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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 rugged, long-range wireless on ear Bluetooth headset built for all-day work and calls, choose RoadWarrior RW1; if you need active noise cancellation, a lighter everyday music pair, and team styling, choose SOAR NBA Active Noise. Those two sentences are the whole decision, and the rest of this page explains why. One is a work tool that happens to play audio; the other is a lifestyle headphone that happens to make calls. Figure out which of those two people you are, and you're done.
• RoadWarrior RW1 — biggest strength: 30+ hours of battery life, up to 100 feet of wireless range, an ENC noise-cancelling boom mic, and IP54 dust/water resistance. It's a headset first, a headphone second.
• RoadWarrior RW1 — biggest trade-off: It's a single-ear, boom-mic design with Bluetooth version 4 and no headphone jack. If you want immersive stereo music, this isn't the shape for you.
• SOAR NBA Active Noise — biggest strength: Active Noise Cancellation, 40mm dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 5.3, and a soft cushioned on-ear fit with a 2-hour fast charge.
• SOAR NBA Active Noise — biggest trade-off: 8 hours of battery per charge is a fraction of the RW1's, and the 30-foot Bluetooth range is far shorter.
• Who each is for: RoadWarrior RW1 → drivers, warehouse and field workers, anyone on calls all day. SOAR NBA Active Noise → commuters, students, casual listeners who want ANC and team graphics.
The RoadWarrior RW1 is unapologetically a trucker headset. Everything about it points at one job: keeping you in clear contact while your hands stay on the wheel. The ENC microphone with omni capsule tech is designed to filter out engine noise, traffic and wind, so the person on the other end hears you rather than the highway. That's the single most important spec on this sheet, and it's the reason this product exists.
The second thing that jumps out is battery. 30+ hours is a genuinely long shift, and then some. Combine that with up to 100 feet (30 meters) of wireless range and you can leave the phone in the cab, step out, and keep talking without the signal falling apart. The IP54 rating means dust and water spray aren't a problem — rain, sweat and grit are all part of the job description here.
The practical touches matter too. The boom mic rotates, so you can wear the headset on your left or right side depending on which ear you prefer and which window the noise is coming through. The push-button controls sit in the earcup and are described as glove-friendly — a small detail that's huge if you're wearing work gloves most of the day.
Who should buy it: drivers, delivery and field workers, anyone who takes a lot of calls in loud environments and needs a device that lasts a full shift and beyond. Who should skip it: if your priority is stereo music listening, immersive sound, or active noise cancellation for your own ears, this isn't the tool. The RW1 cancels noise on the microphone side — it's about being heard, not about blocking the world out. It also uses Bluetooth version 4 and has no headphone jack, so it's strictly a wireless headset.
The SOAR NBA Active Noise is a different animal entirely. It's a wireless on-ear headphone with Active Noise Cancellation and 40mm dynamic drivers, tuned for crisp highs, rich mids and deep bass. Where the RW1 is about your voice, this one is about your ears: ANC reduces the background noise around you so you can actually hear the music, podcast or call.
Bluetooth 5.3 is the modern, efficient version of the standard, and it pairs quickly and holds a stable connection up to 30 feet from your device. That's plenty for a phone in your pocket, a laptop on a desk, or a tablet on a tray table. The cushioned earcups and intuitive push-button media controls cover volume, track skipping and calls without you hunting around.
The battery story is where the two products really diverge. SOAR lists 8 hours of playtime per charge with a 2-hour fast charge. For a commute, a study session or a workday at a desk, 8 hours is fine — and the fast charge means a short top-up gets you back in business. But it is not a full-shift-plus device the way the RW1 is.
The other thing to weigh is the styling. These carry official team graphics, which is either the whole point or a dealbreaker depending on your taste. If you want your headphones to say something about you, that's a feature. If you'd rather blend in, it isn't. The enclosure is plastic, the fit is on-ear, and the color is listed as team color.
Who should buy it: commuters, students, casual listeners, and sports fans who want ANC, a comfortable on-ear fit and a bit of personality. Who should skip it: anyone who needs marathon battery life, very long wireless range, a boom mic for calls in noisy environments, or a ruggedized build for outdoor work.
• Best for battery life → RoadWarrior RW1. 30+ hours versus 8 hours is not a close contest.
• Best for wireless range → RoadWarrior RW1. Up to 100 feet against SOAR's 30 feet.
• Best for calls in loud places → RoadWarrior RW1. The ENC boom mic with omni capsule tech is purpose-built to cut engine noise, traffic and wind.
• Best for blocking out the world → SOAR NBA Active Noise. Active Noise Cancellation works on what you hear, which is a different job than the RW1's mic-side ENC.
• Best for music quality and depth → SOAR NBA Active Noise. 40mm dynamic drivers tuned for highs, mids and bass are aimed squarely at listening.
• Best for modern, stable pairing → SOAR NBA Active Noise. Bluetooth 5.3 versus Bluetooth version 4.
• Best for rain, dust and rough conditions → RoadWarrior RW1. The IP54 rating is the only weather-resistance spec between the two.
• Best for quick top-ups → SOAR NBA Active Noise. A 2-hour fast charge is a real convenience for a lighter-use device.
• Best for team pride and everyday style → SOAR NBA Active Noise. Official team graphics versus the RW1's plain black, all-business look.
• Best for hands-busy, gloves-on work → RoadWarrior RW1. Rotatable boom mic plus glove-friendly push buttons.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the RoadWarrior RW1, because it solves a harder problem. Long battery, long range, a mic built to fight noise, and an IP54 shell are things you can't work around — you either have them or you don't. The SOAR NBA Active Noise is a nicer everyday music headphone with modern Bluetooth and ANC, and if that's your use case, it's the better fit. But for anyone whose headphones are a work tool, the RW1's spec sheet is simply built for more hours, more distance and more weather. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one thing a spec sheet can't tell you.
how do wireless bluetooth headphones work
They connect to your phone, tablet or laptop over Bluetooth instead of a cable, so audio streams wirelessly within the rated range. The RoadWarrior RW1 is a wireless Bluetooth headset with no headphone jack, and the SOAR NBA Active Noise is wireless Bluetooth with a rated range of 30 feet.
how connect bluetooth headphones to phone
Turn the headphones on and put them in pairing mode, then open your phone's Bluetooth settings, let it scan, and select the headphones from the list. Both of these pair over Bluetooth — the RW1 on Bluetooth version 4 and the SOAR NBA Active Noise on Bluetooth 5.3, which is the newer standard.
how to put wireless headphones in pairing mode
Typically you power the headphones on and hold the power or multifunction button until an indicator flashes or you hear a prompt, which tells the phone they're discoverable. Both the RoadWarrior RW1 and the SOAR NBA Active Noise use push-button controls, so pairing is handled through the onboard buttons rather than an app.
how to connect sony wh ch520 on ear wireless bluetooth headphones
Those are a different model, so the steps follow the same general rule: power on, enter pairing mode via the button, then select them in your phone's Bluetooth menu. If you're comparing on-ear wireless options, the RW1 offers 30+ hours and up to 100 feet of range, while the SOAR NBA Active Noise offers ANC, 40mm drivers and 8 hours per charge.
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