a secure elastic headband, washable moisture-wicking fabric, flat over-ear speakers and no earbuds to fall out.
Check the connection carefully. This model is a quick-disconnect headset and is labeled "not USB compatible," so it needs the correct Plantronics cable or base rather than a direct USB or 3.5 mm plug. For current pricing on either option, use the price-check button on this page.
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