Oladance OWS Sports headphones review: good fit and fidelity at a high price

I enjoyed testing the Oladance OWS Sports open headphones, which have a secure fit, long battery life and good sound quality, but I didn’t find that they stand out when compared to the best sports headphones I’ve tested, and their high price means you can get better value elsewhere. 

If you want open headphones then the Shokz OpenFit Air are a great option at a lower price, or you could upgrade to the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which offer excellent sound quality for an open design. The best bone conduction headphones like the Shokz OpenRun also offer better value, or you could get a set of in-ear sports buds like the Jabra Elite 4 Active for less than the Oladance OWS Sports as well.

Oladance OWS Sports headphones review: price and availability

The Oladance OWS Sports headphones launched in February 2024 and cost $179.99 / £189.99, which puts them at the more expensive end of the open headphones market, alongside the likes of the Shokz OpenFit and Cleer Arc II. There are open headphones available for a lot less like the Shokz OpenFit Air and 1MORE Fit SE Open Earbuds S30.

Oladance OWS Sports headphones review: design and fit

Unlike most open headphones I’ve tested, the Oladance OWS Sports are not individual buds, but a full headset with a wire running around the back of the head. This connects two earhook-shaped headphones that sit securely on the ear, with a speaker resting near but not blocking the ear canal so you can still hear your surroundings.

I've run over a hundred miles with the headphones, as well as doing other workouts including cycling, strength sessions and yoga, and they have stayed in place throughout, without any fit concerns at all. Although they do hook over the ear I’ve been able to wear them alongside a hat and glasses without them being uncomfortable.

The headphones have an IPX8 rating, which means they are waterproof and can be submerged in water to depths of 2m for 30 minutes. They are not designed for swimming though, because they don’t have internal storage and Bluetooth signal doesn’t travel well in water. The high IP rating does mean you can be sure they’ll withstand any number of sweaty workouts, or outdoor sessions in the rain.

Oladance OWS Sports headphones review: controls

There are two buttons on the right earhook, which control the volume and are also used to turn the headphones on and off, and a multifunction button on the left earhook. You can customize the multifunction button with single, double and triple taps to either control music playback or answer and end calls.

I found that the buttons were easy to use during and outside of workouts, and prefer the physical buttons you get on the Oladance OWS Sports to the touch panels that are becoming common on truly wireless headphones, which I find harder to use especially when the buds are sweaty or wet.

Oladance OWS Sports headphones review: sound quality

Given the open design, which means you don’t get the passive noise isolation of in-ear buds, the Oladance OWS Sports offer good sound quality. The bass is quite powerful, and the sound is full and doesn’t get distorted at all at high volumes. You can customize the sound in the Oladance app as well, which allows you to beef up the bass even further if you like. 

There is also none of the cheek tickle you get from the vibrations of bone conduction headphones, and in general the speaker used here is an upgrade on the sound quality of bone conduction buds. Along with using the headphones during workouts I enjoyed using them for long stretches while working.

When running or cycling in quiet areas, or working out in a gym, I found the sound was loud and clear enough to enjoy, and the open design meant I was aware of what was going on around me. The buds also filter out some wind noise, which was a noticeable benefit when cycling in particular. However, when running by busy roads the sound does get drowned out because of the open design, and it’s a big drawback when using the headphones while traveling.

This is a common problem for all open headphones, as is the fact you can get much cheaper in-ear buds that sound better because of their fit. Many in-ear buds also offer active noise cancellation, which is helpful when traveling. 

Oladance OWS Sports headphones review: battery life

The Oladance OWS Sports have a proprietary charging port which is required to make them waterproof, but it means you can’t sub in other cables should you lose the one in the box. The battery life is very good at 15 hours, and I found that the headphones would hit this mark even if I consistently had the volume raised to the max for outdoor workouts.

Open headphones with individual buds generally now come with a charging case, which you don’t get with the Oladance OWS Sports, but the 15-hour battery life means you can go a week of workouts without needing to plug them in. They also have a quick charge feature that nets you five hours of playback from 15 minutes of charging.

Should you buy the Oladance OWS Sports headphones?

The Oladance OWS Sports are good open sports headphones, but they aren’t exceptional, and the price is too high compared with the competition. You can get the 1MORE Fit SE Open Earbuds S30 for $70, and the Shokz OpenFit Air are $119, and they matched the performance of the Oladance OWS Sports in my testing. 

Some might prefer the headband design of the OWS Spots to individual open buds, but I found the fit just as reliable and prefer the convenience of having two headphones, because you can wear one at a time. Those headphones also come with a carry case that charges the buds.

There are also open headphones I rate more highly for sound quality, in particular the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. These are considerably more expensive than the Oladance OWS Sports but more enjoyable for general use because of the impressive sound.

The best bone conduction headphones also offer an alternative where you get even more awareness, though you do trade off some sound quality compared with the OWS Sports. The Shokz OpenSwim Pro are worth looking at though, because they have MP3 storage along with Bluetooth playback, so you can use them when swimming.