To find the best headphones for working out, we researched dozens of models, purchasing and testing the 5 most promising on the market. In our quest to find the perfect way to add a motivating score to sessions at the gym, on the treadmill, or on the trail, we logged untold numbers of jumping jacks, burpees, squats, and deadlifts, as well as hours on various cardio machines. In the end, we found the best pair of headphones for every workout, whether you're lifting heavy to build muscle or busting through high-intensity intervals to burn fat and increase your aerobic capacity.
Our audio teams have tested a wide variety of headphones. Whether you need a comfortable, top-rated pair of over ear headphones to add a soundtrack to your workday, a pair of the top noise cancelling headphones for travel, or a mic'd headset for gaming, we have you covered with comprehensive reviews of the best products on the market. Our gear experts stay very active in their free time outside the lab, so we have also crafted reviews highlighting the best workout headphones, as well as top-ranked true wireless earbuds, and the best running headphones.The 3 Best Exercise Headphones
We tested exercise headphones from Jaybird, Beats, Apple, and more to find the top options
If these earbuds fit, they'll add more than a few smiles to your workout. If they don't, you better hope there's a good return policy.
Credit: Laura Casner
By Max Mutter and Michelle Powell ⋅ Apr 3, 2023
REASONS TO BUY
Very stable
Field-leading sound quality
Active noise cancellation
Rated IP68 waterproof
Comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
The Jaybird Vista 2 can handle any workout you throw at it. These earbuds are so lightweight that you might forget you're wearing them. They stayed secure while doing intense sets of squats and burpees, earning the highest marks in stability and comfort from all of our testers. They also boast an IP68 waterproof rating, which means they're dust resistant and can be submerged entirely without damage. Though we've never experienced sweat-induced issues with the earbuds we tested, this extra waterproofing did add some peace of mind during especially sweaty intervals on a stationary bike. Despite the Jaybird Vista's diminutive size, they provide exceptional sound quality, delivering thumpy bass and clear articulation through the mid and treble ranges. These earbuds sound great across many genres of music.
The only downside with the Jaybird Vista 2 is the high cost. Though not the most expensive on the market, these buds are at the top of the price range. If you want the top choice for exercise earbuds, we think these are the best overall, and if you don't mind doling out the extra cash for the earbuds that outshine the rest, we think you'll be pleased with the Jaybird Vista 2.
Read more: Jaybird Vista 2 review
The Jaybird Vista sounds great and excels in any and all athletic endeavors.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
REASONS TO BUY
Rock-solid stability
Impressive sound quality
Long battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Interferes with sunglasses
Uncomfortable for long periods of wear
The Beats by Dre Powerbeats Pro is the obvious choice if your preferred workout includes Crossfit or some of the more intense P90X-style programs that include lots of jumping, twisting, and quick changes in direction, and you want to be 100% certain your headphones are not going to fall out. These true wireless buds use over-ear hooks that essentially plaster them to your ears, making it nearly impossible for them to fall out. No matter how fast we jumped, rolled, and twisted, these buds stayed firmly in place, let alone have one fall out (there's a reason they filmed a commercial of Simone Biles flipping while wearing a pair). They also feature the warm, clear, bass-heavy sound we've come to expect from Beats.
There are some sacrifices for this extra stability. The first is cost — the price for a pair of Powerbeats Pros runs significantly higher than the average wireless buds. The second is wearability — if you like to work out outside, there is a good chance the temples of your sunglasses and the hooks of the Powerbeats Pro will be vying for the same real estate. Finally, we found the buds' design is not amenable to long periods of wear — we were inevitably itching to take them off around the 2-hour mark. Despite these flaws, we think Beats by Dre Powerbeats Pro is the best option for intense and fast-moving workouts.
Read more: Beats by Dre Powerbeats Pro review
The super secure fit of the Powerbeats Pro is great for faster-moving activities.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
REASONS TO BUY
Great sound quality
Impressive active noise cancellation
Simple controls
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Features limited for non-Apple users
If your favorite workout location tends to be accompanied by a cacophony of noisy gym-goers, passing cars, or youth soccer practices, the Apple AirPods Pro can create a blissful cone of silence in which you can enjoy your music at a reasonable volume. The effective active noise cancellation can block out most ambient noise, providing you with a quieter and more pleasant listening environment. Upgrading to these buds, we went from blasting our music so loud to drown out the treadmill's noise our ears were left ringing to not even being able to notice the treadmill noise despite our music only playing at a moderate volume. Though certainly not the most stable of the buds we tested, the silicone earpieces enabled most testers to run confidently and do jumping jacks without fear of the AirPods Pro falling out.
That noise cancellation technology does come at a price. The AirPods Pro sport an eye-popping price tag compared to other models tested here. Also, non-iOS users may be disappointed that specific settings and customization options are unavailable to them. However, if you find yourself frequently cranking your music uncomfortably loud to drown out the din during your workout, the Apple AirPods Pro are worth the extra cost.
Read more: Apple AirPods Pro review
The Airpods Pro manage to offer both a fairly athletic fit and effective active noise cancellation.
REASONS TO BUY
Ears remaining uncovered
Comfortable
Stable
REASONS TO AVOID
Only average sound quality
Can interfere with sunglasses
If maintaining situational awareness during your workout is essential — whether you want to remain attentive to cars or want to be able to hear your kids in the other room while you sneak in a quick cardio session — the AfterShokz Air offers the best solution. These "bone conduction" headphones sit in front of the ear and use vibrations to channel sound from the cheekbone into the eardrum. It allows you to hear and enjoy music while leaving your ears uncovered to be aware of your surroundings. The design is also relatively stable and comfortable.
Expecting cheekbones to function similarly to high-quality audio drivers is a bit optimistic, so the AfterShokz Air sound relatively thin and hollow compared to more traditional earbuds and headphones. Additionally, it can get in the way of eyeglasses and sunglasses. These are small sacrifices to make if you need to exercise without inhibiting your hearing.
Read more: AfterShokz Air review
The AfterShokz Air and its unique bone conduction technology let your ears stay completely uncovered.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
REASONS TO BUY
Top-notch sound quality
Long battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
Only fits certain specific ear shapes
The Jabra Elite 75t is one of the most impressive-sounding earbuds we've ever tested, producing great clarity and separation through the treble and mid frequencies balanced by powerful and controlled bass. These buds also offer an impressive 11-hour battery life and IP55 water/dust resistance for extra sweat protection. If you want total waterproofness, you can upgrade to the Jabra Elite Active 75t, but that additional protection muffles the sound quality a bit.
Apart from a high price tag, the fit is the other thing you need to be aware of with these buds. Our testers fell into two camps; half absolutely loved how the buds fit and could wear them all day comfortably, and the other half found them unbearably uncomfortable within minutes of wearing them. Those whose ears comfortably fit these headphones considered them the best exercise headphones they tested, while those who were uncomfortable considered them a waste of money. It's certainly worth taking a shot on the Jabra Elite 75t and seeing if they happen to fit your ears. Just be sure to order them from somewhere with a reliable return policy.
Read more: Jabra Elite 75t review
For those with ears that happen to accommodate the Jabra Elite 75t they are some of the best exercise buds on the market.
Credit: Laura Casner
Why You Should Trust Us
To find the best headphones for every type of exercise, we spent more than 100 total hours lifting weights, doing plyometrics and calisthenics, running on trails and treadmills, and sweating on stationary bikes. Once we tested the exercise stability of these buds, we listened to a wide variety of music and podcasts with each model to accurately compare their relative audio quality and clarity through bass, mid, and treble ranges, as well as the overall fullness and separation.
In addition to using the headphones in everyday situations, we perform up 20 different lab tests on each model, giving different weights to each metric. We evaluate every aspect of each pair, from sound clarity, noise isolation, and battery life tests.
Our exercise headphone testing is divided across four rating metrics:- Athletic Performance (40% of overall score weighting)
- Sound Quality (35% weighting)
- Battery Life (15% weighting)
- Ease of Use (10% weighting)
Review authors Michelle Powell and Max Mutter have been using and testing exercise headphones for the past 5 years. In that time, they've enlisted a team of athletes that have used tester headphones in the gym, on mountain bike trails, during long runs, and in day-to-day life. They've also personally assessed the sound quality of more than 150 consumer audio products, allowing them to accurately compare the listening experience offered by each model.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Analysis and Test Results
To find the best exercise headphones, we divided our testing into four separate metrics: athletic performance, sound quality, battery life, and ease of use. Then, we conducted multiple tests within each of these metrics to find the best model for every service and application.
Athletic Performance
If you are searching for the perfect set of earbuds to accompany your workout, athletic performance is the make-or-break factor to consider. This metric is worth 40% of these buds' overall score. To determine the workout prowess of each of the headphones we tested, we had multiple testers engage in a wide variety of workouts. These included high-intensity and fast-paced programs full of squat jumps, burpees, weightlifting, running, and cardio. Through it all, we paid attention to the overall stability and comfort of each pair and whether or not sweat negatively impacted those attributes.
We found the Jaybird Vista to be comfortable and secure through all of our workouts.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The best performers in this metric tend to be the small and light true wireless earbuds, as the lack of wires and scant weight didn't tug at our ears as we moved. The best of these models is the Jaybird Vista 2, which excelled in all our tests.
Though we had very few problems with earbuds falling out of our ears while exercising, it can still be nice to have some extra support for more intense activities. Models that sport over-ear hooks like the Powerbeats Pro are an excellent choice for those situations.
The Powerbeats Pro's over-ear hooks make for a very stable fit.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Sound Quality
The importance of sound quality may vary depending on the user. At 35% of the overall score, we give it a relatively large weight. Over the years, we've developed a tried and true sound quality assessment that involves listening to each pair of headphones side-by-side, using a wide variety of musical genres. It allows us to determine each pair's relative quality and clarity through the bass, mid, and treble frequencies. For this review, we made sure to assess sound quality both in an ideal listening environment (a quiet room) and while working out in areas with plenty of ambient noise.
The Jabra Elite 75t is the best sounding pair of earbuds that we've tested.
Credit: Laura Casner
The best-sounding pair of earbuds we've tested is the Jabra Elite 75t. These buds produce surprisingly powerful bass balanced by great clarity and separation through the mid and treble frequencies. This combination results in the most nuanced listening experience of the bunch, equally flattering every type of music from hip-hop to acoustic ballads.
Many models fall slightly behind the Jabra Elite 75t when it comes to sound quality, and all have somewhat different sound profiles that lend themselves to different genres. The Jaybird Vista 2, for example, sports a similarly well-balanced and clear sound, but with just a little less bass. The Beats model leans into a warmer, bass-forward sound that is perfect for most workout playlists but loses a bit of expression in the higher frequencies. The Apple AirPods Pro is thin on bass, but the addition of active noise cancellation substantially elevates the listening experience, particularly in noisy environments.
Battery Life
Battery life significantly contributes to the overall useability of a wireless product, so we assign this metric 15% of the overall scoring weight. To test battery life, we created a 2-hour playlist with a mix of varying types of music. We then fully charged each pair of headphones and played that playlist on a loop at 75% volume until the headphones died. For the truly wireless earbuds, we considered the battery life of the buds themselves, not the number of extra charges from the corresponding charging cases. Spoiler alert; every model will last through your workout (unless you're an Olympic endurance athlete or ultra marathoner, then all bets are off).
The Powerbeats Pro can run for 11 hours before having to return to the charging case.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The best performers in our battery life tests are the Powerbeats Pro and the Jabra Elite 75t, which lasted over 11 hours. The Jaybird Vista 2 ran for 9 hours, an hour longer than their advertised claim.
Though the battery doesn't last as long as those of some competitors, the Jaybird Vista can still last through an average marathon.
Credit: Laura Casner
Even the lowest-scoring products have a reasonable battery life, allowing you plenty of time to complete your activities and then offering a few recharges while in the case so they are ready to go for the next round. The Apple AirPods Pro lasted 5 hours and can store a few more charges in their charging case.
The Jaybird Vista was more than capable of flattering all of our running playlists throughout our testing.
Credit: Laura Casner
Ease of Use
Ease of use makes up a mere 10% of our test results, but it has a major impact on how likely you are to reach for your headphones when it's time to head out for a run. The Jaybird Vista 2 is one of the high scorers in this metric, thanks to the large and easily pressable button on each earbud. You can further customize settings for the perfect listening experience through the app.
We found the AfterShokz Air to be more difficult to use overall due to the wrap-around design. They do not pack down as small as true earbuds, and they may interfere with glasses or sunglasses. They do not have as many customizable features as other models and have a simple two-button volume control on the side.
The Jaybird Vista produces a well-balanced and clear sound profile.
Credit: Laura Casner
Conclusion
We love a good jam session, no matter what you're doing, and finding the perfect way to listen to your favorite song can make a world of difference. But if you are on the move or in a public space, external speakers aren't always a viable option. A good pair of exercise headphones can at best make working out fun, and at its worst, make it slightly more bearable. Whether you're looking for the best-sounding pair to amp up your workouts or want a reasonably priced set to add a motivating playlist to your next pump session, we hope our detailed testing results have helped you find the perfect model.
— Max Mutter and Michelle Powell
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