Plus you have to leave your mobile device and the transmitter poolside, which, depending on how much you trust the folks at your swim club, might make you feel uncomfortable. We sweat a lot. Out of the box, the sound quality of the Reflect Mini NC was bass-forward in a fun way, especially for workouts. I managed to wear sunglasses with them comfortably despite their over-ear hook design (which is usually a concern for anyone who runs outside). The sound quality was quite good in our tests, with clear highs that avoided sibilance and sizzling cymbal sounds, as well as enough bass to produce some oomph without overwhelming. While removing noise somewhat compresses the sound of your voice, it also very effectively removes wind and other sustained din, like traffic whooshes, so you could take a call while on a jog and still be understood. Once the endurance trials are complete, we test basic call quality and take each of our top picks to the gym for several hour-long workouts to see if any hidden issues surface. JBL has introduced two new pairs of true wireless workout earbuds: the Reflect Flow Pro and Endurance Race. But Android users who prefer full controls on their earbuds will want to stick to the Jabra instead. But if you need affordable gym headphones and struggle with workout earbuds staying put, these earbuds are worth a look.

However the touch controls can be tricky, as the tap surface area is tiny and you must tap with a fairly slow, regular cadencewhich is not easy to accomplish when youre mid rep or on the move. Soul Electronics X-tra: The around-the-ear design didnt breathe as much as we hoped, and with those fabric earpads sucking up sweat, youll likely want to wash them after every workout. But the small button size might prove tricky for folks with very large fingers or dexterity issues. The IP67 rating is a great insurance policy against sweat and dirt. In our testing, I was actually able to get a little longer listening time per charge, with only brief phone calls and a moderate volume level. This is especially nice if you like to keep your phone tucked away during your workouts. Its not a rating you see too often in earbuds because manufacturers often have to make some trade-offs in microphone and sound performance to achieve it. We also discovered that you must power the T5 II Sport earbuds down manually: After we placed both pairs earbuds into their respective cases and sealed the lid, both pairs remained connected to our phone.

Most cheap earbuds have bloated, boomy bass that makes lyrics impossible to discern, or they produce coarse high frequencies that make snare hits sound as if someone were hitting a Tupperware bowl filled with dried rice. Additionally, the thin material of the ear tips can crinkle up in your ear and cause them to get stuck when you pull the earbuds out, as one of our panelists found. Apple fans will enjoy fast Apple-device pairing and swapping, touchless Hey Siri control, head tracking and spatial audio via Apple Music, and the Find My function. In our tests, we found the sound quality on the primary EQ setting to be bass-heavy, but not terribly so; on bass-intense songs, we could still hear male vocals clearly enough. This difference in design, along with the choice of three sizes of tips, means that most folks should be happy wearing the Elite Active 75t pair. The case is wonderfully small and can even pop into the key pocket on running shorts, although we dont recommend storing it there for prolonged periods if you sweat a lot. But after adjusting the sound profile through the EQ settings in Jabras free app, we found our sweet spot with decent detail in the highs, clear mids, and a fun, forward bass. The tips are proprietary and snap into place, but unfortunately the wings slip out of position rather easily. However, this pair isnt IP certified, so wed still say that anyone who sweats profusely or who does outdoor sports frequently should stick with our top pick, which has an IP56 rating and a two-year warranty against water and sweat damage. Apple's AirPods come with a handy charging case that provides up to 24 hours of battery life. The downsides are that the sound is bass-heavy (no matter which of the three EQ settings you choose) and that the balanced mode can make high frequencies sound a little coarse. The controls lack the ability to adjust volume or call up your phones digital assistant, and they do not work consistentlywe often paused tracks when we meant to skip them. Although our latest pair worked great, other people continue to experience issues at a frequency that makes us reluctant to recommend these. Since these earbuds are equipped with the same H1 chip as the Apple AirPods, they pair with Apple devices nearly instantly. Stabilizing hooks help keep this true wireless pair in place, and IPX8 waterproofing protects them from moisture damage. The hear-through sounds dull, which is fine for quick conversations, but not useful if you need longer-term situational awareness. Additionally, the controls are fiddly and can be tricky to activate while youre on the move. If you typically find that most traditional earbuds fit fine once you choose the right size tip, the Flip is likely your best bet. For that price, we expect better performance than we can get from our top pick, which costs half as much. Heck, get two pairs. But with normal use, Aukey backs the EP-T32 for two full years against manufacturing defects. The Active earbuds also endured our real and simulated sweat tests, so were confident that theyll take whatever your gym sessions throw at themthough we still recommend that you shake out any moisture and allow the headphones to dry before charging and storing them. This is worth remembering if you want to preserve battery life. This stands in contrast to the experience with many other true wireless earbuds, which have wonky touch/tap controls or buttons that shove the earbud painfully into your ear canal when you depress them. When music played, the bass was so formless and blurry, it was difficult to tell when individual notes actually hit. (It also means the case sounds like an egg shaker in your bag or pocketnot a dealbreaker, but some folks may find that irritating.) And its not cheap: The system costs $300. Sweat damage is largely due to the accumulation of salt (rather than moisture) affecting the electronics. None of these flaws are massive dealbreakers, but with so many great options for us to choose from, these earbuds missed out on being a pick. However, music sounds tinny, and bass notes cause the earbuds to vibrate on your skull once you turn the volume up over 50%. And the microphones sound distant and muffled over phone calls.

The Jabra Elite Active 75t wireless earbuds are the best headphones for working out at the gym because they fit comfortably and will stay secure and out of your way even during rigorous workouts. The earbuds themselves are IPX4 water-resistant, and the case is IPX2-rated. Thanks to the hook-over-the-ear design, these earbuds feel more secure than many other true wireless models, and they sound better than competitors in their price range. JLab's earbuds each hold a six-hour battery life and automatically charge when placed in their case. If your gym routine consists entirely of stable movements (cycling, weights, and the like), these headphones could be an option. Jabra recently released a successor to the Active 75t, called the Elite 7 Active. Between the stabilization fins on the earbuds and the Find My feature, losing an earbud becomes far less likelyso if youre an iPhone user prone to misplacing small things, the Beats Fit Pro might be worth extra consideration. Unfortunately, these flaws overshadow a fantastic earbud design. While most of the lost-earbud location trackers weve tested are clunky and less than pinpoint accurate, the Find My function on Apple devices is truly stellar. These days, most people prefer the convenience of Bluetooth headphones. The Reflect Flow Pro features stability fins to hold the earbuds in place, six microphones for clear calls, quick-charge functionality, and an eight-hour battery life (with ANC on, plus an additional 20 hours of power in the case.) This Active set has the same features as the lower-priced Elite 75t pair (our pick for the best wireless earbuds), but the Active version is also rated for better sweat resistance. However, if youre curious about a specific model, reach out to our team via Twitter (@wirecutter) or email (notes@wirecutter.com), and well be happy to help. These waterproof earbuds are unobtrusive when clipped to your goggles or suit, and the cable on the earbuds is adjustable, so you can listen comfortably in and out of the water. Adidas Z.N.E. Its light and comfy and has easy-to-use controls, but it wont block gym noises and sending sound waves through your skull to your inner ear isnt the best way to get quality sound. The microphone quality is perfectly acceptable but lacks some detail and wind resistance. Had our testing progressed uneventfully, the Vista 2 undoubtedly would have become a pick in this guide. We had far fewer misfires when adjusting them in our ears than we did with most of the smaller or swipe-controlled competition. Because of the narrow intense range of noise cancellation on the Fit Pro, people who are prone to eardrum suck may find the ANC on this pair triggers that feeling of uneaseand the level of reduction is not adjustable. Theyre not just great workout headphonestheyre great work/play crossover headphones. Folks who prefer to listen to one earbud at a time may prefer the Beats Fit Pro. If youre struggling to get a good fit with the provided tips, replacement earbud tips might be the solution. The sealed design will block external gym noise to reduce distractions, but the lack of a hear-through feature means youll likely need to pull out an earbud to have a conversation. Jabra declined to say whether the Active 75t earbuds are going to be discontinued. The flexible wings on these earbuds help them stay put better than many true wireless earbuds, though the feel of the wings may not appeal to everyone. We take to the track and run half a mile with each pair. Plus, bass-heavy songs may buzz in a tickling way that touch-sensitive folks could find distracting. The vented design allows in external noise, and the noise cancellation cant reduce the sound of weights clanking or the lyrics of the pop music piped onto the gym floor. You can read more of our thoughts in the Competition. In quiet rooms youll sound very clear, and if you need to take calls on the go, the background noise reduction helps a great deal. And although the touch controls were less fussy overall than on many other pairs we tested, we found ourselves getting startled and annoyed when the last media we had accessed on our phone would start playing as we were just putting the earbuds in our ears. The other downside of the EP-T32 is that the improved water resistance causes the microphone quality to be more muffled than on our top pick. We wish this pair had personally adjustable EQ options, since the bass boost is broad and overwhelming and the mids are recessed. The only real issue we had was with the tap-based controls, which we found rather fussyfor example, when we meant to adjust the volume, we instead paused the music. The Syryn package includes everything you need to dive right in: a waterproof MP3 player, wired earbuds (because Bluetooth doesnt work underwater), and plenty of tips. The six hours of listening time (with ANC on) is average, and the quick-charge feature will get you an hour of playback after five minutes in the charging casebut the case itself lacks the option for wireless charging and isnt as small as the Jabra case. We spray every set of headphones with our sweat proxy and mash all of the buttons; after repeating this process four times, we check the performance. During testing I was able to keep my phone in my pocket, armband, or backpack with no issues. If you tend to overheat during workouts, this might be a welcome sensation, perhaps if used in combination with other temperature control measures. Its a good idea, but poorly executed. The large control buttons are easy to use and dont hurt to depress. Theyre simply the best waterproof headphones weve found for working out in the water. This package gives you waterproof headphones and an MP3 player for an affordable price. Shokz OpenRun Pro: Bone-conduction headphones are an option for a very specific subset of folks who cant handle having headphones on or in their ears, but they wont block out gym noises. jive mini pods earbuds charging wireless t10 tws headphones tozo ipx8 stereo bluetooth ear waterproof built case Though the MW08 Sport felt secure enough for us to use at the gym, we wish they had stabilizing wings to keep them in place for high-impact activitiesespecially outdoors, where the stakes of losing an errant $350 earbud are higher. A dedicated button can be assigned to activate Google, Alexa, or non-native digital assistants. The battery life of 11 hours of listening time (up to seven hours with ANC turned on) is impressive for true wireless earbuds. In our tests, the sound had a hissing quality that made cymbals sound tinny and added a tape-hiss noise to everything, and the bass was a bit blobby, too. You lose the track-control functionality, but you can still take calls and play/pause the music. Once you get them settled into your ears, the grippy material that coats the earbuds helps to hold them in place until youre ready to take them out. We also found that the high frequencies could verge into harsh territory at louder volumes, but not in a way that made them unpleasant or distracting to listen to during our workout sessions. We liked the hear-through capabilities, but we found that the Bionic Hearing speech-optimized setting sounded too bizarre for actual use in a conversation. The stabilizer wings and tips are all one piece, so if your ear-canal size doesnt correlate to your outer-ear size, you may be stuck with a wing thats too small or too large.

Male vocals get lost no matter what preset you choose. Were curious to see how this works in practice. The included charge case offers an additional 28 hours of power, so you will likely need to charge your case only every week or so. If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. Your callers may note that you sound a little distant and compressed. The earbud fit is very comfortable and easy to customize, with six pairs of silicone tips and one pair of foam tips along with three sizes of wings. But the IPX4 water resistance may not be high enough for the most punishing activities. So the Aukey EP-T32 isnt as effective at longer-range listening as the Jabra Elite Active 75t, but unless you plan to work out downstairs and leave your phone upstairs, you probably wont encounter this quirk. This isnt to say that you wont be understoodyou just may be asked to speak up on occasion if youre naturally soft-spoken. Weve tested hundreds of headphones for this guide, which is a lot to digest, so were sticking with the most notable competitors here. Though the IPX4 water and dust resistance rating isnt as high as that of the Jabra Elite Active 75t, it should be sufficient for the average run or indoor workout. But the semi-flexible hooks can rub larger ears and arent quite as comfortable for longer wearing sessions, while the tap controls can be a bit fiddly especially when youre in motion. They are incredibly comfortable on a broad range of ear shapes, and the IP57 dust and water resistance is stellar. JLab JBuds Air Sport: This pair is a decent affordable true wireless alternative for the gym. Our test panel found the flexible, stabilizing wings to be comfortable and liked the extra security they provided, but anyone who is sensitive to pressure in the ear might dislike the feeling of the wings. However, anyone who has larger ears or ears that stick out may find that these simply dont fit. The open mesh fabric lid on the case seems to be designed to allow airflow, but it wont protect your earbuds from dust. The sonic profile of the Studio Buds is the characteristic hyped Beats sound (with extra emphasis in the highs and lows that can make consonants and basslines pop a touch more forcefully in the mix), which many people find exciting, especially for hip-hop and electronic pop. When they work properly, the Vista 2 earbuds are wonderful. When they do fit properly, they offer a fun, bass-heavy sound, but half of our panel couldnt get them to seal effectively. The Underwater Audio Swimbuds Syryn bundle is an impressive package deal: You get waterproof headphones, a waterproof MP3 player, and fit-enhancement gel for around $60. (In fact, Zygo sells bundled sets that can work together for around $1,000.) The Koss FitClips KSC32i earbuds sound much better than their low price suggests, but the microphones quality is lacking. Switching from one device to another is a process similar to that of other Bluetooth earbuds or headphones, and Android users may miss the dual-device pairing capabilities that the Jabra provides. In our tests, the sound options were at best super boomy with sibilant highs. Though we consider the case size a flaw, a few of our testers preferred the larger casethey said it was easier to find in their bag. You want a pair that will stay in your ears while also providing high-quality audio to keep you entertained and focused. If you struggle to keep true wireless earbuds in your ears, or you prefer single-earbud use during workouts, the Beats Fit Pro is a fantastic option. The ear tips fit us securely and comfortably, and the sound was decent for the price. Always try to find the best-fitting workout headphones before you commit. In addition, the microphones are fantastic over phone calls, the sound quality is among the best in the workout category, and while the noise cancellation cant compete with the best in our active-noise-cancellation guide, it is sufficiently effective as to be useful for commuters. Beats Studio Buds: These earbuds have a diminutive size that will fit most ears well, though this pair lacks fit-stabilizing wings or hooksas a result, people with small ear canals may find that these earbuds feel less stable than a pair with added support. The microphones sound like youre under a blanket during calls. The battery life of around six hours (longer if you pause your music occasionally and dont leave the noise cancellation on) is middle-of-the-road, but the combination of quick-charge capabilities and the three full charges provided by the charging case means that most folks will get through a full day of use with no problems.

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