We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-28 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want serious sound quality with active noise cancellation for commuting, gaming and everyday listening, choose TANCHJIM MINO ASANO Tench; if you need a waterproof, open-ear headphone you can actually swim with and load your own music onto, choose viyawise B11.
• TANCHJIM MINO ASANO Tench — biggest strength: a proper Hi-Fi setup with a 10mm beryllium-coated dynamic driver, ANC rated up to -45dB, and a 0.086-second low-latency game mode. Biggest trade-off: it's an in-ear design with only IPX4 water resistance, so it's fine for sweat and light rain but not for swimming.
• viyawise B11 — biggest strength: IP68 waterproofing that's submersible in 2 meters of water for up to 2 hours, plus 32GB of built-in MP3 storage. Biggest trade-off: you must switch to MP3 mode underwater because Bluetooth doesn't work in water, and the open-ear design won't isolate you from noise.
• Who TANCHJIM MINO ASANO Tench is for: commuters, gamers and music listeners who want noise cancellation and detailed sound.
• Who viyawise B11 is for: swimmers, runners and cyclists who want to stay aware of their surroundings with music that works in water.
The MINO ASANO Tench is built around sound. It uses a 10mm full-size high-magnet dynamic transducer with a beryllium-coated dome and a PU suspension edge, and TANCHJIM states non-linear distortion stays below 0.1%. In plain terms, that combination is meant to give you a wide dynamic range without the muddiness budget earbuds often have. The tuning is described as smooth ultra-high frequencies, a midrange that balances tightness and softness, and deep bass. If you care about how instruments separate and how vocals sit in the mix, this is the pick of the two by a wide margin.
Then there's the noise cancellation. ANC is rated to reduce noise by up to -45dB, which is the kind of figure that makes a real difference on a bus, a train or in a shopping mall. There's also a Transparency Mode, so you can hear announcements or talk to someone without pulling the earbuds out. For calls, dual microphones with beamforming and wind noise detection feed an ENC system that suppresses background noise. Gaming and video get a dedicated Game Mode that drops latency to a minimum of 0.086 seconds over Bluetooth 5.3, which matters if you've ever noticed audio lagging behind the picture.
Battery life is split by mode. With ANC on, you get up to 5 hours from the earbuds alone and up to 31 hours with the case. In standard mode, that rises to roughly 6 hours from the buds and up to 37 hours total — enough that TANCHJIM frames it as lasting about a week on a single charge for typical use. You can top the case up over USB-C or with any Qi wireless charging pad, which is genuinely convenient. The TANCHJIM app (iOS and Android) lets you set sound presets, build a custom equalizer and remap the touch controls.
Who should buy it? Anyone who treats audio quality and quiet as the priority: daily commuters, people who take a lot of calls, and casual gamers. Who should skip it? Swimmers and anyone who needs a fully submersible headphone. IPX4 covers sweat and light rain, nothing more. And if you dislike things sitting inside your ear canal, this isn't the shape for you.
The viyawise B11 solves a completely different problem. It's a bone conduction, open-ear headphone, which means it sits outside your ear canal and sends sound through your cheekbones. That's the whole point: no in-ear pressure, less ear strain on long sessions, and full awareness of traffic, other runners or your surroundings. If you've ever felt uncomfortable wearing buds for an hour-long run, this design is the reason to look here.
The headline feature is IP68 waterproofing. Viyawise says it resists sweat and rain during sports and is submersible in 2-meter-deep water for up to 2 hours — that's swimming, not just splashing. There's one important catch written into the specs: underwater you must switch to MP3 mode, because Bluetooth doesn't transmit through water. That's exactly why the 32GB of built-in storage exists. It holds up to 8,000 songs, and you load them by connecting the magnetic charging cable to your computer and copying files over like a USB drive. Double-clicking switches between Bluetooth and MP3 modes.
Bluetooth 6.0 handles the wireless side, with low transmission latency and support for connecting to two devices at once. Battery life is up to 10 hours of music, calls and podcasts per charge, and a full recharge takes about 2 hours via the magnetic cable. At just 28 grams, it's light enough to sit under a swim cap, pair with goggles, sunglasses or a bike helmet. A noise-suppressing microphone handles calls, and the package includes earplugs for when you want to block water out of your ears.
Who should buy it? Swimmers first, then runners, cyclists and hikers who want music without blocking out the world. Who should skip it? Anyone whose main goal is immersive listening in a noisy place. Open-ear means you hear everything around you, and there's no active noise cancellation here — just environmental noise reduction on the mic side. If you want to disappear into an album on a plane, this isn't it.
• Best for sound quality → TANCHJIM MINO ASANO Tench. A 10mm beryllium-coated dynamic driver with distortion under 0.1% versus a bone conduction driver — different tools entirely, and TANCHJIM's is the one aimed at critical listening.
• Best for noise cancellation → TANCHJIM MINO ASANO Tench. ANC up to -45dB plus a Transparency Mode. The B11 has no ANC at all by design.
• Best for swimming → viyawise B11. IP68, submersible to 2 meters for up to 2 hours. The MINO is IPX4.
• Best for battery life → viyawise B11. Up to 10 hours on a single charge, though the MINO reaches up to 37 hours total with its case, so it depends on whether you count the case.
• Best for loading your own music → viyawise B11. 32GB of built-in storage and USB drag-and-drop copying. The MINO is a Bluetooth-only listening experience.
• Best for low-latency gaming → TANCHJIM MINO ASANO Tench. Game Mode drops latency to a minimum of 0.086 seconds.
• Best for staying aware of traffic → viyawise B11. The open-ear design keeps your surroundings audible while you run or ride.
• Best for customization → TANCHJIM MINO ASANO Tench. The TANCHJIM app offers EQ presets, a custom equalizer and remappable touch controls.
In my opinion, most people shopping these two should buy the TANCHJIM MINO ASANO Tench. It does more of what a daily headphone needs to do: real Hi-Fi tuning, strong active noise cancellation, low-latency gaming, app-based EQ and a charging case that stretches total playback toward 37 hours. I'd only steer you to the viyawise B11 if swimming is non-negotiable. That IP68 rating and the 32GB MP3 mode are things the MINO simply cannot match, and no amount of sound quality fixes a headphone that can't get in the pool. Decide which of those two problems is actually yours, and the choice makes itself.
FAQ
The TANCHJIM MINO ASANO Tench, clearly. It has active noise cancellation rated up to -45dB and a Transparency Mode. The viyawise B11 is open-ear with environmental noise cancellation on the microphone only — it's designed to let outside sound in.
Yes. It has a noise-suppressing microphone and up to 10 hours of playback for music, calls and podcasts, and Bluetooth 6.0 lets it stay connected to two devices at once.
Pick the MINO if you want immersive sound and quiet on commutes, gaming or calls. Pick the B11 if you swim or want open-ear awareness. For current pricing on either, use the "Check latest price on Amazon" button on this page.
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