The 5 best-sounding headphones that won't fall out during your conditioning

Five pairs of wireless headphones in cases sitting on a wood table.

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Calculation music to your workout can easily upwardly your motivation, help keep footstep, and block out unwanted distractions. Yet, an uncomfortable or sick-plumbing equipment pair of headphones is but going to bring your conditioning downward.

"Headphones for working out demand to be much better at staying in place with minimal encumbrance or adjusting, since the last thing you want to deal with is a headphone falling out or a cord in your way," said ​​Caroline Grainger, ISSA Certified Personal Trainer at FitnessTrainer Online Personal Trainers, to Insider. "Cordless headphones are an absolute must."

I hold, which is why every headphone in this guide is wireless with a Bluetooth connection. There are plenty of these on the market but not all are best for working out. Over-ear headphones can exist besides bulky for high-impact activities, while some may want Agile Noise Cancellation (ANC) to block out most outside dissonance. Overall, sweat- and h2o-resistant earbuds are going to be the near secure choice without compromising audio quality.

To compile this guide, I enlisted the help of 3 other people to test headphones and consulted with two experts for added insight. Beneath are the five best we tested, every bit well every bit the criteria we judged while testing everything and answers to a few FAQs.

Acquire more well-nigh how Insider Reviews tests fettle products .

Here are the best headphones for working out

All-time overall: Jabra Aristocracy iv, $119.99 bachelor on Amazon
The Jabra Elite four wireless earbuds are sweat- and waterproof, have Agile Dissonance Cancellation, and won't break the bank.

Best sound:  Bose Sport Earbuds, $149 available on Amazon
Bose Sport Earbuds avowal the kind of high-quality audio Bose is known for, plus apply a winged ear-tip for a super secure fit.

Best luxe: Apple AirPods Pro, $197 bachelor on Amazon
Apple tree's AirPods Pro aren't cheap just they provide some of the best active dissonance cancellation abilities available with added transparency mode when you do want to hear things around you.

Best compact: Skullcandy Modernistic, $49.88 available on Walmart
Although small in size and priced affordably, the Skullcandy Mod headphones have a secure and compact fit, plus customizable buttons to arrange whatever preference.

Best for swimming: Zygo Solo, $299 available on Zygo
The Zygo Solos are your become-to headphones if you're an avid swimmer, and unlike other swimming headphones, Zygo doesn't store music in the headphones merely instead uses a transceiver you stick exterior the puddle to enable a Bluetooth connexion.

Best headphones for working out overall

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The Jabra Aristocracy iv Active wireless earbuds are sweat- and waterproof, have Agile Dissonance Cancellation, and won't pause the banking concern.

Pros: Active Dissonance Cancellation with HearThrough technology, durable, relatively budget-friendly, 7 hours of battery life and upwardly to 28 hours with charging instance, mono mode

Cons: Simply three color options, requires an app to pair and customize

The Jabra Elite 4 Active earbuds are an all-around, solid headphone option that provides high-quality music, a secure fit, and top Active Noise Cancellation with HearThrough, all at a reasonable toll.

During testing, the earbuds stayed securely in our ears fifty-fifty when jumping rope or running on the treadmill. The outer function of the earbud did seem a little larger and heavier than the inner ear tip but that didn't compromise fit or comfort fifty-fifty after a few hours. The buds accept a waterproof rating of IP57, and then don't worry if you get sweaty during a workout.

The ANC was fairly good, though not the best we tested. Withal, the HearThrough technology was great to really dilate outside sounds via built-in microphones that pick up sounds effectually you.

One thing the testing squad didn't love virtually the Elite 4 Actives was the demand to download a companion app but to connect and prepare the buds. The app does provide a lot in terms of specific features similar walking you through your headset, teaching you how to apply ANC and HearThrough, and showing how to activate mono earbud mode. Information technology also updates the earbuds quickly and easily, and has settings for what type of music you listen to (neutral, speech, bass heave, etc.).

The favorite part from all the testers, other than the comfort, was the ability to pause/play, plow up volume, and plow on ANC correct from the earbuds themselves, and not only via a telephone.

Best sounding headphones for working out

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Bose Sport Earbuds have the high-quality sound that Bose is known for, plus use a winged ear-tip for a super secure fit.

Pros: Stable and secure fit, sweat- and conditions resistant at IPX4,  five hours of battery life and up to 10 hours with charging case

Cons: Learning curve with fit for winged eartip, no noise cancellation

It took me a few tries to figure out how exactly the winged eartips were supposed to become in my ear but once in, they were very secure during high-impact workouts. They felt a little heavier than some of the more minimalist ear buds only were still comfortable throughout entire workouts. The other testers stated, also, that even when sweaty, the earbuds didn't slip around at all.

The sound, which Bose is known for, is definitely high-quality. The buds use volume-optimized Agile EQ to automatically boost the lows and highs then your music stays on point with every new vocal.

But having the ability to listen to quality sound doesn't mean you lot should smash your favorite music on 11 while working out. Candice Ortiz-Hawkins, an audiologist with Capital Institute of Hearing and Residual and previously an audiologist for the armed services, told Insider that listening to music too loudly and for too long tin can definitely exist damaging.

"Headphones should be worn betwixt sixty and 80 decibels," she said, with threescore decibels beingness the boilerplate volume for conversational speech. "An easy way to tell if something is too loud is the arm-length cheque. That is if a person is speaking to you at a normal volume, standing approximately i arm-length away and you cannot hear them, the book is as well loud."

Navigating the ear buds too took some getting used to. To modify songs, you demand just double touch the outside of the correct ear bud, which I didn't realize at outset since there is no visible button. Although information technology's a peachy characteristic, it'due south the only touch command bachelor until yous downloaded the app. From the app, you can gear up volume control with a uncomplicated swipe up or downward of the correct earbud and add a shortcut on the left earbud for things like battery level, skip forwards, or skip dorsum.

In the app, you'll also run into tutorials on how to become the right fit (y'all have to tuck the wing nether your ear ridge) and you tin also turn off in-ear detection, which automatically pauses music when you take the correct earbud out. If you desire to listen to one earbud at a fourth dimension, y'all'll accept to turn this in-ear detection mode off.

Best noise canceling headphones for working out

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Apple tree's AirPods Pro aren't inexpensive only they provide some of the all-time active noise counterfoil abilities available with added transparency mode when you do want to hear things.

Pros: No demand to download an app to utilize, Active Noise Canceling plus Transparency Manner, 4.5 hours of bombardment life and upwards to 24 hours with charging instance

Cons: But 1 colour

The AirPods Pro from Apple aren't necessarily made for agile workouts only they are a get-to headphone for many reasons. The audio quality is fantastic, even in a busy gym, thank you to its Active Racket Cancellation and spatialized stereo technology. You can toggle between ANC and Transparency mode on your phone or by pressing and property the sensor button on the stem of the right AirPod.

With spatialized stereo applied science, you get an almost surround-sound event in the pods, also. From your phone, you tin can prepare it up to exist fixed or to track with your head movements, which helps keep the sound optimal no thing what direction outside audio is coming from.

The stem bear upon sensor also controls pause/play and skip frontward or dorsum, merely you have to talk to Siri to change the book or practise it on your telephone.

Likewise on your phone is where you tin can do an ear tip fit examination to run across if the minor, medium, or large tips are all-time for your ears. I'm not certain how authentic information technology is, though — I tried the exam with all dissimilar tip sizes and the app always got the conclusion that each tip was the right fit. However, I chose the middle size because, as to my cognition, my ears are neither big nor small, and the middle ear tips felt comfortable and secure with a solid seal. You can besides turn on the automatic ear detection, which pauses music when you lot take an earbud out.

Testers found that the pods did jostle around a bit during high-impact, sweaty workouts, but were good for low-bear on activities.

All-time compact

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Although small in size and priced affordably, the Skullcandy Mod headphones take a secure and compact fit, plus customizable buttons to suit any preference.

Pros: Extremely lightweight and minimal, 7 hours of battery life and up to 27 hours with charging case, IP55 sweat and water resistant, Stay-Aware manner, can pair with multiple devices at once, congenital-in Tile finding technology
Cons: Only ane color, no noise cancellation

The Mod True Wireless Earbuds reminded me of headphones I'd worn in the past, every bit they were very minimal and not clunky at all, which was refreshing. You lot do have to turn on both earbuds separately with a printing of a side button, but this also ways yous tin heed with just ane earbud easily.

The side buttons as well control pause/play, with two presses controlling volume. In the app, yous can prepare three presses to control next or previous runway, every bit well equally switching to Stay-Aware manner, which did amplify outside noises, though not as much or every bit conspicuously as Jabra's HearThrough. Yous can also alter up the listening experience with customizable equalizers; presets include music, podcasts, movies, or a fully customizable mode.

Although these earbuds don't have active noise cancellation, they do have some bang-up extra features similar the customizable listening feel and button settings, plus multi-device pairing and (because we really do all need this) Discover With Tile. Yous have to download the Tile app just the buds have born Tile finding engineering, which honestly, I wish all headphones had.

All-time for pond

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The Zygo Solos are your go-to headphones if you're an avid swimmer, and dissimilar other swimming headphones, Zygo doesn't store music in the headphones but instead uses a transceiver you stick outside the pool to enable a Bluetooth connection.

Pros: No need to download an app to use, comes in sizes standard and big, fully waterproof and works ane-2 ft below the surface at upwardly to l meters distance
Cons: Kind of beefy, need to take both the headphones and transceiver to work

Using the Zygo Solo headphones for swimming is a bit of a journey — but one that is well worth information technology. When you purchase, you'll get one headset, i transmitter and stand, one charging case, one pair of earplugs, and one microfiber cloth.

And you essentially demand all of those items to use the headphones, also. But unlike other swimming headphones where you lot download music to the integrated MP3, Zygo's buds are a little different. All you have to do is pair your phone with the included transmitter via Bluetooth, and you lot're skilful to become.

The Zygo headphones apply bone conduction at your temples to play music, so your ears are open (you lot can withal employ earplugs) and the headset rests at the top of your cervix. You can control the volume from the headphones but won't exist able to intermission/play or skip frontwards or back.

One nitpick nosotros had is that the audio quality isn't all that keen. However, if you desire to listen to a diversity of music and podcasts as y'all swim, Zygo is your best option. Plus, you tin use Zygo's headphones for live coaching and with the Zygo app, you lot tin become guided sound workouts.

How I examination workout headphones

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A grouping of testers and I racked upward tons of sweaty minutes with each pair of headphones, in a multifariousness of gyms and settings (on treadmills, outside, etc.). While testing, we compared each headphone across these five categorie: Price, comfort and stability, sound quality, controls and buttons, and Active noise cancellation. Hither's how each category factored into which headphones ultimately fabricated the cut:

Price: Headphones aren't inexpensive, and can sometimes be piece of cake to lose and exit behind in the gym. The higher-end headphones we tested did have slightly better features but they didn't differ greatly compared to the lower priced headphones, except for when it came to active noise canceling and hear-through features (see beneath).

Comfort and stability: When it comes to headphones, one of the about important factors (and potentially most annoying) is fit and stability. Nosotros just included headphones that didn't skid out or around, and instead stayed put even when working hard on the treadmill or during especially sweaty routines.

Sound quality: For headphones that are being used in the gym or for a pumped upward workout, we focused on audio quality, including bass and clarity.

Controls and buttons: Having to take out your phone to adjust volume is not ideal but that was the example with a few of the pairs we tested. Most every brand tested had an accompanying app to use with the headphone, too. With some, y'all had to use the app to adjust some controls and features similar noise counterfoil, while with others, the app wasn't necessary.

Active noise cancellation: Having active racket cancellation isn't a must persay, but wow, is information technology nice. When using a pair with high-quality ANC, well-nigh 100 per centum of the actress noise but goes away and all you hear is your music — not the treadmill, not your breathing, and not the rest of the gym goers, then you can focus on your workout.

FAQs

How oft should I clean my headphones?

"Once a week cleaning is adequate with typical employ," said Ortiz-Hawkins. "Do non use h2o as this can degrade the electronics within the headsets. Instead, you can use an alcohol pad or specially designed products, like audio wipes, that are used for hearing devices." Cleaning them ofttimes will not only go along them from getting gross, simply volition also go along them working for longer.

Ortiz-Hawkins recommended using a desiccant, or a dehumidifier, to increase the longevity and integrity of their devices, peculiarly if you sweat a lot. You tin also supplant the ear tips every few months.


Do workout headphones need to be waterproof or sweatproof?

Ideally, yes. Thankfully, most headphones that are marketed for exercise are as well sweatproof or waterproof, fifty-fifty if you lot don't recollect you sweat a lot. These ratings are listed every bit IP ratings, with IPX4 being a solid choice for active headphones (can withstand splashes from any management), but anything above IPX2 should be good (protected against dripping h2o of about 3 millimeters per minute).


How do I know if the earbuds fit well?

With in-ear buds, you'll become modest, medium, and large ear tip options when you purchase. Try them each and see how they feel — the ear tip should ideally create a sort of seal within your ear, so that the audio stays articulate and the buds don't bounciness effectually and become loose.

Other options include in-ear buds that also accept some sort of hook that goes over the ear for extra support, similar the Bose Sport Open Earbuds or Skullcandy Push Agile, which are platonic for outdoor running.

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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you lot might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a pocket-sized share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to exam. This does not drive our conclusion every bit to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. Nosotros operate independently from our advertising squad. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@insider.com.