Sports headphones have come a long way...
Sports headphones used to be little more than ordinary earbuds with extra sweat resistance, neon stickers and, if you were lucky, a hook to stop them falling out. Thankfully, things have improved and there are now genuinely good-sounding, reassuringly secure in-ear models, open-ear designs that let traffic noise through, clever clip-ons and bone-conduction headphones that are almost impossible to shake loose.
Active Noise Cancellation vs Open-Ear headphones
At the gym, I’m beyond happy to block out the pumping stereo around me, and conventional in-ear wireless earbuds work well while also offering the best sound quality. They seal the ear canal with a silicone tip, which improves bass and detail, while Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) helps block unwanted hubbub. And for many people, their daily earbuds work just fine when they’re working out. Sadly, I’m not one of them. I can wear Apple AirPods Pro all day, but as soon as I sweat they fall out. This is where flexible ear hooks come into their own. Powerbeats Pro 2 (£249.99; beatsbydre.com) combine excellent sound quality, noise cancelling and a secure fit.
On a road run, however, ANC can be potentially dangerous, and I’ve been startled more than once by bike bells and cars. Look for Passthrough or Transparency modes, which amplify outside noise and help you remain aware without removing the earbuds. Open-ear headphones, like the Nothing Ear (open) (£89; nothing.tech), are the new kid on the sport headphone block. Instead of plugging your ears, the drivers sit close and project sound directly into them. Traffic and conversation still reach you normally, and they sound much better than bone conduction, if not quite as good as a conventional in-ear design.
Sports headphones: hybrid designs
There are also clever hybrids emerging. Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro (£179.99, soundcore.com) has adjustable ear hooks that move the drivers from an open position into a half-in-ear fit. It detects the change automatically, switching from open to ANC. You can keep your ears open while running to the gym, then shut out background noise once you get there. Clip-on models such as the new Baseus Bowie MC2 (£52.39; uk.baseus.com) use the same air-conduction principle but grip the outer ear like a clip-on earring rather than hooking over it. They can feel almost weightless, although fit depends largely on ear shape and whether the speaker sits in the right place. Sennheiser, Soundcore and Sony also offer similar designs.
Bone-conduction
Bone-conduction headphones leave the ear canal open too, but their transducers sit against the cheekbones and send vibrations through the skull to the cochlea. The neckband fit is very secure, although sound is weaker than a conventional earbud.Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 (£169; uk.shokz.com) improves audio quality by combining bone conduction with a separate open driver, and while they’re still not hi-fi quality, they are loud and engaging and only 30.3g. They’re IP55 rather than swim-proof, although dedicated waterproof bone-conduction models are available. Bone-conduction sports headphones are also one of the only headphones approved for use in all road races under UK Athletics rules – useful if you take your running seriously.
Sports headphones: underwater models
For everyday workouts, you need protection from sweat and rain rather than extreme waterproofing. The IPX rating tells you how well a device resists water: IPX4 handles splashes from any direction, IPX7 allows immersion to one metre for 30 minutes, while IPX8 is even tougher. Swimming is different because Bluetooth performs poorly underwater. Pool headphones such as Suunto Aqua (£159; suunto.com), however, have media storage so you can upload a playlist directly and keep your phone well away from the water.
Finally, some sports headphones now offer features previously found on smartwatches. Powerbeats Pro 2 can measure heart rate during workouts, while Suunto Spark (£129; suunto.com) can track metrics including cadence and ground contact time through the Suunto app, if that’s your thing.
Sports headphones: we recommend...
Shokz OpenSwim Pro £199
With Bluetooth and a 32GB MP3 player built in, these are perfect if you’re a runner who swims, or a swimmer who runs. A long press changes modes, while physical buttons are easy to use with wet hands.At 27.3g, the snug neckband sits beneath goggles or a swim cap, while the bone-conduction design keeps you entertained on runs and leaves your ears open to traffic. In the water, bone conduction keeps ears open and is significantly more waterproof – IP68 protection covers submersion to two metres for two hours – than traditional headphones.
The trade-off to comfort and convenience is a thinner sound – the OpenRun Pro 2 (£169) has the best bone conduction audio quality – but they sound much bigger underwater.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 £249.99
Because Apple owns Beats, Powerbeats Pro 2 share the AirPods Pro 2’s H2 chip, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode and Adaptive EQ. At 8.7g each, nickel-titanium ear hooks keep them in position, making them the most secure in-ear earbuds I’ve tried.
The bass-heavy tuning favours bombastic orchestral arrangements over delicacy, but they still have plenty of detail and a lovely sense of scale. Noise cancellation is among the best I’ve heard too, cutting background hubbub with ease. I find them too cocooning for the road, but Transparency mode floods your ears with outside sound. It is slightly artificial, but safer around traffic.
Battery life reaches ten hours per charge and 45 with the case, and five minutes of charging adds 90 minutes. And to justify the sky-high pricing, remember that they also feature optical heart-rate sensors which can help track your fitness progress without the need for a smartwatch.
JLab Go Sport+ £29
At less than £30, I expected very little, but these are great sports headphones. The ear-hook design stays secure when running, and fits well with both glasses and a hat on. The sound isn’t as bad as I expected either, with a punchy bass and distortion-free listening even at volume.
They can’t match the Powerbeats Pro 2, and the stiff hooks offer a little less adjustment, but it’s a minor niggle in a well-fitted pair of buds. The pay off is no ANC, although Be Aware mode lets traffic and surrounding sounds in without sounding like you’re trapped in a wind tunnel.
Battery life is nine hours from the earbuds and 35 hours in total, with IP55 protection against sweat and rain. Often reduced to £20, they make an excellent spare pair to leave in a gym bag.
