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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 headphone you can actually take underwater and swim with, choose Soveign Waterproof Headphones; if you need a lighter everyday open-ear headset for running, cycling and long listening sessions, choose BETAHEAR Bone Conduction Headphones. The two share the same open-ear, bone-conduction idea, but they are built for very different jobs. One is a swim-first design with a sealed body and onboard storage. The other is a comfort-first sports headset with a longer battery and a featherweight frame. Reading the specs side by side, the real dividing line is how wet you plan to get.
• Soveign's biggest strength: an IPX8 waterproof build with the whole earphone wrapped in waterproof silicone, plus a 32GB MP3 mode so you can leave the phone behind in the water. Biggest trade-off: Bluetooth is limited underwater, so you must switch to MP3 mode when swimming, and the spec sheet lists touch controls with no battery figure.
• BETAHEAR's biggest strength: a 29g ultra-light body, 10 hours of continuous playback, and up to 240 hours standby with Bluetooth 5.3. Biggest trade-off: it's sweat-resistant, not swim-rated, so it's built for workouts and weather, not laps.
• Who Soveign is for: swimmers and divers who want music in the pool and don't want to carry a phone.
• Who BETAHEAR is for: runners, cyclists and hikers who want all-day comfort and awareness of their surroundings.
• The short version: Soveign wins on water; BETAHEAR wins on weight and runtime.
Soveign is the one to look at if water is the whole point. The spec sheet rates it IPX8, which is the deepest of the common water-resistance ratings, and the design wraps the whole earphone in waterproof silicone rather than just coating the shell. That's a meaningful difference for anyone who has killed a pair of "water resistant" earbuds in a pool. The listing is clear that you should use MP3 mode while swimming, because Bluetooth signals don't travel well through water — so this is a headphone that expects you to load your music first and leave the phone in your bag.
The second thing that stands out is the 32GB of built-in memory. As an MP3 player it holds thousands of songs, so the entire workout soundtrack lives on the headset itself. For swimming, that's not a gimmick; it's the feature that makes the product work at all, since you can't stream through the water. It's also genuinely useful for gym sessions, cycling and hiking where you'd rather not carry a phone.
The frame is another point in its favor. Soveign says the band bends through a full 360 degrees without breaking, and the joint in the middle — the part that usually fails on neckband headphones — is called out specifically as reinforced. You can bend it to sit where you want it rather than fighting a fixed shape. In my opinion, that adjustability plus the sealed body is exactly what a swimmer needs, because a headset that shifts mid-stroke is useless.
Who should skip it? If you mostly run or cycle and never get in the water, you're paying for waterproofing you won't use, and you're taking on the MP3-mode compromise for no reason. The spec sheet also lists touch controls here versus the physical buttons mentioned in the feature copy, so if you specifically want tactile, pressable buttons, double-check that detail before buying. And the data sheet doesn't quote a battery life, so if runtime is your top priority, BETAHEAR has the clearer answer.
BETAHEAR is the everyday athlete's headset. At 29g it's described as aviation lightweight, and the neckband uses a memory titanium alloy with a food-grade silicone pad that bends 360 degrees without deforming. That combination — almost nothing on your head plus a skin-friendly pad — is what makes open-ear headphones tolerable for hour after hour. If you've ever taken earbuds out after a long ride because they started to ache, this is the design that fixes it.
The battery is the headline number: 10 continuous hours of music, calls and podcasts, with standby up to 240 hours. That's a full week of commutes or several long rides between charges, and it's the kind of figure that matters more than any single spec for a daily-use headset. Bluetooth 5.3 handles the connection, and there's a built-in mic for calls.
The safety angle is worth taking seriously too. Because the drivers sit outside your ear canal, you keep hearing traffic, other runners and your surroundings while music plays — BETAHEAR frames this as helping avoid potential dangers, and that's the honest reason open-ear designs have taken off with cyclists and runners. There's also a stated frequency range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz, which covers the full audible span on paper.
The trade-off is right there in the wording: sweat-resistant, not waterproof. That's fine for running, cycling, hiking, driving and gym work, and it's fine in rain or heavy sweat. It is not a swimming headphone, and no amount of wishing will change that. The data sheet also lists no active noise control, so don't expect isolation — the open-ear design is deliberately the opposite of that. And there's no onboard memory here, so you'll always be paired to a phone or player.
• Best for swimming and diving → Soveign Waterproof Headphones. The IPX8 rating and fully silicone-wrapped body are built for submersion.
• Best for all-day battery → BETAHEAR Bone Conduction Headphones. 10 hours of playback and up to 240 hours standby.
• Best for leaving your phone behind → Soveign Waterproof Headphones. 32GB of onboard storage holds thousands of songs in MP3 mode.
• Best for the lightest possible fit → BETAHEAR Bone Conduction Headphones. 29g with a memory titanium band and silicone pad.
• Best for running, cycling and hiking → BETAHEAR Bone Conduction Headphones. Sweat-resistant, open-ear and designed to keep you aware of traffic.
• Best for gym, pool and water sports → Soveign Waterproof Headphones. The one spec that decides this matchup.
• Best for adjustable fit → both, but for different reasons. Soveign bends 360 degrees to sit right in water; BETAHEAR bends 360 degrees without deforming for comfort.
• Best for calls → BETAHEAR Bone Conduction Headphones. A built-in mic is listed; Soveign's sheet emphasizes one-button media and call control.
If I had to pick one, I'd pick based on where you sweat. For anyone whose main sport happens in or around water, I'd buy the Soveign Waterproof Headphones — the IPX8 rating, the sealed silicone body and the 32GB MP3 mode solve a problem nothing else in this comparison does, and the reinforced bendable frame is a genuinely smart design for swimming. For everyone else, I'd buy the BETAHEAR Bone Conduction Headphones: 29g, 10 hours of playback and a titanium band make it the better daily companion for running, cycling and commuting. Two good headphones, two completely different jobs. Match the spec to your activity and you'll be happy either way.
FAQ
are headphones waterproof
are headphones water resistant
Very often, yes — water resistance is far more common than true waterproofing. BETAHEAR is sweat-resistant and fine for running, cycling and rain during exercise. Soveign goes further with IPX8, which is the deeper rating and the one you want if the headphone will actually go underwater. Resistance protects against splashes and sweat; it does not mean you can swim with it.
BETAHEAR gives the clearer answer on paper: 10 continuous hours of music, calls and podcasts, with standby up to 240 hours. Soveign's data sheet doesn't quote a runtime figure, and it emphasizes the 32GB MP3 mode instead. If battery life is your deciding factor, BETAHEAR is the safer bet.
Yes — the spec sheet lists running, cycling, gym work, hiking and driving among its uses, and the 360-degree bendable frame adjusts for comfort. Just remember Bluetooth is limited in water, so swimming requires MP3 mode. If you only ever run on dry land, BETAHEAR's lighter build and longer battery may suit you better.
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