Best Running Headphones: The best over-ears, on-ears, and true wireless for workouts

The Back Bay Tempo 30 are true wireless made for the sports fanatics among us, featuring a tough IPX7 water resistance that makes these buds fully sweatproof and waterproof. You won’t be able to take them swimming, but on solid ground Tempo 30 are protected against rainy weather.

We found the Tempo 30’s battery life of 32 hours in total to be excellent, especially in the $39.99 / £29 price bracket. That’s double the endurance of the more expensive Bose Sport Earbuds, although don’t expect fast charging or wireless charging support at this low price.

We liked the design of the Tempo 30 with its attractive, marble-like, glossy finish that’s a step up on the likes of the Jlab Go Air Sport. The charging case is pocketable, though over use we found it susceptible to scratches and scuff marks. We found the to be snug when using the earphones, and they didn’t fall out once, offering excellent noise isolation that’s as good as some running headphones with noise cancellation.

Several ear-tips are provided to keep the earphones tucked in, and they also affect how the Tempo 30 sound, adding or reducing bass. The default ear-tip produced a crisp and sharp tone that didn’t offer much bass. The ear-tip we settled on offered more weight, turning its strained performance into a more energetic one with a stronger bass output. The soundstage is wide, and while the definition of instruments is not be as good as more expensive buds, the overall sound quality makes the Tempo 30 a steal for the price.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Back Bay Tempo 30

Designed with input by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, the UA Project Rock Over-Ear Training are built to be a rugged and comfortable pair of fitness headphones. The IPX4 rating protects them from splashes of water or any sweat, while JBL has added plenty of breathable padding that proved to be very comfortable when our reviewer used them for gym work. Conveniently the earpads can be removed and hand-washed.

JBL’s hands are all over the feature set with the noise cancellation, with two presets in Everyday and Active to customise the strength of the ANC. ‘Everyday’ is casual, everyday use while ‘Active’ is designed for exercise, letting in ambient noise for more awareness.

We didn’t find the cancellation to be up to the standards of the WH-1000XM4, but the headphones did a good job at keeping unwanted noise at bay, reducing gym radio noise to a nearly inaudible hum.

The battery life is excellent with a 45 hours that’s better than more ‘hi-fi’ headphones in the WH-1000XM5 and Px7 S2. They take two hours to charge from zero to full which is decent for a headphone with its battery size.

The Project Rock headphones offer an energetic performance, although they prioritise instruments over vocals. A run of Eminem’s Godzilla also revealed the weighty low end on offer, although vocal separation isn’t these cans’ forte. Tracks where vocals take more of a centre stage such as The Beach Boys’ Kokomo, we found worked a little better and made for an entertaining listen. They’re currently out of stock in a number of places, which may suggest that a new model could be on the way.

Reviewer: Tom Deehan
Full Review: UA Project Rock Over-ears

Traditionally, running headphones haven’t always excelled at audio quality, and the Jaybird Vista 2 offer a more detailed and dynamic performance than their predecessors, alongside a deeper bass with more extension. We found the top end to be sparkly in nature, which sounded excellent during testing.

The Vista 2 are the first set of Jaybird earbuds to feature noise cancellation, a feature not necessarily found on many true wireless earphones. While we didn’t feel the ANC were best in class compared to premium efforts from Bose and Sony, they did a good job of blocking out background noise, although when faced wind noise or the sound of children in a nearby park they weren’t as strong. We found the ambient mode here to work well, although it did pick up some distracting wind noise.

There’s support for wireless charging, and the battery life is decent with 24 hours in total (ANC off) that’s similar to the Adidas FWD-02. We did find during our time that there were connectivity issues that required a factory reset for the earphones. It did only happen a few times and might have been specific to our sample, but its something to be aware of.

The design is similar to the original Vista with a few aesthetic tweaks to the case (rounded edges) and a fabric finish over the physical buttons. The fit and seal we found to be secure, and the Jaybird come with an array of ear- and wing-tip options to find the best fit. Jaybird has also upped the dust and water resistance rating from the original, pushing the earphones to IP68 with the case holding an IP54 rating from the original’s IPX7. That offers more confidence than these wireless earbuds can take on tougher assignments hen you’re exercising.

Reviewer: Alastair Stevenson
Full Review: Jaybird Vista 2

It’s not often in the headphone market you get something different from the norm, but in the Adidas RPT-02 SOL, you get exactly that.

The RPT-02 SOL is part of a new breed of headphones like the Urbanista Los Angeles and Phoenix, that integrate a solar charging panel into its design. This helps to charge the headphones both when in use or simply turned on, absorbing sun and ambient light to give it a power boost.

We found that while solar panel doesn’t provide enough charge to add to the battery when in use, it is enough to reduce the battery discharge. Over the course of six weeks, using the headphones in the gym and for runs for several hours, the percentage drop in battery was only 8%. Overall battery life is around 80 hours, so these headphones have plenty left in the tank even if they’re not being topped off by the solar panel.

The design continues the eco-conscious outlook of the original RPT-01 with machine washable fabrics and use of recycled plastic for its construction. For a pair of on-ears they’re stable and comfortable enough to wear, pinching on the ears only occurring when deep into sessions, and we found them to be lightweight at 256g to not be uncomfortable when worn. With an IPX4 rating, they can dispel splashes of water and sweat easily enough.

We found the sound quality to differ quite significantly from the original model. Where the RPT-01 was clear and crisp, the sequel is more rich and bombastic, especially with bass frequencies. It describes tracks with more energy, but loses out on the subtlety of the (still available) original pair. Nevertheless, we found them to be a fun, energetic-sounding pair of headphones that complement high-energy workouts.

One thing to note is that they are more expensive than the original were at £199 / $199. If you are looking for a pair of on-ears for sports and workouts, it’s worth checking out the cheaper RPT-01.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Adidas RPT-02 SOL

Adidas is best known for its sportswear than its audio devices, but they have dipped their toes into the world of audio before, and the Adidas FWD-02 Sport are our favourite of their true wireless efforts so far.

They have a different design to the Z.N.E 01 with the FWD-02 opting for a circular shape that fits well in the ear, a fit that’s complemented by a strong selection of winged ear tips to help keep them secure. Our only issue was that the FWD-02 still moved about when running, which meant we had to regularly nudge them back in. Your mileage (quite literally) may vary with different ear-tip sizes.

The IP rating is IPX5, which makes the FWD-02 resistant to low pressure and sustained jets of water. This is fine, though we half-expected a tougher rating given these buds were designed in consultation with Adidas Runners group. There isn’t no ANC with the FWD-02s like you’d find with the Jaybird Vista 2, with their design aiming to reduce external noise, which we found to be good enough.

Battery life matches the Z.N.E 01 ANC with 25 hours in total, which is absolutely fine for several gym/running sessions. The Adidas headphones offers the ability to check on those battery levels, as well customise touch controls, and EQ settings to change the sound.

These headphones are made by Zound Industries who also work on Marshall and Urbanears headphones, and they’ve produce decent sounding headphones with the FWD-02. They sound similar to the Z.N.E. 01 ANC filled with lots of energy, a weighty low end and smooth delivery that works well for high-intensity workouts. The soundstage has some width to it, and while there aren’t the detailed or most dynamic sounding headphones, the bass is punchy and rich.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Adidas FWD-02

The brand formerly known as Aftershokz rebranded as Shokz, but that didn’t manifest any different change in approach. When it comes to bone conduction headphones, Shokz are probably the most known entity out there, and the OpenRun Pro model is one of the better proponents of the technology.

Bone conduction works by producing vibrations through your cheek/jawbone to your ear. This means the design is an open-ear model, which also allows you to hear what’s around you. This is especially useful if you’re using them in an outdoor environment.

The OpenRun Pro are lightweight at 29g and we found them comfortable to wear. Despite the lightweight frame, our reviewer found they stayed put during exercises, so there’s no fear that they’d be dislodged when running. A rating of IP55 means the OpenRun Pro can resist the likes of sweat, water and dust, though in fact this is a weaker IP rating than older Shokz headphones.

The Shokz promise 10 hours of battery life, which is up from the eight hours of the original OpenRun. Using them with the volume set pretty much at its maximum, we managed to get five hours of use, though Shokz was testing at 75% so if the volume is lowered you’re likely to eke out more battery life. Multipoint Bluetooth is supported, so you can switch between two devices simultaneously. There’s no built-in MP3 player that you’ll find on the Naenka Runner Pro model, as this only supports audio over Bluetooth.

When it comes to audio performance, the OpenRun Pro promise a sound that offers enhanced bass and premium sound quality. We found it didn’t quite live up to those expectations, especially when it comes to bass, which has been a shortcoming with most bone conduction headphones. If you do want a bassier, bigger sound, however, the Philips TAA6606 is an alternative.

There are two modes to choose from in Standard and Vocal, and the latter presents greater focus on clarity, while the Standard mode offers a punchier sound than previous Shokz headphones. These aren’t as good as a true wireless pair such as the Adidas FWD-02 in terms of audio, but they are one of the best bone conduction headphones. If you find the OpenRun Pro too expensive, there is the option of the cheaper OpenRun that’s still available.

Reviewer: Mike Sawh
Full Review: Shokz OpenRun Pro