A great set of workout headphones can energize you with heart-pumping audio. Whether you opt for an over-ear headphone or a pair of unobtrusive earbuds, listening to music during a workout can power you to a new personal best. In fact, research from the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology notes motivational music can help you push through fatigue—and the American Council on Exercise confirms music boosts endurance by up to 15% during a workout. The best workout headphones make an excellent motivational companion to accompany your workouts.
Our advice: Get a pair of high-quality, comfortable and sweat resistant Bluetooth wireless headphones or earbuds specifically designed for people who maintain an active lifestyle. We’ve rounded up 5 of the best headphones and earbuds for working out, along with some additional helpful advice below. All of these models are great choices for highly active, fitness-minded people.
Wissonly Hi Runner
This is the fastest growing brand in the past six months. It may not be much famous, but in the field of bone conduction headphones they are proper technical experts. Their team began to develop bone conduction headphones that do not hurt the ear as early as 10 years ago. With an excellent bone conduction vibration unit optimization program, It became famous very soon in the field of bone conduction. It has been recommended by the majority of otologists!
Due to the particularity of the technical principle, bone conduction headphones are more difficult to be improved in sound quality. Wissonly Hi Runner team subverted the traditional sound quality scheme, made a breakthrough to use large wire-frame vibration unit. They through structural optimization improved the effective vibration area, thereby improved the vibrator sound efficiency, made the sound more shocking and powerful, they optimized the sound transmission direction, reduced the sound loss during sound transmission, and made the sound quality more concentrated. In terms of comfort, the overall body of the Hi Runner is made of high-tech hypoallergenic silicone material, which does not contain chemical components to avoid allergies. The overall feel is as silky as baby's skin, avoiding uncomfortable wearing for a long time.
In terms of functions, as the flagship model of Wissonly bone conduction headphones, Hi Runner has an IPX8 waterproof grade which is higher than the industry standard. It is equipped with 32G body memory, and uses the latest Bluetooth 5.0 chip, which makes the connection more stable. The battery life is also very good, lasts 8-10 hours of continuous playback at normal volume, and supports magnetic fast charging. It only takes 2 hours to fully charge.
Jabra Elite 7 Active
What sets these Jabra Elite 7 Active earbuds apart is their very intentional design for active lifestyles. They’re small and light, weighing just 0.19 ounces. Whether you’re running, biking or bouncing around, these earbuds will stay firmly in your ears thanks to a liquid silicon rubber coating Jabra dubs “ShakeGrip.” That same secure fit enhances the active noise cancellation (ANC), which uses six microphones and has wind protection—useful if your workout activities are outdoors. The ANC turns on and off with the tap of a finger. And if you want to hear the ambient noise around you, Jabra’s adjustable HearThrough transparency mode can let that noise in as needed. In addition, you can customize the ANC using the Jabra Sound+ mobile app. This model’s adjustable ANC and HearThrough are features lacking in other, more pricey earbuds in Jabra’s lineup.
OnePlus Buds Z2
The OnePlus Buds Z2 provide a punch far above their reasonable price. These wireless earbuds have it all: active noise cancellation and wind resistance, a comfortable and secure fit, water and sweat resistance and even Dolby Atmos spatial audio support. These wireless earbuds’ built-in microphones continuously analyze your surrounding area and virtually eliminate ambient noise by producing noise-cancelling counter-frequencies (up to 40 dB noise reduction). But if you want to hear what’s happening around you, switch to transparency mode in a few taps.
Using the earbuds alone, you get up to five hours of continuous listening. The quick-charge case gives another five-hour boost per 10-minutes of charge, up to 33 hours of additional battery life. The sensors built into these buds’ are sensitive, to the point of sometimes accidentally activating features. These earbuds are an excellent value and sound great for the price. Check out Forbes Vetted’s full review.
JBL Endurance Race Earbuds
The JBL Endurance Race earbuds are terrific running companions, with a wingtip to enhance its snug fit in-ear. These earbuds’ design helps them stay in place and not pop out, even as you get moving. Prepare to rock out with JBL Pure Bass and an adjustable equalizer (via mobile app). The battery lasts a strong 10 hours, while the charging case holds 20 more hours in reserve—and can quick charge an extra hour of playtime in just 10 minutes.
Change the volume, skip to the next track, answer a call with simple taps or access your choice of supported voice assistants (Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa). The earbuds lack active noise cancellation, but have an “Ambient Aware” feature which lets you hear what's happening around you.
Zygo Solo
The Zygo Solo works very differently than traditional wireless headphones. These headphones use bone conduction technology and wrap behind your head, perfect for swimmers who get fully submerged in the water. The Solo connects to a separate wireless transmitter which then pairs (wirelessly) with your smartphone. Whatever audio your smartphone generates, you can hear when wearing the headset—even if you’re up to two feet underwater and up to 50 feet from the transmitter. The included transmitter also works for one-way communication between a coach and the swimmer, for example (live swim workout coaching available via Zygo’s app). Because the headset uses bone conduction, the swimmer can still hear what’s happening around them. The mobile app for this headset has built in guided workouts for swimmers along with curated playlists; the app’s services cost $15 a month, or $120 paid annually.
What To Consider When Buying Workout Headphones
A number of factors go into choosing headphones or earbuds which match your day-to-day needs while providing amazing audio accompaniment for your workouts or physical activities.
Activity
Consider the activities and environments you want to use your headphones or earbuds. If your head will be in constant and rapid motion, a secure fit is essential. For some scenarios, an over-ear headphone makes sense; in others, earbuds can work just as well, if not better.
Style
After determining if you want over-ear headphones or in-ear earbuds from a fit point of view, focus on the unique style and appearance each option offers. Available functions is as important as how they look when you’re wearing them.
Wired Versus Wireless
While virtually all earbud options these days are wireless and rely on Bluetooth, headphones typically offer a wireless or wired option. When you’re dealing with wireless options, consider the Bluetooth version the headphones or earbuds support. If you wind up choosing a wired option, consider the length of the cord and whether it supports a 2.5-millimeter, 3.5-millimeter or .25-inch plug.
Noise Cancellation With Transparency Mode
Many earbuds and headphones use active noise cancellation to remove the ambient noise wherever you are. This allows you to focus entirely on the audio you’re listening to and create an immersive listening experience, especially if a spatial audio feature is also utilized. Active noise cancellation zaps more battery life when engaged.
If you’re working out at home, listening to a guided meditation or want to eliminate the loud sounds at a busy gym, active noise cancellation is a great feature. However, if you’ll be running or cycling outside, in and around traffic or other people, blocking out all outside noise can be dangerous. Many earbuds and headphones have a transparency mode of some sort so you can allow some outside noise in as desired.
Water And Sweat Resistance
If you plan to be in or around water or expect to sweat while wearing the headphones or earbuds you choose, sweat and water resistance is essential. Otherwise, even a little bit of moisture could damage your equipment.
Comfort
For people who work out for extended periods on a regular basis, the overall comfort of the earbuds or headphones is an important consideration. Focus on how the equipment feels in or around your ears. You’ll want to ensure a snug fit so you can move freely without the headphones moving around or the earbuds falling out of your ears.
Battery Life
Wireless headphones or earbuds rely on internal batteries to function. Headphones typically have a much larger battery, and thereby much longer battery life, than earbuds.
When evaluating earbuds, you want to know the average battery life using just the earbuds, how much listening time you get after a five or 10-minute quick charge in their case and how much overall listening time you get when the earbuds can fully recharge within their case. Also note the time earbuds last with active noise cancellation enabled.
Audio Playback Technologies
Being able to experience stereo sound from earbuds or headphones is a given. However, some are equipped with added features like adaptive equalizer (which uses integrated microphones to adjust audio output to match the environment’s ambient noise), spatial audio, dynamic head tracking and Dolby Atmos support. Each of these features will directly impact your immersion when listening to audio, as well as the audio quality generated by the device.
Fit
A perfect fit is essential for enjoying an optimal experience with your earbuds or headphones—especially when they have noise reduction or spatial audio. Fit also matter to keep headphones or earbuds in place while you move around; it’s never a good thing for headphones to slide around or get too warm on your ears, or for earbuds to fall out and get lost.
Most earbuds come with multiple ear tips, so you can choose the tips which provide the best fit. Ideally, after a few minutes wearing them, you want to be able to forget the earbuds are in your ears. When it comes to headphones, the best fits come from those with an adjustable headband and over-ear cups which surround your ears with a sound-dampening cushion (on-ear cups sit on the ear instead, and tend to be part of lighter, more portable headphones).
Price
Thanks to sales, technological advancements and competition amongst manufacturers, the price of high-quality earbuds and headphones continues to drop. Meanwhile, the features and functionality built into these devices are becoming more advanced.
For around $200 or less, you can find a high-quality pair of earbuds or headphones to serve as your workout companion at the gym or wherever your fitness activities take you. Expect to pay a premium for name-brand headphones or earbuds from companies like Apple or Bose. While these companies offer excellent-quality products, you can typically find similar products for less money.
