Running with Unsealed Headphones vs. Sealed with "HearThrough" Tech

June 27, 2018 6:46 AM

I'm thinking of buying a new pair of headphones for my runs, because I'm currently using a nice pair (sealed and wired but without 'hearthrough' option) that aren't sweat resistant, and I'm worried about destroying them as my runs get longer, as well as not being able to hear any noises around me. I'm generally running in the city or suburbs. I'm thinking of either getting a wireless (unsealed) or true wireless (sealed but with a microphone that lets in sound) pair of earbuds...

Anyone have any experience with these types of headphones while running? Do you feel safe using them? What is the sound quality like? I'm thinking of buying either the Wirecutter recommended Plantronics Backbeat Fit or the (also Wirecutter recommended) Jabra Elite Active 65t. If you own either pair, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I've owned a pair of unsealed headphones, but they were over-the-ear; I found the sound quality to be excellent when things were quiet and almost non-existent when there was ambient noise. I imagine earbuds might be even worse.

I've never tried a pair of headphones with "hearthrough" tech, though I imagine the fidelity of the ambient noise that is transferred through the microphone is pretty 2D and might not actually help very much when it comes to, say, knowing where a car is coming from or how far away it is. But maybe I'm wrong! Part of me hopes I am, because I like the idea of true wireless earbuds, especially if the sound quality is good.

Love to hear your thoughts.

posted by lilies.lilies to Technology (8 answers total)

Best answer: I just got the Jabras this week, so I don't have a ton of experience with them, but here are my outdoor experiences so far: I did find the pass-through audio to be pretty 2D, I don't know if it's something one gets more used to. The main bummer for me is the wind noise. With a fairly mild breeze in my face, I could hear every little gust as it blew across the mics. I could also hear every footfall as a bassy thump, but that was with or without the passthrough audio on. I'll probably just keep using my wired apple earbuds for walking and running. The Jabras are great indoors and I'm not sorry I bought them, but if their primary job was outdoors, I would be.
posted by outfielder at 6:57 AM on June 27, 2018

I have used these before and have been very pleased

https://www.rei.com/product/116279/aftershokz-trekz-titanium-wireless-headphones

Didn't get them from REI, that's just the first link I found.
posted by mccxxiii at 7:28 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I have the Plantronics. I’m pretty happy with them.

- In terms of pass through sound, yes, you can hear enough ambient sound that you can hear a car coming up behind you. I feel perfectly safe jogging with them through city streets.

- In terms of sound quality, it’s good enough. That is, listening to talk-heavy podcasts is fine and listening to some electronic/pop music with a beat to distract me from how out of shape I am is fine. It’s not particularly good for sitting in a quiet room listening to audiophile-grade music, but that’s not what they’re made for.

- It’s tempting to take both earbuds out and have it lie on your shoulders. It will fall off and you will lose them this way. Ask me how I know.

- I have zero problems with wind noise and thumping foot noise with them.
posted by alidarbac at 7:38 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

I second the above comments about the Backbeats, and would add that I ran them through the laundry, both washer and dryer, took them out, and they work perfectly. Really pretty remarkable.
posted by papayaninja at 7:50 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Just got the Plantronics. +1 to everything alidarbac said, plus: I was used to either in-ear earbuds or over-ear Bose headphones. The Plantronics feel like they're perched just on the edge of falling off, but they're solid & don't fall off during vigorous running.
posted by jeffjon at 8:10 AM on June 27, 2018

I have the Jabra 65t. As others have said, they are great indoors and poor outdoors. The audio quality is good, but that depends on getting a good seal in your ears, which causes loud foot thumps. I find them only marginally tolerable for walking and I would never want to run in them. But if your use-case is sitting on a train, then they are good for that. The audio quality is noticeably better than the few pairs I have of of generic $20 amazon bluetooth earbuds, but not up to the level of mid-range wired earbuds or high-end bluetooth over/on-ear cans.

Turning on the audio passthrough leads to a lot of wind noise and clothes rustling, so I haven't found it very useful. I tend to just leave it off. If the wind is completely dead then it would let you hear traffic. That's about the best thing I can say about the passthrough.
posted by dodecapus at 9:05 AM on June 27, 2018

Ditto about the Aftershokz, they have been a game changer. I have the Bluez 2S. Both in terms of being social during race warmups, and road safety. The reason I went to this type was swimmers' ear coming from in ear headphones while running. They're not cheap, but there's a good warranty and reviews are solid
posted by TravellingCari at 11:49 AM on June 27, 2018

I have the Aftershokz Titanium headphones, and they're fantastic. When you're not running, pair them with earplugs to get a 'full coverage' effect; when you are running, or cycling (which is how I use them), they work perfectly without blocking road noise. The only downside is that if you turn up the volume too high, they vibrate the cilia in your ears, which is a weird effect I prefer to avoid.

I haven't used newer passthrough earphones/buds, but I did borrow a pair of QuietComfort 25i earbuds from a friend to try out a few years ago, and the passthrough effect made every footfall come through as muffled clunks. It was horrible. This for walking, not running, so my footfalls were quiet and there wasn't much wind in the mic. Maybe the technology has improved, but for what it's worth the Aftershokz obviate this type of problem entirely.
posted by tapir-whorf at 2:14 PM on June 27, 2018