Posts by reececarlos5

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splash-proof).

Both Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds and Sport Earbuds make good workout headphones, thanks to their StayHear Max tips and secure fit, but the Sport Earbuds are more compact and lighter and also more affordable (the QuietComfort Earbuds do have excellent active noise canceling, however).

They have the same  as the QuietComfort Earbuds, are equipped with Bluetooth 5.1 (my connection was rock solid) and share a similar design aesthetic, with three color options available. Unlike their step-up sibling, they have no active noise canceling and an hour less of battery life — five hours instead of six — as well as no wireless charging. While they do stick out from your ears, they’re noticeably smaller and lighter than the QuietComfort Earbuds and their case is about 30% to 40% smaller. The case still isn’t as small as the cases for such competitors as the AirPods Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus, Galaxy Buds Live and Jabra Elite 75t. But it feels reasonably compact.

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Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splash-proof).

While they’re not advertised as sports earbuds, the AirPods Pro are very good truly wireless headphones for running. That’s largely due to their winning lightweight design and fit, improved bass performance, effective noise cancellation and excellent call quality. While I can’t run with the standard AirPods (those in-ear headphones don’t fit my ears securely), I had no trouble running with the AirPods Pro, which have a noise-isolating design with a silicone tip that sits snugly in your ear. That said, I got an even more secure fit by using a pair of ($25).

For runners, it’s worth noting that there’s a transparency mode that allows sound to leak in. You’ll still have to lower the volume of your music to hear the sound of traffic noise. The AirPods Pro are also officially rated as being sweat-resistant.

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Water-resistant: Yes (IPX7 rating — fully waterproof and sweat-proof).

While the newer Vista 2 has been released with added features, including noise canceling and a transparency mode, the original Jaybird Vista remains on sale and is often discounted from its new list price of $150 (look for the price to dip to $99). They’re still a good set of true-wireless sports earbuds that lock in your ears and are fully waterproof. . 

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Water-resistant: Yes (IP67 rating — can withstand immersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes).

The AfterShokz bone conduction wireless headphones deliver sound to your ear through your cheekbones. The big benefit of this technology is that, thanks to its open design, you can hear what’s going on around you while listening to music or having a phone conversation through the wireless headphones. That openness allows runners to hear traffic sound, an important safety feature for sport headphones. Also, some race coordinators don’t allow runners to wear anything in their ears, which is where over-ear headphones like this come in handy, particularly for people who need to listen to music while they run.

Aeropex ($160) over-ear headphones, which AfterShokz describes as its “lightest, highest-quality headphones yet,” were released in 2019. From my initial testing, sound quality in this pair of headphones is definitely better than the company’s previous flagship model, the  — or the Air, as it’s now called. It’s also slightly more comfortable to wear with a comfortable fit. However, while AfterShokz continues to make small improvements to performance with each new iteration of its wireless headphones, the sound quality still can’t match that of traditional headphones.

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Water-resistant: Yes (IPX2 rating — sweat-resistant and protects against light splashes).

Say what you will about the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live’s bean-shaped design, but they might just be the most innovative new true wireless earbuds of the year. Like the standard AirPods, they have an open design — you don’t jam an ear tip into your ear — and they’re quite comfortable to wear and fit my ears more securely than the AirPods. These wireless buds are discreet and basically sit flush with your ear, which reduces wind-noise while biking. I regularly use them for running and biking, and they’re great for sporting activities if they fit your ears well, but one warning: Some people won’t get a secure fit, so buy them from a retailer that has a good return policy.

They deliver good sound and work well as a headset for making calls, with good background noise reduction so callers can hear you clearly even when you’re in noisier environments. While they feature active noise canceling, it’s mild compared to the noise canceling in earbuds that have a noise-isolating design. In other words, buy them for their design and sound, not their noise-canceling features.

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Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splash-proof).

Yes, the Beats Powerbeats Pro’s jumbo charging case is a notable drawback. But the combination of incorporating all the features that make great while delivering richer sound quality and better battery life in a wireless workout earbuds design that won’t fall out of your ear (seriously, ear hooks for the win!) ultimately is a winning proposition for earbuds for running. Just make sure you buy these running earbuds somewhere that has a good return policy in case you’re in the small minority that has ears that aren’t quite a match for the buds. Note that these headphones are frequently reduced from $250 to $170 (and sometimes less for certain colors) — don’t pay more than that if you’re buying them.

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Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splash-proof).

The Bose Frames is one of those products you have to try to fully appreciate — or dismiss. The concept is you’re getting a decent pair of sunglasses with a pair of headphones that don’t actually go in your ears. Rather, integrated micro speakers in each arm direct a beam of sound to your ears. That design could be appealing to people who don’t like having headphones in or on their ears and also offers a degree of safety for runners and bikers who want their ears open to the world.

Bose has updated its line of audio sunglasses with three new models, including the Tempo sports model, which offers better sound and battery life than the more traditional-looking Tenor and Soprano. The Tempo has better specs all-around, with USB-C charging and larger 22mm drivers. It also delivers up to eight hours of battery life.

Their sound is definitely improved from the original Frames. Bose says the Tempo plays “deeper and louder — loud enough for cycling at 25 mph — while still able to hear traffic and your training partners.” They’re sweat-, weather-, scratch- and shatter-resistant, according to Bose and fit under most protective helmets. (I had no problem using them with a couple of bike helmets.) They also work really well for making calls, thanks to a new dual-microphone system. Optional lenses are available for $39 and you can order prescription lenses through . .

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As far as headphones go, Bose’s Sport Open Earbuds are pretty funky. Not to be confused with the company’s more traditional in-ear  and , they feature an open design without a tip, meaning the earpiece sits on top of your ear and doesn’t penetrate your ear canal. 

Geared toward runners and bikers who want their ears open to the world for safety reasons — or to people who don’t like to have any sort of bud in their ears — they sound surprisingly good. I ended up liking them, but their design isn’t for everybody, and how comfortable you find them will determine how much you like them. 

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Water-resistant: Yes (IP55 rating — can withstand heavy sprays of water).

While the Elite 75t has been out a while, it’s still one of the best true wireless earbuds out there and recently . Earlier firmware updates improved voice-calling performance. 

The Elite 75t earbuds aren’t quite as comfortable to wear as the AirPods Pro, but they do sound better, with clearer overall sound and better bass audio quality definition, so long as you get a tight seal.

The slightly more rugged Elite Active 75t is also available for about $20 more, but with the new Elite 85t’s arrival we are seeing some sales on the Elite 75t.

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Water-resistant: Yes (IP55 rating — can withstand heavy sprays of water).

If you don’t want to shell out $160 for AfterShokz’s new Aeropex bone-conduction wireless headphones, the Trekz Air — or Air, as it’s now called — retails for about $40 less. This pair of around-the-neck headphones does have some design and performance upgrades, but the sound from the AfterShokz Trekz Air is still good for bone-conduction headphones (again, beware that the sound doesn’t measure up to that of traditional headphones).

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Water-resistant: No (Apple does not claim water resistance, but they handle sweat reasonably well)

If they fit your ears securely, Apple’s AirPods are actually great workout headphones because the earbuds are so light and also have an open design, which allows you to hear the sound of traffic noise. Alas, I can’t run with the standard AirPods (they fall out of my ears), only the more expensive AirPods Pro, but many people can. You can buy third-party wings (ear hooks) to make them fit securely, but you have to take the wings off every time you put the buds back in their charging case. That’s a pain.

Note that Apple does not offer a water-resistance rating for the standard AirPods. They seem to withstand light sweat just fine — and plenty of people use them at the gym and for running — but it’s unclear how much moisture they can withstand. 

You can pay extra for the model with the wireless charging case, but it’s not really worth it — spend up for the Pro models instead. Otherwise, the baseline 2019 model lists for $159, but it’s often sold for $30-$40 less and has dipped to as low as $99. 

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