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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 wrap around earbuds that hooks over your ear and can be pulled off and left dangling around your neck between sets, choose Xmenha Sport Neck Headphones; if you need clip-on open-ear buds that let traffic and gym announcements through while staying locked on your ear, choose Baseus Bowie Series Open.
• Xmenha Sport Neck Headphones — biggest strength: an ear-hook plus neckband combination. The buds hook over the ear, and the band lets you pull them off mid-workout and hang them around your neck instead of pocketing them.
• Xmenha Sport Neck Headphones — biggest trade-off: it's a traditional in-ear build with sound isolation, so it plugs your ear canal and blocks outside noise rather than letting it in.
• Baseus Bowie Series Open — biggest strength: a true open-ear clip design. Nothing enters your ear canal, and the spec sheet backs it with IP67 dust/water protection plus a very long playtime figure.
• Baseus Bowie Series Open — biggest trade-off: open-ear means you hear everything around you, including traffic and treadmill noise, and there's no active noise control listed at all.
• Who each one is for: Xmenha for the runner or lifter who wants secure over-ear hooks and doesn't mind sealing off the world; Baseus for commuters, outdoor walkers and gym-goers who want awareness and a nearly weightless clip-on fit.
The Xmenha Sport Neck Headphones is built around one idea: keep the buds on your head no matter how hard you move. Instead of relying on a tip jammed into your ear canal alone, it adds ear hooks and ear loops that wrap around the outside of the ear. That's the "wrap around earbuds" approach in its most literal form — the hook is the retention system. If you've ever had a bud pop out mid-sprint or while racking a barbell, this is the design that addresses it directly.
The second half of that idea is the neckband. When you finish a set or step off the treadmill, you pull the buds out and let the band hang around your neck. You're not hunting for a case, and you're not setting them down on a bench where they can disappear. Xmenha frames this as never having to worry about losing the earbuds, and for gym use that's a genuinely practical detail.
On the audio and connection side, the sheet lists Bluetooth 5.3 for a faster, more stable link, smart noise cancelling for calls, and a carbon fiber composite diaphragm paired with a large dynamic acoustic driver for stereo sound. It's rated IPX4 for water and sweat resistance, so it handles sweat and light spray but isn't built for heavy rain or washing. The enclosure is plastic, controls are button-based, and the noise control type is listed as sound isolation — meaning it's a sealed in-ear fit that physically blocks outside sound.
Buy it if you run, lift or train hard and want hooks plus a neckband as a backup retention method, and you actually prefer a sealed fit. Skip it if you need to hear traffic, announcements or a training partner, or if you want the highest water protection rating. In my opinion, this is a workout-first pair, not an all-day wear pair.
The Baseus Bowie Series Open goes the opposite direction. These are clip-on open-ear earbuds, and the U-ring design plus an ergonomic C-ring with memory titanium wire is what keeps them on. Nothing goes inside your ear canal. The bud rests against the outside of your ear and the ring wraps around it — that's the "wrap around" in the name, and it's why the fit stays put without squeezing.
Weight is the headline number here: 5.1 g per earbud. Baseus pairs that with detachable CloudComfort 2.0 air cushions in multiple sizes, so you can swap the silicone cushion to match your ear shape and relieve pressure. For anyone who finds in-ear buds painful after an hour, that combination — light weight, soft silicone, no canal insertion — is the whole argument.
The spec sheet is unusually detailed on battery. Baseus lists 11.5 hours per charge, up to 55 hours total with SuperBass 3.0 on, and a 10-minute quick charge that yields 3 hours of playtime. Water protection is IP67, which is a step above splash resistance — dust-tight and able to handle sweat and rain. Audio is a dynamic driver measuring 11 mm with a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency response, 16 ohm impedance, and LDAC Hi-Res support. Bluetooth is version 6.0 with a listed 10-meter range.
Calls get four directional beamforming microphones with AI enhancement aimed at cutting background and wind noise. Controls are push buttons. The carrying case measures 6.5 × 5.5 cm and weighs 43 g. There's no active noise control listed — that's deliberate, because open-ear design is about awareness, not blocking. Baseus also lists a 2-year warranty.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for hard workouts where buds fall out → Xmenha Sport Neck Headphones. Ear hooks plus ear loops plus a neckband is three layers of retention.
• Best for all-day comfort → Baseus Bowie Series Open. At 5.1 g per bud with no ear-canal insertion and swappable air cushions, it's designed to be forgotten about.
• Best for hearing your surroundings → Baseus Bowie Series Open. Open-ear is the entire point; Xmenha's sealed fit does the reverse.
• Best for battery life → Baseus Bowie Series Open. 11.5 hours per charge, up to 55 hours total, plus a 10-minute quick charge for 3 hours.
• Best for water and sweat protection → Baseus Bowie Series Open. IP67 versus IPX4 on the Xmenha.
• Best for call clarity in wind → Baseus Bowie Series Open. Four beamforming mics with AI noise reduction are listed; Xmenha lists smart noise cancelling for calls but no mic array detail.
• Best for keeping track of your earbuds at the gym → Xmenha Sport Neck Headphones. The neckband means they hang on you instead of vanishing.
• Best for hi-res audio codec support → Baseus Bowie Series Open. LDAC is listed; Xmenha emphasizes its driver materials instead.
I'd buy the Baseus Bowie Series Open. The open-ear clip design, 5.1 g weight, IP67 rating, LDAC support and 55-hour total playtime cover more of the situations most people actually use earbuds in — commuting, walking, gym sessions and long days where in-ear pressure becomes annoying. The awareness factor is genuinely useful outdoors. That said, I'd pick the Xmenha Sport Neck Headphones without hesitation if my priority were keeping buds physically attached during hard running or lifting and I preferred a sealed fit. Different jobs, different answers.
FAQ
how to wear wrap around earbuds
It depends on which type you have. The Xmenha uses ear hooks and loops that go over and around the outside of your ear, with the neckband behind your neck. The Baseus Bowie Series Open is an open-ear clip: the U-ring and C-ring wrap around the outer ear, and the bud rests outside the ear canal rather than inside it.
Both pairs are button-controlled, so playback, track skipping and call answering are handled with presses on the earbuds rather than touch gestures. Xmenha lets you pull the buds out and hang them around your neck when you're not listening. Baseus supports LDAC Hi-Res audio and a quick charge that gives 3 hours of playtime from a 10-minute top-up.
how to wrap string around earbuds
I wouldn't recommend wrapping anything around either pair. The Xmenha already has a built-in neckband that does the job of keeping the buds together, and the Baseus is a wireless clip-on design with a 43 g carrying case for storage. Adding string or cord risks stressing the ear hooks, the memory titanium wire in the Baseus C-ring, or the silicone cushions.
how to wrap earbuds around tech deck
Neither product is designed for that, and I'd avoid it. The Baseus C-ring uses memory titanium wire that's meant to flex around your ear, not to be bent onto other objects, and the Xmenha's ear hooks and plastic enclosure aren't built to take that kind of repeated stress either. Use the included case or the neckband for storage instead.
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See also: Xmenha Sport Neck Headphones vs ZXQ Lapel-Clip Neckband, Baseus Bowie MC1 vs JotVira Ear Monitor Headphones, Xmenha Open Ear Over vs OLLSPAKER Sport Earbuds