February 26, 2023
earphones for running
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Apple AirPods
It seems like Apple AirPods are a great option for running as they stay in the ear perfectly
[1]
[2]
, have great sound quality
[5]
, and don't fall out
[9]
. People also say that they can leave their phone at home since the AirPods connect to it automatically
[2]
. Furthermore, the noise cancelling feature of the AirPods Pro makes them a great choice for those who want to be able to hear ambient noise
[9]
.
Jabra Elite Sport Wireless Earbuds
People say that Jabra Elite Sport Wireless Earbuds have amazing sound quality
[3]
, and that they don't feel like they're going to fall out
[3]
. They are also good with sweat
[3]
, and offer great battery life
[6]
. Compared to other wireless earbuds in the notes, Jabra Elite Sport Wireless Earbuds seem to offer a good balance between sound quality and durability, while also staying secure in the ears during running.
Plantronics BackBeat Fit
Plantronics BackBeat Fit seems to be a great choice for earphones for running. It's earhooks keep them in place while running
[3]
, and it has decent sound quality
[6]
. Additionally, it has no noise cancellation
[7]
, so you can still hear your surroundings. People say that it's good with sweat
[3]
, and its battery life is decent
[7]
.
Aftershokz Trekz Titanium
It seems people are quite happy with the Aftershokz Trekz Titanium headphones
[1]
for running. They have excellent bone conduction technology which allows you to still hear the world around you
[1]
, and they stay put comfortably when running
[3]
. They also have good sound quality
[1]
, and some people even use them for marathon training and races
[5]
. People seem to appreciate their toughness and good battery life too
[3]
. However, it's important to note that they don't provide noise cancellation, and the sound quality isn't great when compared to other options such as AirPods Pro
[8]
or Jabra Elite Active 75t
[8]
.
Taotronics Wireless On-Ear Headphones
It seems that Taotronics Wireless On-Ear Headphones are an option for running, as they have Bluetooth which apparently is steady and doesn't move around
[5]
, and good sound quality
[7]
. People say that they are tough and have a good battery life
[3]
, making them a good choice for average runs. Compared to Aftershokz wireless earbuds, the Taotronics Wireless On-Ear Headphones don't provide the same situational awareness as the earbuds don't block out sound, but you can still hear your surroundings
[5]
.
All answers
Bone Conduction Technology
Comfort and Fit
Sound Quality
Apple Earbuds
[1]
, Apple AirPods
[1]
, Plantronics BackBeat Fit
[1]
, Aftershokz Trekz Titanium headphones
[1]
, Taotronics Wireless On-Ear Headphones
[1]
, Jabra Elite Sport Wireless Earbuds
[1]
, and JBL Reflect Mini BT
[1]
all offer good sound quality when running. However, Apple's sound quality is generally considered superior to the other options.
Connectivity
Apple AirPods Pro
[2]
have noise cancellation as well as automatic connection with iPhones, making them a great option if you have an iPhone or iPad. Samsung Galaxy Buds
[2]
also connect automatically but only to Android devices and have an ambient noise feature. The Plantronics Backbeat Fit
[2]
, on the other hand, has no noise cancellation but is good for average runs.
Jump to top
Research
Source: "Best running headphones. What do you use/recomm..." (from reddit, r/running)
-
Trekz AfterShokz
- Bone conduction headphones
- Hear ambient noises
- Comfortable
-
Bose Soundsport Wireless
- Water resistant
- No pesky cords or bouncy pieces of plastic/metal around your neck and collar bone
- Battery life is good
-
Mpow Magneto
- Cheap
- Comes with lots of different ear adaptors
- Sound quality fine
-
AirPods
- Need an Apple device to set up the tap shortcuts and to update firmware
-
Plantronics Backbeat FIT
- A little pricier than the various budget Chinese pairs
- Comfortable and don’t leave any bouncing/dangling wires
- Battery is great
- Allows you to hear bikes and cars coming up behind you
- Sound quality is pretty reasonable for a pair of in-ear headphones
-
Powerbeats pro
- Best ever used
-
Jabra Elite 65T active
- Highly recommend
-
Jaybird Tarah Pro
- Not cheap
- Handle a lot
- Take them with me when running in the rain
-
Plantronics Backbeat FIT
- A little pricier than the various budget Chinese pairs
- Comfortable and don’t leave any bouncing/dangling wires
- Battery is great
- Allows you to hear bikes and cars coming up behind you
- Sound quality is pretty reasonable for a pair of in-ear headphones
-
Samsung Gear X
- Wireless
-
Anker Soundbuds Slim
- Not too expensive
-
Jaybird Tarah Pro
- Super light and designed for running
- Waterproof
- 14 hour battery
-
Samsung Gear X
- Don’t bounce around or fall out
-
Anker Soundbuds Slim
- Not too expensive
Source: "Do AfterShokz headphones live up to the hype?" (from reddit, r/running)
-
AfterShokz headphones
- Stay in place and don’t slip out
- Can have a conversation and still hear everything around them
- Can hear the ambient noise and traffic
- Safe for running
- Can be uncomfortable for some people
- Sound quality is not audiophile
- Can overpower with passing cars
-
Plantronics Backbeat Fit
- Not open ear, but also don’t totally seal outside sound out
- Good compromise between situational awareness and sound quality
- Good with sweat
- Comfortable
- Decent sound quality
-
Jaybird Run, Jaybird X3, Jaybird X4, Denso, Yubuds
- Wired and wireless
- Quality varies
- Can slip out of ear canal
-
Other
- Foam earplug trick to block ambient noise and hear dialog through bone conduction
- Potential issues with moisture and charging port with AfterShokz
Source: "AirPods 3 review: A no-brainer, unless you hate..." (from reddit, r/apple)
-
Apple AirPods Gen 3
- Noise Cancelling (ANC) is a standard feature for higher-end average consumer headphones
- ANC can be switched off
- Transparency mode is well-done
- Ear tips can be changed for a different sound signature
- Shape and fit is slightly different to Gen 1/2
-
Apple AirPods Gen 2
- Fit perfectly and never come loose
- No noise cancellation
- Not as high sound quality or features as Gen 3
- Price has been slashed and kept in the market
-
Apple AirPods Pro
- Noisy Cancellation (ANC)
- Transparency mode
- Silicone tips can cause discomfort and make it difficult to get a good seal
- Shape and fit is bigger than Gen 1/2
Source: "Best true wireless earbuds for sound quality an..." (from reddit, r/Earbuds)
-
Galaxy Buds and Airpods
- Great sound
- Comfortable
- Will stay in when exercising
- Smaller sized case
- Both iPhone and android compatible
-
Around $200 budget
- Galaxy Buds Pro or Buds 2
- Good sound quality
- Don’t have an app for iOS
- Airpods Pro could also work, but no full functionality on Android
-
Jabra 85t
- Decent choice, but not good for noise blocking
- Poor performance with wind noise
-
Liberty 3 Pro
- Fit all requirements, but large size
- Semi-open design
- Poor performance with wind noise
- Questionable stock tuning
-
Sony WF-1000XM4
- Better ANC and battery life
- iOS compatibility
- Comfort and fit security can be hit or miss
-
Earfun Free Pro 2 or Soundcore Life A2 NC
- Great sound
- Comfortable
- Wings to stay in place while exercising
- Small case
- Well under budget
Source: "Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3100 and my impressions" (from reddit, r/headphones)
-
Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3100
- Fit: Stay in the ears very well, only single size available
- Sound: SBC codec only, open back nature causes loss of bass
- Remote control: customizable, primary earbud control is play/pause and answer/end call, secondary earbud control is customizable between volume control, voice assistant, headset status, timer, tell time, stopwatch, Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, primary earbud connects to phone and then connects to secondary earbud
- Connection strength: Can listen to music with little or no issues in stationary indoor exercise, public transport, and at home; cutting in and out in certain outdoor places
- Phone calls: Caller can hear user just fine, open back nature makes it difficult to hear caller in noisy settings, no wind or ambient noise canceling features
- Wireless convenience: Switching not as fluid as AirPods, auto-off not automatic, need to long-press lightning button in charging case
- BackBeat app: No settings for separate EQ or Hi-Res playback, customize secondary touch button, enable or disable “HD Voice” for voice calls
-
Anker SoundBuds Sport NB10
- Exchangeable tips, good sound quality, not as expensive as Plantronics
💭 Looking into
Are there any earphones specifically designed for running that have a low profile and are resistant to sweat?
💭 Looking into
What are the best earphones for running in terms of sound quality, comfort, and safety?
💭 Looking into
What is the battery life of the Apple AirPods?
💭 Looking into
What is the wireless range of the Insignia Wireless Earbud Headphones?
💭 Looking into
What is the noise-cancellation rating of the Apple Earbuds?
💭 Looking into
What is the water resistance rating of the Plantronics BackBeat Fit?
💭 Looking into
How long is the battery life on the Aftershokz Trekz Titanium headphones?
Source: "Best Headphones For Running?" (from reddit, r/running)
-
Aftershokz
- great for running and other activities
- don’t block out sound
- customer service is great
-
Plantronics Backbeat Fit
- earhooks keep them in place while running
- good sound quality
- no noise cancellation
-
Jabra Elite Active 75t
- good fit and stay in place
- hear-through feature so you can still hear your surroundings
-
Anker Soundcore Spirit X
- good sound quality
- 18 hour battery life
- no control buttons for audio on headphones
-
Apple AirPods Pro
- noise cancellation
- stay in place when wet
-
JLaB Air Buds
- good sound quality
-
Regular AirPods
- comfortable and not noise-cancelling
-
Headband with earbuds
- can keep earbuds in place while running
Source: "Best running headphones. What do you use/recomm..." (from reddit, r/running)
-
Aftershokz
- Stay on, comfortable, don’t block outside noises (bikes, other runners etc), sound fine, decent charge/playing time
- Super comfortable, don’t hear your own steps, can use them to chat as they have a built in mic
- Can hear surroundings plus can use them to chat as they have a built in mic
- Amazing comfort, great sound, incredible battery life, and you can still hear your surroundings for safety
- Can have them on all day and don’t notice them
- Can hear everything going on around me
- Can turn them up louder than is comfortable
- They also work great for phone calls
- Can be used for marathon training and races
- Can be used for 17 hours during an ultra
- Can get pretty loud, can hear all music with ambient noise
- Can be used for audiobooks
- So amazingly comfortable, can hold a conversation fine
- Imperative to be able to hear your surroundings
- Very comfortable, hear everything going on around me
- Battery is impressive
- Very happy with the decision
- Great customer service
- Don’t get wax on them, don’t irritate your ears when you sweat
- Sound is good volume wise and crystal clear
- People nearby also can’t hear your music and it’s not damaging your ear drums
- Best part is they don’t get wax on them, don’t irritate your ears when you sweat and are so much safer
- Don’t use them for music
-
AirPod Pros
- They fall out of my ears very quickly
- Volume wise and crystal clear
- Can leave my phone at home
- Very good
- Fall out of my ears very quickly
- Get slippery af when sweating
- Best use is for when you want to be able to hear ambient noise
Source: "Best earphones /headphones to run?" (from reddit, r/running)
-
Aftershokz Aeropex
- Situational awareness can’t be beat
- Can wear with hat or headband
- Yoga, dog walks, household tasks
- Not great sound quality
- Can’t block background noise
-
Powerbeats Pro
- Good battery life
- Nice pumping bass and sound quality
- Charging issue
-
AirPods Pro
- Transparency mode
- Never fall out
- Great sound quality
- Excellent battery life
- Durable
-
Jaybird
- Don’t fall out
- Good sound quality
- Sweat resistant
-
Jabra Elite 75t
- Good and engaging sound
- Great battery
- Water resistant
- Good for phone calls
- Reasonably priced
-
Beats Earbuds
- Cheap
- Good sound quality
- Don’t fall out
-
Samsung Galaxy Buds
- Good sound quality
- Don’t fall out
- Ambient noise feature
-
Plantronics Backbeat Fit
- Good for average run
-
Aftershokz Trekz Air
- Comfortable
- Good sound quality
- Chewing gum like stickiness
Source: "Best running headphones?" (from reddit, r/running)
-
Aftershokz Trekz Titanium headphones
- Bone conduction technology allows you to still hear the world around you
- Can filter dealers who have demo models to try
- Comfortable and stay put
- Good sound quality
-
Plantronics BackBeat Fit
- Practically indestructible
- Decent battery life
- Good sound quality
-
Apple Earbuds
- Perfect shape to stay in ear
- Good sound quality
-
Insignia Wireless Earbud Headphones
- Connects to phone automatically
- Sound not as good as Apple’s
-
Apple AirPods
- Stay in ear perfectly
- Great sound quality
-
Taotronics Wireless On-Ear Headphones
- Bluetooth is steady and don’t move around
- Good sound quality
-
Jabra Elite Sport Wireless Earbuds
- Amazing sound quality
- Don’t feel like they’re going to fall out
- Good with sweat
-
JBL Reflect Mini BT
- Tough
- Good battery life
- Good sound quality
Source: "Best running headphones. What do you use/recomm..." (from web, www.reddit.com)
-
Tuesday Shoesday
- This is a weekly thread that users can use to ask questions about running-related topics, including earphones for running.
-
Gear sale/trade
- This is a subreddit where users can post about buying or selling running-related equipment, including earphones for running.
-
Shoes for Running
- This is a subreddit where users can post questions and discuss running-related topics, including earphones for running.
💭 Looking into
What are the best earphones for running?