October Prime Day Running Headphones Deals 2024: Score up to 50% off Our Favorites from Testing

Like the rest of your gear, the best Running Shoes & Gear are the ones you barely notice. That’s why we love Jabra’s Elite 8 Active: They don’t move around once you dial in the fit, they don’t lose connection when you turn your head, and they don’t have any hard edges that create hotspots against your ears. And after six months of continuous use, these high-end buds work as well as they did on day one.

We’ve observed Jabra get closer and closer to an ideal ear-shaped bud over the years, and for our money they’ve nailed the silicone-coated contours in the Elite 8 Active. Once you settle on the right size of ear tip (there are three to choose from), the buds create a seal against your ear canal that blocks ambient sound (but doesn’t create a suction effect—except when you’re flying). The snug fit helps the buds’ excellent, dynamic sound come through uninterrupted. Compared to an admirable set of earbuds like the Apple Airpods Pro 2, the Elite 8 Active just sounds richer and bassier, without losing the midrange.

Of course, these near-$200 earbuds are an investment even at this discount, but we’ve had no durability issues in long-term testing thanks to an IP68 waterproof rating. Our only gripe involves the ambient sound mode: It’s not bad, but the mode kicks on automatically after you receive a call, meaning you have to navigate back to the Jabra app to revert back to either normal mode or noise-canceling mode. That said, we’ve never tested a perfect set of wireless earbuds, and the Elite 8 Active gets closer than most.

As fun as it is to blast your favorite tunes while out on a run, sometimes obstacles come at you fast. To avoid being buzzed by a passing car or getting spooked by another trail runner in the forest, try leaving your ear canals open with the Shokz OpenRun Pro. These lightweight, wraparound headphones use bone-conduction technology to transmit sound through your skull into your eardrums.

Bone conduction comes with a tradeoff in sound quality—unsurprisingly, letting in other sounds can detract from your music—but Shokz offsets this limitation with its TurboPitch feature, which our testers found boosts bass enough to make up some of the sound quality deficit compared to in-ear earbuds. In addition to making you more aware, the OpenRun Pro is ideal for long runs thanks to a 1-ounce weight and a 10-hour battery life. A 5-minute quick charge also yields 90 minutes of battery, so you won’t delay your run by much if you forget to charge them up.

Few earbuds integrate more smoothly into your daily life than Apple’s AirPods Pro 2. Often imitated but never adequately duplicated, these earbuds earned their popularity by doing almost everything really well. The silicone eartips are larger and more flexible than most, helping them seal out ambient sound and lock in a secure fit without discomfort. The Bluetooth connection is unshakeable from within at least 50 feet, and the active noise canceling is as good as any competitors’ we’ve tested. Transparency mode is even better: You get almost as much awareness as an open-ear design with far superior sound quality, thanks to the AirPods Pro 2’s ability to filter out wind noise.

Sound quality is clear, full, and accurate, although the buds lack the richness of the Sony WF1000XM5 or the dynamic bass of the Jabra Elite 8 Active. Our only real knock is the fit, which wasn’t quite secure enough. We had to adjust the earbuds once every few miles and had them fall out during a side plank.

With longer battery life than the original Vista and a case that’s slim enough to throw in a pocket comfortably, these earbuds should be your go-to if you’re looking for a pair that can last you through your long runs and weekend marathon trips without a recharge. Our testers appreciated how unobtrusive the buds were without hooks, which makes them work with a variety of headbands and sunglasses. Yet they managed to stay in place admirably.

Our testers found that the Fit Pro was the Apple earbud they’d reach for first for running if they had to choose, even before the AirPods. The combination of in-ear security thanks to the wings and powerful audio required little fussing. But when settings did need changing, the physical buttons (not just spots on the earbud that you tap) made it intuitive to pause, skip, and switch between modes. And the spatial audio gave the impression that we were at a concert standing in front of a stage, and turning our head caused the audio to come from different directions. It took some getting used to but is a nice touch.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, perhaps Apple can understand why the admittedly AirPod-shaped EarFun Air Pro 3 exists. If not, the attractive price point should help. For about a third of the cost of the Apple version, EarFun delivers a product we find to be more than half as good in daily use for a variety of activities, running included.

Starting with the fit, the L-shaped design just works, with the silicone eartips providing comfort and a decent seal that blocks out ambient sound. The eartips are a little flimsy, though, so we found ourselves readjusting the earbuds during a set of burpees. For running, though, they stayed in place comfortably.

The sound quality is surprisingly good, with rich bass and crispy vocals (albeit a little less clarity in the midrange than pricier models). The noise-canceling mode is as good as any of the more expensive models we’ve tested, but the ambient sound mode is too sensitive to wind noise to be useful outdoors.

If you’ve tried and failed to get wireless earbuds to stay in your ear while running, consider JLab’s Epic Air Sport ANC. Hook-shaped ear fins keep them in place—running, jumping and head-banging to Rammstein failed to dislodge these buds during testing. They’re also an ideal companion for marathon runners and ultra runners due to a 15-hour battery life (and a sweat-proof IP66 rating). And with an additional 55 hours in the case, you could be forgiven for forgetting to charge them altogether.

Sound quality from the Epic Air Sport ANC is decent but not exceptional. We wouldn’t call it tinny, but dynamic, bouncing tracks sound a touch one-dimensional. Active noise cancelation was similarly average, but the buds’ transparency mode was intelligent enough to filter out most wind noise while still picking up cars and passing cyclists.

A note on the price here: The Epic Air Sport regularly dips lower than the almost $90 it is now. In fact, it had been sub-$70 largely since Labor Day. So it’s likely worth bookmarking the page and waiting until the price drops again.

If the Jabra Elite 8 Active is the best runner’s earbud that also has great sound, Sony’s WF-1000XM5 is the best-sounding wireless earbud that also works quite well for running, too—albeit with a couple of caveats. To get those out of the way: The WF-1000XM5 wasn’t explicitly designed for running, so it’s only water-resistant rather than waterproof. After six months of testing, we didn’t kill ours with sweat or rain. Also, the eartips are a combination of foam and silicone, and are therefore quite comfortable but also prone to wearing down faster (aftermarket replacements are available on Amazon).

If you can see past those shortcomings—neither of which have encumbered us in long-term testing—you’ll be rewarded with arguably the best sound quality on the market. The tones from Sony’s 8.4mm drivers are clear, balanced, and rich, with impressive distinction between the bass, midrange, and treble. They’re also comfortable to wear for hours on end thanks to the squishy eartips, which keep the buds’ plastic body from touching much of your ear at all.

The 1More Fit Open Earbuds S50 represents a different take on the open-ear design of competitors such as Shokz. Rather than transmitting sound through your skull, these earbuds use a donut-shaped silicone ear tip to direct sound at your ear canal from the outside—like a tiny set of over-ear headphones. And like with the Shokz OpenRun Pro, you’re trading some sound quality for added awareness. In the case of RW test editor Morgan Petruny, the volume was a touch quiet at the maximum setting during a half marathon.

On the plus side, the over-ear winged design made for a secure fit that didn’t require constant adjusting. What’s more, an 11-hour battery life makes these buds capable enough for your next ultra.

Anker’s Soundcore Sport X10 is ideal for bassheads (and people looking to buy for them) thanks to an adjustable equalizer capable of doubling the amount of bass coming through the buds’ 10mm drivers. That’s just one of 22 preset equalizer settings that allow you to adjust your audio experience to your music. You can also create custom settings to further refine your favorite tunes.

The Sport X10’s customizability extends to the buds’ construction, too. The ear hooks rotate 210 degrees to help you arrive at the most comfortable, secure fit possible. (However, you have to rotate the hooks back to their stock position to put the buds back in the charging case.) You also get active noise cancelation and an additional wind noise reduction function for outdoor use.

Throw the Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earbuds in your workout bag to turn your gym into a pro-level sound stage. “The sound you get from the Powerbeats Pro is really expansive,” said RW Amazon Prime Big Deal Days full review. “Every song sounds like you’re listening in a larger room, with speakers positioned away from you.” You also get track and volume controls on each earbud so you don’t have to keep your phone on you to switch up your music.

What’s more, the rubberized ear hooks are comfortable for hours of use and prevent the buds from getting jostled around while you jog or hit a set of burpees. However, we found that sweat can break the seal between the silicone ear tip and your ear canal, which makes your tunes sound slightly more tinny. But we still found plenty to like, including 90 minutes of playback from a 5-minute quick charge and an instant and reliable Bluetooth connection.