1y ago

What earbuds do you run with?

I'm a sweaty boy looking at getting back into running. I've been using Jaybird Tarah Pros for the last 5ish years but they're not charging reliably and I've been having other issues with them, so I think it's time to look for replacements.

I'm interested in the Beats Fit Pros because of the Apple integration, but the IPX4 rating has me a little worries that they won't last long. I've never run with fully wireless earbuds before, but I'd love recommendations of what y'all are using, models/brands you like, and which ones you hate.

I sometimes run with sunglasses, so I'd rather not have anything with ear loops (I also have weird ear and so loops often hurt me more than they help).

EDIT: Thanks for the recommendations. I got really sick after posting this so my replies stopped dead, but I read all your replies and have a list of models and brands to check out once I can get out of bed again. Much appreciated! 🤙

48 comments

At some point I stopped listening to music while running, but I was a fan of the afterzhokz aeropex. They didn't seem to be a problem for me with sunglasses and a hat that I always run with.
- I actually listen to podcasts instead of music, it's the only way I can keep myself focused on longer runs. I've tried a pair of Shokz (spelling?) and they did seem nice for the brief chance I had to try them, but I didn't get to take them for a run.
  
  I found I spend more of the time just thinking while I run, its more or less meditation for me. I forgot they rebranded as Shokz, but I still use them for listening to podcasts and whatnot washing dishes. I used the old corded version for a while before I got the cordless ones, and bought my wife a pair in the meantime. I like them and appreciated being able to hear my surroundings better than with in ear. I've worn them into the shower a couple occasionally after a run and prefer to run in the rain so I have been very happy with the waterproofing on them. I've also forgotten I was wearing them a few times, so I think comfort is good.

Shokz.
Waterproof, ez, good enough sound for sports.
- I'm a big fan of Shokz. I wear them running, in the gym, and even for gaming when I don't want to blast the speakers.

I wear glasses and use the shockz headphones. They're comfortable for me and I'm someone that sometimes gets sore ears from glasses but never the shocks.
your ears aren't mine but maybe see if you can loan a pair?
- I tried a pair about a month ago (didn't get to run in them, unfortunately) and I was interested. I mostly run in the city so I'm torn between being able to hear my surroundings and being able to block everything out. Have you had any issues with corrosion on the charging port? That's partly what seems to be killing my Jaybirds even though I clean them off after a run. Maybe I just have acid sweat or something 😬
  
  I’m not who you replied to but I’ve had them for 2 years or so, sweat like a pig and no corrosion on the charging ports.
  
  the contacts appear to be plated with gold or some semi noble alloy.
  If you were rough as fuck (e.g. pocket sand tumbling) they might corrode. Had mine a year with no issues though, running in all weather.
  I hear you on the dichotomy. They be fairly loud although high volumes cause an uncomfortable buzzing on skin (but we're talking dangerous loud). Not enough to block out highway noise but enough for audible speech over slower traffic easily.
  Noise cancelling is defs nice, but enough people around me drive insanely I prefer to keep the awareness (and mostly I run in or too the bush).
  Everything has tradeoffs.

I sweated through a pair of Soundcore a40s and went looking for a more waterproof option. I settled on Jabra Elite 7s. They were a little pricier than I wanted, but they had a back to school sale for $50 off. You might be able to get a pair for a deal during the holiday season.
- Yep, another happy Jabra Elite user here. I used to hate earbuds because they never stayed in my ears and always hurt, but it turns out I just hated bad earbuds. I use these for running, biking, washing the dishes, doing laundry, etc. etc. etc.
- I am going to recommend the same. I have the Jabra Elite 7 Pros and have had no issues running outdoors or inside on a treadmill. The sound quality of music is good, and I think the ANC is pretty decent. Better ANC than the Airpod Pro 1's, at least. I know they get a lot of flak for call quality, but I've actually never used them for a call, so I can't weigh in on that complaint.
  
  Awesome, thank you both. I'll look into those. I don't think I'd ever use them for calls anyway so that part wouldn't bother me at all, and I don't mind paying a little more for something that will last me a few years.

AirPod Pros with some silicone wing things I grabbed from Amazon to help them stay in place. I don’t need those for day-to-day use, but they’re a must for running. I got them like 3 years ago and haven’t needed to replace them.
- Are you a sweaty person? I ask because I've sweated through supposedly sweat-resistant headphones in the past (Jlab something or other loop neckbuds) and have killed a couple of pairs of JayBirds where I can't 100% blame sweat but I'm pretty sure it's been a factor.
  The IPX4 rating on the AirPods, just like with the Beats, really worries me.
  
  Ha! Fair question. And yea, especially during SE USA summer runs with like 100% humidity. But I always wear a hat, so that keeps a lot of my, uh, head sweat at bay. Honestly I’ve never had a problem with the AirPods - I’m not an apple shill by any means, but I absolutely love the AirPods.

Airpods Pro 2 with Comply tips. The Comply tips prevent slippage but need to be changed out every year or so (when they start to break apart).
- I used to love Comply tips back when I was using wired earbuds, but I got tired of replacing them every few months when they started getting gross. If i could get by with only changing them once a year, i'd probably still be using them

jabra elite 3 active.
paid them 50€. they're very good.
the buttons are not soft touch so you can adjust them without clicking buttons accidentally.
the ANC is very good, can wach a film on the treadmill in a gym and you won't hear much of the outside world.
their rating is IP55 so they can survive sweat.
also they are very comfortable ( if you pick the right size of the tip ) and don't slip off easily.
a note, looks like they are not sold everywhere. i'm in Italy and here amazon has them. the jebra elite 3 are available more globally but they lack many features.
- I was looking at the 4s and the 7s (they don't seem to sell the 3s where I live). There have been quite a few recommendations for Jabra stuff in the thread so I'll definitely have to check them out. Thanks for the recommendation.

whatever you do, just do not get anything with capacitive buttons. I used to run with Sony WF-1000XMW but if you sweat too hard or have a hood on that's wet with sweat or take your shirt or sweater off, it'll press on the capacitive buttons. I switched them for a cheap pair of Sony WF-C500 that have physical buttons and they work great

Jabra Elite active 45e
Do not recommend. The buttons are shit

I've got a set of Baseus encok wm01 earbuds, they've been through the washing machine, in the rain, and dropped many, many times.
They've never come close to falling out, you can use just one at a time, and the charging case can be left at home.
I plan to upgrade to a set with ANC at some point.

Jabra Elite 75t.
Never fell off the ears, they have sweat resistance, nice sound

I've managed to destroy every pair of earbuds I've owned in short time. Expensive shures, jaybirds, Amazon basics, Sony's, ankers, thauker, etc. You name it, give me 6 months, they will be dead. I also sleep with them, so that's I'm sure part of the problem, but they usually die on a long sweaty run. Currently trying shockz open run, light, good battery, not yet dead. We shall see.

I ran with Jaybird Vista, but started using some shocks open air run after being chased by some dogs that I didn't hear and almost getting ran over on a night run. The shocks don't sound as nice, but it's nice to be able to hear everything around while you're running.

I don't run I'm fat. And you can't stop my fat ass from commenting here MWA HA HA
- I guess he's right there's nothing we can do
  
  I'm here. Fatly.

JVC Gumy earbuds or similar. The low price means I don't have to care much if they get damaged or lost.

I use Back Beat fit Bluetooth headphones that use the clip behind the ear style. I don't run I bike and I like them because the touch controls are larger and tactile so I know when I pushed the button, the battery life is excellent, but most importantly they do not, I repeat do not block external sound. I need to hear people, horns, sirens, etc and most earbuds, even non-noise cancelling filter out too much sound to be safe.
Also they are sweat proof. Trust me. I sweat a lot. I even wear them on the shower sometimes.
- After destroying many supposedly sweat proof headphones the back beat fit are the only headphones I use for running. I usually wear sunglasses as well and I would prefer a headphone without the wire but I have yet to find anything else that lasts more than a month.
  
  Mine have no wire! They are separate buds, one goes in each ear, and they have a battery case like most modern earbuds (huge convenience boost from trying to plug in the old ones with the connector in that super awkward spot).
  I used to also use the wired one with the connector that goes on your neck but they died after like four years of abuse and then I found these! They're great, let me know if you can't find them and I'll link to them somehow.

I use the Bose earbuds sport. I don't see them on their site currently so they might be discontinued.
My watch can hold music so I can connect my earbuds to my watch via Bluetooth, allowing me to run phone free.

I use $10 earbuds from Amazon because I lose and break everything. They're all I need. Maybe I just haven't used really good headphones, but I kinda don't want to know what I'm missing.

I use the first generation Sony Linkbuds. They are sort of like an open back earphone, as they have a hole in the middle that allows outside sound through. Since they are proper earphones, they sound significantly better than bone conduction models whilst offering the same safety and awareness benefits. You can also use them freely with any sunglasses or hat because they don't go outside of the ear.
I sweat quite a lot but have had no problems after 9 months of use. I've also used them in the rain - again, no issues. They are designed to be resistant against both of these with an IPX4 rating. They have also survived a few drops. Another feature I like is the ability to extend the touch control range out to your cheek bones, so instead of controlling them by attempting to tap the small earbud while running (and possibly dislodging them) you can just tap anywhere along the much larger surface area of your cheek.
The fit is the biggest problem for people and I had to try a few different combinations of the included wings before I found one that worked for my ear shape. That is probably what makes or breaks them for most - in every other aspect they are great.
- That control method sounds wild. I'm unsure about open earphones and the more I think about it, the more I think I want something closed, but that does sound extremely cool.
  
  They are definitely a niche product! Maybe that's why they were discontinued after just a single generation.

I like a good pair of Tozo of Amazon. Not expensive enough to break the bank but the old pair I had survived a few Nast things. One side went through the wash twice and broke on the second time. On side spent the night outside in the grass when I had a crash on my MTB. I had them for a bit over a year.
The sound quality may not be that of $400 Bode, but when I'm active, I don't really care. I had a pair of skullcandys after this and they had charging issues.
Went back to Tozo and they are going strong again.

I would add, if you got 5 years out of them, find a replacement of the same.
- I appreciate the input, but nah. They've definitely done the job but they've had their fair share of issues over that time as well. Dropping out easily, losing power mid-run and not turning back on until plugged in (even though they're still fully charged), etc. Some of these are issues I've had with other pairs of JayBirds I've owned, and I can't see anything that says they've fixed them with newer models. As much as I liked these for the time I've owned them, I think I'm done with the brand unless make efforts to fix longstanding issues.

Some observations:
Don't get tiny in-ear pods. They have a habit of popping out during outdoor activities, and due to their size they are likely to get irretrievably lost when they do.
If you're outdoors, being aware of your surroundings is very useful. Traffic, bicycle bells, dogs, other runners, etc.
I started out with some cheap Bluetooth buds with a linking cable between them. They served me well for about six months before I decided I was getting serious about running.
I have an older pair of Aftershokz Aeropex (the previous model to the OpenRun, before the rebranding to Shokz). I can't fault them. I also wear spectacles and have no problems. The initial set I had a firmware bug which would mean they didn't charge if you turned them off when they weren't idling (ie. whilst they still had an active audio session with the phone).
About 20 months into owning them, my set developed a fault where they sounded like clashing cymbals on every movement (one of the transducers must have detached internally). The manufacturer sent out a brand new pair without argument. That has different firmware without the charging bug.
Note that many race events do not allow the use of earphones, but some will make an exception for bone conduction earphones which don't block outside sounds.
On the other hand, if your routine solely consists of running on a treadmill in a gym, ignore all of the above.
- I run outside in towns and cities almost exclusively — hate hate hate treadmill running. In my 8ish years of on-and-off running I've always worn in-ear neckbuds (not with ANC, but have been pretty isolating as far as outside noise goes) — I've had the Jaybird X3, and 4, and Tarah Pros, and a pair of Jlab something or other that I killed with sweat in under two months. I've never had any issues with not being able to hear things around me when running, I'm pretty comfortable keeping an eye on my surroundings as I go.
  I don't plan on doing any races or events, I just run for my own fitness and enjoyment, so that's not a concern, but the point about buds falling out is a good one. That was actually a big part of why I was initially looking at the Beats Fit Pros, I've always had success with the wing tips on my JayBirds so I'm interested in trying to find wireless earbuds that have them too. While the Jabras people have recommended look really good on paper for what I'm after, the lack of wing tips is a concern for me for sure.

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