South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Hit the gym with some of the best workout earbuds
Sure, some people still like to work out with full-size headphones, but the majority of folks want a pair of wireless earbuds — and ideally, true wireless for maximum freedom. The truth is you can use just about any true wireless earbuds for working out as long as they fit your ears securely and comfortably and are sweat-resistant. Some wireless earbuds and headphones are better suited for working out than others. Sound quality is obviously an important factor, but so too is durability (higher level water- and dust-resistance ratings) and design features like wing tips or ear hooks that keep the buds from falling out of — or falling off of — your ears.
But even lightweight buds like the AirPods Pro 2 work very well as workout earbuds if you can get a secure fit. Check out three of CNET’s favorite workout-friendly earbuds that have been introduced in the last year. For our entire list of earbuds for the gym and the trail, go to cnet.co/3XXyZA3.
GREAT APPLE NOISE-CANCELING WIRELESS EARBUDS: APPLE AIRPODS PRO 2
Not everybody can get a totally secure fit with the new AirPods Pro (2nd generation), but if you can, they make for great workout headphones for iPhone users, thanks to their lightweight design and strong performance. They’re powered by Apple’s new H2 chip, which delivers more processing power while being more energy-efficient, according to Apple. The new chip, combined with new low-distortion drivers, allows for improved sound that offers better clarity and depth. The noise canceling is also improved: Apple says the new AirPods have “double” the noise canceling of the original AirPods Pro. Additionally, the new AirPods add an extra hour of battery life, up from five to six hours with noise canceling on. Plus, a speaker in the case that emits a sound that helps locate your buds via Find My should they decide to hide from you.
MOST COMFORTABLE OPEN EARBUDS WITH EAR HOOKS: SHOKZ OPENFIT
Shokz, the company formerly known as AfterShokz, has led the market in bone-conduction headphones. Models like the OpenRun Pro, which deliver sound to your ear through your cheekbones, are popular with runners and bikers who like to leave their ears open for safety reasons. However, Shokz’s new OpenFit model, the company’s first true-wireless earbuds, don’t use bone-conduction technology. They have an open design that fires sound into your ears using custom speaker drivers, which Shokz dubs “air conduction” technology.
We were impressed by how lightweight (8.3 grams) and comfortable they are — they have one of the best ear-hook designs we’ve tried (Shokz calls it a Dolphin Arc ear hook). It’s soft and offers just the right amount of flexibility to conform to the shape of your ear, with “dual-layered liquid silicone that provides a pliable fit,” according to Shokz. The OpenFits also sound quite good for open earbuds.
BEST NEW EAR-HOOK STYLE TRUE-WIRELESS EARBUDS: JBL ENDURANCE PEAK 3
JBL has upgraded its ear-hook style sport earbuds for 2023. Available in black or white, the Endurance Peak 3 buds offer better battery life (up to 10 hours with four extra charges in their case), improved voice-calling performance and an IP68 rating that makes them fully waterproof and dust-proof. They also have an Ambient Aware transparency mode and Talk Thru mode that can automatically lower your music’s volume level and open up the buds to the outside world. That means you can have a conversation with someone without removing the buds from your ears.
They stayed on our ears securely during runs and we thought they sounded quite good, though they do have a bit of bass push (i.e. they have powerful bass). Just be aware that if you don’t get a tight seal, sound quality will be significantly worse. Also, like other earbuds with ear-hook designs, the case is on the beefy side. That said, the buds do seem durable and if you get a good fit, they’re an excellent and less pricey alternative to the Beats Powerbeats Pro. We also thought the touch controls worked well; we were easily able to toggle through the various sound modes.