By Chris Haslam
Published: Wednesday, 13 November 2024 at 09:00 AM
Sports headphones: the best headphones for listening while running, cycling or in the gym
Best sports headphones… Need to know
Do I need separate headphones for sport?
Many people happily use standard headphones at the gym, running or walking, but sweat will degrade the electronics faster. Look for the IP rating, ie ‘IP68’. The higher the second number, the more moisture it can keep out.
Do sports headphones fit better?
Dedicated sports headphones come in a range of styles, but are all designed to remain in place. The bone conduction neckband designs are almost impossible to lose, while ‘ear hook’ true wireless options often offer better quality audio as the buds go inside your ears.
What about Active Noise Cancellation?
ANC tech is great for the office or gym where external noise is distracting, but for sport you often need the opposite. Look for ‘transparency’ and ‘ambient’ features which let outside noise in, keeping you aware of your surroundings. You can turn these features on and off, as desired.
Sports headphones… best on test
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2
Bone conduction headphones send soundwaves through your skull instead of your eardrum, allowing you to hear music without blocking your ears from external noises such as traffic. As a result they’re great for running. But the technology is far from new, and Beethoven was an early pioneer – by attaching a rod to his piano and clenching it in his teeth, he could hear the instrument’s vibrations, allowing him to continue composing even after he was profoundly deaf.
The technology has moved on in the past 250 years, and the OpenRun Pro 2 are the best running headphones I’ve used. Weighing just 30g, they’re water resistant (IPX55) and easy to forget about: even on a longer run, I experienced no irritation. But unlike most bone conduction designs, these have two air conduction drivers that work like tiny, highly directional speakers, firing sound into your ears without the need for earbuds.
The combination of air and bone works superbly, and while you’ll never experience the same audio quality as a pair of traditional headphones, there’s plenty of detail and power. You can even hear some bass frequencies, a welcome change to the tinny designs of old, all while keeping your ears open to environmental noise around you.
You can adjust the sound profile via Shokz’s smartphone app, and depending on your musical preferences, you might want to tone down the bass a touch. But regardless of what you’re listening to, they should help the miles pass faster.
Sports headphones… making a splash
Mojawa Run Plus
These titanium-framed, fully waterproof (IP68) bone conduction headphones weigh just 26g, have a great close-to-the-neck fit, and both Bluetooth streaming and 32GB of onboard storage – enough for 8,000 MP3 songs. I’ve run and swum in these extensively, and the audio quality, while not spectacular, is solid.
They also fit nicely while wearing goggles, but be aware: you will need to download digital tracks if you’re swimming, as the Bluetooth signal is easily blocked by water. Battery life is eight hours (two hours in water), but a five-minute boost will top up for 90 minutes.
Sports headphones… perfect for the gym
Soundcore Sport X20
It astonishes me when I see people running in traditional true wireless earbuds – I just don’t understand how they stay in their ears. If that’s the case for you, then I’m jealous, but for those looking for a lot more security, the tiny but excellent (IP68-rated) Sport X20 will do the trick. The ear hook is fully adjustable, so you can bend it to fit, all without looking cumbersome.
There’s active noise cancellation too, which is good for the gym where you don’t need to be aware of traffic. The 12hr battery life is solid – and the charging case extends this to 48 hours. Best of all, the generous 11mm dynamic drivers also ensure your entertainment sounds good, making it easier to ignore the fact you’re huffing and puffing.