What are the best wireless headphones for sports in 2023?
If you are athletic, whether casual or regular, maybe you like to do your exercises with music. So we have prepared for you a selection of the best wireless headphones for sports, for all budgets.
Do you regularly play sports or want to get back into it, but you can't run or push cast iron without listening to Eye of the Tiger to motivate you? This is normal. Here is our selection of the best wireless headphones for sports, whether running, gym, yoga or swimming. This comparison is based on our many tests and our experience in this area.
An important point to note before we start: in this guide we have favored wireless headphones, which have become the norm. They have the huge advantage of not having a thread that will rub on your clothes and therefore do not produce noise nuisance, nor hinder your movements in the middle of a sports session. They are also lighter and more convenient to carry than a helmet, while being very comfortable.
If you have a small budget, some cheap wireless headphones may interest you. And to track your activities, think about connected watches and other connected bracelets! If you need a product more suitable for the practice of sport in the city, as well as in the water, we also have a selection of the best bone conduction helmets.
Here is our selection of the best headphones for sports:
· TOP6 Bose Sport Earbuds
· TOP5 Sony WF-SP800N
· TOP4 Jabra Elite 5
· TOP3 Galaxy Buds Pro
· TOP2 Amazfit PowerBuds Pro
· TOP1 Wissonly Hi Runner Sports Bone Conduction Headphone
TOP6 Bose Sport Earbuds
After a long period without novelties on the field of sports headphones, Bose makes a remarkable return with these Sports Earbuds. Therefore, particularly compact "true wireless" that fit perfectly in the ear.
Their design prevents them from entering as far as average into the ear canal. This translates into greater comfort, but in return they also isolate less from the outside world.
But it is above all their sound quality that seduces. Sports Earbuds are simply excellent on this point, whether for sports or classic headphones. The dynamics in particular impress, and if the bass is very present, it does not stifle the rest of the spectrum.
As for endurance, the headphones last about 5 hours per charge, with the added bonus of fast charging offering 2 hours of listening in 15 minutes of charging. For its part, the case is able to fill up twice.
With its Sports Earbuds Bose delivers some of the best sports headphones on the market.
TOP5 Sony WF-SP800N
Do you like the WF-1000XM3？They were really too bulky to do sports. However,Sony has declined them in a much more compact version.
A reduction in format that is noticeable both on the case and on the headphones themselves. The latter gain stabilizers to ensure that they do not move, even when jogging. An IP55 certification completes the picture to ensure resistance to water and sweat.
If the sound is generally pleasant, we lose the HD Audio certification while the active noise reduction loses efficiency, but this is not really a concern as active noise reduction can be dangerous while doing sports.
The Sound level, Sony had a little heavy hand on the bass, but this is not very disturbing in most cases.
With 9 hours on a charge, these headphones are one of the most enduring pairs of true wireless on the market.
Losing a little splendor compared to their big brother, these WF-SP800N gain in versatility, are much more discreet and above all much more affordable. In the end, it is one of the best choices for athletes.
TOP4 Jabra Elite 5
Jabra is making its wireless headphone know-how speak with these Elite 5. Very comfortable, they fit better to the pinna of the ear for prolonged listening. The whole structure exudes solidity.
Above all, they are IP55 certified in order to resist perspiration and splashes. In short for running or sport in general, they are excellent.
The great strength of these wireless headphones is their versatility. They can be used during an exercise session as well as during a work session. With the dedicated Jabra app you can even play with the sound equalizer to have a balance at your convenience. The sound quality is good for listening to music. And the Elite 5 also stand out when watching series and movies.
When it comes to active noise reduction, admittedly the Elite 5 are not the best in this area. However, the comfort provided by the ANC is satisfactory in order to bring you a good listening comfort. The autonomy put in place makes it possible to endure up to 7 hours of use without the slightest problem. Add to that the charging case that can give charges to the headphones.
The price of the headphones is at 186USD.
TOP3 Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
With the Galaxy Buds Pro, Samsung has the daunting task of catching up with competitors in great shape. For this, the Korean has chosen to offer headphones among the most versatile on the market.
Although not sold as "sport" headphones, they are however IPX7 certified and therefore perfectly waterproof.
They are easily forgotten because compact. But their design means that they tend to move slightly during the most intense activities.
The touch surfaces allow control of basic functions without having to take out your phone.
On the sound side, Samsung makes a very clean copy, with a balanced spectrum and a beautiful stereo image. On the other hand, the active noise reduction,is quite average and remains a notch below what the best in the sector offer. With nearly seven hours on a charge, the autonomy is placed at the top.
Samsung offers here very balanced headphones and especially very versatile. If you are looking for intras as comfortable in the gym as in the subway do not go any further.
TOP2 Amazfit PowerBuds Pro
The concept of integrating sensors into headphones is not new, several manufacturers had already tried it a few years ago.
However, the attempt did not last long and attention was focused on the more conventional headphones. Amazfit relaunches the concept here by equipping its true wireless headphones with a heart rate sensor and a pedometer.
Despite this onboard technology, the headphones themselves are relatively compact and adopt a relatively classic design. Four sizes of tips are provided for an optimal fit and the headphones themselves offer an excellent fit. Sport requires, they are IP55 certified.
Let's move on to the audio quality quite quickly:it is very average, with bass that tends to stifle the rest of the spectrum. Same observation for active noise reduction, frankly not fantastic. For more safety, we recommend that you don't use it when you run outside.
It remained to be seen how the heart rate monitor hidden in the earpiece manages. The latter is triggered after one or two minutes of sports activity. So no way to activate it manually. The accuracy of the measurements is surprisingly good, with a fairly minor variation, when compared to our reference Garmin Venu 2. On the other hand, the estimate of the distance measured by the accelerometer is quite far from reality. It will therefore be better to rely on your favorite running app to record your trips.
Despite some weaknesses, these PowerBuds Pro are of real interest and will allow you to do without a connected watch to keep an eye on your heart rate. Their price is quite reasonable.
TOP1 Wissonly Hi Runner Sports Bone Conduction Headphone
Wissonly's team has been researching headphone products that don't hurt the ear as early as 10 years ago and introduced bone conduction technology into the field of headphones. Their products have powerful performance, high-cost performance, and are very strong in core performances such as sound quality, sound leakage reduction, and waterproof level.
Wissonly Hi Runner sports bone conduction headphones are open-eared and worn directly on the temples, so your ear canal is completely open, which makes it easy for you to hear the sound of cars and traffic lights outdoors in sports scenes such as running and walking, making you safer to use.
In terms of fit and comfort, the whole frame of Wissonly Hi Runner is made of adjustable aviation grade titanium steel, which can adapt to different sizes of head circumference and ensure the stability of wearing. Its earphone surface is made of high-tech low-sensitivity silicone material, which contains no chemical components to avoid allergic phenomena. The overall touch of the earphone is as silky as baby's skin, avoiding uncomfortable situations when worn for a long time. Moreover, its weight is very light, less than 30g, and it will not feel heavy when worn. After wearing it, I took it off at the end of the run. This Hi Runner didn't let me have any extra adjustment. As the flagship model of outdoor sports of Wissonly brand, it is the most comfortable and cost-effective one among all bone conduction at present.
When you sweat a lot when running or doing other sports, or when it suddenly rains when you run or exercise outdoors, then the waterproof performance of sports headphones is very important.As the flagship model of Wissonly,the waterproof grade of Wissonly Hi Runner Sports Bone Conductivity Headphone reaches IPX8 waterproof grade higher than the industry standard. It allows the wearer to work normally when swimming or diving, not to mention sweat prevention or ordinary waterproof.
It is also equipped with 32G body memory, which can store 5,000 songs, and supports Bluetooth and MP3 working modes. You can use it as a Bluetooth MP3 player for underwater sports or scenes without a mobile phone.
Wissonly Hi Runner is the flagship product of Wissonly, and its overall function is also the most perfect. In terms of sound quality, this bone conduction earphone uses the latest research results of wissonly laboratory, which increases the vibration area of the vibrator by 35%. At the same time, it also optimizes the sound transmission direction to make the sound more concentrated and the music more spatial, and it has a good performance in both high and low notes.
Wissonly has made a lot of efforts to reduce its sound leakage. Its all-wrapped design reduces the vibration of the shell, and through structural optimization, the sound waves of the sound leakage are cancelled, thus avoiding 90% of the sound leakage. Wissonly Hi Runner's sound leakage performance is much better than that of the same gear bone conduction headphones on the market.
In terms of price, it only costs $99.99, which is very cost-effective!
Why choose Bluetooth headphones dedicated to sports?
Headphones specially designed for sports have two main advantages: they are often equipped with an ear band that wraps around the ear, or a fin that fits into the horn to ensure good support during the race, and they resist sweat and splashes to be able to run in all circumstances. Be careful, however, these headphones are not suitable for swimming.
Are there waterproof wireless headphones for swimming?
Yes, they are rarer, but they exist(Wissonly Hi Runner Sports Bone Conduction Headphone). In order to be used underwater, these headphones must be completely waterproof and not just splash resistant. In addition, as it is impossible to use Bluetooth underwater, they have an embedded memory on which to store your music.
Can active noise cancellation be used while playing sports?
If the active noise cancellation is fantastic to escape the hubbub of the metro it is however a double-edged sword for athletes. Cutting oneself off from the world is indeed suicidal for the jogger in the city, a cyclist or even a skier.So reserve it for indoor activities or in places where you are not likely to end up under the wheels of a car ...
Among sports headphones, Wissonly Hi Runner sports bone conduction headphone is undoubtedly the best-performing and most cost-effective one.As mentioned above, Wissonly's team has rich experience in the field of bone conduction, which is also the basis for making good products. It does not need to be plugged into the ear, which is more clean and hygienic, no harm to the ear, and can hear the surrounding sound, which makes you more safe when exercising outdoors. So it is undoubtedly the best headphones to use when exercising.
