JLab Go Sport+ earbuds
My favorite running earbuds cost less than $30
I love to run, but only if headphones are there to distract me from the pain. Thumping dance music is a reliable motivator, but on quieter days, a compelling audiobook has its advantages too, keeping me on the treadmill for a little longer while I finish a particularly exciting chapter.
The key was finding the right headphones. Going wireless is a no-brainer, since dangling wires can get caught on gym equipment or outdoor plant life (or, worse still, other humans). More contentiously, I have a strong preference for in-ear buds rather than on-ear or over-ear headphones when running. I don’t like to overheat my ears or cover my headphones with sweat.
Since we’re going for wireless in-ears, the obvious option for me would be my AirPods Pro 3. For most purposes, I consider them the best of the best. Audio quality, comfort, noise cancellation, and convenience of charging are all top-tier, and of course, they work beautifully with my iPhone.
But in my experience, running is the great weakness of this otherwise excellent range of products. I’ve never found a pair of AirPods that will stay in my ears during exercise, and the AirPods Pro 3 are no exception. Even with the new foam tips, they slide out, they roll in the gutter or under my neighbor’s treadmill, and they cause me frustration and worry.
I’ve tried various eartips, by the way. It’s funny, I generally find the fit of my AirPods Pro excellent, but they just won’t stay in when the head starts to bump around and the ear canal dampens. (Sorry for the unpleasant image.) A far better option, if your ears are anything like as earbud-repellent as mine, is a pair with some other way of staying put.
Neck bands are one solution, but they’re more about recovering the situation when the earbuds fall out than preventing them from doing so in the first place. A glorious bright yellow set of Beats Flex earbuds was my favorite for a while. Aside from not rolling under furniture thanks to a neck cord, they have the advantages of being far cheaper ($70) and a lot more colorful than the AirPods Pro, but I still spent more time than I’d like pushing them back into my ear, a fiddly job in the middle of a jog.
No, the ideal solution, as far as I’m concerned, is the ear hook, a softish loop of rubber or plastic to hold the earbud firmly in place. And my favorite headphone to use this approach is the JLab Go Sport+, which you can bag for less than $30 from Amazon. They’re cheap enough that you can try them out on a whim as backup for your AirPods. But let me tell you: They do such a great job I doubt you’ll be returning them.
Once you get the hang of putting on the hooks, the fit is excellent, and above all, they never fall out. Audio quality is fine; not remotely in the same class as the AirPods Pro, but good enough to do the job required in a bustling gym. (In more cultured surroundings you’ll go back to the AirPods.) The charging case is bulkier than that of the AirPods Pro, but offers a similarly convenient experience: the headphones are basically always charged when you need them. Battery life has never been an issue for me.
There’s a great range of colors, too. I went for light blue because it happened to be a few dollars cheaper on the day I bought them, but I very slightly regret that I didn’t spring for the teal or yellow option. But that’s the beauty of budget tech: I can treat myself to a second pair the next time there’s a sale.
