If you want wireless earbuds for a kid’s active routine, choose Bose SoundSport Free; if you need a wired, open-back listening headphone for a kid at home, choose Sennheiser HD 560.
That is the clearest way to decide between these very different designs: Bose prioritizes movement and a charging case, while Sennheiser is built for listening in a quieter setting.
Neither is a hi-res wireless headset for children: the Bose is Bluetooth, but the Sennheiser is wired.
• Bose SoundSport Free: Truly wireless in-ear design, sweat and weather resistance rated IPX4, and up to five hours of play time per charge. Its trade-off is limited battery life between charges and no listed noise control.
• Sennheiser HD 560: Open-back, over-ear headphones designed for natural, spacious sound. Its trade-off is a wired connection that limits freedom of movement and is less suited to workouts.
• Choose Bose for sports, walking, and a child who wants Bluetooth in-ear headphones without a cable trailing to a device.
• Choose Sennheiser for focused listening at home, where its open-back design and wired connection are a better fit than sport-oriented earbuds.
• For a kid: Bose makes more sense for moving around; Sennheiser is the more relevant option for stationary music listening with an adult’s attention to the cable and listening environment.
The SoundSport Free is the practical pick when the main goal is listening while moving. Each earbud connects wirelessly over Bluetooth, so there is no cable running between the earbuds or down to a phone. For a child heading out for a walk, moving around the house, or doing a workout, that cable-free design avoids one common source of tangles and snags. The earbuds are sweat and weather resistant with an IPX4 rating, which makes them more appropriate for exercise than the open-back Sennheiser.
The included StayHear Sport tips come in three sizes—small, medium, and large. That gives the wearer options for finding a fit that feels secure, although the right fit is personal and should be checked rather than assumed. Battery life is up to five hours per charge, with up to another ten hours provided by the charging case. Charging the earbuds takes two hours. In everyday terms, that is enough flexibility for shorter listening sessions and a way to recharge between outings, but it does not mean the earbuds can play all day without returning to the case.
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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-22 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
The HD 560 takes the opposite approach. These are wired, over-ear headphones with an open-back design, intended for a listener who wants to sit down and pay attention to music rather than carry a compact set of earbuds through an active day. Sennheiser describes the sound as natural and accurate, with a wide soundstage created in part by angled drivers. In plain terms, the design aims to make recorded music feel more spacious and clearly presented, rather than isolating the listener with a sealed, closed-back enclosure.
The cable connection is a meaningful daily-use distinction. The headphones include a detachable three-meter cable with a 6.3 mm plug and a 3.5 mm adapter. That gives the wearer a long reach to compatible audio equipment, laptops, and other devices, but it is still a physical connection. It is not a Bluetooth option, and the cable can get in the way if the listener is walking around, exercising, or sharing a space where a trailing wire is inconvenient.
The open-back construction also has a clear trade-off: it is designed to let sound expand naturally, not to provide noise control. That makes the HD 560 a more sensible fit for a quiet room than a busy commute or noisy family setting. Its over-ear design and lightweight build are intended for longer listening sessions, while the stated 6 Hz to 38 kHz frequency range and 38 mm dynamic drivers describe its audio hardware without making it a wireless or child-specific product. Skip this pick if you need wireless freedom, workout resistance, or headphones that keep sound more contained around the listener.
• Best for sports and active movement → Bose SoundSport Free. Its truly wireless design removes the cable, and its IPX4 sweat and weather resistance is the more activity-oriented feature set.
• Best for staying connected without a cable → Bose SoundSport Free. It uses Bluetooth, while the Sennheiser relies on a wired connection.
• Best for long listening sessions without changing earbuds → Sennheiser HD 560. It has no battery to recharge, though the listener must stay connected by cable.
• Best for a spacious, open-back presentation → Sennheiser HD 560. Its open earcups and angled drivers are designed to create a wider soundstage.
• Best for quick recharging between outings → Bose SoundSport Free. The case provides up to ten additional hours of play time, with up to five hours available per earbud charge.
• Best for finding misplaced earbuds → Bose SoundSport Free. The Connect app’s Find My Buds feature can show where they were last connected and can play an audio alert.
• Best for calls through the product’s built-in microphones → Bose SoundSport Free. It has a dual microphone array on the right earbud; call audio is heard there.
• Best for a kid who will listen while moving → Bose SoundSport Free. For a child who will sit still at home to listen, the Sennheiser may suit the setting better, but neither model is described as a child-specific headset.
Buying Considerations
Think first about where the headphones will be used, not just the sound profile. The Bose is the easier match for a walk, exercise, or other movement because it has no cable and is rated IPX4 for sweat and weather resistance. The Sennheiser’s open-back design and long cable point toward a stationary setup. Neither product lists noise control, so do not choose either expecting active noise cancellation or a design intended to block surrounding sound.
For a child, fit and supervision deserve attention. Bose supplies three sizes of sport tips, but no one size can be assumed to fit every wearer. The Sennheiser’s over-ear, open-back construction may be more comfortable for a settled listening session, but it does not offer the cable-free convenience of Bluetooth in ear headphones. Neither data sheet identifies these as products designed specifically for children, and neither supports describing them as a hi res wireless headset for children. If that exact combination is the goal, these two models do not provide it.
Finally, consider the setting around the listener. Bose’s in-ear shape and app tools may be convenient for individual listening on the move, while the Sennheiser’s open-back design is better understood as a listening-room choice. Open-back headphones do not isolate the wearer from surrounding activity, and their sound can be heard outside the earcups. The Bose can make calls through its right earbud, but it does not offer the same open presentation. These are different tools, not two versions of the same headphone.
For a kid who will use headphones while moving, I would choose the Bose SoundSport Free: its wireless sport design, IPX4 rating, replaceable tip sizes, and charging case suit that routine better.
For a child listening mostly at a desk or in a quiet room, I would consider the Sennheiser instead for its wired, open-back design.
My overall pick for the stated kid-focused use is Bose, because movement is the sharper dividing line between these models.
For a child who will move around while listening, the Bose is the more practical match because it is truly wireless and has IPX4 sweat and weather resistance. The Sennheiser is wired and open-back, so it suits quieter, more stationary listening better.
Neither product lists noise control. The Sennheiser’s open-back design is intended to let sound expand naturally, rather than block outside noise, and the Bose’s listed features do not include noise cancellation.
Only the Bose has battery life figures: up to five hours per charge, plus up to ten additional hours from the charging case. The Sennheiser is wired, so its use does not depend on a rechargeable headphone battery.
No. The HD 560 is a wired headphone, supplied with a detachable cable, a 6.3 mm plug, and a 3.5 mm adapter. For Bluetooth listening, the Bose SoundSport Free is the option here.
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