Oladance Makes Wearing Headphones Safer With Their New OWS Sports Open Ear Design

Headphone manufacturers had a good year in 2023 with the global market size estimated at over 71 billion dollars! Recent polls suggest that over 50% of all headphones used in 2023 were Apple products including Airpods and Beats Headphones. So how do headphone manufacturers stand apart and get their share? Denon created headphones like their PerL Pro which create a personal audio profile to optimize the sound quality of headphones to suit the user's unique hearing abilities. Audioholics President, Gene Della Sala called the PerL Pro, “the BEST IEM experience I've ever had regardless of price!”. Other headphone manufacturers have focused on specific technology such as immersive sound, noise cancellation or bone conduction.

Headphone manufacturer, Oladance, is looking at a safer way to listen to your music while biking or running with an open ear headphone design. Unlike bone conduction headphones which transmit sound through cartilage and bone, open-ear headphones transmit sound through the air, but above the ear canal, rather than in it.  Bone-conducting headphones are said to have risks of damaging auditory nerves and may even cause vertigo, so many sports enthusiasts are looking for a safer alternative.

For the last five years, Oladance has been a leader in the research and development of open wearable headphones with their OWS (Open Wearable Stereo) series of earphones and says, “Our innovative audio products are designed to amplify your perception of the world, offering a more immersive, engaging experience.”

I’ve come across other manufacturers that have played around with open-ear technology and have seen limited success.  The common complaints I’ve had are similar to bone conduction headphones like isolation problems and diminished sound quality compared to in-ear headphones. Oladance claims that they have overcome most of the obstacles of open-ear headphones with their newest release, the OWS Sports ($180). The OWS Sports are made from a premium silicone material that wraps around your neck and ears to provide “a more comfortable and healthy listening experience, helping you avoid discomfort and potential hearing loss from wearing headphones.”

Many audiophiles may eschew the open ear design because of potential sound loss, but Oladance is embracing the design, opting for the extra safety that keeps you connected to your surroundings such as cars approaching cyclists and other environmental issues. Oladance also points out the hygienic health benefits of over-ear headphones since, let’s be honest, most of us rarely clean and disinfect our earbud surrounds.

We believe that technology should enhance your life in a more positive, more natural way. Our goal is to help you connect with the world around you in fresh and exciting ways.

--Oladance

To increase the sound quality over other over-ear devices, Oladance has incorporated a high-quality Qualcomm chip and two 23mm x 10mm oversized drivers. The headphones also come with a patented Virtual Bass algorithm that’s designed to enhance low-frequency sounds. The new OWS Sports is reputed to have 15 hours of battery life with their self-developed 150mAh battery with what they call "Energy Lock" technology to lock in power. Although I’ve never reviewed an over-the-ear headphone like the Sports, I’ve reviewed in-ear headphones that suffered from wind noise issues while bike riding. Oladance says they have resolved this problem with optimized wind noise reduction technology together and a patented environmental noise canceling (ENC) algorithm to minimize unwanted environmental waves.

With a smart anti-sound leakage system the OWS Sports allows the sound to be focused and enter your ears more accurately, giving you a private listening experience and peace during your exercise.

--Oladance

What we think of the Oladance OWS Sports

The Oladance Sports come in with an IPX rating of 8 (The highest waterproof rating I have seen of ANY headphone manufacturer), which means that these headphones should be practically waterproof. Oladance says they can withstand two-meter immersion in water for up to thirty minutes. By comparison, Apple Airpods Pro have an IPX4 rating which makes them barely splash proof.

The earbuds do not have a charging case. Instead, Oladance opted to charge with a proprietary cable that magnetically attaches to the headphones themselves. To say that I really dislike proprietary cables is an understatement. I practically have a recurring monthly Amazon order for Lightning cables at our house. What happens if these get lost or destroyed?

The neckstrap might bother some people who are used to diminutive earbuds and I also have concerns with the over-the-ear design letting in outside noises, but I do like that they come with some equalizer settings to adjust the earbuds to your preferred sound. I also like the open design concept which should achieve some level of environmental awareness while exercising outdoors which is the ultimate goal of this product.  

The Oladance Sports are now available in Endorphin Silver, Hormone Yellow, Epinephrine Gray, and Dopamine Pink on Amazon and Oladance.com for $179.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.