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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-24 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• PLT Poly Blackwire 5220 — biggest strength: a flexible boom mic with passive noise cancellation and a wired connection that works over USB-C, USB-A, or a 3.5 mm jack, so it isn't dependent on Bluetooth pairing or battery life.
• PLT Poly Blackwire 5220 — biggest trade-off: it's a corded, on-ear design with a boom arm, so it's built for a desk, not for movement.
• GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones — biggest strength: open-ear air conduction at roughly 32 g with an AI noise-cancelling mic on calls, plus Bluetooth 5.4 and up to 12 hours of talk time.
• GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones — biggest trade-off: it relies entirely on Bluetooth and a charged battery, and the open-ear shape means it doesn't seal out your surroundings.
• Who each pick is for: pick the Blackwire 5220 if you live on calls at a desk; pick the GREYOLK if you want your ears free and your hands untethered.
The Blackwire 5220 is, at heart, a work headset. The defining feature is the flexible boom mic paired with passive noise cancellation — the kind of setup designed to keep your voice close to the microphone element so it stays consistent while you talk. There's no app to fiddle with and no pairing step: you plug in and you're on. The control scheme is a button-based remote on the cable, which means call controls sit within easy reach without you having to touch your computer.
Connectivity is where this thing earns its keep. It ships with USB-C, a USB-C to USB-A adapter, and a 3.5 mm jack, so it covers modern laptops, older machines with full-size USB ports, and phones or tablets with a headphone jack. If you've ever been the person on a call whose Bluetooth dropped mid-sentence, that wired certainty is the whole point. It's also explicitly built with Microsoft Teams and Zoom in mind, which tells you the target user is someone in meetings all day.
The on-ear, over-ear style enclosure with a rounded tip and a 32-ohm impedance keeps it in the easy-to-drive category — nothing exotic required to get sound out of it. It weighs 138 g, so it's light enough to forget about over a long shift. A carrying case is included, and there's a two-year manufacturer warranty.
GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones: Who It's For
The GREYOLK V4 takes the opposite approach. Instead of covering your ears, it rests lightly on them — the open-ear, air-conduction design is explicitly glasses-friendly and pressure-free, and at roughly 32 g it's about as light as a headset gets. The pitch here is awareness: you hear your music or your call and the room around you. For anyone who works out, commutes on a bike, or needs to hear a colleague walk up behind them, that's a genuine feature rather than a compromise.
The microphone is the other headline. GREYOLK uses AI noise cancellation on the mic — with the honest caveat in the specs that it applies to call noise, not to what you hear — so your voice is meant to come through clearly in a busy office, a car, or outdoors. Sound comes from 30 mm dynamic drivers with a 20 kHz frequency response, run through a 10-ohm impedance. The open-ear shape means you're not getting the isolation of a sealed cup, but you're also not getting that plugged-up feeling after three hours.
Wireless is the core of the design: Bluetooth 5.4 with a stable signal up to about 10 meters (roughly 33 feet), a two-hour charge time, and up to 12 hours of talk time. It can also connect to two devices at once, which is genuinely useful if you're hopping between a laptop and a phone. Charging is over USB-C, controls are push-button on the earpiece, and there's a two-year warranty. One spec-sheet quirk: the listed item weight is 200 g even though the marketing copy says 32 g — worth knowing if weight matters to you.
Buy it if you want your ears open, your hands free, and a mic that fights background noise on calls. Skip it if you need guaranteed connection every single time, work in a loud open office where you need to block others out, or simply don't want another device to charge.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for all-day desk work → PLT Poly Blackwire 5220. 138 g, on-ear fit, boom mic, and a cable remote for call control.
• Best for movement and awareness → GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones. Open-ear air conduction keeps you connected to your surroundings.
• Best for battery life → GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones. Up to 12 hours of talk time on a two-hour charge.
• Best for multi-device switching → GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones. It connects to two devices at once over Bluetooth 5.4.
• Best for device compatibility → PLT Poly Blackwire 5220. Three connection types cover old laptops, new laptops, and phones with a jack.
• Best for wearing with glasses → GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones. The open-ear, pressure-free shape is designed for it.
• Best for a noisy shared office → PLT Poly Blackwire 5220. Passive noise cancellation on a boom mic is built for exactly that.
In my opinion, if your calls are the priority and you sit at a desk, I'd buy the PLT Poly Blackwire 5220. The boom mic, passive noise cancellation, and triple connectivity (USB-C, USB-A, 3.5 mm) make it the safer bet for work — there's simply nothing to go wrong between you and the call. I'd pick the GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones if your day involves moving around, wearing glasses, or needing to hear what's happening around you, and you're comfortable managing a Bluetooth connection and a charge. Both are legitimate tools; they just solve different problems.
how to use headphones with mic on pc
Plug the PLT Poly Blackwire 5220 in via USB-C, the included USB-C to USB-A adapter, or the 3.5 mm jack, then select it as your input and output device in your computer's sound settings. The GREYOLK pairs over Bluetooth 5.4 instead — enable Bluetooth on the PC, put the headset in pairing mode, and select it once it appears.
how to connect headphones with mic on pc
For the Blackwire 5220 there's no pairing step at all: the wired connection is the connection. For the GREYOLK, confirm your PC actually supports Bluetooth, then pair the V4 and switch between your two connected devices as needed. GREYOLK notes that connection problems usually trace back to a device that doesn't support Bluetooth.
how to use headphones with mic on phone
The Blackwire 5220 works with phones that have a 3.5 mm jack using the included cable. The GREYOLK is the simpler phone option — pair it over Bluetooth 5.4 and you get up to 12 hours of talk time per charge, with a signal range of about 10 meters.
how to test headphones with mic
Make a test call or use your system's audio settings to record a short clip and play it back — that tells you how the mic picks up your voice. The Blackwire 5220's boom mic and passive noise cancellation are aimed at keeping your voice steady; the GREYOLK's AI mic noise cancellation is designed specifically to reduce background noise on calls, so test it in the kind of environment you'll actually be in.
If price is the deciding factor for you, check the current price on Amazon for both before you commit — the specs above are what should drive the choice, and this page has the button for that.
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See also: YouthWhisper Bone Conduction Headphones vs MyJoy Air Open Ear, Wantek Corded Telephone Headset vs PLT Plantronics Blackwire C, MONODEAL Swimming Headphones-IP68 vs BUGANI Open Ear Earbuds