How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want an everyday pair of open-ear earbuds you can wear while running, cycling or commuting, choose Raycon Essential Open Ear; if you need wireless headphones built specifically for watching TV with clear dialogue and a lag-free connection, choose Holdsound Headphones.
• Raycon Essential Open Ear — biggest strength: an open-ear, ultra-lightweight fit with a balanced-armature driver, touch controls and a claimed 36 hours of battery life, so your ears stay aware of traffic, training partners and coworkers.
• Raycon Essential Open Ear — biggest trade-off: there is no noise control at all, which is the whole point of the design but a dealbreaker if you want to block out a noisy plane or open-plan office.
• Holdsound Headphones — biggest strength: it is a purpose-built TV listening kit with an auto-pairing transmitter, optical and 3.5mm cables in the box, and a low-latency connection rated up to roughly 165 ft.
• Holdsound Headphones — biggest trade-off: it is not a normal Bluetooth headset. It needs an optical (TOSLINK) or 3.5mm output on your TV, direct Bluetooth pairing to phones and laptops is not supported, and the over-ear design is bulkier than earbuds.
• Pick Raycon if you want something featherlight for movement and all-day wear. Pick Holdsound if you or someone in your household wants a simple, dedicated way to hear the TV clearly.
The Raycon Essential Open Ear is the more versatile of the two. It's a true wireless earbud with an open-ear shape, so the driver sits near your ear canal instead of sealing it. That means you hear your music and your surroundings at the same time — genuinely useful on a bike, on a busy running path, or anywhere you don't want to be sealed off from what's happening around you. The hook-style fit is described as ear-hugging, and the whole thing weighs about 0.14 kg including the case, so the "forget you're wearing them" pitch is at least plausible on paper.
Who should buy it: runners, cyclists, gym-goers, commuters who need to hear announcements, and anyone who finds sealed earbuds uncomfortable after an hour. Who should skip it: if you want active noise cancellation, deep bass isolation, or a wired jack, this isn't the product — there's no noise control and no headphone jack. It's also not a TV accessory; it's a personal listening device.
Holdsound Headphones: Who It's For
The Holdsound Headphones are a different category of product entirely, and it's worth being blunt about that. This is a TV listening system: over-ear headphones plus a USB extension-cable transmitter that auto-pairs, with optical and 3.5mm cables included so you can hook it up to a television. The pitch is aimed squarely at people who find TV audio hard to follow — the product page explicitly frames it around seniors, grandparents and anyone who wants louder, clearer dialogue without cranking the soundbar.
The connection is the key spec. It's rated up to roughly 165 ft with low latency, which is the number that matters for lip-sync. If audio and video drift apart, TV watching becomes unbearable; the low-latency claim is the whole reason this exists rather than you just using any Bluetooth headset. It uses a Qualcomm audio solution, and the controls are physical buttons with volume control — a deliberate choice for people who don't want to fiddle with touch gestures. Charging takes two hours, and the battery is described as long enough for hours of wear without frequent recharging.
The critical limitation: your TV needs an optical (TOSLINK) or 3.5mm AUX output. If it has neither, this won't work, and direct Bluetooth pairing to other devices is not supported. That's a hard filter. Who should buy it: someone who wants a dedicated, simple TV setup, especially an older user who wants one job done well. Who should skip it: anyone hoping for a general-purpose pair of headphones for music on a phone or laptop — that's not what this is built for.
• Best for movement and workouts → Raycon Essential Open Ear. Sweat-resistant, ultra-light, hook-style fit designed to stay put during intense motion.
• Best for TV dialogue and movie nights → Holdsound Headphones. Auto-pairing transmitter, optical and 3.5mm inputs, low-latency connection rated up to 165 ft.
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → Raycon Essential Open Ear. The open-ear design lets ambient sound in by default.
• Best for blocking out noise → neither, honestly. Raycon lists no noise control, and Holdsound is an over-ear TV headset, not an ANC product. If cancellation is the priority, look elsewhere.
• Best for battery life → Raycon Essential Open Ear on paper. Up to 36 hours versus Holdsound's "long playtime" without a published figure, plus a faster one-hour charge against Holdsound's two.
• Best for a less tech-savvy user → Holdsound Headphones. Button controls, auto-pairing, and a fixed job to do.
• Best for portability → Raycon Essential Open Ear. Pocket-sized case and earbud form factor versus over-ear cups and a transmitter box.
• Easiest to get wrong → Holdsound Headphones. Check your TV has optical or 3.5mm out before buying; there's no Bluetooth fallback.
In my opinion, the right pick comes down to one question: are you buying for your ears on the move, or for your ears on the couch? For the vast majority of people searching these two names, I'd choose the Raycon Essential Open Ear — it works with a phone, a laptop and a watch, it's light enough for all-day wear, and 36 hours of battery with a one-hour charge covers real life. I'd only steer you to the Holdsound Headphones if the goal is specifically TV audio, ideally for an older viewer who wants a single-purpose, low-latency setup. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever one fits, since that's the one variable I can't weigh in for you.
FAQ
No. Holdsound requires your TV or device to have an optical (TOSLINK) or 3.5mm AUX output. If your TV has neither, the headphones won't work, and direct Bluetooth pairing to other devices like phones isn't supported.
Not really — it's a TV-first product. The transmitter and the optical/3.5mm cabling are the point, and direct Bluetooth connection to other devices isn't supported. For phone listening, the Raycon Essential Open Ear is the more sensible choice.
Raycon publishes up to 36 hours with a one-hour charge time. Holdsound describes extended playtime for hours of TV viewing but doesn't publish a specific hour figure, and its charge time is two hours. On the numbers available, Raycon is the clearer bet for all-day use.
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