Headphones for gym

[Louis Balfour]

I need some headphones for gym and general use, e.g. on planes.

I had AirPod buds but they fell out too easily, even when I bought some aftermarket behind the ear clips.

I am wondering about proper headphones.

Can anyone advise on good headphones that will work well with iPhone, that will be ok with sweat and make good general purpose headphones?

I’ve seen Bose, Beats etc and I know Apple does their own.

Advice appreciated.

[Tigerj]

I bought some soundcore q20’s for the gym/ general use where they might get damaged.

Sounds quality is fine, they don’t feel premium but they’ve lasted for daily gym use for a year so far and were cheap (£20-£30), so doesn’t matter if they get damaged.

Edited by Tigerj on Tuesday 1st October 09:47

Edited by Tigerj on Tuesday 1st October 09:51

[BobToc]

I use these:

https://amzn.eu/d/4YgedvH

No base worth talking about, but cheap as chips so I don’t worry about them and I can keep my AirPod Pros for the rest of the time.

[LimaDelta]

I know you said you've had Airpods, but a lot of people wear the wrong sized tips. Your iPhone will actually scan your ears and recommend the correct size FWIW, if you still have them and want to try again.

[TimmyMallett]

I've moved from Airpods as my gross waxy ears has killed 2 pairs (well it was actually me repeatedly cleaning them with IPA) and although I have on ear nice B&W ones, they're just not right for the gym for me.

I stumped up for the new Shokz Run Pro2 and whilst I was sceptical at first, they really are pretty good. The downside is that they simply don't work in noisy environments, but as I can wear them all day long without even feeling them, and I can be on a Teams call for hours and not get issues, and hear everything going on around me, the pros outweigh the cons. Plus I do run, and running down single track roads but being able to hear cars is a big safety plus.

If you can try some first, that might help you rule them out.

[LankyFreak]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skullcandy-Crusher-Wirele...

if you like bass, buy these!

[Louis Balfour]

LimaDelta said:

I know you said you've had Airpods, but a lot of people wear the wrong sized tips. Your iPhone will actually scan your ears and recommend the correct size FWIW, if you still have them and want to try again.

Not sure if because old, but mine had no tip size option. Just white plastic AirPods in a white pod.

[toon10]

I don't get those little airpod things. They sound crap and don't even have a chance to fall out of my ears as they just don't fit at all.

I have the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2. (You can get the Px8 but they are more expensive.) They fit most of my needs. They have decent noise cancellation. They are wireless but have a cable to attach if you need to use them on a flight. They're comfortable and stay in place. I don't go to the gym, but I use them when running. The sound great if you like a punchy, dynamic, forward sound and they work well with the app. They only thing they don't do is allow for a portable headphone amp connection as the onboard DAC takes over. I do have some normal wired P7's which I connect to an amp for home listening but in all honesty, the volume, punch and sound quality of the Px7's coupled with the wireless convenience means that my amp has been in the kitchen draw for quite a long time now.

[LimaDelta]

Louis Balfour said:

LimaDelta said:

I know you said you've had Airpods, but a lot of people wear the wrong sized tips. Your iPhone will actually scan your ears and recommend the correct size FWIW, if you still have them and want to try again.

Not sure if because old, but mine had no tip size option. Just white plastic AirPods in a white pod.

Ah, perhaps it's just the Pro version with the different sized tips.

[Louis Balfour]

TBH I am also not keen on sticking things in my ears. I have an ear problem at the moment, which is probably due to using earplugs for sleep.

[Craikeybaby]

Another vote for Soundcore here - I have a pair that I use when I am at my desk. The ear pads fell apart after about 3 years of almost daily wear, but I replaced with some third part ones fairly cheaply.

[JQ]

toon10 said:

I don't get those little airpod things. They sound crap and don't even have a chance to fall out of my ears as they just don't fit at all.

I can only answer from my perspective:

They're tiny and as such are in my pocket 24/7 and get used for everything - all phone calls, Teams calls, music, radio, social media, etc
The sound quality and noise cancelling are very good
They stay solidly in my ear and are comfortable, never had one fall out. I run half marathons.
Really long battery life and all my phone chargers are compatible
Wireless charging
Work seamlessly with my iPhone - have the Airpod Pros
I want headphones with me all the time and I'm too old to carry a manbag or have them round my neck.

Ultimately they provide 90% of the sound quality of the over the ear headphones I have, but with significantly more convenience.

However, on the basis the OP doesn't want in ear ones - those B&W's do look very very good.

[Another project]

BobToc said:

I use these:

https://amzn.eu/d/4YgedvH

No base worth talking about, but cheap as chips so I don’t worry about them and I can keep my AirPod Pros for the rest of the time.

I bought some similar to these, cheap and cheerful from Amazon they've served me well for a couple of years. I keep debating an upgrade but for gym and out running I can't see the point

[wyson]

Has anyone tried Shokz bone conduction headphones?

These look ideal for the gym:
https://uk.shokz.com/products/openrun-pro2

I tried them in John Lewis, was comfortable enough, even if the sound quality wasn’t great. Apparently there are versions you can take swimming as well.

I hate that rubbing noise with my current Pixel A earbuds as they jiggle in your ear canal, every time you strike the ground.

[J2daG1990]

I went for Anker Soundcore A1s when they were on a Black Friday Deal a while ago under £30. You can triple-press the right button and change the EQ so it's more Bass or more Treble.

The Winglet things may or may not be uncomfortable - I bought replacement ones from ebay that didn't require you lock them into your ears.

Have to be the best value for quality headphones you can buy.

[robsa]

JQ said:

I can only answer from my perspective:

They're tiny and as such are in my pocket 24/7 and get used for everything - all phone calls, Teams calls, music, radio, social media, etc
The sound quality and noise cancelling are very good
They stay solidly in my ear and are comfortable, never had one fall out. I run half marathons.
Really long battery life and all my phone chargers are compatible
Wireless charging
Work seamlessly with my iPhone - have the Airpod Pros
I want headphones with me all the time and I'm too old to carry a manbag or have them round my neck.

Ultimately they provide 90% of the sound quality of the over the ear headphones I have, but with significantly more convenience.

However, on the basis the OP doesn't want in ear ones - those B&W's do look very very good.

Totally agree with this. Airpod Pro 2s are the best earphones I have ever used for all the reasons stated above. As an all-round proposition they are unbeatable for me. I find over-ear cans get uncomfortable a lot faster and are less comfy if you are sitting down for any reason. Better sound and battery life though, of course. Airpods are also waterproof enough for most situations too.

[Gin and Ultrasonic]

wyson said:

Has anyone tried Shokz bone conduction headphones?

These look ideal for the gym:
https://uk.shokz.com/products/openrun-pro2

I tried them in John Lewis, was comfortable enough, even if the sound quality wasn’t great. Apparently there are versions you can take swimming as well.

I hate that rubbing noise with my current Pixel A earbuds as they jiggle in your ear canal, every time you strike the ground.

I have a set of aftershokz and they are brilliant for outdoor.running, walking or cycling (a bit of a pain to fit round a helmet and glasses for cycling, and I only use them off road). I also wear them when I'm pottering around the house or cleaning. The battery lasts for ages, and the sound quality is reasonable rather than exceptional. They're also really comfortable to wear when exercising and easy to wipe down if you sweat on them. Another plus is that they are surprisingly good as a headset for work calls.

They are not good in noisy environments like running / walking next to a busy road, or a noisy gym, as they're designed to let you hear what's going on around you. They do come with ear plugs, but they are only in one size, and don't fit my ears well.

If the gym is bench press grunts only they could be ideal, but if they're blasting out the usual generic gym playlist then something in or over your ears would be better.

[wyson]

Thanks for that. Doing my weekly 5k park run was what I had in mind. Going to see of there are any Black Friday deals, as that isn’t far away now.

For me, I think I’m going to settle on 4 sets.

In ear monitors with comply foam tips for air travel and noise isolation (not active cancellation) where thats appropriate. I don’t get on with active cancellation, although they are bliss for the 2 or 3 mins I can tolerate them.

Bluetooth buds for general use.

Soon to purchase set of Shokz for exercise.

Overear headset with boom mic for office calls.

[fbc]

Another vote for Shokz Openrun. I despise putting things in my ears, and even regular headphones bothered me hugely when exercising due to how much I could hear myself breath, the Shokz were perfect for me.

[thetapeworm]

Jabra Elite Active in-ear ones work well for me, very comfortable and secure under all types of use.

I think they're up to version 8 now but even the older ones do a great job and have good noise cancelling.