Best Running Headphones

 

 Best Running Headphones From Hours of Testing

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Finding thebest running headphones is about more than just sound quality! The best ones are the perfect companion on a run while you jam out to your favorite running music or listen to a podcast, without getting in the way.

There are other things to consider too! Not only is comfort incredibly important so that they don’t distract you during a run, but you should also be able to easily adjust sound volume or skip a track without having to stop running.

And if you’re a marathon runner, then battery life is more important than ever because who wants to run out of battery a few miles away from the finish line?

What’s best is that running headphones now even work with your GPS watch if you don’t want to carry a phone!

In the last two years, I’ve seen a massive improvement in wireless headphones for running and thus was ready to really make some recommendations.

In this article, we’ll go over the different types of running headphones, what factors to consider when picking the right one for you, and my top picks for the best running headphones right now

 

Types of Running Headphones

Before I jump into my recommendations, it’s important for you to determine what type and style of running headphones you prefer the most.

I’ll then give you my recommendation for each type and also what to expect from them in terms of performance.

There are four main types of wireless earphones, let’s look at each of them in more detail.

1. Wireless Earbuds

These are what probably pops into your mind when you first think of wireless headphones. These are usually earbuds that don’t have a wire or hook that extends around your ear. All you have to do is push them into your ear and you’re good to go.

The best truly wireless earbuds are the ones that fit snugly into your ear canal and don’t pop out mid-run. These types of earbuds have a really compact style which makes them really lightweight.

Since they’re so lightweight, they may have a smaller battery life than others, but they come with a charging case to charge them back up on the go. These also tend to usually be the most expensive type of headphones.

2. Wireless Earbuds with Ear Hooks

These are truly wireless earbuds, but they come with an ear hook. These ear hooks take the pressure off the ear canal to hold these buds steady and the hook mechanism is what primarily keeps them in place.

This might help to make them fit better for many people, and if you’ve tried many different types of truly wireless earbuds but have had a fit issue, you might want to look into these instead.

Sometimes the hook also stores the battery which helps the earbuds to play for longer when compared to truly wireless earbuds.

While they’re similar in price to their truly wireless counterparts, they might be marginally cheaper at times but not necessarily.

3. Neckband Earbuds

These types of earbuds are still wireless in terms of connecting to your phone, but they use a wire or band to connect buds together, store batteries and the microphone.

Some people prefer these over truly wireless earbuds (with or without hook) because they keep the earbuds together and you’re less likely to ‘lose them’ (we all have one friend that’s like that!).

In general, if you don’t mind the wired connection then you’ll probably enjoy the extra battery life that most of these earbuds offer, which is usually eight hours or more when compared to truly wireless ones that have four hours or more.

The price range for neckband earbuds is also a bit lower than its truly wireless counterparts. The earbuds themselves are usually smaller since the wire or band part houses the battery and microphone.

4. Bone Conduction Headphones

These types of headphones are a new innovation and are truly amazing. They use an acoustic approach to provide an innovative way to enjoy music, podcasts, or whatever you like to listen to during a run.

Instead of plugging your earbuds into your ear canals, bone conduction headphones sit on the outside of the ear. They transit sound through air to our eardrums but mainly through vibrations on the bones of the head and jaw (hence the name!).

The sounds from these devices bypass the eardrum and relay sound directly to the inner ear. This might sound like a bunch of nonsense to you, but this is actually the process through which we are able to hear our own voice.

Fun fact: this is also the way the famous composer Beethoven, who eventually went deaf, is noted as using as his means of hearing. Due to their open ear design, these are very helpful for anyone with hearing loss and who ears a hearing aid.

It’ll also allow you to have a better situational awareness and to know what’s happening around you, which can be really important on a run outside.