2023's Best Workout Headphones and Earbuds: Elevate Your Training
Workout headphones and wireless earbuds are a bit of a peculiar breed. They have some pretty specific requirements that aren't necessarily about how they sound or look. We're talking about stuff like being water and dust resistant (that IP rating), having a snug and comfy fit, and a battery that can go the distance. And hey, if they come with a pulse sensor, that's even better!
Now, when it comes to noise canceling and blocking out sound, it's a whole different ball game for workout earbuds and headphones. Imagine you're out for a jog, the last thing you want is to be completely oblivious to what's happening around you. That's why "transparent mode" is way more important for workout headphones than your regular wireless ones.
Alright, let's get back on track! With all those specific requirements in mind, let's jump into our list of the absolute best workout headphones and earbuds you can get in 2023.
Wissonly Hi Runner
Wissonly bone conduction headphones are recognized by the market with its leading bone conduction vibrator technology. Their team has accumulated more than 10 years in the field of bone conduction technology, which has been affirmed in terms of product quality and hearing protection effect.
Wissonly Hi Runner uses a large-size bone conduction vibrator, which increases the vibration area by 35%. When you wear it, the diffusion direction of sound quality will be more comprehensive, the coverage will be wider, and the sound will be more stereo. Its sound will be deeper in low frequency and more transparent in high frequency. They have also made a lot of efforts in the technology of sound leakage reduction, including the built-in reverse sound wave system and the all-closed-body design, thus reducing the sound leakage by 90%.
It is comfort: Wissonly Hi Runner's whole body is made of high-tech and low-sensitivity silicone, which contains no chemical components to avoid allergy. The overall touch is as silky as baby's skin, which can avoid uncomfortable situations when worn for a long time.
wissonly Hi Runner bone conduction headphones are also equipped with a new Bluetooth 5.0 chip, which has stronger anti-interference ability, and can easily cope with various outdoor complex scenes, so as to ensure that the good mood during exercise will not be disturbed by disconnection. The stable connection also brings ultra-low delay performance. Listening to songs, chasing dramas and playing games meet all the daily demands for headphones.
Beats Fit Pro
Let’s start with the crowd’s favorite here: the Beats Fit Pro. These are the best wireless earbuds overall, when it comes to sport activities, due to the fact that they tick all the right boxes. The Fit Pro model uses ear hooks to keep each earphone in place, and it’s a very tight and secure system.
Even though Beats headphones and earbuds are famous for their powerful bass, the Fit Pro earbuds offer balanced sound with clear mids and highs. There are two physical buttons on the earphones, and the Beats logo also doubles as a multi-function button. You can pause or play, accept or decline a phone call, and even fire up your phone’s voice assistant service with a long press.
The battery life on these is pretty good, with up to 6 hours of battery life for the earphones and up to 18 hours if you count the charging case. Speaking of the charging case, it’s a bit bulky, and it doesn’t support wireless charging. There’s also a transparency mode on the Fit Pro, and this adds to the pros of the model.
The Fit Pro launched at $199.99, but there are great deals live at the moment, and you can get a pair for as low as $179.99, shaving 10% off the price. And at that price, these workout earbuds are unbeatable.
Jabra Elite 7 Active
The Jabra Elite 7 Active model can be found occupying the top position in many “best earphones” charts. These earphones are packed full of features, and if the fit was just a tad tighter, they would’ve topped our best workout headphones and earbuds chart too.
Of course, this depends on your ear canal and with the right ear tip, these true wireless earbuds can become a part of your ear. Let’s concentrate on the positives: the Jabra Elite 7 Active does a lot of things right.
For starters, they boast ANC with HearThrough, and both work great. The active noise cancellation is pretty much on par with that of the AirPods Pro and even gives some Sony earbuds a run for their money.
HearThrough is amazingly useful if you’re running outside or working out with a personal trainer. The system feeds outside noises into your listening experience with clarity and absolutely no lag, so you can remain aware of your surroundings and let ambient sound through without the need to take the earbuds off.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live
If you want to work out in style, the Galaxy Buds Live true wireless earbuds are just for you. They offer unique styling, a comfortable fit, and stay pretty much flush with your ears; nothing sticks out. Even though this model is not marketed as sports earbuds, it has some pretty neat features that absolutely qualify it for the job, and as a bonus they have great sound.
There’s active noise-cancelling technology on board, coupled with Ambient Mode, and touch and gesture controls as well. These earbuds are rated IPX2 for sweat and water resistance, so you should be okay working out hard with them on.
Last but not least, the battery life is great: you can squeeze up to 8 hours from the buds (with ANC off) and up to 29 combined hours with the charging case. As a bonus, the Buds Live case is Qi-certified and can be charged wirelessly with compatible chargers.
Sony WF-C500
If you want good noise-canceling earbuds technology, go to Sony. The Japanese company has a reputation when it comes to keeping outside noises, well, outside. The Sony WF-C500 wireless earbuds are no exception. They combine some great features with an attractive price tag to win the hearts of active people around the globe.
The design is oriented toward fit and comfort; there are rubber arcs that offer support once the earphones are placed inside your ear. Sony offers two sizes of ear tips out of the box, and they’ll fit most people just fine.
The ANC can be tuned to your liking via a slider bar inside the companion app. There’s also a pretty convenient option to pass through only voices from the outside noise. The sound quality itself is pretty decent, with no distortion even at the loudest settings.
The Sony WF-C500 earbuds come with lots of bells and whistles: there’s an IPX4 rating for water resistance, gesture controls, quick charging, Sony's DSEE upscaling tech, Reality 360 audio (that's Sony proprietary spatial audio feature), and the battery life is admirable: 10 hours from the buds (with noise-canceling off) and 20 hours with the case.
