8 Best Workout Headphones & Earbuds: Beats, Bose, Apple (2026)
Not every great pair of headphones belongs in the gym. These do, thanks to their secure fit, durable design, and impeccable sound.
Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active for $210: The BlueAnt headphones are just a better buy in all regards, but I enjoyed these a lot. The noise canceling doesn't work very well, but these headphones are attractive, and the bass is powerful. —Adrienne So
Shokz OpenFit Pro for $250: The Shokz OpenFit Pro’s sound quality is excellent; the buds are beautiful and comfortable; and I appreciate the physical buttons. That said, the open-ear noise-reduction system merely blunts outside noise rather than blocking it, so I don't understand the value here. —Adrienne So
Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro for $180: The AeroFit 2 Pro physically switches modes with its adjustable ear hooks to transform from open earbuds to noise-canceling ones. Unfortunately, I found the case to be too big, and the noise cancellation wasn’t so effective. Still, it's an interesting concept, and I do like being able to toggle the angle on the ear hooks for a more secure fit. —Adrienne So
Oakley Meta Vanguard for $499: Not only are they Oakley sunglasses with Prizm lenses for enhancing contrast and keeping you from tumbling head over heels on the trail, but they also have a 12-MP action camera in the bridge of the nose, two over-ear speakers with a five-mic array for calls, and they integrate with Garmin to work as a (not very useful) fitness tracker. That's OK, because these are the best for moving at speed. They are 6 decibels louder than the Oakley Meta HSTNs, and you can tell. They're the only open headphones where I don't have to turn the volume all the way up to hear podcasts when going over 20 mph. —Adrienne So
Chamelo Music Shield for $260: Chamelo's audio sunglasses have electro-chromic lenses; you can change how dark they get with a finger slider on the arm. However, the music isn't very loud, the battery life is much worse than the Vanguard, and they're relatively expensive. —Adrienne So
JLab Epic Sport ANC 3 for $100: This is the upgraded version of the Go Air Sport above, with hybrid dual drivers for better sound, a higher IP rating, better battery life, and active noise canceling. You need a fully sealed fit for ANC to be effective, which these don't have; I can still hear people at the gym when I'm lifting weights. Still, in every other way, these headphones meet their promises, and they do feel secure. —Adrienne So
Originally published on Wired
