Best Running Headphones & Earbuds for 2024
Sony Link Earbuds: The LinkBuds are, in a sense, Sony’s answer to Apple’s standard AirPods. They don’t sound as good as Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM5 noise-isolating earbuds, but they offer a discreet, innovative design and a more secure fit than the AirPods, as well as good sound and very good voice call performance.
Earfun Free Pro 2: We used to have the EarFun Free Pro 2 earbuds on this list. They’re still on sale and are great running earbuds, but EarFun has the new EarFun Free Pro 3 Earbudswhich is definitely an improvement.
JBL Live Pro 2: JBL has released some decent true-wireless earbuds over the years, but nothing that really got me excited. That’s finally changed with the arrival of the new Live Pro 2 And Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds — the Live Pro 2 has stems while the Live Free 2 has a pill-shaped design — offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice call performance, plus a robust feature set including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating, and wireless charging.
Shure Aonic 215 II: Shure’s Aonic 215 II are sort of the audiophile equivalent of the Beats Powerbeats Pro. They have a hook that wraps around the top of your ear, and they stay in my ears very securely (even more securely than the Powerbeats Pro earbuds). Like that Beats model, they come with a jumbo charging case. What’s interesting about them is that the Bluetooth module is detachable. (I liked the fact that they have a physical control knob instead of touch controls.) As the name suggests, the Aonic 215 True Wireless Noise-Isolating Earphones include Shure’s SE215 earbuds, the $99 model in Shure’s line of earbuds with detachable cables. The modules, which can be purchased separately for $189, are designed to power any Shure earbud that has a detachable cable, including the $899 SE846.
Sennheiser Sport True Wireless: The Sport True Wireless earbuds are essentially Sennheiser’s CX True Wireless earbuds with sports fins (for a more secure fit) and improved durability. They have an IP54 rating, making them splash-proof and dust-resistant. These aren’t noise-cancelling earbuds, but they do have an awareness mode that allows ambient noise to leak into the earbuds so you can hear what’s going on around you for safety. They use Bluetooth 5.2 and have support for the AAC and aptX audio codecs. Battery life is rated at up to 9 hours at moderate volume levels with two additional charges in the charging case (there is no wireless charging).
Sony Float Run: Sony’s Float Run are a unique take on “off-ear” headphones, which is another way of describing open earbuds that sit away from your ears. I can’t say that these sound the best — the bass is disappointing — but they fit securely and comfortably on my head. They’re designed for people who don’t like having earbuds stuck in their ears and for runners who need to hear the outside world for safety reasons.
Skullcandy Push Active: With their over-ear hook design, the Skullcandy Push Active are essentially a cheaper version of the Beats Powerbeats Pro, and they fit slightly better in my ears than the Powerbeats Pro. I’m normally not a fan of over-ear hook-style earbuds, but these are one of the better ones.
