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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want an all-in-one training companion that works with or without your phone and survives a swim, choose mojawa Run Plus Bone; if you need longer battery life, a lighter frame and app-based tuning for everyday sport, choose JBL Endurance Pace. That is the short version, and for music production neither of these is a studio tool — they are open-ear sport headphones that keep you aware of your surroundings while you move. Still, the two take very different routes to get there, so here is how I'd separate them.
• mojawa Run Plus Bone — biggest strength: a 32GB built-in MP3 player plus IP68 waterproofing rated for submersion, so you can swim or train with no phone at all, and an 8-hour battery with a 5-minute quick charge that adds roughly 80 minutes.
• mojawa Run Plus Bone — biggest trade-off: it is a heavier, more specialised piece of kit (0.31 kg listed item weight) with button controls and no companion app, and the brand itself notes that wet hands or a wet unit can cause the controls to misbehave, so you need to keep it dry to operate it.
• JBL Endurance Pace — biggest strength: a very light titanium memory-wire neckband (33.15 g), up to 10 hours of playback, Bluetooth 5.4, dual beamforming mics and the JBL Headphones app for EQ and Relax Mode.
• JBL Endurance Pace — biggest trade-off: no built-in music storage and no charging cable in the box, so you must supply your own cable and always have a paired device for audio.
• Pick mojawa Run Plus Bone if you want offline playback and pool-proof durability.
• Pick JBL Endurance Pace if you want the lightest possible all-day wear, app-tuned sound and longer runtime.
The Run Plus is built around one idea: leave your phone behind. A 32GB MP3 mode holds up to 8,000 songs or audiobooks, so on a long run, a swim session or a gym block you can just press play with nothing in your pocket. The IP68 rating is the headline — it is rated to survive submersion in up to 2 metres of water for 2 hours. The brand is clear about the catch: before swimming you should disconnect Bluetooth, switch to MP3 mode and disable the touchpad, and wet hands or a wet unit can make the controls fail. So the waterproofing is real, but it is a "set it up first, then swim" feature rather than a fully wet-operable one.
In my opinion, this is the one for swimmers, phone-free runners and anyone who wants one device for both sport and offline listening. Skip it if you mainly care about app-based EQ, the lightest possible fit, or you want to control everything with wet fingers mid-swim — and note that the box includes a cable and carry bag, but the control scheme is button-based with voice control rather than touch.
JBL Endurance Pace: Who It's For
The Endurance Pace goes the other way: it is about being barely there. The frame is titanium memory metal with a silicone finish, and the listed item weight is 33.15 g — that is the kind of thing you forget you're wearing, and the memory wire neckband holds its shape so it stays put. It's an open-ear, behind-the-neck design, so your ear canal stays open to traffic and training partners.
The audio is a dynamic driver with an 18x11mm size and a 20Hz–20,000Hz range, paired with JBL OpenSound technology and an adaptive bass boost algorithm, plus directional sound to keep leakage down so your music and calls stay yours. Two beamforming mics cancel ambient noise for calls, which matters if you take work calls while jogging through a busy park. Battery is the strongest number here: up to 10 hours of music, a full charge in about 2 hours, and a 10-minute quick charge that gives another four hours. Bluetooth 5.4 and the JBL Headphones app let you pick an EQ preset or build your own, and Relax Mode is aimed at post-workout recovery listening. Controls are a 3-button setup plus touch, with Google Assistant and Siri support.
The trade-offs are simple. There's no built-in storage, so you need a paired phone or player, and JBL states plainly that a charging cable is not included. If you're the type who wants offline music in the pool or on a phone-free run, this isn't the tool for that.
• Best for swimming and phone-free training → mojawa Run Plus Bone. The 32GB MP3 mode plus IP68 submersion rating is a combination JBL simply doesn't offer.
• Best for all-day comfort → JBL Endurance Pace. At 33.15 g with a titanium memory band, it wins on wearability.
• Best battery life → JBL Endurance Pace. 10 hours versus 8 hours on the Run Plus, though the Run Plus charges faster overall (about 50 minutes to full).
• Best quick top-up → mojawa Run Plus Bone. A 5-minute charge for roughly 80 extra minutes is more generous than JBL's 10 minutes for four hours if you're in a rush.
• Best for calls on the move → JBL Endurance Pace. Two beamforming mics with ambient-noise cancellation versus the Run Plus's ENC and dual silicone mic setup — JBL's is the more explicitly call-focused design.
• Best for tuning your sound → JBL Endurance Pace. The JBL Headphones app gives you EQ presets, custom EQ and Relax Mode; the Run Plus is a fixed tuning with no app.
• Best for offline listening and audiobooks → mojawa Run Plus Bone. Its 8,000-song storage means no phone and no streaming.
• Best for a fast charging headset for music production sessions → either works for casual monitoring, but if you're capturing ideas or doing a rough mix, JBL's app EQ and lighter fit make it the more flexible of the two for long desk sessions.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the JBL Endurance Pace. In my opinion, its 33.15 g memory-wire frame, 10-hour battery, Bluetooth 5.4 and app-based EQ make it the better everyday sport headphone, and it's the one I'd reach for on a run, a commute or a long desk session where I want music in the background while I work on production ideas. The mojawa Run Plus Bone is the better specialist — if you swim, or you want a phone-free 32GB player, it's the only one of the two that does that job. For music production specifically, neither replaces proper studio headphones, but as an open-ear companion for quick reference listening and staying aware of your room, JBL's flexibility edges it.
how to bone conduction headphones work
Bone conduction drivers vibrate against your cheekbones and pass sound through the bone to your inner ear, bypassing the ear canal. That's why both of these leave your ears open — the mojawa uses a bone conduction driver, while the JBL uses an 18x11mm dynamic driver with OpenSound technology to direct sound at you.
how to wear bone conduction headphones
You wear them with the transducers resting on your cheekbones just in front of your ears, and the band running behind your head or over your ears. The mojawa is built to sit comfortably with helmets and glasses, and the JBL uses a titanium memory-wire neckband that keeps its shape so it stays put.
how to use bone conduction headphones
Pair them over Bluetooth and play from your phone, or on the mojawa switch to its 32GB MP3 mode for offline playback. Both use physical controls — the mojawa has buttons plus voice control, the JBL has 3-button controls and touch with app support, plus Siri and Google Assistant.
how to bone conduction headphones for swimming
Only the mojawa Run Plus Bone is rated for it: IP68, submersion up to 2 metres for 2 hours. Before you swim, disconnect Bluetooth, switch to MP3 mode and disable the touchpad, and keep hands and the unit dry, because wet operation can fail. The JBL Endurance Pace is IP68 water and dust proof for sweat, rain and salt water, but it has no built-in storage, so it isn't a swim-with-music option in the same way.
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