How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a rugged, foldable over-ear headphone you can wear for gym sessions, workouts and everyday wireless listening with a wired backup, choose SUMEE Waterproof Over-Ear Headphones; if you need something you can actually lie down and sleep in — a soft, washable headband with ultra-thin speakers and a light-blocking fit — choose Enjoying Sleep Headphones. They are not rivals so much as two different answers to two different questions.
• SUMEE's biggest strength: a proper over-ear build with a stainless steel slider headband, foldable travel design, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 3.5 mm wired mode when you want zero battery worry.
• SUMEE's biggest trade-off: it is a full-size headphone, so it is bulky for side sleeping and its passive noise cancellation only blocks what the cushions physically cover.
• Enjoying Sleep's biggest strength: a fabric headband with two ultra-thin speakers, a breathable mesh lining, active noise cancellation and a washable band — designed to be worn lying down.
• Enjoying Sleep's biggest trade-off: no wired jack and no folding frame, so it is a sleep and light-sport tool rather than an all-purpose headphone.
• Pick SUMEE if you want one pair of headphones for the gym, the commute and the desk.
• Pick Enjoying Sleep if your real problem is falling asleep next to noise, light or a snoring partner.
The SUMEE pair is built around a simple idea: one headphone that survives a sweaty gym session and still works as a normal wireless headphone afterwards. The enclosure mixes plastic with stainless steel, and the slider headband is the part that usually decides whether a cheap headphone lasts a year or falls apart — steel is the right call there. It folds down too, which matters more than people expect if you actually carry headphones in a bag rather than leaving them on a desk.
On the audio side you get a dynamic driver rated 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz at 32 ohm, paired with a CSR chip and around-ear cushions that SUMEE describes as delivering immersive, hi-fi-style sound. In my opinion the interesting detail is the dual mode: Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless listening with roughly 10 hours of playback and about 250 hours of standby, then a 3.5 mm cable for wired use when the battery runs out or when you want to plug into a device that has no Bluetooth at all. Charging takes about four hours. The claimed Bluetooth range is 33 feet, and the sheet notes that PC or laptop connections need an updated driver and TVs need a separate Bluetooth adapter — worth knowing before you buy.
Controls are touch-based media control, there's a built-in mic for calls, and the fit range covers adults, teens and kids. Passive noise cancellation means the cushions physically block sound; there is no active circuitry cancelling noise for you.
Buy it if you want a foldable, dual-mode over-ear headphone for the gym, running, workouts, travel and general listening, and you like having a cable as a fallback. Skip it if you mainly want to sleep in headphones, if you need active noise cancellation, or if you dislike touch controls.
The Enjoying headband flips the problem around. Instead of asking you to fit a headphone around your head, it puts two ultra-thin speakers inside a soft fabric band that stretches to fit most head sizes. The control module sits in the middle rather than against your ears, so there is nothing pressing on your ear when you roll onto your side. That single design decision is the whole product: side sleepers can barely feel it, and the braided cord plus breathable mesh lining keeps it comfortable through a night.
It also does double duty. The band absorbs sweat and keeps hair out of the way during yoga, running or workouts, and the light-blocking fabric works as an eye mask if you are trying to nap on a plane or in an office. The band is washable once you remove the speakers — that is the detail that separates a sleep headband from a pair of earbuds you keep wiping down.
Battery life is the headline number: about 2 hours to charge, more than 10 hours of playback, on Bluetooth 5.2. The sheet lists active noise cancellation, a built-in microphone, and volume control buttons, so you can take calls and skip tracks without touching your phone. There is no 3.5 mm jack, which means this is strictly a Bluetooth device. It is also the better option if you want to fall asleep to an audiobook or music without waking a partner, or wake to an alarm only you can hear.
Buy it if you struggle to sleep, share a bed with a snorer, want a headband that doubles as a sweatband and eye mask, or want a discrete way to listen while lying down. Skip it if you want a wired option, want full-size over-ear sound, or need headphones for serious gym use where sweat volume and impact are high.
• Best for sleep and side sleeping → Enjoying Sleep Headphones. Ultra-thin speakers and a centred control module mean no pressure on the ear.
• Best for gym, running and workouts with a full-size fit → SUMEE Waterproof Over-Ear Headphones. Around-ear cushions, steel slider headband and a foldable frame.
• Best for battery flexibility → SUMEE Waterproof Over-Ear Headphones. About 10 hours wireless plus a 3.5 mm wired mode; Enjoying Sleep has no jack at all.
• Best for noise control → Enjoying Sleep Headphones. Its sheet lists active noise cancellation, while SUMEE relies on passive blocking from the cushions.
• Best Bluetooth generation → Enjoying Sleep Headphones. Bluetooth 5.2 versus Bluetooth 5.0, which generally means a more stable, more efficient connection.
• Best for charging speed → Enjoying Sleep Headphones. About 2 hours versus about 4 hours for SUMEE.
• Best for travel and packing → SUMEE Waterproof Over-Ear Headphones. The foldable design stores flat; the headband is soft, but it is a band, not a folding headphone.
• Best for sharing a bed or a room → Enjoying Sleep Headphones. Personal audio plus light blocking, without waking anyone next to you.
• Best for a gift with broad appeal → it depends on the person. A teenager or gamer gets more out of the foldable over-ear; a partner, parent or frequent flyer gets more out of the sleep band.
If I had to pick one, I would buy the Enjoying Sleep Headphones — but only because the sleep-and-lie-down job is the harder one to solve, and almost nothing else does it. The headband format, the thin speakers, the centred module, the washable band: that combination is genuinely difficult to substitute. The SUMEE is the more versatile headphone on paper, and it is the one I would recommend for anyone who wants a single pair for the gym, the commute and the desk. So: buy the Enjoying if sleep is the problem, buy the SUMEE if listening is the problem. If you can only justify one purchase, match it to the job you actually do every day — and check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since both sit in very different budget brackets.
FAQ
You can, but the design fights you. It is an over-ear headphone with a stainless steel slider headband and a control module, so it will press against your ear and the frame when you roll onto your side. The Enjoying headband exists precisely because that is uncomfortable.
SUMEE lists around 10 hours of talking time, about 9 hours of average battery life, around 250 hours of standby and about 4 hours to charge. Enjoying Sleep lists more than 10 hours of playback and about 2 hours to charge. In my opinion the charging time is the more meaningful difference day to day.
Not the same kind. SUMEE uses passive noise cancellation — the cushions physically block sound. Enjoying Sleep lists active noise cancellation. Neither is a substitute for dedicated noise-cancelling over-ears, so judge them by fit and blocking rather than the label.
For a teenager, student or gamer, I would lean toward the SUMEE — it folds, connects to phones and tablets, and works wired if needed. For a partner, a light sleeper or someone who travels a lot, the Enjoying headband is the more thoughtful pick.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.
See also: KERWHIS Ear Plugs vs Vosaf Ear Plugs, Avantone Pro Planar Headphones vs SHANLING HW600, HEGVGVB Open Ear Headphones vs TOALLIN Headset, Ururtm Sleeping Headphones Earphones vs Yawsoy Purple Silicone In-Ear