The Greatest Operating Headphones of 2024

Shopping for one of the best operating headphones generally is a cube roll. Just about all of us use them, however these techy tidbits are available all around the board. Relying on what you’re doing, they will miss the mark. The most effective operating headphones present robust area efficiency like match and sturdiness. Situation-specific elements — contact performance, water resistance, and connectivity — may make or break anybody’s hype on a run.  

How are you going to make certain whether or not the headphones you’re excited about will keep put in the event you take a spill, go parkour, or run throughout an earthquake? And in the event you’re going the space on a triathlon or ultramarathon, will your headphones’ batteries survive? Do you want a wraparound headphone just like the Soundcore Aerofit Professional? Will an in-ear headphone just like the Beats Match Professional keep in on bumpy path runs? Do bone-conduction headphones just like the H2O Audio Tri 2 Professional truly work? We hit the street (and trails) to reply these questions.

GearJunkie’s testers have minimize trails and pounded pavement because the days when wearable coronary heart measurement know-how was novel. To seek out one of the best operating headphones of 2024, we examined buds on uneven trails in Texas and crowded metropolis streets in southeast Asia. With dozens of earbud assessments below our belts, we recognized six of one of the best operating headphones for this best-of listing. When you’re on the lookout for extra information on selecting the correct pair for you, try our Purchaser’s Information, Comparability Chart, and Value & Worth sections.

Editor’s Notice: We up to date this information on October 28, 2024, by including the up to date H2O Audio Tri 2 Professional and beefing up our purchaser’s information content material.

The Greatest Operating Headphones of 2024

Operating Headphone Comparability Chart

How We Examined the Greatest Operating Headphones

Our Skilled Testers

GearJunkie’s runners have examined lots of of males’s and ladies’s merchandise on trails, in busy city facilities, and through aggressive Journey Racing. 2024’s operating headphones assessments constructed on that theme, with our testers starting from Texas trails to central California, Singapore, and Thailand.

The testers for this text have mixed expertise of over 20 years in middle-distance path operating, aggressive monitor racing, and multi-sport actions like CrossFit. Our editorial workforce contains GearJunkie Journey Racing workforce members, and editors for iRunFar.com supplied product session.  

We’re additionally actual folks, so we use headphones similar to everybody else — operating errands, attending conferences, and taking cellphone calls. We labored out, traveled, and vibed out to music in our operating headphones. One improvised water resistance check occurred once we forgot a pair of earbuds in a shorts pocket and threw the shorts within the washer.

Our Testing Course of

Efficiency demanded resilience below excessive warmth (as much as 95 levels at 80% humidity on the Singapore streets) and through journey. Metropolis visitors, sweaty ears, and logistics of battery life and case carrying had been fixed elements. Testers put water resistance to the check in occasions together with moderate-distance swim coaching and sauna & chilly plunge restoration classes. 

Testing intervals ranged from months to years. We discharged and recharged headphones often and retested items to search out our favourite functions for every product. Testers used their assigned headphones throughout leisure runs however thought of attainable makes use of throughout competitions inside rule allowances.

Purchaser’s Information: How you can Select Operating Headphones

Match/Consolation

Even in the event you solely go on brief, half-hour jogs, the wrong-fitting headphones can nonetheless offer you an earache. That mentioned, it’s not all the time so simple as selecting the set of rubber ideas that really feel one of the best and popping the headphones in. Ache from earbuds can come from the guidelines, over-ear or concha ridge hooks, and even fixed re-adjustment. 

Search for springy however versatile ear hooks like those on the JLAB Epic Air Sport, or a bone conduction set just like the H20 Audio Tri Professional. For many, Apple AirPods generally is a sensible choice — however as a result of there’s no match adjustment, there’s some chance you’ll end up always fidgeting with them to maintain them cosy.

Battery Life

Not each runner wants best-in-class headphone battery life, just like the JLab Epic Air Sport gives. To be trustworthy, most of us can’t run for 10 or extra hours straight, regardless of if we need to or not. But it surely’s all the time finest to contemplate how else you’ll use your headphones exterior exercises and what it takes to recharge them if the worst occurs. 

When you’re a day by day commuter with an workplace job and an after-work operating routine, think about headphones with lengthy battery life on a single cost. It’s attainable you’ll need greater than 4 to six hours of listening time per day, and it’s best to not recharge until you must. 

When you’re a marathoner, we’d encourage the identical factor — begin your run or race with a full cost and save valuable grams by leaving the case behind.

When you’re a hardcore journey runner who can do 30, 50, or 100+ miles, search for fast recharge time and a well-built, compact case. You won’t hit 0% in your run, however your headphones seemingly will.

Contact/Voice Controls

The important thing to success in headphone contact controls for runners: simplicity. 

Most of us don’t need to take into consideration something whereas we’re operating. Others get their finest considering performed whereas they’re knocking out miles. The frequent denominator is that the very last thing any of us need to take into consideration is what number of faucets it takes on which ear to activate what perform. 

“OK, so do I faucet my left earbud 3 times for the final monitor, twice slowly then as soon as shortly to activate voice management, and one-touch adopted by two clicks to toggle ANC? Or is it solely as soon as slowly then twice …” 

No person desires that. Our employees additionally prefers button or voice management over contact management. It could be frequent for runners to scratch itches, wipe sweat from their faces, and so on. Pawing a touch-activated earbud repeatedly can result in useful frustration. We received alongside properly with the Skullcandy Push Energetic voice assistant and button controls.

Noise Canceling or Non-Noise Canceling

Energetic noise canceling (ANC) headphones have skyrocketed in recognition because the know-how has improved in smaller and smaller packages. ANC makes use of a number of microphones to gather, measure, and “cancel” incoming sound by producing counteracting sound waves. 

So, do you want ANC in operating headphones? Security-conscious, city runners or those that similar to listening to the birds and the bees might resist it. As our testing revealed, a few of as we speak’s ANC is extraordinarily potent, making it inconceivable to listen to regular noises anyplace close by. It may be intimidating.  

Nevertheless, audiophiles or runners preferring to zone out can revel within the sonic focus ANC gives. To jam out on music and let the vibes take over (testing or in any other case), our testers attain for the loudest pair of ANC headphones. The know-how pairs particularly properly with the surge in customized equalizer instruments for headphones . And in the event you’re ably sighted, you may all the time preserve your head on a swivel to maintain your self protected. 

In-Ear or Open-Ear

Every of those classes carries one primary downside and one primary benefit. Headphones with in-ear designs sound louder however can grow to be painful after hours of damage. Open-ear designs are extra comfy, however by no means carry the identical thump as in-ear buds. 

Runners can think about mileage to assist name a shot. Do you really need something in your ears for 10, 24, or 30+ hours? Not all in-ear buds are created equal, it’s true — and the higher the match, the much less earache you’ll face. However the benefit of open-ear buds over prolonged put on intervals is that there’s truly a chance you’ll neglect you’re carrying them. Not solely that, however you’ll additionally keep extra straight tuned to the skin world. The Soundcore Aerofit Professional confirmed very balanced open-ear sound high quality throughout our assessments.

Alternatively, the entire purpose you run could be that you simply like getting misplaced in your individual world. In that case, an in-ear set can higher defend your groove from the ingress of exterior hassles all of us navigate.

Water Resistance/Ingress Safety

The IP system strikes once more! Bear in mind, take a look at the final two digits (both an X and a quantity or two numbers). The primary digit stands for mud and particles resistance, the second is water. The frequent IP54 implies that it may let in some mud however not sufficient to harm the system (5), and that it’s protected against splashing water (4). 

Something past this, and also you’ve received a reasonably strong earbud for operating. IPX5 is water jet-protected, and IPX6 gear gained’t yield to “highly effective water jets” or “heavy seas.” 

Value & Worth

Price range

When you’re on the lookout for a funds pair of operating headphones, you may anticipate to spend anyplace as much as $100. You may also anticipate finding some compromises on sturdiness and sound high quality. However there are some funds steals on the market, just like the JBL Vibe Beam ($45). Regardless of its low worth, the 8-hour battery life and good sound high quality had been nice surprises. We did discover that that they had a bent to jostle free throughout runs, however for $45, they’re a stable pair.

Mid-Tier

The center tier of operating headphones ranges in worth from $100 to $175 and affords larger sound high quality and some different fascinating options. The JLab Epic Air Sport ($100) is on the low finish of this tier and affords wonderful mid-range sound high quality and a safe, comfy match on long-distance runs. The Soudcore AeroFit Professional ($170) lies close to the highest of this worth vary, however delivers as much as 14 hours of battery life and wonderful sound high quality.

Premium

You may anticipate to spend $200 or extra on top-tier operating headphones. At this worth vary, you’ll discover specialty headphones just like the waterproof H2O Audio Tri 2 Professional ($199), a set of bone-conduction headphones designed for put on throughout swim coaching. If sound high quality is your precedence, the Beats Match Professional ($200) delivers some wonderful increase and intensely clear sound. Plus, the ANC high quality is likely one of the better of any headphones we’ve examined.

Incessantly Requested Questions