Running headphones that won't fall out of my ears?

March 22, 2023 12:01 PM

It's finally warm enough for me to trade my elliptical for running shoes (big cold weather wuss here). But I'm reminded how much I hate the headphones I currently use to listen to music while running. They are JLab earbuds. They are connected by a wire, and the wire has a volume button positioned near the right bud. This button is heavy enough that it drags the bud out of my ear. I've tried wrapping the wire around my ponytail, but this drags the left bud out. Looking for alternatives. I'm willing to spend up to 50 dollars. Must pair with iWatch. I don't need fancy features; just want to listen to music while running and not have to put the buds back in my ear every 30 seconds! Thanks in advance :-)
posted by les34 to Health & Fitness (13 answers total)

Have you tried looping the wire over the top of your pinnae (outer ears)? This is how I kept my wired earbuds from popping out when I turned my head, and it also reduced cord noise.
posted by seanmpuckett at 12:09 PM on March 22, 2023

Best answer: These JLab ones are the ones I use (and really like), but are out of your price range.

There's a cheaper set that I use as my backups - they're fine, just obviously cheaper.
posted by minsies at 12:16 PM on March 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

Have you looked at Aftershokz? I have a problem keeping anything in my ear while running because of sweat - these work by bone conduction - nothing goes into the ear at all. As a bonus, you can still hear everything going on around you. I run on paths and greenways, so for me this amounts to the birds and other runners/cyclists approaching me from behind. My wife, for her part, also preferred them for situational awareness. No issues pairing with Apple or Garmin smartwatches.
posted by jquinby at 12:35 PM on March 22, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I personally prefer open-ear bone conduction headsets if you are going outdoors, just to make sure you can still hear the outside when you are enjoying your music.

I use Mu6 Ring myself. It's slightly beyond your price range, but I believe it's worth it, and it occasionally goes on sale.
posted by kschang at 12:35 PM on March 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: There are bluetooth bone-conduction headphones that are cheaper than Aftershokz, as well.

I love the way they wrap around my head and I don't get tangled in wires. And they don't get as sweaty as the ones that go inside my ears.
posted by suelac at 1:01 PM on March 22, 2023

I had a pair of SoundPEATS that I used for years until the battery finally died. The replacement version is $33. The trick with the pair I had was to switch them so that the left ear bud went to the right ear. I'd then pass the cord forward and then over my ear to prevent it from popping out. It also came with a way to double over the cord to eat up the slack so that I didn't have a bunch of extra wire whacking me on the neck. Similar to how seanmpuckett described above.

One other item of note: See if you can get used to tucking one away so that you can keep an ear "free." I lost track of the number of times I've gone past somebody who was also running and zoned out to their music. They had zero awareness that I even existed until I passed them despite the customary "on your left" as a warning. It woke them up really fast, but not in a way that most folks would appreciate.
posted by SegFaultCoreDump at 1:15 PM on March 22, 2023

Just out of your price range, but i love jabra earbuds. They fit really well,
they are waterproof (rainproof), and have both noise cancelling and hear through modes so if you want to hear your surroundings with the music on, you can.
posted by CleverClover at 1:50 PM on March 22, 2023

Best answer: Now that I think about it, I should have asked here before I bought the Kaibo Verse open-ear bone conduction headphones. (Right at $49 right now)

I bought them late last year for the same reason---love audiobooks on the bike, hate stopping to find my rogue earbud. They're bluetooth and pair to my iPhone, but haven't tried a watch. Plus they come in red so they don't disappear among all the black cables on your nightstand. For under $50 I have no complaints about the audio quality, and the mic for phone calls is pretty good unless I'm outside in the wind.
posted by adekllny at 2:13 PM on March 22, 2023

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I really like the idea of the open-air bone conduction one. I actually had no idea that was a thing 😂 but being able to hear my surroundings is a huge plus. I think I'm going to try the ones kschang suggested.
posted by les34 at 2:55 PM on March 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Regarding bone conduction phones, I bought Aftershokz and then got rid of it on eBay. The hoop that goes around the back of your head was constantly getting tangled up in shirt collars, hoods, hats ... I don't know how anyone tolerates it. YMMV of course.

Note, they offer a smaller size that may have a smaller/more tolerable hoop.
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:22 AM on March 23, 2023

That's the fun part about that Mu6 Ring I recommended earlier. It's adjustable. The transducers can be rotated so they sit exactly on the mastoid for best sound quality which also adjusts the size, so to speak.

I've tried all sorts of solutions. I also have a set of the Razer Anzu Bluetooth glasses which has speakers that fires downward toward the ears, but are NOT considered bone conduction. It's gimmicky, it works. I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it.
posted by kschang at 5:56 PM on March 25, 2023

I've been buying these $22 earphones for years. They sound great and have never begun to come lose with any sort of physical activity. Volume buttons are easy to find. (I use an iPhone, have never tried to use just my Watch without my iPhone.)
posted by neuron at 5:34 PM on April 3, 2023

Response by poster: Update - I got the Mu6 Ring and it is perfect. I plop it on propped above my ponytail and don't have to think about it for one second more of my run! Also very much appreciate being able to hear outside noises at the same time. Thanks for solving my headphone issues everyone!
posted by les34 at 5:59 PM on April 3, 2023 [3 favorites]