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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want all-day open-ear comfort with an awareness-first design and a dedicated mute button for calls, choose SproutingSound Open Ear; if you need active noise cancelling, a waterproof in-ear seal, and much longer total playtime, choose TOZO NC9. Both are wireless headphones with an ENC mic, but they solve completely different problems. One clips outside your ear and keeps the world in. The other plugs the world out and hands you a charging case that stretches the battery across days.
• SproutingSound Open Ear — biggest strength: open-ear fit that keeps you aware of traffic, coworkers and surroundings, plus Bluetooth V5.4 and a mute button that kills your voice while you still hear the other side.
• SproutingSound Open Ear — biggest trade-off: open-ear design means no active noise cancelling and no charging case, so the 12 hours is the whole story per charge.
• TOZO NC9 — biggest strength: hybrid active noise cancelling rated to 45dB depth, 6-mic ENC for calls, IPX8 waterproofing and up to 60 hours total with the case.
• TOZO NC9 — biggest trade-off: in-ear tips mean you're sealed off from your surroundings unless you switch to Transparent Mode, and the ANC-on playtime drops.
• Buy SproutingSound Open Ear if you run, cycle, drive or sit in meetings and want your ears open and your voice easy to mute.
• Buy TOZO NC9 if you want to block noise on a commute or flight and want a case that keeps the earbuds topped up for days.
The SproutingSound Open Ear is built around one idea: don't block your ears. The earpieces sit outside the ear canal rather than inside it, and the manufacturer's own framing is comfort over long sessions plus safety during running, cycling, hiking and driving. That's the real differentiator here. You hear the car behind you, the announcement at the gate, the colleague walking up behind your desk — while your audio keeps playing. If you've ever pulled an earbud out to hear someone and then fumbled to put it back, this is the design that removes that entire ritual.
On the spec sheet, the connectivity is Bluetooth V5.4 with a 10-meter range, which is the newer version of the two headphones here and brings faster transfer, quicker song switching and lower power draw. The driver is a 15.4mm dynamic diaphragm — physically larger than the 10mm unit in the TOZO — with a 20Hz–20,000Hz range and 16-ohm impedance. The battery is a 100mAh cell charged by a magnetic cable in 1.5 hours for up to 12 hours of playtime. Controls are touch-based for volume and calls, and the ENC system is claimed to suppress around 90% of ambient noise while keeping your voice intact. There's also a mute button, which is the quiet hero for anyone on calls: you can silence your mic without losing the other person's voice.
Who should buy it: office and remote workers who live in meetings, runners, cyclists, drivers, and anyone who dislikes the plugged-up feeling of in-ear buds. Who should skip it: frequent flyers and loud-environment listeners who want the noise around them gone — open-ear acoustics simply don't do that, and there's no charging case to fall back on beyond the 12-hour charge.
The TOZO NC9 goes the opposite direction and does it thoroughly. These are in-ear earbuds with hybrid active noise cancelling rated to a maximum reduction depth of 45dB. That's the headline: on a plane, a train or an open-plan office, the NC9 is designed to remove the noise rather than let it through. Six microphones handle calls with ENC ambient noise reduction, so your voice stays clear while background sound gets filtered. When you do want the outside world back, Transparent Mode pipes it in without you removing the buds.
The audio hardware is a 10mm dynamic driver paired with TOZO's OrigX Acoustic 2.0 tuning, aimed at deep bass and clarity, with 32 EQ presets adjustable in the TOZO app plus a sharing zone for other users' curves. Latency is listed at 60ms, which matters for gaming and video sync. Water resistance is IPX8 — the kind of rating that handles sweat, rain and splashes — and the fit is ergonomic with six sizes of replaceable earcaps. Bluetooth is V5.3 with a 20-meter range, double the SproutingSound's, which gives you more slack to leave your phone on a desk and walk around.
Battery is where the NC9 pulls far ahead. The charging case delivers up to 60 hours total with ANC off and 40 hours with ANC on, and a single charge gives 14 hours with ANC off or 10 hours with ANC on, after a 2-hour full charge. The case has an LED display showing remaining battery. That's a genuinely different ownership experience: you charge the case, not the buds.
Who should buy it: commuters, travelers, gym users, gamers and anyone who wants noise cancelled and a battery that lasts days. Who should skip it: people who specifically want their ears open and unsealed for safety or comfort — in-ear tips are the opposite of that, and Transparent Mode is a workaround, not the same thing as an open design.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → SproutingSound Open Ear. Open-ear placement is the whole point; the TOZO can only approximate it with Transparent Mode.
• Best for battery life → TOZO NC9. Up to 60 hours total with the case and 14 hours per charge beats 12 hours total per charge.
• Best for a single long session without a case → SproutingSound Open Ear. 12 hours from its 100mAh cell is a full workday, and there's nothing extra to carry.
• Best for calls with a hard mute → SproutingSound Open Ear. The mute button silences your mic while you keep hearing the other party; the NC9 leans on its 6-mic ENC array instead.
• Best for workouts, rain and sweat → TOZO NC9. IPX8 waterproofing versus an open design with no water rating listed.
• Best for low-latency gaming and video → TOZO NC9. 60ms audio latency is specified, and the app adds EQ and mode control.
• Best for bigger drivers and newer Bluetooth → SproutingSound Open Ear. 15.4mm drivers and Bluetooth V5.4 versus 10mm and V5.3.
• Best for range from your device → TOZO NC9. 20-meter Bluetooth range versus 10 meters.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the TOZO NC9. In my opinion it's the more complete package for most people: active noise cancelling, IPX8 waterproofing, six mics for calls, app-based EQ, and a charging case that turns a 14-hour earbud into a 60-hour system. The SproutingSound Open Ear is the better choice only if open-ear awareness is non-negotiable for you — running, cycling, driving or a job where you can't seal yourself off. For that specific person, the mute button and the 12-hour single charge are genuinely useful. But as a default daily headphone, the NC9 simply covers more situations. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable I can't weigh for you.
can you use bluetooth headphones as a mic
Yes. Both of these are wireless headphones with an ENC mic built in, so they can pick up your voice for calls and meetings over Bluetooth. The SproutingSound Open Ear adds a mute button that silences your mic while you still hear the other person, and the TOZO NC9 uses a 6-mic ENC array to filter background sound around your voice.
how to use wireless headphones mic on pc
Pair the headphones to your PC over Bluetooth, then open your sound settings and select them as both the output and the input device. The SproutingSound Open Ear uses Bluetooth V5.4 with a 10-meter range; the TOZO NC9 uses Bluetooth V5.3 with a 20-meter range, so you have more room to move from the desk. Then pick the headset as the microphone in your call or meeting app.
do all bluetooth headphones have a microphone
No — a microphone is a feature, not a requirement. What matters is whether the model lists one, and both products here do: the SproutingSound Open Ear has ENC plus a mute button, and the TOZO NC9 has six mics with ENC ambient noise reduction. If a listing doesn't mention a mic or call controls, don't assume one is there.
how to use mic on wireless headphones
Connect over Bluetooth, then check that the headphones are set as the input device on your phone or computer. On the TOZO NC9 the touch controls and the TOZO app handle call and noise modes, including Transparent Mode when you want to hear your surroundings. On the SproutingSound Open Ear, touch controls manage volume and calls, and the dedicated mute button lets you cut your own voice instantly.
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