WOOOSHHHHHHHHHHH

May 13, 2009 8:55 AM

Wind proof headphones for running and biking?

I've tried many a "sports" headphone, but they all seem to increase the sound of the wind loudly wooshing past my ears. If I put my hands, or even just a finger, directly in front of my ears (around my temples), the sound goes away. Does anyone make quality head/earphones that do this?

For normal use, I love in-ear sealed type earphones, but they won't work because all I'll hear is the sound of my feet hitting the ground and the cord hitting me. Plus they're expensive.

I bet over-the-head, big-ear-pad headphones would work OK, but I suspect they'd make my ears very hot and sweaty.


Or do I just have oddly shaped ears?

posted by zazerr to sports, hobbies, & recreation (14 comments total)

Perhaps a pair of Sony Fontopias or the cheap Sennheiser in-ears. Both sound pretty good for the price (<>
I've never had a cord issue with these sorts of earphones, but I run the cord under my clothes.
posted by wackybrit at 9:03 AM on May 13

Awesome. HTML munching :) Basically, I said they sound pretty good for the price (under $50) and because they're not high end, the isolation / seal isn't quite so good so the body noises are less of a concern. You still get the benefits of some seal, though, and they're cheap. Then the bit about the cord..
posted by wackybrit at 9:04 AM on May 13

What about wearing a lightweight headband over some cheap earbuds?

I noticed that wearing a hat in the winter while biking cut out all the wind on my earphones.
posted by orme at 9:09 AM on May 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

i've experimented with many types of headphones for biking. what i found is that the larger pads (like this) worked the best--the larger speaker pad kept the wind noise further away from my ear canal, and the neck band didn't interfere with my helmet. i still get wind noise, but not as much. the bud style headphones were the worst--the edges of the buds generage a lot of wind noise right next to your ear canal.
posted by lester at 10:10 AM on May 13

Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia Headphones

If you're open to earbuds as long as they're cheap, I don't think you can get better than these. I run with them all the time without any complaints.
posted by nyc_consultant at 10:49 AM on May 13

Slipstreamz
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 10:58 AM on May 13 [2 favorites has favorites]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely buy a headband, as I've also found hats to be helpful. I believe I've tried the Fontopia headphones and I think they too much noise when my feet hit the ground, but I'll give them another shot.

Slipstreamz! Doesn't help with running, but looks great (product, not website) for biking.

Really though, no one makes/markets headphones to solve this problem?
posted by zazerr at 12:32 PM on May 13

I use Creative in-ear ones (nothing expensive, not sure what model but I reckon they are EP-630s, from the pics on amazon! nb you can get spare rubber bits so you can find the size that fits your ears best) for running and biking and have done for several years. Never had any whooshing sounds or other problems. They fit nice and snugly, cutting out a lot of surrounding noise, but still allow me to hear cars etc. Cheap but perfectly OK quality and like I say, they've lasted a few years despite being stuffed into bags, pinched in desk drawers, etc. Cheap enough to be worth trying, surely...
posted by monster max at 1:19 PM on May 13

PS maybe the difference is you run / cycle a LOT faster than me, heh heh!...
posted by monster max at 1:20 PM on May 13

It's not just you, I get this even while walking sometimes, if there is a mild breeze. You can rule out the otherwise great Razer m100 headphones.
posted by qvtqht at 1:41 PM on May 13

Nothing a little ducttape cant fix!
posted by SirStan at 9:20 PM on May 13

I just got these Sennheisers PMX80 for running and I love them. I don't know how they would work for cycling.
posted by fieldtrip at 10:12 PM on May 13

I use Sennheiser CX300II's, and they're fantastic for a 12 mile bike ride every day. I've never run in them, but the close seal means if you turn them up to about mid-volume, you can hear everything fine. I mostly listen to spoken podcasts, and everything is completely audible and fine. Music is fine too.
posted by Happy Dave at 4:34 AM on May 14

For the last five years, I've used a pair of Sony 'over-the-ear' buds like these whenever I'm exercising (running, gym, etc) and have never had a problem with noise leakage (although maybe I listen at too loud of a volume?). Where I live, they're available at any Walgreen's, Rite Aid, or other local drugstore for under $15. The over-the-ear design means they don't slip out. A caveat: I seem to have to buy a new pair every 6 months to a year or so, because one of the buds will go out -- probably because wearing them while exercising means the cords get pulled around and eventually lose the connection with the speaker. Still, for $15, I don't mind buying another pair.
posted by ragaskar at 8:45 AM on May 14