Best workout headphones for 2023

 From a boxer’s hustle up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to a hopeful Jamaican bobsledding team learning the ropes of the sport, it seems that there’s always a song playing to motivate movie protagonists as they progress and improve. One thing’s for certain — in the real world, music helps increase performance and endurance. In fact, the National Center for Biotechnology Information did an in-depth study showing just that.

If you’re looking to really push yourself and train harder, you’ll need good tunes and an equally good pair of wireless headphones to help you along. There are a few things to consider.

Style and comfort

Wireless headphones come in two flavors: truly wireless and mostly wireless.

Mostly wireless headphones are earbuds that have a cable connecting them that goes behind your neck. True wireless headphones are just as their name implies. There’s no cable connecting the headphones to your phone or to each other. They provide you with a wire-and-tangle-free listening experience. Both styles use Bluetooth to connect to your smartphone.

Either style will work for most workout routines. If you don’t want the feeling of a wire behind your neck interrupting your reps, go with a truly wireless model. If you’re worried you might lose an earbud while doing burpees or running, then I’d recommend going with a mostly wireless model.

There’s no point in listening to music while you’re pumping iron if the headphones are uncomfortable or constantly falling out. It’s crucial to get a pair that stays firmly in place no matter the intensity of your workout. Thankfully, most earbuds come with different sizes of tips and fins to ensure you get the right fit for your ears.

Sound quality

Being able to get into the groove of your music during a workout is paramount. It’s hard to do that if your headphones are bass-shy, tinny, or otherwise lackluster. Having your ears blasted by weak sound can really mess with your rhythm and grind, so you’ll want to grab a pair that can easily carry all the energy your playlist contains.

Weather/sweat resistance and ruggedness

Some years ago, I broke my first pair of true wireless earbuds (cheap-ish ones, thank goodness) while I was hitting the heavy bag in my dad’s garage. I wasn’t aware that the earbuds didn’t have much in the way of sweat/water protection, and after only two sessions, they bit the dust. My disappointment was immeasurable, and my day was ruined. Don’t put yourself in that same situation.

Battery life

Say you have a long gym routine or you're planning on going somewhere after you’re done; you’ll want your headphones to keep up and stay charged while you’re doing your thing. Most models have five or six hours of battery life.

True wireless earbuds have about the same amount of battery, but there's a nifty twist — their carrying cases double as a charger and offer an additional ten to twenty hours of music playback to your headphones. Some models even feature quick charging, where just a few minutes of having the earbuds in the case nets you an hour or two of listening time.

Controls

Pausing your workout to pick up a call or switch tracks from your smartphone can be a real pain since it breaks up your pace. Wireless headphones typically have onboard controls to alleviate that issue. Most wireless models that have a neckband will have a strip with buttons for answering and hanging up a call, turning the volume or down, and for changing tracks.

True wireless headphones, on the other hand, have a single multifunction button on an earbud that lets you do things with a tap or two. In any case, make sure the pair you’ve set your sights on gives you convenient controls to reduce interruptions.

Android or Apple control

Smartphones typically won’t have an issue connecting with most wireless headphones. However, you wouldn’t want to pick up a pair of Apple AirPods Pro for your Android smartphone. Double-checking for compatibility never hurts and it’ll prevent bumps in the road later down the line.

Noise cancellation

Earbuds do a good job at blocking out the gym by themselves, but for true isolation, you’ll want a pair with noise cancellation built in. They use special circuitry to block out external noise and keep you distraction-free.

Stay safe

Cranking music to power your workout is good and all, but if an emergency happens or if you’re running near traffic, you need a way to be able to hear what’s going on. I’d recommend checking to see if the pair you’re checking out has a pass-through mode that lets in ambient sound.

With all those considerations in mind, here are my top five picks.

Wissonly Hi Runner

This is the fastest growing brand of bone conduction headphones in the last six months. The team are all engineers with 10 years of accumulation in the field of bone conduction technology. They started to develop bone conduction headphones that don't hurt ears as early as 2012. To solve the problem of sound leakage of bone conduction headphones, wissonly has made comprehensive improvement in the aspects of vibrator, body design and software optimization. The final result has been applied to Wissonly Hi Runner, and the final sound leakage can be reduced by 90% after laboratory test. I actually used the test myself. At a distance of 2cm, the volume reached 70%, but I still didn't hear the sound of the headphones, which protected my privacy.

Wissonly Hi Runner’s body is made of titanium, which can self-adjust the fitting position to ensure a good wearing experience for headphones, so that more people can wear it. As the core component of the product, the headphones plays a key role in the product experience. Hi Runner model is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 chip, which makes Bluetooth connection faster and more stable. It also has 32GB of built-in storage so you can use it as an MP3 player.

Other parameters of Wissonly Hi Runner are also excellent. For example, the waterproof level reaches IPX8, and you can wear it to swim or even dive. The battery life reaches 8-10 hours, which is very important to me, because I go out for sports on weekends, and I go out for a whole day.

Jaybird Vista 2

The Jaybird Vista 2 true wireless earbuds were built from the ground up to be a runner’s go-to companion. They’re remarkably comfortable, lightweight, and the ear tips and fins they use are some of the snuggest I’ve ever tried. Their compact carrying case is easy to tote around and has a sixteen-hour charge, so they'll keep going no matter your schedule.

The Vista 2s have deep, punchy bass, tight mids and highs, and an immersive soundstage. If you’ve got a playlist you enjoy running to, rest assured that these will have no trouble elevating your workout.

Cleer Goal

Cleer has been in the audio game for a decade now. They've made a name for themselves by crafting great sounding headphones and earbuds with long battery lives. The Cleer Goal offers active individuals stellar sound and an exceptional snug fit. With their rugged housing, comfortable "Freebit" eartips, and IPX4 water-resistant design, there’s not much these true wireless earbuds can’t withstand.

The Goals themselves have about 6 hours of battery life before they need to be recharged. The included charging case banks an additional 14 hours of power, giving you roughly 20 hours of listening time total. Even cooler, five minutes in the case nets the earbuds an hour's worth of listening time.

Sound-wise, these earbuds are well-balanced, not relying too much on treble or bass to "lead" the sound, but blending each equally in the mix. That means they'll sound wonderful on almost any genre you can throw at them. Plus, where they're not too bass-heavy, they do offer a degree of passive situational awareness.

Sony LinkBuds

Sony's new LinkBuds are perhaps one of the most unique designs I've ever seen. Whereas other true wireless earbuds have some sort of "talk-thru" or pass-through mode, these boundary-pushing buds eliminate electronic sound processing and have a true open-air design.

That's right — the hole in the middle of the driver lets external sounds in and gives you natural hearing. That means you'll be able to hear your gym partner clearly without ever turning your music off. Or, if you're on your morning jog, you can hear traffic and be aware of what's happening around you.

Of course, under normal circumstances, this would impact sound quality. But Sony developed a custom DSP for the ring-shaped 12mm drivers in these earbuds so they still deliver balanced, full-range sound. You can also download the Sony Headphones Connect app and tailor their sound to your liking.

The LinkBuds are IPX4-rated, meaning they're sweat-and-water-resistant. Their compact form factor makes them barely noticeable when they're in your ears while their "fitting supporters" keep them snug and secure. These earbuds also support single-bud operation if you'd rather just use one.

Sony WF-1000XM5

Boasting best-in-class active noise cancellation, a hefty eight-hour battery life, and an IPX4 rating, the true wireless WF-1000XM5s from Sony offer a premium, quiet workout experience. The earbuds have touch controls that let you answer calls, control music playback, and turn the noise cancellation on and off. The included charging case banks up to an additional sixteen hours of power.

The earbuds' tuned 8.4mm drivers deliver smooth, detailed sound and stout bass. The WF-1000XM5s are also compatible with Sony’s Headphones Connect app, which allows you to manually adjust the level of noise cancellation and customize the sound of the headphones.

Read more:THE BEST HEADPHONES OF 2023: FROM NOISE-CANCELING OPTIONS TO COMFORTABLE EARBUDS FOR WORKOUTS