Best headphones for working out in 2023
We all know that the most successful workouts are usually fueled by your favorite exercise playlist. Whether you’re bumping Rihanna or Metallica, staying connected to your source of motivation is imperative in the gym. While many reach for a pair of lightweight, flexible earbuds, sometimes you need a solid pair of cans to tune out the grunts and groans of fellow gym-goers. Or maybe you want something for outdoor exercise that will leave your ear canals free from occlusion; perhaps you’re already in love with your everyday over-ear headphones and searching for a supplementary pair to use when you’re at your sweatiest. Whatever your needs may be, we can help you find the best pair of headphones for your workout, taking into account overall design, battery life, water resistance, and more.
Wissonly Hi Runner
Wissonly bone conduction brand insists on technological innovation, its bone vibration technology is relatively leading. The team has 10 years of technical accumulation in the field of bone conduction. So they have mastered the core technology of the field, which is very important for the quality of the product.
Wissonly has exclusive sound leakage reduction technology and bone vibration technology, which are all applied to Hi Runner bone conduction headphones. They can effectively reduce the problem of sound leakage by 90%. The latest bone vibration technology improves the overall sound quality performance of the headphones to make sound more spatious sense, and the sound quality characteristics are more prominent.
The overall body of Hi Runner is made of memory titanium that can self-adjust the contact area. So the headphones give people a good wearing experience and more users are taken into account.
As the core component of the product, the headphones chip plays a key role in the experience of the product. Wissonly Hi Runner are equipped with a Bluetooth 5.0 chip for a more stable connection. They also have 32G of built-in memory which is very important to me. I use the headphones completely as an MP3. They can store 5000 songs, which is crazy!
TREBLAB Z2 Over-Ear Workout Headphones
The Treblab Z2 workout headphones don’t come with loads of bells and whistles, but with thousands of positive user reviews and a build that checks all the boxes, it’s our pick for the best workout headphones overall. Not only does this pair have a pretty affordable price tag, but it also features aptX codec support for high-end audio connection over Bluetooth 5.0 and active noise cancelation to tune out distracting gymgoers.
You'll also get multipoint connectivity so you can tune into two devices at once, and up to 35 hours of playback will keep you connected throughout multiple Peloton sessions. An IPX4 rating means protection from sweat, and the built-in mic gives you access to voice assistants, including Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa, so you don’t have to drop your weights to skip a song. The Z2 weighs roughly half a pound and are designed to fit securely around the head, minimizing the risk of falling off without being too tight. Each pair comes with a USB charging cable, a 3.5mm audio cable, and a carrying case.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones are a well-loved pair of premium headphones that prioritize sound quality and noise cancelation above all else. While this pair wasn’t specifically designed with exercise in mind, they top the chart for over-ear headphones overall. If you’re looking for an elite model that can satisfy your listening needs from the street to the stair master, this might just be the best option for you.
The WH-1000XM5 features excellent active noise cancelation (ANC) with a new Automatic Personal NC Optimizer, which adjusts the noise cancelation intensity based on your surroundings, and eight microphones and two processors to analyze and eliminate the din of treadmills, ellipticals, and rowers at your gym. A few of these beam-forming microphones also help to make clear phone calls in between sets.
Philips A4216
The Philips A4126 are a great pair of budget-friendly headphones for working out, particularly if you are looking to supplement your everyday pair. Though cheaper than most options, the A4216 have the best water and dust resistance on our list with an IP55 rating, which means you don’t need to worry at all about sweat ruining your connection; this is the pair you want to wear when you attack a HIIT class. Alongside an excellent IP rating, you’ll also get 35 hours of battery life, with a 15-minute quick charge delivering two more hours, and an onboard multi-function button to make swift adjustments to your music as you exercise.
The A4216 don’t have any active noise-canceling functions, but the closed-back design and 40mm neodymium drivers will provide passive noise cancelation and should isolate music above outside noise. Memory foam earcups are filled with a cooling gel and, best of all, can be removed and washed, a feature we really love in a pair of workout headphones. You wouldn’t sweat all over your yoga pants or gym shorts and then wear that same pair without washing them for your next workout. Why should your fabric-based earcups be treated differently?
Adidas RPT-02 Sol
The Adidas RPT-02 Sol headphones are one of the most unique pairs we’ve seen across the board. Designed with the outdoor athlete in mind, these headphones are solar-powered, which means as long as you’re in the sun, you’ll never risk running out of battery. Of course, you’re not going to be in the light all the time, but never fear, these impressive cans are able to store up to 80 hours of reserve battery. A light indicator on the inside of the headband will tell you about light conditions (more rings equals a better charge), and you can also check the companion app to monitor battery levels. If you really don’t have access to natural light over the course of the week, you do have the option to charge via USB-C. Also optimal for athletes are the removable ear cups and inner headband cushion, which you can throw in the washing machine alongside your other athletic wear.
SHOKZ OpenSwim
If your favorite way to work in a little cardio is to get in the pool, the SHOKZ OpenSwim are one of the few options you can rely on to keep you tuned into your underwater playlists. This pair employs bone conduction which employs vibrations through the cheekbone that are perceptible by the ear's cochlea, rather than air conduction which is how we traditionally listen to music via headphones. The OpenSwim can withstand submersion in up to 6.5 feet of water for up to two hours and hold up to 4GB of music (roughly 1,200 songs). Yes, it is a bummer that you can’t just connect to your phone and cue up individual playlists, but Bluetooth doesn’t exactly work well underwater yet.
With the OpenSwim you’ll have to upload songs the old-fashioned way: dragging and dropping into the model’s hard drive, but you can create separate music folders to maintain some control over your tunes. The OpenSwim accepts most file types, including WAV, MP3, FLAC, and AAC.