Athletes demand nothing less than the pinnacle when it comes to finding the best workout headphones. These headphones need to be more than just sound accessories; they must be durable, sweat-proof, and able to keep up with the rigorous training programs that athletes undertake. Our guide serves as a playbook for athletes, curating a selection of the best workout headphones available on the market, each designed to endure the sweat, strain, and dedication that defines an athlete’s journey.
Whether you’re a seasoned athlete preparing for competition or someone who values high-performance audio during workouts and training, our guide simplifies the selection process. We’ve researched and handpicked workout headphones that cater to different sports, preferences, and budgets, ensuring that you find the perfect pair to match your unique training needs. Let our guide be your training partner, leading you to the best workout headphones that are not only sweat-proof and durable but also deliver the sound quality and comfort necessary to elevate your performance in 2024. With these top-tier headphones, you’ll experience audio excellence that keeps pace with your athletic endeavors, ensuring you stay in the zone and game-ready.
Best over-the-ear: Beats Studio Pro Wireless Headphones – Sandstone
The Beats Studio Pro stands as a groundbreaking advancement in headphone technology, making it an exceptional choice for athletes seeking top-notch audio performance. These headphones boast a custom acoustic platform equipped with 40mm drivers meticulously designed to enhance clarity, delivering sound with virtually zero distortion, even during intense workouts – an 80% improvement over the Beats Studio3. This guarantee of pristine sound quality ensures that athletes can enjoy a rich and well-balanced audio experience that accentuates the subtle nuances in their music. For athletes who crave immersive audio experiences, the Beats Studio Pro also features Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology, which seamlessly adapts to the ever-changing surroundings, ensuring uninterrupted and immersive listening.
Moreover, the headphones allow athletes to effortlessly switch to Transparency mode when they need to stay aware of their environment during outdoor activities. With an impressive battery life of up to 40 hours and support for Spatial Audio, the Beats Studio Pro emerges as a game-changer in the realm of headphones. Athletes can now enjoy extended listening sessions without worrying about recharging, and the Spatial Audio support adds an extra layer of depth and realism to their music.
Top Reason to Buy: Personalized Spatial Audio and dynamic head tracking, making it an excellent choice for athletes. This innovative technology creates a 360-degree surround sound experience, perfect for immersing oneself in Dolby Atmos content. Athletes can even fine-tune the Spatial Audio settings to match their individual hearing profiles using their iPhones, ensuring an audio experience reminiscent of being in a movie theater while they work out or train.
Best budget over-the-ear: Beats Solo3 Wireless – Matte Black
As you can tell by now, there is a theme with Beats and the quality they provide athletes, and you don’t have to break the bank to enjoy high-quality sound — the Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones are a testament to that fact. These headphones offer exceptional audio without the hefty price tag. With finely tuned acoustics, they deliver remarkable clarity and depth, all while providing noise isolation for an immersive listening experience. These headphones also bring spatial audio to the table, further enhancing your music enjoyment. Thanks to Class 1 Bluetooth powered by the Apple W1 chip, the Beats Solo3 Wireless ensures a hassle-free setup and effortless switching between your Apple devices. Plus, it extends the wireless range and minimizes dropouts, so you can move freely without missing a beat.
You can also share audio wirelessly with another pair of Beats headphones or AirPods through the Audio Sharing feature. One of the standout features is the impressive battery life, offering up to 40 hours of playback time. And when you’re in a hurry, Fast Fuel comes to the rescue, providing 3 hours of playback with just a 5-minute charge. The LED fuel gauge keeps you informed about the battery level, whether the headphones are plugged in or not, ensuring you’re always in control of your listening experience.
Top Reason to Buy: Class 1 Bluetooth connectivity through the Apple W1 chip allows for effortless setup and seamless device switching. Extended wireless range with fewer dropouts. Share your audio wirelessly with other Beats headphones or AirPods using the convenient Audio Sharing feature. 40 hours of battery life and the convenience of Fast Fuel, these headphones are perfect for those athletes who want high-quality audio on a budget.
Best in-ear earbuds: Beats Fit Pro True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds – Beats White
The Fit Pro earbuds prioritize your comfort and stability, making them the ideal choice for athletes seeking both a secure fit and premium audio quality. These earbuds feature flexible, secure-fit wingtips that conform to the unique shape of your ears, ensuring they stay snug and in place throughout even the most demanding workouts and workdays. Athletes of various disciplines have tested and approved the universal wingtip design for its unwavering stability. To further enhance your comfort, the earbuds incorporate pressure-relieving vents, allowing you to wear them comfortably for extended periods. Their custom acoustic platform delivers powerful and well-balanced sound, elevating your music, movie, and gaming experiences to new heights. Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking immerses you fully in your audio content, creating a captivating and immersive listening experience. One of the best workout headphones for athletes on the market today.
Fit Pro also offers Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) that intelligently adapts to your surroundings, effectively blocking out external noise for distraction-free listening. When you need to stay aware of your environment, a simple switch to Transparency mode provides flexibility without removing the earbuds. Powered by the Apple H1 chip, these earbuds come equipped with a range of smart features, including Automatic Switching between devices, Audio Sharing, and the convenience of “Hey Siri” voice commands. They are sweat and water-resistant with an IPX4 rating, making them perfect for intense workouts. You can enjoy up to 6 hours of continuous listening on a single charge, and with the included charging case, extend it to an impressive 24 hours, ensuring that your music never stops during your athletic endeavors.
Top Reason to Buy: Offer a custom acoustic platform and Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, providing a captivating audio experience for music, movies, and games. Active Noise Canceling adapts to your surroundings, and the option to switch to Transparency mode offers flexibility. Enhanced by the Apple H1 chip, these earbuds provide seamless device switching, Audio Sharing, and voice commands with “Hey Siri.” Their sweat and water resistance, long battery life, and compatibility with both iOS and Android devices make them a versatile and top-quality choice for workout earbuds, making them an athlete’s best companion.
Best budget in-ear: Jaybird Sport Vista 2 – Black
The Vista 2 by Jaybird is a game-changer in the realm of true wireless audio, specifically designed to elevate the auditory experience for athletes. These earbuds come equipped with SurroundSense and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) features, offering athletes the flexibility to choose between amplifying ambient sounds for safety or immersing themselves in their training with ANC, effectively eliminating distracting background noise and allowing them to perform at their peak. Jaybird’s signature fit, functionality, and Earthproof durability make the Vista 2 tailored to the rigorous demands of active individuals. The innovative SurroundSense feature ensures athletes remain connected and aware of their surroundings. It employs wind-guarded microphones to monitor ambient noise without missing a single beat.
Vista 2 earbuds are also built to endure the harshest conditions, boasting waterproof, sweatproof, and dustproof ratings, along with resistance to freezing, shock, and impact. Athletes can savor premium sound quality courtesy of 6mm milled drivers, customizable EQ profiles, and the added bonus of Active Noise Cancellation, allowing them to fine-tune their audio experience to perfection.
Top Reason to Buy for Athletes: Active Noise Cancellation enables athletes to block out distractions, maintaining a focused performance during workouts. Simultaneously, the SurroundSense feature ensures awareness of surroundings, which is crucial for those running or biking on busy roads. The Earthproof durability guarantees resilience against the elements, making these earbuds a must-have companion for athletes who demand rugged reliability in their gear.
Best for H.I.I.T.: JLab Epic Air Sport ANC True Wireless Bluetooth 5 Earbuds – Black
JLab’s Epic Air Sport ANC earbuds are the perfect companion for athletes, especially those engaged in high-intensity interval training. These earbuds redefine convenience and performance, ensuring an uninterrupted audio experience during even the most rigorous workouts thanks to secure, over-the-ear hooks. With an astounding 15+ hours of Bluetooth playtime in each earbud and an additional 55+ hours provided by the charging case, you get a remarkable 70+ hours of Bluetooth 5 playtime. For athletes seeking to tune out their surroundings, the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature offers 50+ hours of Bluetooth ANC playtime, ensuring you stay in the zone. You can conveniently charge the case using any wireless pad or the integrated charging cable, compatible with USB-A charging ports, so you never run out of power. The Smart Active Noise Cancellation lets you control how much of the outside world you want to hear with three noise control modes: ANC On, ANC Off, and Be Aware (pass through outside noises). Six microphones work in harmony to eliminate background noise, ensuring uninterrupted audio even during intense workouts. Further customization of noise settings is possible through the JLab Air ANC app, giving you control over Active Noise Control settings, touch controls, and sound preferences.
Dual Connect functionality allows you to use either earbud independently or both simultaneously, offering a seamless connection regardless of the situation. Both earbuds auto-connect to your device, eliminating the hassle of switching or missing a connection. Clear phone calls are guaranteed with C3 Calling, where one microphone eliminates surrounding noise while the other picks up your voice for crisp conversations anywhere, anytime. Additionally, these earbuds are equipped with wear-detect sensors, pausing your music automatically when removed from your ears and resuming playback when placed back in, providing an intuitive and hassle-free audio experience.
Top Reason to Buy: Offer exceptional playtime and Active Noise Cancellation, allowing athletes to stay focused and motivated during intense workouts. The customizable noise control modes and app settings provide flexibility, while the dual connect feature ensures a seamless connection. Clear calls, low audio lag in Movie Mode, and wear-detect sensors make these earbuds the ideal choice for athletes seeking both performance and convenience.
Best for runners: SHOKZ OpenRun Pro Bluetooth Bone Conduction Sport Headphones – Black
Shokz’s OpenRun Pro headphones are the ultimate choice when it comes to the best workout headphones for athletes, especially those who love outdoor running, as they combine comfort, safety, and premium sound quality to enhance your running experience. These headphones offer open-ear comfort with a unique bud-free design, eliminating the discomfort often associated with in-ear headphones. Whether you’re running through the park or hitting the trails, OpenRun Pro stays securely in place, ensuring uninterrupted music during your workout. As an added bonus, these headphones come with a Shokz headband to further enhance their comfort and stability. Safety is paramount for outdoor runners, and OpenRun Pro excels in this regard. They provide you with the luxury of enjoying your favorite audio while remaining fully aware of your surroundings, enhancing both your connection to your environment and your safety compared to traditional earbuds or over-ear headphones.
What sets OpenRun Pro apart is its premium sound quality, delivered through bone conduction technology. The 9th generation bone conduction technology ensures that you experience clear sound, powerful volume, and rich bass, all while keeping your ears open to the sounds of the outdoors. Engineered with Shokz TurboPitch technology, these headphones provide the best listening experience possible. The secure fit is another highlight, thanks to the lightweight, wraparound titanium frame that keeps your wireless headphones stable and in place, even during the most intense training sessions. With a remarkable 10 hours of continuous music, calls, and podcasts, OpenRun Pro ensures you stay motivated and entertained throughout your outdoor runs. Plus, the 5-minute quick charge feature gives you an additional 1.5 hours of battery life, ensuring that your music never stops, even if you’re in a hurry to hit the road.
Top Reason to Buy: Offer a comfortable and secure fit, making them ideal for outdoor runners. They prioritize safety and connection with their open-ear design, allowing you to stay aware of your environment. The premium sound quality delivered through bone conduction technology, along with the secure fit, ensures that these headphones can keep up with your intense outdoor runs. With a long battery life and quick charge feature, they are the perfect companion for athletes who love to run outdoors, offering both performance and convenience.
Best for Apple lovers: Apple AirPods Max – Silver
Apple once again sets the standard with their AirPods Max, boasting a minimalist design with a clean modern aesthetic. These headphones redefine audio excellence through an Apple-designed dynamic driver delivering immersive high-fidelity sound. Every element, from the carefully crafted knit-mesh canopy to the plush memory foam ear cushions, ensures an exceptional and comfortable fit. Experience industry-leading Active Noise Cancellation that effectively blocks external distractions, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your music. When situational awareness is required, the Transparency mode seamlessly integrates the outside world. With spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, a theater-like sound experience envelops you. Computational audio, driven by the Apple H1 chip and software, elevates your listening experience. These headphones offer a magical experience with effortless setup, on-head detection, and seamless device switching. You can even share audio between two sets of AirPods on your Apple devices. With up to 20 hours of listening, movie watching, or talk time, along with Active Noise Cancellation and spatial audio enabled, your entertainment knows no bounds. When not in use, the slim Smart Case ensures ultra-low-power storage.
Top Reason to Buy: Apple-designed dynamic driver guarantees high-fidelity audio, coupled with industry-leading Active Noise Cancellation for an unparalleled listening experience. Seamlessly enjoy theater-like sound with spatial audio and dynamic head tracking using Transparency mode. The Apple H1 chip, in conjunction with cutting-edge software and computational audio, unlocks groundbreaking listening experiences. Setting up and using these headphones is effortless, thanks to features like on-head detection and seamless device switching. Enjoy up to 20 hours of battery life, ensuring uninterrupted entertainment or silence. A solid choice when seeking the best workout headphones for athletes.
Best of the rest: Jabra Elite 7 Active Earbuds – Navy
The Jabra Elite 7 Active Earbuds are one of the best workout headphones for athletes, offering a perfect blend of comfort, performance, and durability. Designed with a focus on comfort, these earbuds are engineered to stay securely in place no matter how intense your workout gets, thanks to Jabra’s innovative ShakeGrip technology. Additionally, they are IP57-rated, making them waterproof and sweatproof, perfect for outdoor activities and running in any weather conditions. One standout feature is the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which lets you block out distracting background noise. You can adjust the ANC levels to your liking, ensuring you remain aware of your surroundings while enjoying your music. The Jabra Sound app allows you to fine-tune this feature with five levels of HearThrough, providing a customizable audio experience. When it comes to taking calls, these in-ear Bluetooth earbuds excel in delivering remarkable clarity. Equipped with six microphones covered with SAATI Acoustex mesh for wind protection, they ensure outstanding call clarity whether you’re working out or working on a tight deadline.
With a long-lasting battery, you can enjoy up to 8 hours of continuous playback, and the charging case extends that to a generous 30 hours. If you find yourself low on power, a quick 5-minute fast charge provides up to an hour of use. The Mono Mode feature lets you use just one earbud if needed. The sound quality is another highlight, with balanced bass, radiating mid-ranges, and nuanced treble, all delivered through 6mm speakers. This rich, powerful music experience is perfect for keeping you motivated and energized during your workouts. For those who like to customize their audio experience, the Jabra Sound app offers various options to fine-tune your earbuds and sound quality.
Top Reason to Buy: Tailor-made for athletes seeking comfort, performance, and durability. With their secure fit, waterproof and sweatproof design, and customizable Active Noise Cancellation, they are perfect for outdoor runs and workouts. The outstanding call clarity, long battery life, and powerful sound quality make them a top choice for athletes looking to elevate their training sessions.
Powerbeats Pro Totally Wireless Earbuds – Navy
Engineered for elite athletes, the Powerbeats Pro wireless earbuds are the pinnacle of high-performance workout companions. These true wireless earbuds, driven by the Apple H1 headphone chip, liberate you from the constraints of wires, granting you the freedom to push your limits during exercise without any interruptions. Designed for uncompromising comfort and stability, these earbuds feature customizable secure-fit ear hooks and multiple ear-tip options. Regardless of the intensity of your activities, they stay firmly in place, allowing you to focus entirely on your workout.
Built to withstand the rigors of athletic performance, Powerbeats Pro boasts a reinforced design with IPX4-rated sweat and water resistance, meaning they’re more than capable of handling even the most demanding workouts. You can break a sweat or push through the rain without any worries. Each earbud provides an impressive 9 hours of listening time, ensuring that you’re always motivated and immersed in your training sessions with powerful and balanced sound.
Top Reason to Buy: Powerbeats Pro stand out for their commitment to delivering powerful and balanced audio, placing sound quality at the forefront for athletes. With their customizable earhooks, secure fit, and intuitive controls on each earbud, they offer unmatched convenience during workouts. These earbuds are the perfect choice for athletes who prioritize both performance and audio excellence.