Further to our article “Should you run with music?”I suggest a selection of running earphones, deliberately designed for sport by manufacturers and highly suited to running. Discover my selection.

For years, I've run with music, but I never really bothered about the equipment I was using and I didn't understand why my earphones kept giving up on me one after another after a few months of use. I simply didn't know that sports earphones need to be able to withstand sweat and rain... There you have it...

To compile this selection, I pored over all the comparison articles on sports earphones—drawing particularly on reviews from runmag.fr and ibordelais.fr—and read a significant number of customer reviews on Amazon, as well as on various review sites such as versus.com, cnet.com, and Frandroid.com.

To make my choices, I first took into account the fact that the earphones were designed specifically for sport: secure fit, moisture resistance, and comfort. I also made sure that their battery life was at least 4 hours 30 minutes, as that is the time I hope to achieve in my first marathon next autumn. If a pair of earphones raised any doubts regarding any of these criteria, I removed it from the selection, which initially included around fifteen models.

5 pairs of running headphones

I have finally shortlisted five models of earphones, which I present to you here:

Bose Sport Earbuds

The brand
When it comes to acoustics and audio products, Bose is a benchmark in terms of both quality and prestige. Buying Bose means treating yourself to the best, and it's almost as good as a guarantee.

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5 hours battery life – 10 hours capacity via the charging case
Full charge in 3 hours

Hold and comfort
The Bose Sport Earbuds have a good fit, even if they are not the best on the market in this respect, and a level of comfort that makes you forget you are wearing them very quickly. On the other hand, they are a little larger than average, but this is also what enables them to have above-average sound quality.

Waterproofing
The Bose Sport Earbuds feature IPX4 certification: they are not waterproof, but they are resistant to sweat or a passing shower.

The sound
The reviews are unanimous on this point. These earphones feature the famous “Bose” sound, which gives them remarkable acoustic qualities, particularly in terms of the bass.

Differentiation: They're Bose!

Price / purchase
Manufacturer's price (official website): €199
Order from Amazon – Free delivery

To go further
> Full ibordelais test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWV1BcTSFtY
CNET : https://www.cnetfrance.fr/produits/test-bose-sport-earbuds-39912567.htm

 

Jabra Elite Active 75t

The brand
Jabra is not yet as well known as Bose, but the Danish firm has distinguished itself over recent decades with several notable innovations: it is notably behind the first Bluetooth headset and the first noise-cancellation system.

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5.5 hours battery life
18.5-hour capacity via the charging case
Fully charged in 2 hours 20 minutes

Waterproofing
The Jabra Elite Active 75t are IP57 certified. This means they are protected against dust and other debris, but above all that they can withstand temporary immersion for 30 minutes under one metre of water.

Hold and comfort
The Jabra earphones isolate external noise very effectively and stay securely in place. They offer excellent ergonomics. In addition to the ear tips, the material used on the surface of the earphones aids grip. This makes it possible to run without any problems.

Son
As well as very good noise cancelling, the overall sound quality is very pleasant, in both the highs and the lows. The sound is excellent when it comes to the bass, which is very powerful and well balanced. It easily lives up to what one can expect from sports earphones.

Differentiation
These Jabra Elite Active 75t don't have any differentiating features compared to their competitors, but they are fully featured and make an excellent offering.

Price / purchase
Manufacturer's price (official website): Discontinued
Order from Amazon – Free delivery

 

Shokz OpenRun Pro

The brand
Shokz (formerly AfterShokz) was founded in 2004 and developed innovative bone conduction sound technology. Now an official supplier of the French Athletics Federation, Shokz has become a benchmark in the running community.

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10-hour battery life
With a 5-minute quick charge, you can get an extra hour and a half

Waterproofing
They feature an IP55 rating, which means they will resist sweat, splashes and raindrops.

Hold and comfort
Their design gives them an excellent fit and, in terms of comfort, they are slightly ahead of in-ear headphones, which can end up being uncomfortable to wear for long periods.

Son
In terms of sound, it's a different concept that shouldn't be compared to in-ear headphones. With Shokz, it's a bit like listening to audio in a room. As a result, sound isolation is low and if the environment is very noisy, the sound ends up a bit drowned out.

Differentiation
With bone conduction, Shokz has invented another way of listening to music while playing sport: resting against the temples, they vibrate and transmit sound to the inner ear. This allows runners to clearly hear ambient sounds and to focus on their breathing and stride more easily than with in-ear headphones.

Price / purchase
Manufacturer's price (official website): €189.95
Order from Amazon – Free delivery

To go further
Full test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4fiGlUJJv8

 

Beats Fit Pro

The brand
Beats Electronics, commonly known as Beats by Dre, is a high-end brand of headphones, earphones and speakers created in 2006 by the American producer Dr. Dre and Jimmy Lovine, chairman of the record label IGA. In 2014, Beats was acquired by Apple for 3 billion dollars.

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6 hours' battery life with active noise cancellation
18 extra hours with the charging case
5-minute quick charge for 1 extra hour of listening time

Waterproofing
With IPX4 certification they can withstand sweat, but they are not waterproof like some models featured in this article.

Fit and Comfort
Thanks to soft silicone fins, they position and lock themselves perfectly by bending and conforming to the shape of the ear cavity. This gives them a high level of comfort and an excellent fit for sports activities.

Son
Featuring Apple's H1 chip, which is also found in the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, they offer a balanced sound that adapts to all musical styles. The active noise cancellation also works very well.

Differentiation
The Beats Fit Pro offer an almost perfect fit. As they are part of the Apple ecosystem, some features are not available on Android, although a free app allows these earphones to work within the Google ecosystem.

Price / Purchase
Manufacturer’s price (official website): €249.95
Order from Amazon – Free delivery

To go further
Full test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4omJfrPq-xM

 

LG TONE Free Fit TF8

The brand
LG Electronics is a South Korean multinational, which is a subsidiary of LG Group, and which has notably achieved commercial success globally in the sale of televisions and mobile phones.

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Up to 10 hours with noise cancellation switched off
The case can hold up to 20 hours’ worth of extra power, making a total of 30 hours.
For a quick top-up, you get an extra hour’s playback after just five minutes in the charging case.

Waterproofing
The LG TONE Free Fit TF8 earbuds are IP67-rated. Not only are they resistant to dust, sweat and water, but they are also completely waterproof and can therefore be washed after every use.

Hold and comfort
The «Swivel Grip» fins provide a very secure fit by locking into the ear cartilage once the earpiece has been rotated. Lightweight (less than 6g) and with a well-balanced weight distribution, they offer excellent comfort.

Son
The excellent noise-cancelling feature and the pre-set equaliser modes – which were developed in collaboration with Meridian Audio – deliver a very good overall sound quality.

Differentiation
The UVnano process removes up to 99.9% of certain bacteria found on the silicone ear tips and the grille. Another unique feature is that the case can be used as a Bluetooth transmitter: for example, by connecting it to a PlayStation controller, you can play games whilst listening to the sound through the earphones.

Price / Purchase
Manufacturer's price (official website): €199
Order from Amazon – Free delivery

To go further
Read the Full review of the LG Tone Free Fit TF8 on ecouteurs-running.fr

And the winner is …

Given my needs, I think I’ll go for the LG Tone Free Fit TF8, as they are well-rounded and have a slight edge over the Jabra models thanks to their superior seal. I also appreciate the inclusion of UVNano technology, which eliminates bacteria from the ear tips and the grille.

The Jabra Elite Active 75t are also a model that appeals to me, as they are very well-rounded, but unlike the LGs, they lack a bit of personality and one or more distinguishing features.

The Bose Sport Earbuds seem to me to be a good compromise for a casual runner who wants earphones with top-notch sound quality.

The Shokz OpenRun Pro offer a very specific solution, undoubtedly interesting for experienced runners who can both enjoy music while running, and hear their breathing, their footsteps and the noises of their external environment.

Finally Bits Feat Pro They only really come into their own in an Apple environment; for me, as an “Android” user, that’s the main reason why I’ve ruled them out of my final choice.