The 5 Best Workout Headphones of 2023 | Shandong Bluetooths Group Co.,Ltd

We tested the Waterproof Mighty Vibe system for swimmers and added it to Other good workout headphones. We also added new models from Cleer, JBL, Nothing, and Philips to the Competition section.

Few things will kill your workout vibe faster than a pair of ill-fitting, hard-to-use headphones. The completely wireless JBL Reflect Aero TWS set is our favorite pair of earbuds for the gym. We love its secure fit, simple controls, waterproof design, and ability to block noise. Plus, these earbuds sound great.

Bluetooth earbuds are best for workouts because they’re small and unobtrusive. Plus, they let you keep your phone tucked away.

To endure sweat, headphones should have a rating of IPX4 or higher. The more punishing the workout, the higher the rating you need.

Your headphones should be easy to use and have all the buttons you require, so you can put away your phone during workouts.

For gym use, we prefer headphones that block out external noise. But the inclusion of a hear-through mode is a nice perk.

Waterproof and sweatproof with a secure fit, the JBL Reflect Aero TWS earbuds offer good sound, excellent noise cancellation, and a helpful hear-through mode, but the touch-based controls have some bothersome limits.

The JBL Reflect Aero TWS true wireless earbuds are the best workout headphones for the gym because they stay securely in place, they have simple controls, and they’re waterproof and sweatproof. The IP68 water-resistance rating means this pair can handle buckets of sweat, and JBL includes three sets of stabilizing wings to help keep the earbuds in place—so you can choose the fit that grips your ear most comfortably. (Folks who have very small or sensitive ears may find the wings’ pressure fatiguing over time, however.) This pair's eight hours of battery life is solid for true wireless earbuds, and the pocket-sized case offers up an additional 16 hours of juice.

This pair also sounds good. The earbuds produce a mild emphasis in the bass and consonants range that many people prefer, and you can fine-tune the sound via JBL's mobile app. The sealed design and active noise cancellation can reduce the noisy gym distractions around you, but should you need to hear your surroundings, a hear-through mode is a tap away. Or, if you prefer, you can choose to use only one earbud at a time. Six microphones help to manage wind noise and ensure clear phone calls, and you can connect these earbuds to two devices simultaneously.

If you’re an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant user, you’ll love these earbuds’ compatibility with voice-activated assistants. Although the touch-based controls on this pair are easy to learn and use, we wish that they could adjust volume, playback, noise cancellation, and the hear-through feature inclusively, but unfortunately you’ll have to choose one of those functions to omit. If anything goes wrong, JBL covers the Reflect Aero TWS set with a one-year warranty.

Flexible wings help keep this Apple-friendly pair securely in your ears, but the IPX4 water resistance may not be high enough to tolerate the most punishing activities. This pair sounds great, with slightly boosted bass.

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If you’re an Apple fan, the Beats Fit Pro set is a worthy (but pricier) alternative to the JBL Reflect Aero TWS pair. The Fit Pro set offers easy pairing and connection swapping to iCloud-connected Apple devices, as well as touch-free "Hey Siri" functionality. Like our top pick, these earbuds have stabilizing wings to help keep them in place, and the sealed design and active noise cancellation can block out gym noise, while the hear-through mode allows for occasional situational awareness or conversations between workout sets. The IPX4 water-resistance rating should be enough for the Fit Pro set to tolerate most activities, but the Reflect Aero TWS's IP68 rating makes that pair better for folks who go mountain biking or sweat profusely, or who are just tougher on their gear.

The Fit Pro pair sounds great, with slightly boosted bass. The six hours of listening time (with ANC on) is average, and the quick-charge feature gives you an hour of playback after the earbuds spend five minutes in the charging case—but the case itself isn't as small as the JBL pair's case. These earbuds offer physical buttons that control track skip, phone calls, and volume on Apple devices, plus some button customization and one-touch pairing on Android devices (if you download the Beats app). Either of the Fit Pro's earbuds can work independently, but multitaskers may miss the dual-device connectivity of the JBL pair. The microphones provide wind and background-noise reduction, so you can take a quick call even while jogging.

As with our top pick, anyone who is sensitive to pressure in the ear might dislike the feeling of this set's stabilizing wings. Apple's warranty covers Beats headphones and the accessories that come in the box against manufacturing issues for one year from the date of purchase.

This affordable pair hooks over your ears to stay in place, has an IP55 water-resistance rating, and sounds surprisingly decent for the price. But it lacks features like noise cancellation and a hear-through mode.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $25.

If you want a pair of wireless earbuds that cover the essentials without costing a bundle, consider the JLab Go Air Sport set. Rather than using wings to secure the earbuds in the ear, this true wireless pair has flexible hooks that slip securely over the top of each ear—a style that is frequently more comfortable for folks with very small or sensitive ear canals. The Go Air Sport pair is dust and water resistant, with an IP55 rating, so these earbuds will easily endure sweaty workouts. They have an eight-hour battery life, and the charging case holds an additional 24 hours of power (though it's larger than we’d like).

This pair has a sealed design but lacks active noise cancellation and a hear-through mode. However, either earbud can work independently, so you can choose to leave one ear open if you need situational awareness. Although the touch-based controls handle play/pause, track skip, volume, and digital-assistant activation, their response can be a bit inconsistent at times, especially if you have long hair, which can get in the way of the sensors. The sound quality is surprisingly decent for the price, but audio fans should note that every one of the three preset EQ settings has some kind of flaw. We like that the charging cable is permanently attached, so you never need to carry a cord, but the cable ends in a USB Type-A plug, a style that is falling out of fashion. Downsides aside, the JLab Go Air Sport offers a lot for a pair of earbuds costing less than most gyms charge for a monthly membership. Plus, it's covered by JLab's two-year warranty.

The H1 earbuds have a 15-hour battery life, a high, IPX8 water-resistance rating, and good sound quality—but they lack a few helpful features that you get with our more expensive picks.

If you want to worry less about your earbuds’ battery life, the Tribit MoveBuds H1 set is a solid pair of true wireless earbuds available for under $100. The 15-hour battery life is superlative for true wireless earbuds; you can wear them all day without charging. This is a good thing because the charging case—which provides an additional 35 hours of power—is nearly as big as a bar of soap. This waterproof pair has a high, IPX8 rating, and the earbuds stay securely in place using hooks that slip over your ears. We appreciate that the package includes six different sizes of ear tips, which make it easier to get the right fit. The MoveBuds H1 pair has a sealed design to help block out gym noise, but it lacks the active noise cancellation and voice-activation capabilities of our pricier picks. It does have a hear-through mode, or you can use one earbud at a time for situational awareness. The sound quality out of the box is good, and we were able to nail our preferred tuning using the app-based equalizer adjustments. The MoveBuds H1 set also has full onboard touch-based controls, plus four microphones that ensure your voice is clear to callers. Tribit's one-year warranty covers accidental manufacturing defects.

The Koss FitClips KSC32i earbuds sound much better than their low price suggests, but the microphone's quality is lacking.

Want a pair of cheap wired earbuds to stash in your gym bag? Go for the super-affordable Koss FitClips KSC32i set. The hook-over-the-ear design of these workout headphones is flexible and comfortable, the sound is way better than the low price implies, and this pair has a sealed design and a universal single-button remote and mic—but no official IP rating, active noise cancellation, or hear-through mode. Because these earbuds are wired, you don't have to worry about charging them, although you may need a headphone-jack adapter depending on which smartphone you use. However, the microphone on this FitClips pair isn't fantastic for phone conversations.

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*At the time of publishing, the price was $25.

The H1 earbuds have a 15-hour battery life, a high, IPX8 water-resistance rating, and good sound quality—but they lack a few helpful features that you get with our more expensive picks.

The Koss FitClips KSC32i earbuds sound much better than their low price suggests, but the microphone's quality is lacking.

Not only do I hold a bachelor's degree in both music performance and audio production from Ithaca College, but I have also tested over one thousand pairs of headphones while working for Wirecutter.

Our focus here is on sealed earbuds and headphones designed to keep out the sounds of a noisy gym (or home) environment and help you stay in the zone with your favorite tunes.

I spent several years in terrestrial radio before moving on to become a professional voice actor in Los Angeles, a job I still do and love. I’ve been in and out of the top recording studios for over a decade. I also have reviewed high-end home audio equipment for publications such as Home Entertainment, Home Theater Magazine, and Sound & Vision. My articles have been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, and Time, and on Good Morning America, the BBC World Service, and NBC Nightly News. I’ve got a pretty good handle on what's available and what's worth your time and hard-earned money, and I am committed to finding gear that will make you happy.

Workout headphones are for people who want to listen to music or podcasts while exercising and need headphones that prioritize durability and comfort. Our focus here is on sealed earbuds and headphones designed to keep out the sounds of a noisy gym (or home) environment and help you stay in the zone with your favorite tunes. Our research shows that runners may have different needs based on how and where they run, so we have a separate guide outlining our running-headphones recommendations.

When it comes to running headphones, one size definitely doesn't fit all—so we have multiple recommendations based on style, features, and price.

The majority of the picks in this guide are wireless. These days, most people prefer the convenience of Bluetooth headphones. Bluetooth models make the best workout headphones because they allow you to keep your phone tucked away and your hands free, and they eliminate the possibility of a cable snagging on equipment.

Our picks are not meant for swimming. Even though earbuds rated IPX8 are waterproof for a certain length of time, Bluetooth doesn't work underwater. In the Other good workout headphones section, we do have one swimming-headphones recommendation, which comes with its own waterproof MP3 player.

Although all of our picks in this guide passed our stress tests and are sturdy and labeled as sweat resistant or sweatproof, they’re still electronics. That means their durability has limitations, and long-term water (especially salt water) or sweat exposure can still damage them. Never charge your headphones when they’re wet. Treat your earbuds well if you want them to last beyond the warranty period. We offer tips on cleaning them.

To find the best headphones for working out, we regularly use the following criteria:

To date, we have tested more than 250 pairs of workout headphones, and we always begin by testing how they fit. When you’re searching for the best wireless earbuds for working out, getting proper sizing is crucial. Ear shapes and sizes vary dramatically, so no single pair of even the best sport headphones will work perfectly for everyone—but when a certain pair fits multiple people well, we know we’re on the right track. Always try to find the best-fitting workout headphones before you commit. Look for retailers that allow you to return or exchange, and save the packaging until you’ve had a chance to test all the sizing and stability options.

Fit is crucial to earbud performance. If you’re struggling to get a good fit with the provided tips, replacement earbud tips might be the solution.

Next, we subject our favorites to some stress tests. We take to the track and run half a mile with each pair. We do burpees, jumping jacks, sit-ups, and jump squats. We pay attention to tugging and chafing, and we note which headphones, if any, fall out. We consider wind noise, cable noise (if they’re wired), and the ability to hear external sounds. We wear sunglasses to see how well each pair fits for glasses wearers. We sweat a lot. This step reduces the field further, but our mission to find the best workout headphones isn't finished yet.

To check the durability of wired headphones, we hold each set by the earpieces and tug sharply a few dozen times to simulate snagging and pulling them off the wearer's head.

We test water resistance by powering the headphones on, spraying every earbud thoroughly using a water-filled misting bottle, and pressing the buttons to see if any water leaks in. We repeat this process every 10 minutes for an hour, and then we listen to each pair for any negative effects. (Yes, we’ve endured numerous wet willies for you.)

And because all of that isn't enough, we test sweat resistance. Sweat damage is largely due to the accumulation of salt (rather than moisture) affecting the electronics. To simulate performance under very sweaty conditions, we used data from a scientific study of marathon runners to calculate the average salt content of sweat and make a saltwater mixture corresponding to the study's highest recorded levels. We spray every set of headphones with our sweat proxy and then mash all of the buttons; after repeating this process four times, we check the performance.

Once the endurance trials are complete, we test basic call quality and take the most promising headphones to the gym for several hour-long workouts to see if any hidden issues surface.

The JBL Reflect Aero TWS set is a petite pair of completely wireless earbuds that will see you through your workout and beyond. These IP68-rated earbuds have an exceptionally high level of protection against water and dust, and they should stay securely in place no matter the activity, thanks to their stabilizing wings. The Reflect Aero TWS pair has eight hours of battery life, plus an additional 16 hours in the charging case. Though the earbuds are sealed to block out gym noise, their hear-through mode allows for situational awareness for safety or conversation. The large touch controls are easy to activate when you’re on the move, and the pair's always-listening Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support allows fans of those digital assistants to get the help they need without lifting a finger (Apple-device users can call up Siri using the physical controls). These earbuds’ inclusion of wind-resistant microphones, dual-device connectivity, and effective active noise cancellation elevates them from great workout earbuds to great everyday earbuds.

Workout earbuds must stay put—few things are as annoying as chasing a single wireless bud that has bounced off into the shadows. The Reflect Aero TWS pair avoids this fate by including three sizes of pliable, gripping wings and three sizes of eartips, so you can find the combination that best matches your anatomy. The earbuds are lightweight, sleek, and minimal in size, with no parts that protrude from the head. This means that a wider variety of people with different ear sizes and shapes will find this pair comfortable to wear. However, if you dislike the feeling of pressure in your ears or you have very small ear canals, you may prefer workout earbuds that hook over your ears, such as the JLab Go Air Sport set or the Tribit MoveBuds H1 pair, both of which are less expensive than the Reflect Aero TWS. Alternatively, if your heart is set on the Reflect Aero's features, the JBL Endurance Peak 3 has a lot of similar bells and whistles in a hook-over-the-ear design, but it costs more than the Go Air Sport or H1. You can read more about the Peak 3 in the Competition section.

This IP68-rated pair is built to handle a lot of sweat. Devices that earn this rating can withstand immersion in 5 feet of water for 30 minutes with no ill effect. JBL says the Reflect Aero TWS earbuds can even take a dunk in salt water, provided that you rinse them off in fresh water and dry them before putting them away to charge. However, the waterproofing doesn't mean you can swim with this pair and still hear the music; unfortunately, Bluetooth radio waves don't pass through water very well. But if you go paddleboarding and wipe out, these earbuds will recover quickly. And if anything goes awry, JBL covers the Reflect Aero TWS set with a one-year warranty.

The large, touch-based controls are easy to find and use without looking, though mastering the timing of taps—which can be less intuitive than the haptic feedback provided by a physical button clicking under your finger—may take some time. You can assign two sets of controls, covering the playback controls, ANC/hear-through controls, or volume controls—but not all three at the same time. Alexa and Google Assistant fans may not mind that limitation; since their preferred digital assistant is always listening for its wake word, no tap is necessary. Apple users can access Siri, but it involves a tap-and-hold on the touch control. If that's a dealbreaker for you, the Beats Fit Pro pair offers hands-free "Hey Siri" compatibility.

To be aware of your surroundings, you can use one earbud alone or activate the hear-through mode on the pair to let outside sounds in. We were impressed by the sound of this mode, which avoided the tinny or muffled quality found in much of the competition. It's also adjustable, so you can choose how much of the outside world you want mixed into your music. When it's time to focus, the earbuds’ sealed design and their adaptive noise cancellation combine to do an excellent job of insulating the wearer from distractions. Though the noise reduction is not the absolute best we’ve tested, the amount of it is pretty impressive. You can see how the Reflect Aero TWS stacks up against other noise-cancelling earbuds in our ANC headphones guide.

Battery life on the Reflect Aero TWS pair is around eight hours. Be advised that frequent phone calls, the volume at which you listen, and whether you use ANC or hear-through may net you more or less time. But if you run out of power, the charge case holds 16 hours of additional power, is small enough to fit in the key pocket of most running shorts, and has a permanently attached lanyard wristlet. Plus, the case features quick-charge capabilities: 15 minutes in the case provides a whopping four hours of playtime. However, the case does not support wireless charging, as you get with some competitors.

Out of the box, the JBL Reflect Aero TWS set sounds good, with some added oomph in the bass and extra energy in the frequency range where consonants sit. Many folks are likely to enjoy the sound as is, but we liked it better after doing a little EQ tinkering in the app. The six-microphone array helps to reduce wind noise and ensures that your voice is clear for phone calls and video chats. This pair also has dual-device capability, which means people who switch between devices regularly can stay connected to both devices simultaneously without having to fuss with Bluetooth settings.

As we mentioned above, we wish that the Reflect Aero TWS pair offered a complete set of controls. But because you can use your voice to call up your digital assistant, we’re willing to let that slide. We also know that some people prefer physical buttons over touch-based controls, which can be more fussy in everyday use. Since the touch panels are large and JBL did a good job dialing in the sensitivity and gestures, this pair isn't as prone to misfires as others we’ve tested.

The stabilizing wings may bother wearers with sensitive ears. Though the winged design is ideal for sports because of its grip, it can get fatiguing to wear for hours on end. If you take frequent breaks, this won't be a problem for you. But if you tend to wear your earbuds all day nonstop, this design may make your ears ache more than others.

We wish that the charging case supported wireless charging, and that its lanyard wristlet was detachable. Yes, permanently attaching the lanyard makes it impossible to lose, but that extra loop can be annoying to tuck away when you want to squeeze the case into a tiny pocket. USB-C charge ports deliver power faster than wireless, but having a cable-less charging option would be nice.

The manual isn't the clearest we’ve read. For example, we wanted to do a factory reset as part of our testing, and the diagram was less than accurate on how to accomplish the task. (Incidentally, you take the left earbud out of the case and put it in your ear, leaving the right one in the case. Next, you tap, tap, hold on that left earbud until you hear the earbud shut down.) We managed to figure out the most important instructions, but the lack of clarity was a little annoying.

And lastly, this earbud set lacks adequate sidetone (when you hear a bit of your own voice) for phone calls and video chats, which makes you want to speak louder and can be distracting. If that bothers you, we recommend checking out the Beats Fit Pro or one of our other Bluetooth earbud picks.

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For Apple users who want easy device pairing and swapping, "Hey Siri" wake-word compatibility, and other Apple-centric perks synonymous with AirPods, the Beats Fit Pro set is a fantastic alternative to the JBL Reflect Aero TWS pair. Like our top pick, these sealed earbuds are small, stay securely in place, and do a good job of blocking out gym noise, plus they offer active noise cancellation and a hear-through mode. The Fit Pro set sounds great, with slightly boosted bass and a good sense of detail in the mids and highs. But the battery life and water resistance are both lower than those of our top pick, and this pair usually costs more.

The Fit Pro design's stabilizing wings grip the outer ear without creating too much pressure, and the earbuds are light and small enough that they don't have too much heft dragging them down. We did some HIIT, weights, and yoga, and these earbuds didn't budge. However, people who have very small ears or who are sensitive to tactile response in the ear area may find that the wings create a "too full" feeling that can be fatiguing during long workout sessions.

The Fit Pro pair's IPX4 water- and dust-resistance rating isn't as high as that of the JBL Reflect Aero TWS set. These earbuds should be sufficient for the average run or indoor workout, but for very heavy sweating, water-based workouts, or tough mudders, we recommend the higher-rated JBL earbuds.

In the past, Beats headphones were known for their bass-heavy sound quality, which ranged from "a bit much" to "completely overwhelming." However, Beats has comparatively refined the sound profile on the Fit Pro, and this pair sounded pretty darn great in our tests. Are they completely neutral and authentic? No, but we found the extra bass boost to be pleasant, and the bass notes didn't blur or reverberate. Higher frequencies, such as consonants and cymbals, were clear and didn't pierce in our tests, though audio purists who like an extra pop in the high frequencies could accuse them of lacking some sparkle or detail. Overall, we concluded that the sound quality was as good as or better than what the JBL Reflect Aero TWS pair offered, but it's really a matter of preference. On top of that, the JBL earbuds give you the ability to adjust the sound with equalization controls, whereas with this Beats pair, what you hear out of the box is what you get.

Either earbud can function alone if you prefer to use only one, and each earbud has a single physical button that is easy to find by feel and comfortable to press. This design stands in contrast to the experience with many other true wireless earbuds, which typically have wonky touch controls or buttons that shove the earbud painfully into your ear canal when you depress them. The buttons handle music playback, digital assistant call-up, and toggling between ANC and the hear-through mode. However, the controls are limited on Android phones; volume controls are an option only for Apple devices.

The battery life of around six hours (longer if you pause your music occasionally and don't leave the noise cancellation on) is middle-of-the-road, but the combination of this pair's quick-charge capabilities and the three full charges provided by the charging case means that most folks will get through a full day of use with no problems.

The microphone quality is stellar for phone calls and video chats. In quiet rooms you’ll sound very clear, and if you need to take calls on the go, the background-noise reduction helps a great deal. While the act of removing noise compresses the sound of your voice somewhat, it also very effectively removes the sound of wind and other sustained din, such as traffic whooshes, so you could take a call while on a jog and still be understood.

The noise cancellation on this pair is effective, but only in a specific frequency range; we talk more about how the Fit Pro earbuds compare to others in that regard in our guide to noise-cancelling headphones. In contrast, the hear-through mode on the Fit Pro set is excellent, making it easy for you to carry on a conversation or maintain situational awareness without adding too much distracting sibilance to the sound of the world around you.

The biggest advantage these earbuds have over the competition is their ability to access Apple features. (Beats is owned by Apple.) Although features such as spatial audio and head tracking have yet to show lasting value, others like touchless "Hey Siri" control and "Find My" can prove especially helpful. Since these earbuds are equipped with the same H1 chip as Apple's AirPods, they pair with Apple devices nearly instantly: Simply open the case next to your iPhone, and an icon asking if you’d like to connect appears on the phone screen. Tap, and you’re good to go. If you are signed in to your iCloud account, the Beats Fit Pro set also automatically appears in all of the Bluetooth menus on your various Apple devices, so you need to pair to only one device. You can also quickly pair these earbuds with Android devices, but in that case you need to download the Beats app first. Switching from one device to another is a process similar to that of other Bluetooth earbuds or headphones, and with this Beats pair, Android users may miss the dual-device pairing capabilities that our top pick, the JBL set, provides. An additional Apple bonus: If a friend has a pair of Beats headphones or AirPods, both of you can listen to one iOS device wirelessly using Apple's audio-sharing feature, which is especially nifty if you and your friend are following a workout video together.

Perhaps most helpful is the "Find My" feature. Whereas most of the lost-earbud location trackers we’ve tested have been clunky and less than pinpoint accurate, the "Find My" function on Apple devices is truly stellar. If you’ve seen how Air Tags function, you’ll be familiar with the process, which is a combination of GPS, Bluetooth proximity, and speaker chirp. It's really the only such system that we’ve tested that has been useful enough to merit as a consideration for purchasing one device over another. Between the stabilization wings on the earbuds and the "Find My" feature, losing an earbud becomes far less likely—so if you’re an iPhone owner prone to misplacing small things, the Beats Fit Pro pair might be worth extra consideration.

The always-on "Hey Siri" function lets you use your voice to trigger the Apple-based digital assistant, no button tapping necessary. If you use a non-Apple platform, you can still activate your digital assistant—you just need to set it as a control preset in the Beats app. "Hey Siri" can also control the volume or toggle between noise cancellation and the hear-through mode, which is a good thing since you have to choose between the two as the assigned function for a long button hold. Android-device owners who need more onboard controls may prefer the full suite of controls on the Tribit MoveBuds H1 set or the hands-free Google Assistant compatibility of the JBL Reflect Aero TWS pair.

The only major downside to the Beats Fit Pro set is the charging case. Not only does it lack Qi wireless charging capabilities, but it's also a little larger than we’d like—too large to fit in the key pocket of running shorts. However, Beats has improved the wear sensor of the Fit Pro earbuds so that they’re far less likely to activate while they’re out of your ears. As a result, unlike with other true wireless earbuds, which typically require their case to power off, you can slip these earbuds into your pocket in a pinch without completely draining their battery or triggering music playback. Though we consider the chunky case size to be a flaw, a few people have told us that they prefer the larger case—they said it was easier to find in their bag. But if your inclination is toward a smaller case, we recommend the JBL earbuds instead.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $25.

If you don't want to pay more than $50 for workout headphones, the JLab Go Air Sport is an inexpensive pair of true wireless, water-resistant earbuds that's perfect for tossing into your gym bag. These earbuds have a hook-over-the-ear design, with flexible hooks that grip securely and comfortably over the top of each ear; as such, the Go Air Sport pair might be more comfortable than our top picks for folks with very small or sensitive ear canals. You get around eight hours of listening time per charge, plus an additional three charges from the charging case. Though this pair isn't without its flaws, nothing else we’ve tested in the sub-$50 price range can compete. The earbuds should last you at least a few years, and JLab backs their build quality with a two-year warranty.

The IP55 dust- and water-resistance rating of this JLab pair is lower than that of our top pick from JBL, but it's still high enough—the Go Air Sport earbuds can take on any sweaty, land-based workout. The package includes three sizes of ear tips, a range that should allow these earbuds to fit nearly all ear-canal sizes. The silicone tips block enough external noise to reduce distractions, but the earbuds themselves have no active noise cancellation, and their lack of a hear-through feature means you’ll likely need to pull out an earbud to have a conversation. If you need situational awareness for safety, either earbud can work independently, but using only one bud results in limited touch-control functionality.

Speaking of which, the touch-based controls are large and easy to find, an essential attribute for workout earbuds. Unlike much of the competition, the Go Air Sport pair has full controls on board: play/pause, track skip, volume, and digital-assistant activation. As with many touch controls, the response here can be a bit finicky at times, especially if your hair gets in the way. Unlike physical buttons, which usually have a tactile click, or the JBL pair's touch controls, which respond with a beep, the controls on this set require you to put in a little more practice to learn the cadence of taps necessary to get your desired outcome.

The sound quality can't match that of our other picks, but it is still enjoyable—and pretty stellar for earbuds typically priced around $30. The Go Air Sport pair offers three EQ presets: One boosts bass, one boosts treble, and one sits somewhere in the middle. Our favorite in our tests was the middle-ground JLab Signature preset—it still produced a boomier bass than we preferred, but it had a more balanced sound than the other two.

Battery life for these earbuds is around eight hours, though the volume level at which you listen and the number of phone calls you take may affect that run time. The case provides an additional 24 hours of power, so you likely need to charge this set only every week or so. Because the case has to accommodate the larger, hook-over-the-ear design of the earbuds, it's bigger than the cases for our top picks. You may be able to fit it in a deeper gym-short pocket, but generally speaking, this is a case best stored in a bag or running belt. The charge cable is standard USB-A style and permanently attached, so you never need to find a cord. Though we like this clever feature, we wish that this case had the newer USB-C type of cable or that it could charge wirelessly.

While the Go Air Sport is great for bumping tunes while you pound the treadmill, it's not ideal for frequent phone calls. The microphone quality is muffled, so your callers may ask you to speak up. If you want a gym-friendly set that sounds as good on Zoom as it does streaming Zumba, look at our other picks.

The H1 earbuds have a 15-hour battery life, a high, IPX8 water-resistance rating, and good sound quality—but they lack a few helpful features that you get with our more expensive picks.

The Tribit MoveBuds H1 is a secure-fitting pair of true wireless earbuds that offers a super-long 15-hour battery life, a high water-resistance rating of IPX8, and easy-to-use touch controls, all for less than $100. The MoveBuds H1 earbuds are completely waterproof and employ over-ear hooks rather than wings to stay in place, a design that some people may find to be more comfortable. You can adjust the sound quality to your preference in the app, and the set has a hear-through mode for quick conversations. However, it lacks noise cancellation, and its charging case is more cumbersome than we’d like.

The 15-hour battery life is one of the highest we’ve seen for a true wireless pair—you can wear these earbuds virtually all day without charging. Although the charge case provides an additional 35 hours of power, it's not what we’d consider pocketable (unless you work out in overalls or cargo pants), as it's about the size of a bar of soap and lacking wireless charging capabilities. Since these earbuds have such a long battery life, though, we’ll give that shortcoming a pass—but if you want to bring the case with you, plan on stowing it in a bag or a running belt.

For people with very small ear canals or those who can't tolerate the feeling of pressure in their ears, workout earbuds that use stabilizing wings or fins near the ear canal (like our two top picks) often disappoint. If that describes you, a hook-over-the-ear design like that of the MoveBuds H1 set could be the answer. This pair has flexible, rubberized arms that loop over the top of your ear to hold the earbuds in place. And because the package includes six different sizes of tips, you’re more likely to find a set that suits you.

Don't worry about sweat, either. The MoveBuds H1 set is rated IPX8, or waterproof for 30 minutes in 5 feet of water. Although these earbuds will endure rain or a quick plunge, they aren't made for swimming, as Bluetooth can't travel well through water. And make sure that you dry them completely before putting them into the charge case. Treat the MoveBuds H1 well, and these earbuds should last you a while—but if anything goes wrong, Tribit covers them with a one-year warranty.

We like that the touch controls of the MoveBuds H1 support all the desired functions, encompassing play/pause, track skip/reverse, call answering, volume adjustment, hear-through mode control, and the ability to activate your digital assistant. The touch-surface area is large, so you won't struggle to tap it while moving, though there can be some hiccups if you have hair that gets in the way or if you’re accustomed to the feeling of a physical button. However, the MoveBuds H1 set isn't as prone to misfires or accidental swipes as some other earbuds we’ve tested with touch-based controls. If you find the controls unintuitive, you can use the app to choose from four different combinations of taps and holds to find one that works well for you.

The MoveBuds H1 pair lacks active noise cancellation, but using properly fitting tips will help to block out most distractions around you. And if you need to let sound in, you can engage the hear-through mode, with two levels of intensity to choose from. Neither level sounds as natural as what we heard through the JBL Reflect Aero TWS and Beats Fit Pro earbuds, but the mode is nonetheless handy for having conversations between workout reps. If you need more awareness for safety purposes, you can instead use a single earbud, although this option gives you less touch-control functionality.

The sound quality out of the box was good, but we were happiest after playing around with the EQ in the Tribit app. We were impressed with the level of detailed adjustments we could make to fine-tune the sound. Though this pair lacks the sense of space and detail of our top picks, its overall sound quality is excellent for a set of true wireless, waterproof earbuds under $100. You’ll also sound good to callers, as the earbuds’ use of four microphones ensures that your voice will come through loud and clear.

The Koss FitClips KSC32i earbuds sound much better than their low price suggests, but the microphone's quality is lacking.

If you want to spend the least amount of money possible for sweat-resistant sport headphones and still be happy with your purchase, the Koss FitClips KSC32i wired earbuds are the way to go. Light and flexible, these headphones stay put when you run, jump, or play. We managed to wear sunglasses with them comfortably despite their over-ear hook design (which is usually a concern for anyone who runs outside). Because they’re wired, you don't have to worry about charging them, and the cable includes a universal single-button remote/mic—but if your phone lacks a headphone jack, you’ll need an adapter.

In our tests, the sound was somewhat compressed (think portable speaker versus bookshelf speaker), but music and voices sounded clear. Though the bass was boosted, it didn't sound overly muddy. Additionally, the mic quality could be iffy. For the low price, though, we were able to let these flaws slide. If you tend to lose your headphones at the gym, or if you have a teen in your life who goes through a pair of earbuds every few months, get the Koss FitClips KSC32i. Heck, get two pairs.

Wirecutter takes security and privacy issues seriously and investigates, as much as possible, how the companies whose products we recommend deal with customer data. Since a growing number of wireless Bluetooth headphones require the use of an app for setup and (sometimes) daily operation, we reached out to the companies that produce our top picks and asked them to provide information that we think is of primary concern for any potential buyer.

We included only those companies that have an app to go along with their Bluetooth headphones. Here's what we learned:

If you dislike the feel of stabilizing wings and over-the-ear hooks: Jabra's Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active pairs each have a more standard earbud design without wings or hooks. These earbuds are especially comfortable on a broad range of ear shapes, but people who have very small ear canals, who jog, or who do high-impact moves may find that they don't feel as secure. They have an IP57 water-resistance rating and an eight-hour battery life, with an additional 30 hours in the charging case. The sound quality is great with a little EQ adjustment, and the microphones are clear for phone calls, especially if you have a deeper-pitched voice. During our tests, we noticed that high-pitched voices could sound harsh, an effect that may have been due to the microphone sensitivity or the background-noise reduction software. The noise cancellation was okay, but less than we’d hoped to get from earbuds at this price. As with many Bluetooth headphones, dual-device connectivity can cause some hiccups, especially when you’re using these earbuds for app-based video meetings on services like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. But as far as sweat-resistant true wireless earbuds go, both pairs are worthy of consideration. You can read more about how they compare with other earbuds in our Bluetooth earbuds guide.

If you need headphones to swim laps: If you use Spotify or Amazon Music to stream your playlists, the Waterproof Mighty Vibe music player/headphone system is an excellent way to spice up your water-based workouts. The IP68-rated player lets you load your favorite playlists from those services before you hit the water. It's lightweight and clips to your goggle strap securely enough to handle freestyle, flip-turns, and pushes off the wall. The controls are large and handle track skip, volume, and switching between playlists. The Vibe doesn't have a display, but you don't need it to use the player––just push and hold a button, and the Vibe can speak the name of your playlist or songs into the earbuds for easy navigation. Included with the Vibe is a pair of waterproof, wired earbuds with a coiled cable that keeps the slack from drooping around your head as you swim. The earbuds have three sizes of triple-flange tips that seal water out of your ear canal like an earplug, providing the air needed to hear sound waves underwater. At first, this is not the most comfortable pair of swim earbuds we’ve ever tried (that honor belongs to the Swimbuds Sport) largely because triple-flange tips can feel a little intrusive to wear at first. But once we got the hang of it, we enjoyed using the tips––and we found the comfort and sound improved once we were in the water. So we’d recommend giving the included set a try before spending extra on another pair. You’ll want to allow extra time to fuss with the fit the first time you wear the earbuds for a workout. Experiment with tip sizes, running the cable over or under your ear, and positioning the player in different locations and directions.

The Vibe player can also connect to Bluetooth earbuds, which provides versatility should you want a player for paddleboarding or other sports in which you run the risk of a dunk in the ocean. However, due to the physics of radio waves, Bluetooth doesn't work underwater, so you can't stream music to wireless earbuds or from the cloud while swimming. You’ll need to download your playlist to the Vibe from your phone using the Mighty app before you take the plunge. This process requires you to log into your Spotify or Amazon account and select playlists to sync with the player. The initial setup can take several minutes, so be sure to get your music loaded in advance. This is the only player we are aware of that allows for syncing with streaming services, which is helpful since many people don't purchase music files anymore. Underwater Audio makes a waterproof iPod shuffle, but as Apple has long-since discontinued that player, the price is steep, and we can't say how long Apple Music will support the device.

Fully charged, the Vibe provides about five hours of music playback and can hold around a thousand songs. There are a few downsides worth noting. The player charges using the headphone jack, so although the included cable plugs into a standard USB Type-A outlet, it will be harder to find a replacement should you lose track of it. Also, Apple Music, YouTube, Qobuz, and Tidal aren't supported, so subscribers to those services are out of luck.

If you prefer your wireless earbuds to be tethered together: The JLab Epic Sport2 Wireless pair has a cable that runs between the earbuds, but it's thin and lightweight enough that it isn't as noticeable as the cables of many other traditional Bluetooth earbuds (though the wearing experience can't match what you get from true wireless earbuds—you can still feel the remote bouncing during high-impact moves). The hooks that go over the ears, plus the flexible optional wings, hold the Epic Sport2 earbuds in place securely, and this design combo may provide a successful fit for those who have smaller ear canals or who have difficulty getting other earbuds to stay in place. We loved the 20-hour battery life, the good IP66 dust- and water-resistance rating, and the wide variety of sizes and styles of tips and wings included in the package. The downsides are that the sound was bass-heavy in our tests (no matter which of the three EQ settings we chose) and that the "balanced" sound mode could make high frequencies come across a little coarse. But if you need affordable gym headphones and struggle with workout earbuds staying put, these earbuds are worth a look.

If you prefer over-ear headphones: The Under Armour Project Rock Over-Ear Training Headphones pleasantly surprised our test panel, but a few concerns kept us from making this pair an official pick. The earpads are breathable and washable, which we really like—but because of that, the headphones don't fully isolate you from gym noise, which may be a dealbreaker for some people. The build of this pair feels substantial, but the water-resistance rating is only IPX4, so you need to avoid truly punishing or water-based activities. The controls are easy to use, with a little practice. A dedicated button allows you to assign a command to activate Alexa, Google Assistant, or a non-native digital assistant. We enjoyed listening to these headphones: It produced extra bass to add oomph and excitement and had a smidgen more detail in the highs, preventing vocals and strings from getting lost. In contrast to other, less-deft approaches to this sort of tuning, the Project Rock set avoided bass bloat and piercing highs. Because the physical design balances the weight of the earcups properly, we managed to keep the headphones on our head for weight lifting and most gym-related moves (sit-ups, jogging, box jumps) without a headband that squeezed uncomfortably. However, the weight of the headphones themselves might make them a tad hefty for truly high-impact moves, unless you have the neck strength of a bodybuilder, a football player, or, you know, The Rock.

We’ve tested hundreds of headphones for this guide, which is a lot to digest, so we’re sticking with the most notable competitors here. However, if you’re curious about a specific model, reach out to our team via Twitter (@wirecutter) or email ([email protected]), and we’ll be happy to help.

Adidas FWD-02 Sport: Adidas gets a few things very right with this pair of true wireless earbuds. The earbud shape is one of the most comfortable we’ve ever tried, and the inclusion of five pairs of wings and four pairs of tips ensures a secure fit on a wide variety of ear shapes. The charging case is small and lightweight and should fit easily into the key pocket of exercise shorts. However, Adidas also gets a lot wrong with the FWD-02 Sport set. The open-mesh fabric lid on the case seems to be designed to allow airflow, but it won't protect your earbuds from dust. (You shouldn't put your earbuds away when they’re wet from sweat, anyway.) We also worry about how well that fabric would hold up over time. The earbuds’ controls lack the ability to adjust volume or call up your phone's digital assistant, and they do not work consistently—we often paused tracks when we meant to skip them. And the sound in our tests was a boomy mess with harsh, sizzling highs that we couldn't fix using the app-based EQ adjustments.

Adidas RPT-02 Sol: This on-ear headphone pair looks cool, and its solar charging is a neat idea. But in our testing it proved to be less practical than we’d hoped. The headphones are heavy, and the mesh earcups pressed uncomfortably into our ears, leaving them marked up like one's thighs might be after sitting in a wicker seat while wearing shorts. On top of that, unfortunately, the bass was boomy and formless, as though someone had put a subwoofer under a blanket.

Adidas Z.N.E. 01 ANC: Though this pair sounded quite good in our tests, the ANC wasn't especially effective, and the tap controls were prone to miscommunication. In addition, the lengths of the stems/sound tubes don't allow the earbud to seat deeply in the ear canal, so many folks may find it impossible to get a secure fit.

Apple AirPods: These earbuds aren't rated as sweat resistant—and because Apple's warranty doesn't apply to water or sweat damage, if the AirPods short out, you’re out of luck.

Apple AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods Pro (2nd generation): Although the IPX4 rating of the AirPods Pro means they’re protected from some mild sweat damage, these earbuds aren't our first choice for regular gym use. The vented design on the 1st-gen model allows in external noise, and the noise cancellation on both models can't reduce the sound of weights clanking or the lyrics of the pop music piped onto the gym floor. Both versions of the AirPods Pro earbuds stay in place during moderate movement, but people who do very high-impact workouts (such as burpee tuck jumps) may find that the earbuds can slip out of place. Additionally, the controls are fiddly and can be tricky to activate while you’re on the move.

Aukey EP-T32: This pair is our former budget pick that's been discontinued. We heard from readers who were discouraged by Aukey's inability to fulfill its promised warranty, using excuses or ignoring what appears to us to be valid warranty claims. We reached out to Aukey for comment and got no response. It's for this reason that we don't foresee ourselves recommending any headphones from this brand in the future, and we recommend you steer clear as well.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Sport: We like the fit, the IP57-rated durability, and the easy-to-use controls on this pair. In our tests, the sound quality was somewhat over-boosted in the bass and highs, which meant cymbal and snare hits could become fatiguing for sensitive listeners and the bass could seem louder than usual. The hear-through feature produced results that sounded sibilant and distractingly unnatural, so it isn't something we’d leave on for situational awareness, but for a brief conversation, it's fine. Over phone calls, your voice can sound a bit tinny to callers, and the mic picks up sounds around you, so you probably won't want to take calls on the gym floor (not that you’d ever do that anyway). Overall, the flaws aren't massive, and we would likely include the Beoplay E8 Sport pair in the Other good workout headphones section if not for its high price tag. Additionally, if you lose one of these earbuds, the stakes are higher, as a replacement sets you back $125 per earbud.

Beats Powerbeats3: These earbuds have a tricky fit that drastically affects the sound quality and prompts lots of reports of shorting out. When they do fit properly, they offer a fun, bass-heavy sound, but half of our panel couldn't get them to seal effectively.

Beats Powerbeats Pro: We like this pair a lot, and we have previously featured it as the runner-up pick in our best wireless Bluetooth earbuds guide. The Powerbeats Pro earbuds claim to be sweat and water resistant, but this pair isn't IP certified, so we still say that anyone who sweats profusely or who does outdoor sports frequently should stick with our picks in this guide. The Powerbeats Pro set comes with a one-year warranty, but Beats isn't specific about sweat-damage coverage, so we suggest exercising caution.

Beats Studio Buds: These earbuds have a diminutive size that will help them fit most ears well, but because they lack wings or hooks, people with small ear canals may find that they feel less stable. Although the IPX4 water-resistance rating means the Studio Buds can travel with you to the gym, they might not stay put for dynamic workouts. Their sonic profile is the characteristic hyped Beats sound (with extra emphasis in the highs and lows that can make consonants and basslines pop a touch more forcefully in the mix), which many people find exciting, especially for hip-hop and electronic pop. The Studio Buds also offer better-than-average active noise cancellation that is useful for reducing air conditioner or airplane sounds but doesn't rival that of our top picks in our guide to noise-cancelling headphones. The control buttons are well designed—they are generally easy to find by feel and to press without painfully mashing the earbuds into your ear canal—but they lack volume control. Unlike other Beats headphones, the Studio Buds work with Android one-touch pairing in addition to pairing to Apple mobile devices with ease, and they support the voice assistants for both mobile operating systems—but that also means that they don't support "always listening" Siri. In our tests, the microphone quality was perfectly acceptable but lacked some detail and wind resistance. Though the Studio Buds support Apple Music's Dolby Spatial Audio, they do not offer head-tracking features.

Bose Sport Earbuds: Though this pair features the great Bose sound profile you’ve likely come to expect, it lacks a lot of the features we enjoy in our top picks. The tap controls are limited; you handle track-reverse and volume on your music device. The stabilizer wings and tips are all one piece, so if your ear-canal size doesn't correlate to your outer-ear size, you may be stuck with a wing that's too small or too large. There doesn't seem to be a way to manually power the earbuds down without the case, which can be a bummer if you’re out and about and want to preserve their battery life. Overall, the Sport Earbuds are good, but they’re not noteworthy enough to be a top pick.

Cleer Arc: The Arc is essentially a pair of small speakers that rest on top of your ears, a design that allows unencumbered situational awareness but is not ideal for a gym environment where you want to block out the noise. Also, the hinged earbud design squeezes the upper ear, which can become uncomfortable after 20 minutes or so. And the microphones sounded distant and muffled over phone calls in our tests.

Cleer Roam Sport: Although the stabilizing wings on this pair are pliable and comfortable, the shape of the earbuds is such that several testers (who use medium and large tips) were unable to get the earbuds deep enough into their ears to achieve a seal, which negatively impacted both the active noise cancellation and the sound quality. Even when used with third-party tips that fit our ears properly, the Roam Sport's noise cancellation wasn't exceptional. If the earbuds happen to fit you, the hear-through mode is surprisingly natural, and the sound quality is decent.

Google Pixel Buds Pro: The main reason to get the Pixel Buds Pro set is a desire to stay in the Google device ecosystem. Though the earbuds are IPX4 water resistant, and the case is IPX2 rated, the design of this pair may not be secure enough, especially for ears on either end of the size spectrum. Although the outer part of each earbud looks small, the part that actually sits inside the ear is on the wider side, so even medium ears may feel a sense of fullness when wearing these. That said, if you don't do high-impact workouts or don't have problems with earbuds staying put in general, the Pixel Buds Pro is a good, though somewhat pricey, pair of earbuds. The battery life of seven hours (with ANC on) is decent, and the ANC is useful, if not the absolute best among the headphones we’ve tested. Overall, the Pixel Buds Pro is a solid pair of earbuds, but nothing about it is superlative, and we decided not to make it a pick.

Jabra Elite 4 Active: We love the fit, the high water and dust resistance, and the controls of this pair, but its device connectivity is fussy, its microphone sounds muffled on calls, and its active noise cancellation is middling. If call quality and noise cancellation aren't a priority for you, these earbuds are a good buy for around $80. For the original price of $120, however, we want a seamless experience.

Jaybird Vista 2: The Vista 2 set is an updated version of the Vista, a pair we recommended before it was discontinued. The Vista 2 design retains what we liked about the Vista (namely, the fit, size, and single-bud capabilities) and adds a number of helpful features, including a full suite of controls, active noise cancellation, a "surround sense" hear-through mode, wind-noise-reducing microphones, and an impressive Ingress Protection (for dust and moisture) rating of IP68 for the earbuds in combination with an IP54-rated charging case. When they work properly, the Vista 2 earbuds are wonderful; everything we loved about the Vista set still applies. In addition, the microphones were fantastic over phone calls in our tests, the sound quality ranked among the best we’d heard in the workout category, and though this pair can't compete with the best in our guide to ANC headphones, its noise cancellation is sufficiently effective as to be useful for commuters. Unfortunately, we had two separate sets of these earbuds fail during our testing process. The first pair had one earbud that wouldn't take a charge right out of the box, and the second pair had a microphone short out, which led to a loud hissing in one ear during our phone calls and when we used the hear-through feature. Though we recognize that technology production lines can experience occasional hiccups, our encounter with two back-to-back failures gave us significant pause. As a result, we tested a third pair and kept an eye on reviews; although our latest pair worked great, other people continue to report issues at a frequency that makes us reluctant to recommend these earbuds.

JBL Endurance Peak 3: If you prefer earbuds that hook over the ear, this pair offers great performance and a few nice bonus features. We like the adjustable side-tone for phone calls, the nimble EQ in the app that enabled us to adjust the sound to our liking, and the IP68 dust and water resistance. However, the charging case is quite large (similar in size to a bar of soap), and the Peak 3's touch controls require you to choose between volume, hear-through mode activation, and track controls––you can't have all three. The Peak 3 would be worthy of a nod, but the similarly designed Tribit MoveBuds H1 costs less, has a longer battery life, and includes a full suite of controls. However, if you want something very similar to the JBL Reflect Aero TWS in a hook-over-the-ear form, the Peak 3 is an option.

JBL Reflect Mini NC: This pair offers a lot of excellent features in common with our top pick, the JBL Reflect Aero TWS set, including a diminutive earbud and case size, solid (IP57) sweat resistance, decent noise isolation, a hear-through awareness mode, and EQ adjustability. Similarly, folks with the smallest and largest ear sizes who struggle to keep true wireless earbuds in place may benefit from the Reflect Mini NC design's stabilizing wings. Those who prefer a digital assistant other than the one assigned to their phone will like this pair's compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Out of the box, the sound quality of the Reflect Mini NC pair was bass-forward in a fun way, especially for workouts. However, we also encountered some minor downsides. First, the touch-based controls are limited and were occasionally temperamental in our tests—even thick hair that isn't pulled back may interfere with the accuracy of the tap response. Although you can adjust the EQ via the JBL app, the presets are on the extreme side, and the EQ slider tool may be intimidating to non-audiophiles. Worth noting, too: Although this pair isolated well in our tests, the active noise reduction was minimal at best. Overall, these earbuds are solid, but we like the Reflect Aero TWS set better.

JLab Epic Air Sport ANC: This pair felt comfortable to wear overall, and we like the case's built-in USB cable. The active noise cancellation was mild, but it took the edge off low hums like that of an air conditioner. In our tests, we found the sound quality on the primary EQ setting to be bass-heavy but not terribly so; on bass-intense songs, we could still hear male vocals clearly enough. The app has EQ that can balance out the lows if you spend the time to make adjustments. The claimed 11 to 15 hours of battery life is quite impressive. The only real issue we had was with the touch-based controls, which we found rather finicky—for example, when we meant to adjust the volume, we instead paused the music. In the middle of a workout, this type of thing could be frustrating. But if you don't plan on using the controls frequently, this pair is otherwise a decent option.

JLab JBuds Air Sport: This pair is a decent affordable true wireless alternative for the gym. The over-ear hooks keep the earbuds secure, the six-hour battery life is good, and the set's IP66 rating and two-year warranty are impressive. But the semi-flexible hooks can rub larger ears and aren't quite as comfortable for longer wearing sessions, while the touch-based controls can be a bit fiddly, especially when you’re in motion. In our tests, the sound options were at best super boomy with sibilant highs.

JLab Open Sport: The JLab Open Sport design sits outside the ear canal, similar to the Bose Sport Open pair, which we like as an option for unobstructed hearing in our running earbuds guide. The speakers detach from the hooks and can be threaded onto the arms of glasses, which is an interesting idea. Unfortunately, in our tests the controls were finicky, and the sound was all upper mids and coarse highs. If you listen only to podcasts, books, and voice coaching when you’re working out, these headphones might be worth a try, but if music is your main motivator, this set won't give you the bass and guitar you might be accustomed to.

Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sport and Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sport McLaren Edition: These two pairs are largely the same, so we decided to discuss them together. The earbud fit is comfortable and easy to customize, thanks to the inclusion of six pairs of silicone tips and one pair of foam tips along with three sizes of wings. The tips are proprietary and snap into place, but unfortunately the wings slip out of position rather easily—every time we took our test pair out of our ears, the wings would slide loose—so we are concerned that those pieces could easily fall off and get lost. The charging case features a design we haven't seen before: It's water resistant on the outside and has a vented inner lid that holds moisture-absorbing beads. Klipsch says this design will prevent your sweaty earbuds from getting gross if you put them away wet. (It also means that the case sounds like an egg shaker in your bag or pocket—not a dealbreaker, but some folks may find that irritating.) With both sets of earbuds, the sound quality was quite good in our tests, offering clear highs that avoided sibilance and sizzling cymbal sounds, as well as enough bass to produce some oomph without overwhelming. The large control buttons were easy to use and didn't hurt to depress. We found the microphone quality over calls to be quite good, too. However, we didn't care for the hear-through mode, which sounded distractingly unnatural and emphasized high frequencies as though we were holding tin cans around our ears. We also discovered that you must power these earbuds down manually: After we placed both pairs into their respective cases and sealed the lid on each, they both remained connected to our phone. This point is worth remembering if you want to preserve their battery life. Overall, both earbud pairs were quite good, but due to their numerous nuisance-level flaws, we couldn't quite justify their asking prices.

Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport: These are less workout-specific earbuds and more luxury earbuds that you can use for workouts. Their IPX5 rating is sufficient for handling any sweat or water you encounter. We liked the full-featured physical controls, which we found intuitive and easy to use while moving, but the small button size might prove tricky for folks with large fingers or dexterity issues. Though the earbuds themselves are diminutive, their metal-and-glass construction makes them a smidgen heavier than the plastic earbuds you may be accustomed to. These earbuds felt secure enough for us to use them at the gym, but we wish they had stabilizing wings to keep them in place for high-impact activities—especially outdoors, where the stakes of losing an errant $350 earbud are higher. We cover the MW08 Sport pair's merits as a set of day-to-day earbuds in our guide to Bluetooth earbuds.

Monster DNA Fit: The eyeglasses-sized case is large and unwieldy. When we tried to download the earbuds’ companion app, the Monster site said it was unavailable. The noise cancellation was barely effective. When music played, the bass was so formless and blurry, we had difficulty telling when individual notes actually hit. But we did appreciate the inclusion of 22 pairs of ear tips.

Mu6 Ring: This pair is designed to be an alternative to bone conduction for people who don't like headphones or earbuds that cover their ears. It's a good idea, but it's poorly executed. During our tests, we found that the fit was uncomfortably tight even on small heads, so the design won't work on people with low ponytails, thick and curly hair, or larger hat sizes. Additionally, the sound lacked any bass response, with only overtones present.

Nothing Ear (Stick): If you prefer earbuds that don't completely block your ear canal, or you’re looking for a more device-agnostic version of the Apple AirPods, the Nothing Ear (Stick) is a more affordable option. Like the AirPods, the Ear (Stick) rests in (without sealing) your ear, has a stem hanging down, and uses squeeze-based controls. Unlike the AirPods, the Ear (Stick) has full controls (including volume), IP54 dust and water resistance, and an app that allows you to adjust the EQ––but it lacks Apple niceties like always-listening Siri, "Find My" tracking, and spatial audio capabilities. As with all unsealed earbuds, the Ear (Stick) lacks bass response out of the box. This can be somewhat addressed by using the app-based EQ to set the bass to maximum, but bass lovers may still feel that music with electronic basslines lacks oomph. Because the earbuds can handle some sweat and the design allows you to hear your surroundings, these are a possible option for runners, but the fit isn't incredibly secure. If you have a bouncy stride, you may be at risk of losing one. Unsealed earbuds also can be risky for your hearing health if you need to increase the volume to obscure sounds around you. The charging case is cylindrical, about the length of a lighter but thicker. It looks cool, but whether it's easier to carry than other designs is a matter of opinion.

Philips Go A4216 Wireless Sports Headphones: What makes this affordable over-ear pair both intriguing and divisive are its cooling earpads. The gel inside the earpads makes your ears feel cold. It's a dry cold, almost "minty" like the effect of Tiger Balm. If you tend to overheat during workouts, this might be a welcome sensation, perhaps if you use it in combination with other temperature-control measures. Or it might just feel weird, especially since the earcups don't have a ton of airflow—while the pads will feel cold, your inner ears will still feel hot. What we can say for certain is that the sound quality in our tests was very good for the price, and the buttons were easy to use. For workouts lasting an hour or less, the headband was comfortable enough; over longer durations, however, the rubber band across the underside of the headband started to dig in annoyingly. The microphones sounded as if we were under a blanket during calls.

Philips Go TAA7607: If you like bone-conduction headphones and want a little extra visibility when training at dusk, this pair is pricey, but good for what it is. Their performance is similar to that of the less-expensive Shokz Open Run Pro (which you can read about below), with the addition of a red LED strip across the cable in the back that can glow solid or flash so you’re easier to spot. The other unique feature of the Go is an "earplug mode" that changes the playback to work best when wearing a pair of earplugs, which could be useful for folks who have to wear hearing protection on a job site. But unless you really like bone conduction, we’d say to stick with our picks, which have better sound, are smaller, and cost less.

Raycon The Fitness Earbuds: These notably small earbuds fit securely and have the most adorably tiny charging case we’ve ever seen. However, their touch controls can be tricky, as the surface area is minuscule, and you must tap with a fairly slow, regular cadence—which is not easy to accomplish when you’re on the move. We wish this pair had personally adjustable EQ options, since in our tests the bass boost was broad and overwhelming, and the mids were recessed. Male vocals got lost no matter what preset we chose. The hear-through mode sounded dull, which is passable for quick conversations but not useful if you need longer-term situational awareness.

Sennheiser CX Sport: Although the earbuds themselves are small and comfortable, their remote and their Bluetooth transmitter are massive—make any large movement, and they clang into your face. The cable is also long and prone to snagging. A sibilant, piercing treble sound profile doesn't help matters.

Shokz OpenRun (formerly AfterShokz Aeropex): This pair of bone-conduction headphones is nearly identical to the newer Shokz OpenRun Pro, but it can't match the OpenRun Pro's quick-charging capabilities. It's light and comfy, and it has easy-to-use controls, but it can't block gym noises; on top of that, sending sound waves through your skull to your inner ear isn't the best way to get quality sound. Most people are likely to find this pair's tinny, muffled audio inadequate for their needs. Plus, bass-heavy songs may buzz in a tickling way that touch-sensitive folks could find distracting.

Shokz OpenRun Pro: Bone-conduction headphones are an option for a specific subset of people who can't tolerate having headphones on or in their ears, but such headphones don't block out gym noises. If you like the technology, this pair is the most lightweight we’ve tested. It's essentially identical to the older Aeropex set but adds quick-charge capabilities. We found the buttons easy enough to use by feel. Vocals sounded quite clear in our tests, so people who listen exclusively to podcasts or verbal coaching might find this set useful. However, music sounded tinny to us, and bass notes caused the earbuds to vibrate on the skull once we turned the volume up over 50%. The loop of plastic that connects the speakers behind your head is lightweight, but it's semi-rigid and can bump hoods, scarves, and backpacks, especially if you look around while jogging. If you haven't been a fan of bone conduction in the past, this pair won't change your mind.

Skullcandy Grind Fuel: This pair has a bunch of innovative features, such as Skullcandy's earbud-based voice-assistant system, which doesn't require an internet connection to function (though you do need to leave the Skullcandy app open in your phone while you’re using the earbuds). It also offers voice-activated Spotify and, most nifty of all, the ability to use the earbud button as a remote to take a picture with your phone's camera. We were able to get the Grind Fuel to sound pretty good by using its combination of hearing-test-based EQ and manual adjustments. Unfortunately, the voice-activation system can be fussy in windy conditions, so people who dream of verbally changing tracks while biking or whizzing down a ski slope may be disappointed. Also, in our tests the microphone sounded a little compressed and quiet over calls and was prone to wind noise. And although the fit was comfortable for us, these earbuds were not as stable in the ear as our top picks were. Still, for people who want the hands-free digital-assistant experience usually reserved for AirPods, Galaxy Buds, and Google Pixel Buds, the Grind Fuel represents a more-affordable Wi-Fi–free alternative that could be especially valuable to those with dexterity and mobility challenges.

Skullcandy Push Active: This set features the same voice-assistant system as the Grind Fuel does, but we were less enthusiastic about the fit of this pair. The earbuds are large, and the hook doesn't arch over the ear as on most earbuds; instead, it seems to sit like a backward C. Our test panelists with smaller ears found the fit odd but passible. However, anyone who has larger ears or ears that stick out may find that these simply don't fit.

Skullcandy Sesh Evo: The Sesh Evo earbuds offer a fun, bass-forward sound, a comfortable fit, water resistance (with an IP55 rating), easy-to-use controls, Tile integration, and USB-C charging. Though the battery life, at five hours per charge, is an improvement on the three hours for the original Sesh pair, it's still a middle-of-the-road length of time for true wireless earbuds. Fortunately, you get 19 hours from the included charging case, which is small enough to fit in a pocket.

Soul Electronics S-Fit: We love the fit of the S-Fit—the earbuds themselves are small, and the rubbery stabilizer wings grip the ears and feel especially secure. The IP67 rating is a great insurance policy against sweat and dirt, too. However, the S-Fit set lacks volume and track-reverse controls. This wouldn't be a dealbreaker on its own, but unfortunately the sound is also lacking—in our tests, it was dull and muffled in a way that made us turn up the volume to hear better, but instead of clarity and detail we just got more boomy, blurry bass. Plus, the hear-though feature had a small but perceptible delay, which seemed odd to us during conversations. Unfortunately, these flaws overshadow a fantastic earbud design.

Soundcore by Anker Spirit Dot 2: Overall, these earbuds are okay. Included wings in three sizes help to keep the Spirit Dot 2 set in your ears securely. In our tests, the bass muffled male voices somewhat, and the mildly coarse higher-frequency range caused cymbals to have a shushing quality. Though the touch-based controls weren't as prone to misfire as others we tried, we missed having volume controls and track-reverse options. Additionally, the thin material of the ear tips can crinkle up in your ear and cause them to get stuck when you pull the earbuds out, as one of our panelists found. None of these flaws are dealbreakers, but with so many great options for us to choose from, these earbuds missed out on being a pick.

Soundcore by Anker Spirit X2: Overall, the fit and the water resistance are the best things about the Spirit X2 pair. The earbuds look a little weird, but winglets combined with a hook-over-the-ear design keep them securely in place. However, the controls aren't intuitive and take a little getting used to. In our tests, the sound had a hissing quality that made cymbals sound tinny and added a tape-hiss noise to everything, and the bass was a bit blobby, too. If you need affordable true wireless earbuds with extra stability and aren't too picky about sound, this pair is a decent option—but not a challenger to our top picks.

Soundcore by Anker Sport X10: The noise cancellation, ambient awareness, and fit are quite nice on this pair, but you’d likely want to do some serious tinkering in the app to adjust the sound, which in our tests was super bass-forward with sizzly high frequencies out of the box. We also don't know why there isn't an option to call up your digital assistant. Overall, these headphones had a lot of potential but are missing a few key elements.

Under Armour True Wireless Streak: The Streak lands in the middle of the pack. For everything we like about this pair, there's another aspect we don't like. We love the triangle-shaped cutout on the stabilizing wings, which ensures that you put the wing on the earbuds correctly. But the earbuds themselves are thicker and wider than we prefer, and the material on the wings is a little stiff, which in our tests made the Streak pair a less comfortable fit than other, more ergonomically designed earbuds we’ve tried. We liked the hear-through capabilities, but we found that the Bionic Hearing speech-optimized setting sounded too bizarre for actual use in a conversation. The sound quality was good but not great: Bass guitar sounded veiled, and the set produced a high-frequency spike that wasn't quite natural. And although the touch controls were less tricky overall than on many other pairs we tested, we found ourselves getting startled and annoyed when the last media we had accessed on our phone would start playing as we were just putting the earbuds in our ears.

Underwater Audio Swimbuds Syryn: This is a former pick that's still good, but we like the Waterproof Mighty Vibe better. The package includes waterproof headphones, a waterproof MP3 player, and fit-enhancement gel for around $60. You can choose among three bundles, each with a different earbud style included. We tested both the less-expensive Flip earbuds and the more-customizable Sport earbuds and were equally happy with the two. If you typically find that most traditional earbuds fit fine once you choose the right size tip, the Flip set is likely your best bet. If you have smaller ear canals, you may want to try the Color earbuds, which each have a support arm that may assist in gripping your outer ear and taking some pressure off the ear canal. People with larger ear canals—as well as those who find it a struggle to get a good seal with most earbuds—are likely to favor the Sport design, which comes with a wide variety of tips and shields to prevent water from entering your ear canal (and ruining the sound). Finding the proper tip size to get an airtight seal may take a few tries, and Underwater Audio includes a gel called FitGoo to assist in that process, but we found that once we had the correct size we no longer needed any goo. The Syryn MP3 player is lightweight and unobtrusive, with simple controls that are easy to use. The downside is that the Syryn does not play DRM-protected MP4 or AAC files or music from any streaming service (like the Mighty Vibe can). So if you don't actually own the track, you won't be able to play it.

Zygo Solo: This is a swim-headphone system that uses radio frequencies rather than Bluetooth to enable you to hear audio underwater. Basically, it's like listening to FM while you swim, but the radio station is your mobile device. The transmitter doubles as a walkie-talkie, too, so your coach or trainer can give you instructions while you are in motion. You’ll also find audio-based coaching programs in the included app, and Zygo says live classes will be offered soon, akin to the types of offerings from Peloton. It's a cool concept, especially for serious competitive swimmers, swim teams, or synchronized swimmers. (In fact, Zygo sells bundled sets that can work together for around $1,000.) The headset itself uses bone conduction, which can result in less-than-stellar sound quality in comparison with traditional earbuds, especially if it doesn't fit snugly or if you don't use earplugs to keep competing sounds from reaching your ears. You don't get any controls on the headset to adjust what you’re listening to. Plus, you have to leave both your mobile device and the transmitter poolside, which, depending on how much you trust the folks at your swim club, might make you feel uncomfortable. And it's not cheap: The system costs $300. All of those caveats were enough for us to avoid naming the Zygo Solo as a pick here, but people who swim extensively daily or competitively may want to give it a try.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.

Lauren Dragan

Lauren Dragan is a senior staff writer and has tested over 1,000 headphones for Wirecutter. She has a BA from Ithaca College in music performance and audio production. She's been featured in Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, and more. Additionally, she's a voice actor whose work includes projects for Disney and Mattel.

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