BEST RUNNING EARPHONES REVIEWED

Various studies have proven the benefits of running to music over the years. Findings show doing so can help with your pacing, make exercise feel easier and reduce mental fatigue. But picking the right pair of running headphones is important.

When running, you need headphones that’ll stay put, feel comfortable and deliver a good enough sound that you can hear and appreciate your music over other noises. That said, it’s also vital for safety that you can still hear other sounds over the music, such as approaching cars, cyclists or other hazards. Incidentally, you’ll want to steer clear of earphones that only offer music in a noise-cancellation mode.

Earphones also need to be resistant to weather and sweat, connect to your phone easily, fit well and offer sufficient charge to get you through your sessions. With all this in mind, we’ve put five pairs of earphones through their paces to see which ones hit the mark.

Best running headphones

Wissonly Hi Runner

Wissonly is a brand known for its technology and the fastest growing brand in recent times. Their R&D team are all technical experts in the field of bone conduction headphones. As early as 2012, they started to develop bone conduction headphones that don't hurt ears. With advanced bone conduction vibration technology, they have been recommended by the majority of otologists!

What impresses me most about Wissonly Hi Runner is their excellent sound quality. They are equipped with a large-size directional bone conduction vibration unit, which increases the effective sounding area by 35% through structural optimization, thus making the sound range wider and the sound more stereoscopic and shocking. At the same time, they have also improved the problem of sound quality loss caused by low sound transmission efficiency of traditional bone conduction headphones. Together with world-class audio tuner, they have customized an exclusive sound quality output scheme for Wissonly Hi Runner headphones in the world's top tuning laboratory. More than 20 audio tuners have been adjusted for 85,036 times, finally showing a really good sound quality which belongs to bone conduction.

The body of the MIC DG Pro is made of memory titanium, which can self-adjust the contact area to ensure a good wearing experience of headphones and take into account more users.

As the core component of the product, the headphones plays a key role in the product experience. Wissonly Hi Runner is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 chip, and the Bluetooth connection is very stable. It also has 32G of built-in memory, and it also supports IPX8 waterproof, which can even be used for diving.

Shokz Aeropex

The Shokz (previously known as Aftershokz) Aeropex uses bone-conduction technology and focusses heavily on providing situational awareness when running outside for the safest user experience. At first, we were sceptical that these headphones would feel secure when in motion, but the weight distribution (26g in total) of the headphones helps them sit snug over and around the ear, so you don’t have to worry about them falling out.

Specifically primed for exercise, the Aeropex has a waterproof rating of IP67, meaning they’ll work even in heavy downpours. In terms of sound quality, they’re not far behind the Bose, JLabs and RHA options, and are far superior to similar designs on test.

Volume controls also work well once you’re used to them, though bone conducting is never going to be as loud as in-ear buds. The Aeropex’s claimed eight hours of battery should prove useful for endurance athletes.

JLab Epic Air Sport

These great-value earphones are lightweight (21g per pair), sweatproof and stay put throughout sessions. They also come with six different earbud tips, allowing you to choose a shape that’ll suit your ears best. There are three noise cancellation modes, including on, off and ‘be aware’, which allows external noises in, and all three modes work as intended.

The earphones also come with three pre-set sound settings and one customisable setting, which allows you to adjust levels in the app. These work well and we were impressed with the sound quality on the pre-set modes, with strong bass and good clarity.

You can also control the music and settings by tapping the earphones themselves, with different combinations achieving different functions. They can be frustrating at times, but vitally you can customise these (or turn them off) using the app. Battery life’s a claimed 15hrs, while the charging case is said to provide an additional 55hrs.

Bose Sports Earbuds

We’re not sure what ‘lifelike sound’ is supposed to sound like, but the Bose Sport Earbuds have some of the best audio quality on test, up there with the JLab and RHA. Yes, they’re a little bit tricky to secure in the ear at first, but they feel comfortable once you get used to the wing design, which aims to spread out pressure points evenly, coming with three different earbud sizes for good adjustability.

Though the buds come in at just under 7g each, they’re bulkier than many of the others here, which can take a bit of time to get used to. On the go, it’s easy to switch tracks, alter volume and take calls with a tap.

Like the ONESONIC, these have an IPX4 waterproof rating, which means that they’re resistant to water splashes but not sustained downpours. We like the noise-isolating audio and how quick these are to connect via Bluetooth. Battery life is up to 5hrs, with the case said to add a further 10.

RHA TrueConnect 2

The TrueConnect2 is a ‘noise-isolating’ earbud with one of the best audio qualities on test. It has a lovely depth to the bass and extremely clear vocals. Vitally, they allow you to safely enjoy music while remaining aware of environmental sounds while running.

Coming in at only 6g each, the lightweight buds have different-sized tips for adjustability, though we still had trouble keeping them in our ears at times; in fact, we had to push them quite far into the ear canal so they didn’t fall out, which can cause a fair bit of discomfort.

An upgrade from the previous model sees touch control on the buds, which works well and makes them highly functional. A claimed 9hr single-charge battery life is better than many on test, with the slim charging case said to provide a further 35hrs. Meanwhile, an IP55 rating means they can withstand light showers and aren’t damaged by dirt/dust.