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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 pair of sports earbuds with the longest total battery figure in this comparison and a traditional in-ear seal, choose SOAR NCAA; if you need an open-ear design that lets outside sound in, adds water resistance, and pairs over a newer Bluetooth version, choose Monster Open Ear AC510. That is the whole decision in one line, and the rest of this article explains why those two needs never land on the same product.
• SOAR NCAA — biggest strength: a claimed 32 hours of total battery life with Bluetooth 5.0, auto-pairing, and an unusually wide set of audio inputs for a true wireless bud, including FM radio plus USB and AUX options. Biggest trade-off: it is an in-ear bud with silicone tips, no water-resistance rating, and no noise control of any kind.
• Monster Open Ear AC510 — biggest strength: an open-ear fit that leaves your ear canal open, IPX6 water resistance, adaptive noise cancellation, touch controls, and Bluetooth 6.0. Biggest trade-off: the total battery figure is 30 hours rather than 32, and the open-ear shape gives up the sealed, plugged-in feel some people want.
• Who SOAR NCAA is for: the fan or gym-goer who wants one pair that can pull in game commentary, hold a long charge, and sit sealed in the ear.
• Who Monster Open Ear AC510 is for: the runner or outdoor athlete who wants to hear traffic and training partners, sweat through a session without worry, and control everything from the bud itself.
• The core split: sealed in-ear listening with more audio sources versus open-ear awareness with better durability and newer wireless.
The SOAR NCAA is built around one idea: keep you listening for a long time, from a lot of different sources. The headline figure is 32 hours of total battery life, which is the largest number on either data sheet here. For someone who charges a case once and then forgets about it for days of commutes and gym sessions, that is the whole pitch. Bluetooth 5.0 handles the wireless side, and auto-pairing means the buds connect to your device without you digging through settings menus.
What makes it genuinely different is the input list. This is not only a Bluetooth bud. It also supports FM radio for live game commentary, plus USB and AUX connections for additional audio sources, and the product details list a 3.5 mm jack. If you have ever wanted to plug earbuds into a stadium radio, an older MP3 player, or an in-flight audio system and still use them wirelessly the rest of the week, that combination is rare. The driver is a dynamic driver, the enclosure is plastic with the electronics board and speaker inside, and the color is listed as a team color, so the NCAA branding is clearly part of the appeal for college sports fans.
The fit is a traditional in-ear bud with silicone gels, which gives you a secure, seated feel and natural passive isolation from the seal itself. That is also where the trade-offs start. There is no noise control feature listed at all, so any quieting comes only from the tip seal. There is no water-resistance rating on the sheet, which matters if you sweat heavily or run in the rain. And because the earpiece shape is a sealed bud, you will hear less of what is going on around you.
Buy it if you want long battery life, sealed in-ear sound, and the flexibility of FM, USB, and AUX listening. Skip it if your priority is open-ear awareness, a water-resistance rating, or on-bud touch controls.
The Monster Open Ear AC510 takes the opposite approach. It sits outside your ear canal rather than plugging it, which is the entire point of an open-ear earbud: you get your music and you still hear the world. The earpiece shape is listed as open ear, the enclosure is silicone, and Monster describes a 360-degree biomimetic fit with liquid skin-friendly silicone and ear pressure sensing that adjusts as you move. That is a design aimed squarely at running, cycling, and gym work where a sealed bud would leave you cut off from your surroundings.
The audio side uses a 13 mm broadband PU titanium diaphragm dynamic driver with a stated frequency range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz, which covers the standard audible span. Monster pairs that with an AI intelligent noise reduction system that combines active noise reduction, voice recognition, and adaptive filtering, and the controls are handled by touch on the bud itself, so you can take a call, skip a track, or change volume without pulling out your phone. The wireless side runs Bluetooth 6.0, and the charging case uses a sliding cover with a silicone lanyard rather than a hinged lid.
For durability, the sheet lists IPX6 waterproofing, which is the kind of rating that speaks directly to sweat and rain. Battery life is 30 hours total including the case, and the case itself recharges in about 2 hours. The trade-offs are real: 30 hours is slightly less than the SOAR figure, there is no wired input of any kind, and an open-ear bud will never give you the deep seal and passive isolation of an in-ear design. If you want to be sealed off from the room, this is the wrong shape.
Buy it if you train outdoors, want to stay aware of traffic and people, and value water resistance plus touch control. Skip it if you want maximum battery life, a sealed in-ear fit, or wired listening options.
• Best for total battery life → SOAR NCAA. 32 hours versus 30 hours on the Monster.
• Best for outdoor and sweaty training → Monster Open Ear AC510. IPX6 water resistance is on the sheet; the SOAR lists none.
• Best for hearing your surroundings → Monster Open Ear AC510. Open-ear placement leaves the canal unobstructed.
• Best for sealed, isolated listening → SOAR NCAA. Silicone in-ear gels create a physical seal.
• Best for wired and radio listening → SOAR NCAA. FM radio plus USB and AUX inputs and a 3.5 mm jack.
• Best for newer wireless tech → Monster Open Ear AC510. Bluetooth 6.0 against Bluetooth 5.0.
• Best for controlling music without your phone → Monster Open Ear AC510. Touch controls on the bud; the SOAR uses remote control.
• Best for noise reduction features → Monster Open Ear AC510. Adaptive noise cancellation and AI noise reduction; the SOAR lists no noise control.
If I were buying one pair for myself, I would pick the Monster Open Ear AC510. In my opinion, the open-ear shape plus IPX6 water resistance is the combination that actually fits the word "sports" for most people who train outdoors, and the touch controls and Bluetooth 6.0 make daily use less fiddly. The 30-hour figure is close enough to 32 that battery life stops being the deciding factor for me. I would only switch to the SOAR NCAA if I specifically wanted a sealed in-ear fit and the FM, USB, and AUX inputs, because that versatility is something the Monster simply does not offer. For anyone on the fence, check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since the two designs sit in different spots on the shelf.
FAQ
how to wear sports earbuds
how to pair bose sports earbuds
Bose is a different brand and is not part of this comparison, so I cannot give you Bose-specific steps. The general routine for any of these is the same: put the buds in pairing mode from the case, open Bluetooth on your phone, and select the model name. For the SOAR NCAA, auto-pairing is listed as a feature, which simplifies that first connection.
how to reset bose sports earbuds
Again, that is a Bose procedure and none of the data here covers it. What I can tell you is that neither the SOAR NCAA nor the Monster Open Ear AC510 lists a reset function in its specifications. If a connection misbehaves, the usual first step with either is to clear the pairing on your phone and reconnect from scratch.
how to connect bose sports earbuds
Not applicable to these two models, since both are non-Bose products. For the Monster Open Ear AC510, you connect over Bluetooth 6.0, and for the SOAR NCAA you connect over Bluetooth 5.0 with auto-pairing. In both cases the process is the standard one: enable Bluetooth on your device and choose the earbuds from the list.
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