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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-20 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
• RCA HP245 biggest strength: a folding neckband that collapses for travel, a 3 ft cable, on-ear cups and a 98 dB sensitivity rating that makes it easy to drive from a phone or MP3 player.
• RCA HP245 biggest trade-off: it's a closed, on-ear design with sound isolation, so you're cut off from traffic, training partners and announcements — and it's a 3.5 mm wired set with no microphone listed.
• GZCRDZ Open-Ear Headphones biggest strength: open-ear ear hooks that leave your ear canal clear, a 16 mm composite driver, an in-line noise-cancelling mic with volume and track controls, and a rotatable hook that fits a wide range of ear shapes.
• GZCRDZ Open-Ear Headphones biggest trade-off: it uses a Type-C jack rather than the older 3.5 mm plug, so older phones, MP3 players and handheld consoles with a round headphone socket won't connect without an adapter.
• Who each is for: RCA HP245 is for the traveller, commuter or gamer who wants cheap, lightweight, packable on-ear sound. GZCRDZ is for the runner, cyclist and gym-goer who wants to hear the world while they listen.
The HP245 is a behind-the-neck headphone, and that single design choice explains almost everything about it. Instead of a headband arcing over the top of your skull, the band sits behind your neck and the ear hooks hold two on-ear cups against your ears. In practice that means no pressure on the crown of your head, no hair getting flattened, and a fit that stays put while you move — which is exactly what RCA is pitching with the "unrestricted mobility" line.
The folding neckband is the feature I'd actually buy it for. Collapse it and the whole thing drops into a jacket pocket or the side of a backpack, which is the sort of thing you notice on a trip where every cubic inch of carry-on matters. The cable is 3 ft, which is a genuinely useful length for a phone in a pocket or a tablet on a tray table — long enough to reach, short enough not to tangle into a bird's nest in your bag. Add a lightweight build and you have a set that's easy to forget you're wearing.
GZCRDZ Open-Ear Headphones: Who It's For
GZCRDZ takes the opposite approach: the drivers sit outside your ear canal on rotatable hooks, so your ears stay open to traffic, footsteps, gym announcements and the person jogging next to you. If you've ever pulled an earbud out at a crossing to check whether something's coming, that's the problem this design solves. The hooks are silicone and the spec sheet describes them as skin-friendly and flexible, with a rotatable design that adapts to different ear shapes — the practical upshot is that it's a fit that doesn't depend on you having one particular ear size.
The audio hardware is more ambitious than the price bracket usually suggests. There's a 16 mm composite film driver — a big diaphragm for this category — paired with what GZCRDZ calls ACS 3D acoustic resonance, promising wide, panoramic staging with strong bass and clean treble. I'd treat any "studio-quality" phrasing as marketing, but the combination of a large driver, 16 ohm impedance and a 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz range tells you this is designed to be easy to drive and reasonably full-bodied from a phone. The 3% distortion figure is a normal, unremarkable number for this class of headset.
Where it clearly beats the RCA is the cable. There's an in-line control pod with volume, play/pause, track skip and call answer/reject, plus a noise-cancelling microphone for calls and voice commands. That makes it a genuine headset rather than just headphones — you can take a work call, bark at a voice assistant, or skip a track mid-run without touching your phone. The braided cable and silicone construction are aimed at daily wear and sweat, and GZCRDZ backs the build with a one-year warranty. The catch is the connector: this is a Type-C jack. It'll work with most modern phones, tablets and laptops that have a USB-C port, but it will not plug into a 3.5 mm socket on an older handset, a classic iPod-style MP3 player or a handheld console. If your devices are all USB-C, you're fine. If they're not, budget for an adapter.
• Best for travel and packing → RCA HP245. The folding neckband collapses into a pocket; the GZCRDZ hooks don't fold.
• Best for hearing your surroundings → GZCRDZ Open-Ear Headphones. Open-ear by design; the RCA is closed and sound-isolating.
• Best for calls and voice commands → GZCRDZ Open-Ear Headphones. It has an in-line noise-cancelling mic; no microphone is listed for the RCA.
• Best for older phones, MP3 players and handheld gaming → RCA HP245. Its 3.5 mm plug fits the round sockets those devices use; the GZCRDZ needs a Type-C port.
• Best for running, cycling and gym sessions → GZCRDZ Open-Ear Headphones. Rotatable silicone hooks and a sweat-resistant braided cable are built for movement and weather; the RCA's plastic on-ear cups are aimed more at seated listening.
• Best for on-the-go volume control → GZCRDZ Open-Ear Headphones. Volume, play/pause, track skip and call buttons sit on the cable; the RCA lists a media control only.
• Best for blocking out a noisy cabin → RCA HP245. On-ear cups with sound isolation cut more ambient noise than an open-ear hook ever will.
• Best for plug-and-play with a tablet on a flight → RCA HP245 if the tablet has a 3.5 mm socket, GZCRDZ if it's USB-C only.
If I were buying one of these for myself, I'd take the GZCRDZ Open-Ear Headphones, because the combination of open-ear awareness, a real in-line mic with volume and track controls, a large 16 mm driver and a secure hook fit covers more of what I actually do with headphones — walking, running, calls and commuting — and it does it with a one-year warranty behind the build. The RCA HP245 is the better pick only in a narrower lane: you want a folding, packable on-ear set, you're plugging into a 3.5 mm socket, and you'd rather block the world out than hear it. Match the connector and the fit to your devices and your habits, and this decision makes itself. Whichever way you lean, check the current price on Amazon before you commit — both sit in the budget end of the wired market, and that's the number that should break the tie.
The GZCRDZ is the better running partner. Its rotatable silicone ear hooks and braided cable are designed to stay put through sweat and movement, and the open-ear fit keeps you aware of traffic. The RCA's plastic on-ear cups and folding neckband suit seated listening more than a hard run.
It depends on the port. The GZCRDZ uses a Type-C jack, so it connects directly to devices with USB-C. Older iPhones, classic MP3 players and handheld consoles with a 3.5 mm socket won't accept it without an adapter — for those, the RCA HP245's 3.5 mm plug is the simpler choice.
No. The RCA HP245 is listed with a media control but no microphone, so it's for listening only. The GZCRDZ Open-Ear Headphones include an in-line noise-cancelling mic plus answer and reject buttons, which makes them the one to pick if calls matter.
The GZCRDZ has the more advanced driver spec — a 16 mm composite film speaker with 16 ohm impedance — aimed at a wide, bass-rich presentation. The RCA has a 98 dB sensitivity rating, which means it gets loud easily even from a weak source. For blocking outside noise, the RCA's closed, sound-isolating on-ear cups win; the GZCRDZ is deliberately open so you can hear what's around you.
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