Please recommend some good bluetooth ear buds to listen to music while running in the morning.
Wants:
- Will stay in place while running
- One piece, not pods that are easy to lose
- Solid battery life
- Decent sound quality
- Robust enough for someone who's hard on personal devices
- NOT noise canceling
- $50 - $120 target budget. Could go up to $200 if there's something that really stands out. I'm looking for value, which often means spending a bit for quality
I've been using a set of Bose Noise Canceling buds with the yoke that goes around the neck and cables to each earbud. I like them except for the noise canceling feature. They quiet steady-state background drones, but aren't good with wind gusts. Running in them is like constant wind gusting. It's okay when it's cold and I wear a hat that covers my ears and prevents wind gusts, but sucks now that the weather is starting to warm up.
I've had set of old Samsung earbuds in the same style. The sound quality isn't near as good as the Bose.
Have you considered turning off the noise cancelling on the bose? There should be an on/off switch that turns them into just regular buds.
Otherwise, I've got a pair of anker bluetooth buds that have been fine, but nothing out-of-this-world. Have you considered bone-conduction headphones? Keeps your ears open so you can hear cars approaching, and also less likely to fall off/fall out.
I've broken my second set of Raycons in 2 years. I like the sound they produce and the fitment but they just don't hold up.
Like the_Machina recommended, bone conducting might be a good option for your use case with heavy physical activity. My gym buddies all use them and swear by them.
Back on the earbuds. For better or worse, most good ones these days will come with noise-cancelling but it can be disabled. I've got a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro that I absolutely LOVE. They're noise cancelling, disabled, or ambient sound transmitting with almost no noticeable lag. Some people have issues with them in their ears, but they stay put when I'm running. Another option that I heavily considered was any of the newer Jabra Elite earbuds, which are very favorably reviewed. The samsungs won out because they were free bundled with my phone.
the_machina said:
Have you considered turning off the noise cancelling on the bose? There should be an on/off switch that turns them into just regular buds.
They don't let you turn it off. Just down. In which case they transmit more ambient noise. So they just amplify the sound of the air more as I run.
In reply to the_machina :
I'm not familiar with bone conducting. I wouldn't mind having more of my hearing as I run.
I run on a bike trail or (occasionally) around my very quiet neighborhood. So I'm not super worried about hearing cars.
I'm also fine if they have a noise-cancelling feature, as long as they let you completely disable it, which these Bose do not. If anything, that would be most prefereable, so I could have it off when running, but on for mowing the lawn.
Recommended brands on bone conducting headphones? What's the sound quality like on that style?
I have the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus, and I love them. The fit is great, they come with various sizes of rubber tips, or you can do what I did and replace those with foam tips that seal better. The battery life is freaking eternal, I've worn them outside working all day without them dying. The sound is good, though I mostly listen to podcasts so it doesn't matter that much. They seem to be tough, as I said, I wear them working outside and I get pretty sweaty. They don't have noise cancellation, but they do have an "ambient sound" function that allows outside sounds in. I usually leave it off, as I can hear well enough with them in.
I looked for something similar because I lose buds, but didn't like anything on a band or strap that I saw. I have two different ear sizes due to surgeries, so customizing a fit was important to me. I tried all 3 Apple versions and the fit of the OG headphones/buds has not been improved in later versions, V2 and V3 fall right out of my ear. I am now using Amazon Echo Buds and I love them. They come with different caps to fit your ear canal, and they come with rubber "wings" that allow you to rotate them into your ear and lock them into place. I don't run (unless being chased by a bear) but they stay in place for yardwork. With the Alexa app, you can adjust a lot of settings including noice-cancel or pass-through. At $85, they were a relative bargain too.
Let me know if you fund a good option on a strap, I will lose these eventually.
84FSP
UberDork
3/21/22 1:33 p.m.
If you are an Apple guy I find the Airpod pro to be pretty fantastic andnbullet proof. Noise cancelling is nice as is battery life.
+1 on apple pros but at times mine seem to make a sound with each step when I run- they were given to me second hand so they may not be working properly. They are amazing on planes and working with tools.
Honsch
Reader
3/21/22 11:48 p.m.
Personally I can't stand the sound quality of BT gear.
If you can tolerate wires I recommend Etymotic Research MK5 Isolators.
The sound good and block all the external sounds.
grover said:
+1 on apple pros but at times mine seem to make a sound with each step when I run- they were given to me second hand so they may not be working properly. They are amazing on planes and working with tools.
Not an Apple guy.
Do not want pods/buds.
Do not want noise canceling (unless it can be easily disabled).
Specifically looking for something for running. The Bose I have are good in all those other applications you mentioned, and I'm looking explicitly that doesn't freak out when running.
Have you tried using the bose app on your phone to see if you can easily turn off the noise cancelling for your buds?
How Do I Turn Off Noise Cancelling On Bose Qc30? | trekkyrecords.com
In reply to the_machina :
Yes.
I think I'm goint to get these JBL's: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S4CVJB6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Seem to tick the boxes I'm looking for and get positive reviews. The negatives I'm seeing are some people not being able to get them to pair with certain devices. If I run into that problem, at least it will pop up immediately, and I can just return them.
tuna55
MegaDork
3/23/22 11:02 a.m.
I really like my OneMore buds, and you can turn off ANC, which I do in my office. They are lovely and durable, going into my third year with them. I think they were only like $60.
tuna55
MegaDork
3/23/22 11:05 a.m.
In reply to Beer Baron :
What device are you using IOS or Andriod? Just curious as I am also looking, I am currently using a knock off airpods that I barely get 20-30 minutes until needing a recharge.
In reply to trigun7469 :
Samsung Droid. Several years old. We'll see if those JBL's play nice.
In reply to Beer Baron :
I have the JLB Contour ear buds and I am happy with them. I have not had any issues paring with my devices.
Sennheiser Momentum 2. I LOVE THEM!! I've turned on two other people that bought a pair. Best earbuds I've had. Evar!
Personal preference is for hard shell plastic rather than ones with silicone ends that touch your ear. I tend to wear them for many hours a day, and I find the silicone irritates the skin on my ear. I've found second gen Apple Earbuds to be a nice balance of cost and performance with the hard plastic rather than silicone on the end. They stay in well for me doing a lot of activities.
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:
I have the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus, and I love them. The fit is great, they come with various sizes of rubber tips, or you can do what I did and replace those with foam tips that seal better. The battery life is freaking eternal, I've worn them outside working all day without them dying. The sound is good, though I mostly listen to podcasts so it doesn't matter that much. They seem to be tough, as I said, I wear them working outside and I get pretty sweaty. They don't have noise cancellation, but they do have an "ambient sound" function that allows outside sounds in. I usually leave it off, as I can hear well enough with them in.
This. My wife bought me some after I bought her a pair. Better I've ever had.
