What are some good sports and fitness headphones?

IPX5 and above waterproof rating, stability that won’t fall off when worn, meet these two requirements before choosing other products. Don’t be fooled by fancy features.

I ran into a big pit when I ran the Xiamen Marathon two years ago. At that time, I bought a semi-in-ear Bluetooth headset that has been popular for a long time because of its appearance. One of them fell off halfway through the race. The sound quality of the remaining one was even better. In the second half of the race, it rained lightly and it short-circuited within ten minutes, costing me more than a thousand yuan.

Of course, many people are now entangled in whether to choose bone conduction or air conduction. There is no absolute right or wrong in this debate. It all depends on what you often practice. Most of the gymnasts around me who wear glasses prefer to use bone conduction. The stress-bearing point of the ear-hanging earphones does not compete with the temples. When doing deadlifts and bench presses, the head will not fall off if it rubs against the equipment. The only minor problem is that the temples are a bit tight after listening to low-frequency for a long time. If you wear them for more than two hours in a row, you have to take them off and rest for ten minutes. However, my best friends who dance Pamela and Zumba every day prefer the clip-on air conduction method. There is no need to clamp the ear bones to bear force, and the ears do not hurt during the whole class. However, when the wind is strong, the sound leakage is more obvious than bone conduction when running on the road. Friends running side by side can hear the sweet songs on your playlist.

It doesn’t mean that the open style is necessarily the best solution. If you usually practice static yoga or Pilates, rarely sweat and don’t do big movements, a lightweight semi-in-ear model that only weighs 3g is enough. My friend wears this type when she practices yin yoga. After wearing it for two hours, it feels like she is not wearing it, and she has not seen it fall off.

In fact, the logic of choosing sports headphones is similar to choosing running shoes. Popular models that are comfortable for others may not necessarily suit your foot shape. If you run every day, don’t choose indoor models that are only IPX4 waterproof. If you go to the gym every day, don’t buy in-ear models that cover your ears with sweat for noise reduction. There is no need to spend extra money for functions you don’t use. Of course, if you have particularly high requirements for sound quality and want to hear the details of lossless sound sources while exercising, you can also choose a waterproof in-ear model. Just remember to choose one with extra sports ear wings. However, if you wear it for a long time, your ear canal will become stuffy and sweaty, and it will easily become inflamed. You have to weigh this yourself.

I keep two of them now. When I run a marathon, I wear bone conduction ones, and when I do aerobics at the gym, I switch to clip-on ones. The total cost is less than 2,000. They are much more practical than the expensive semi-in-ear ones I bought before. To be honest, there is no best one. It is suitable for the events you often practice, and it is comfortable and comfortable to wear. It is the most suitable one.