Maybe it’s come to that time now where you are getting serious about your fitness. You’re out running every day or hitting up the gym, and you’re looking for the best workout headphones or earphones to play your motivational music.
Or you could be just getting started with some new fitness goals. And a good set of durable, and easy to use headphones are on your list of things to get.
Well, whatever your reasons for wanting a new pair of earbuds, earphones or headphones, we’ve got you covered!
We’ve carefully searched out some fantastic options. All of which will allow you to listen to your favorite music on the move with comfort and ease.
First up, we’ll be checking out all the over-ear headphone options that we’ve discovered…
Contents
- Top 10 Best Workout Headphones And Earphones To Buy In 2023 Reviews
- 1 Sony MDRXB450AP Extra Bass Smartphone Headset (Black)
- 2 V-MODA XS On-Ear Folding Design Noise-Isolating Metal Headphone
- 3 Skullcandy Hesh 3 Bluetooth Wireless Over-Ear Headphones in Black
- 4 Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones – Gloss Black
- 5 Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, Noise-Cancelling
- 6 Sennheiser HD 820 Closed-Back Headphone
- 7 Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WH1000XM3
- 8 Shure SE846-CL+BT1 Wireless Sound Isolating Earphones
- 9 CCA C10 Better in Ear Headphones
- 10 BGVP DM6 5 Drivers Balanced Armature Customized HiFi in-Ear Earphone
- Best Workout Headphones & Earphones Buying Guide
Top 10 Best Workout Headphones And Earphones To Buy In 2023 Reviews
1 Sony MDRXB450AP Extra Bass Smartphone Headset (Black)
So the first set of workout headphones that we’ll be taking a look at are the Sony MDRXB450APs. These feature extra bass and work as a smartphone connected headset. On initial impressions, we love the classic Sony look that these headphones show off, with a lovely sleek black finish.
In terms of functionality, this headset has a powerful in-built ‘Acoustic Bass Booster,’ for superb Sony standard bass response on the move. Plus, these headphones boast a huge frequency playback range of 5-22 kHz – which is more than adequate to give you the full frequency sound your music needs.
Of course, one of the most important features that we considered is the weight of this product. Because we know you don’t want to be weighed down whilst exercising – this headset comes in as a very light, on-ear listening option. Another great feature is the swivel cup design that Sony has implemented, which make for a great set of portable headphones.
Sony has considered this product’s usability very carefully. And that’s why we added these beautifully simple, yet very functional and stylish headphones onto our list. They are fully integrated to work well with Apple or Android devices, and even come with a free app, allowing you to customize your in-line remote control options.
If you enjoy the classic Sony look and want a solid set of headphones, rather than earbuds or earphones when you are exercising, here is a very viable choice.
A final feature which we thought to mention is the Y-type wiring, which is there to prevent tangling, and will be perfect for anyone exercising or on the move.
(4.1 / 5)- Simple and stylish neo-classic Sony design.
- ‘Acoustic Bass Booster’ feature.
- Extra wide frequency response.
- Swivel cup design is great for portability.
- Designed to integrate well with smartphone technology.
- Includes a free app to help customize your in-line controls.
- Usually available at a very affordable price.
- No need for batteries.
- You may not want an on-ear headphone set up.
- Swivel cup designs can be annoying for some.
- Earbuds or earphones will always be a lighter choice.
- Not a wireless headset.
2 V-MODA XS On-Ear Folding Design Noise-Isolating Metal Headphone
Next up, we have what you would think to be an unconventional choice of headphones if you are considering exercising with them.
V-Moda headphones are renowned in the DJ industry, after being seen to be used by many EDM DJs at huge festivals and clubs around the world. Yet, they do produce high-quality audio devices for many other uses – not just for DJs.
So ultimately, let’s be realistic here and say that these V-Modas wouldn’t be the greatest of choices for running or any rigorous cardio type exercises – they are just not practically built to rest comfortably on your head for these purposes.
Enjoy DJ quality audio, as you lift your way to success…
An excellent way you could utilize this V-Moda set up is if you are lifting weights in the gym. These V-Modas look super stylish, have that DJ trademark look, and could help you smash out those extra reps!
Now we’ve looked at the ways in which you could use these headphones, what impressed us, even more, is the overall quality that V-Moda brings to the table!
With powerful M-Class 40mm Dual Diaphragm Drivers, and ear cups which deliver a rich low-end, and a very clear separation on the mid-end and high-end frequencies. These V-Moda XS headphones really pack in some very powerful sound technology.
Another great feature with these V-Modas is that they have a passive noise isolation system built-in. This basically means that they block out outside noises, and therefore we think would allow you to focus on your gym regime much more easily.
(4.1 / 5)- Powerful ‘DJ inspired’ sound quality!
- Stylish and fashionable headphone option.
- A passive noise isolation system is installed to block out external noises.
- High-quality materials used as standard by V-Moda.
- An interesting choice for non-cardio based exercises and activities.
- Extremely clear sound separation of the low, mid, and the high frequencies.
- No batteries needed.
- Not the ideal or conventional choice for workout headphones.
- A much heavier headphone option in comparison to others we’ve covered.
- Some people may not appreciate the metallic design.
- Not as flexible as other headphones we have looked at.
- No wireless options.
3 Skullcandy Hesh 3 Bluetooth Wireless Over-Ear Headphones in Black
Now we move on to a very different type of over-ear listening experience, with this Skullcandy Hesh 3 headset. Which comes with the convenience of being wireless through the use of Bluetooth technology.
What really impressed us was the minimal charge time needed for you to have hours of battery life available. With Skullcandy claiming that just 10 minutes of charging will give you four hours of playback time, thanks to rapid charge technology!
Also, these Skullcandy’s have the potential for 22 hours of playback time on a full charge, which can be completed in just one hour! So if you have any extended exercise plans in mind, these headphones are sure to last with you all the way!
The company has really focused on the comfort aspect of its design. With extra soft memory foam cushioning, for all day long listening and less abrasion on your ears over longer periods of exercise. It should also be mentioned that the Skullcandy Hesh 3 phones come as a lightweight design, with armatures that pivot for a really snug fit.
Skullcandy has gone all out to make a rich and powerful listening experience. Using a built-in analog amplifier which powers two 40mm drivers – these specs should be enough to give you a very pure and enjoyable sound quality.
What’s more, among all the great features we’ve looked at so far, this headset also has an integrated notifications assistant. And it can be voice activated through the in-built microphone. Essentially you’ll be able to easily receive calls, change songs, and adjust volume levels through just speaking. Rather than faffing around with buttons or in-line controls.
(4.2 / 5)- Foldable and lightweight design.
- Uses Bluetooth technology to pair with a device of your choosing. No wires needed!
- Rapid battery charging technology and fully charge in just one hour!
- 22 hour fully charged battery life.
- Memory foam cushioning.
- Powerful and rich sound with a built-in analog amplifier.
- Voice notification assistant allows for ease of use.
- Usually available in a favorable price range.
- Over-ear headphones may not suit everyone.
- Batteries will need charging, unlike wired headphones.
- Earbuds or earphones will be a lighter option.
4 Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones – Gloss Black
Moving on, we now look at the Beats Solo3 wireless on-ear headphones, which come in a gloss black.
One of the main focal points to these headphones was their incredibly long battery life, which is a massive 40 hours’ worth! And what’s more, five minutes of charging could give you up to three hours of listening time!
Other than such an impressive battery life, you’ll obviously get all the benefits of a Beats designed set of phones. These best workout headphones and earphones include fine-tuned acoustics and carefully measured dynamics, for a real lush sounding playback experience.
These Beats Solo3 headphones are said to be designed for everyday use. But we definitely think they’d be great for any standard 30 minute to 2-hour workout that many people have in mind. Of course, if you are looking for a headphone that sits comfortably for hours on end of training or exercising. Then you’re almost always probably better off with earphones or earbuds as they can be dubbed.
Beats have been marketed to be a trendy everyday use headphone. And they do come in at a fairly significant price, compared to other similar products on the market. However, the beats Solo3’s do team up very well with iPhones. It also works fluidly with Siri, using the multi-functional in-ear controls.
Overall, Beats have cemented their headphone brand as a fashionable and easy to use portable listening experience, and they probably do the job well when it comes to workouts.
(4.1 / 5)- Super long battery life of 40 hours.
- 5 minutes of charging can allow 3 hours of battery life.
- Signature Beats sound quality.
- Comfortable design.
- Work well with iPhones.
- Multi-functional in-ear controls.
- Good for general workouts.
- Expensive in comparison to similar quality headphones available.
- Fairly large and not foldable.
- Not ideal for long exercise routines.
5 Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, Noise-Cancelling
We thought we’d carry on taking a look at the wireless Bluetooth headphones, and we stumbled across this Bose QuietComfort 35 headset.
What stood out more than anything with these headphones was that they include world-class noise cancellation at three different levels, with the ability to set these levels to their suited environment – this basically means you’ll get an amazingly clear and isolated listening environment.
Another positive aspect of this headset is the Bose signature sound quality that the company is renowned for. No matter what volume level you listen at, the sound will remain balanced with these headphones.
Ultimately, these headphones haven’t been designed primarily for workout use. And we wouldn’t recommend using them for rigorous cardio training because they would be too large, cumbersome and most likely annoying. However, they do present a great headphone option for weight training and similar activities.
Also, the Alexa voice control feature will make life so much easier when you need to take a call or want to adjust the volume whilst working out.
The main selling point for these phones is, of course, the world-class noise canceling element that they possess, and we think that could really help you get ‘in the zone’!
(4.4 / 5)- World-class noise cancellation technology.
- High-quality sound from Bose.
- Well-balanced audio feedback at all volume levels.
- Straight forward Bluetooth connection capabilities.
- Convenient Alexa Voice control function.
- Great for completely ‘zoning out’ and focusing on your workout!
- Usually, come at a fair price.
- Fairly large and therefore could be cumbersome for workouts.
- They are not foldable.
- Heavier than some of the other headphone choices we’ve looked at.
- Not ideal for longer and more intense workouts.
6 Sennheiser HD 820 Closed-Back Headphone
Now if you’re serious about your headphones, and want an incredible sound to go along with your workout, then the Sennheiser HD 820s are an incredible piece of audio engineering!
Again, these best workout headphones and earphones are a large set of headphones, so really wouldn’t be suitable for most types of cardio routines; however we do think like some of the other over-ear headphones, these Sennheisers would be fine for gym work and weight lifting.
The Sennheiser HD 820s come with extremely powerful 56mm drivers, which will produce sound like you’ve probably never heard through headphones before. It’s almost like the sounds that come out of these are as convincing as real life experiences!
As well, with the headphones being a closed cup design, you’re going to be fully immersed into the music you’re listening to, without any outside distractions.
Here we definitely have the most powerful and clear bass response out of all the headphones we are reviewing in this article. And an amazing sense of space is heard when you listen to the soundscape of a track through these. We’re talking about top of the range headphones here, and you’ll most likely be able to enjoy your music more than you ever have with these Sennheisers.
Of course, they come at a premium, coming in at the higher price bracket. And you’ll probably miss some of the user-friendly features that other headphones possess. But if you’re all about the best sound quality you can find – these are up there among the best!
(4.4 / 5)- Incredibly spacious and natural sound.
- Huge bass response.
- 56mm drivers for pure power and clarity.
- Closed cup design enables the blocking out of external noise.
- Concave glass covers for vibration absorption.
- OK if you’re just lifting weights.
- In quite a high price bracket.
- They’re heavy.
- Not ideal for vigorous exercises.
7 Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WH1000XM3
Next up, we move on to these Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones, which are another option to the Bose QuietComfort 35’s that we checked out earlier.
Well, these Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones are almost specifically built for an ultimate noise canceling experience. And we think these are probably a level up in terms of the technology used to achieve this!
Sony claims to create an almost complete digitally soundproofed experience, using ANC technology. And, unlike the Bose headphones, we looked at which have three levels of noise cancellation, the Sony’s utilize a smart listening technology, which applies noise cancellation to the very specific space that you are in.
Also, another great focal point is that they’ve incorporated the Alexa voice assistant, for the convenience of hands-free use – which is great if you have your hands busy in the gym.
Another subtle but unique feature is that if you cover the right ear cup, you can quickly turn the volume level down to very low. So that you are quickly free for a conversation, or need to listen to some quick instructions in the moment.
Because these are a wireless design, they will need charging, and Sony has managed to give you 30 hours’ worth of battery life for one charge, which is not bad at all! As well, just to gain an understanding of how quickly the phones will charge, 30 minutes of charging should provide 5 hours of battery life.
Finally, we should mention, that obviously for such a high-quality set of headphones from Sony, you’re going to get some amazing sound at a high resolution. Overall there are some great all-round features with these, and you’ll be able to ‘zone out’ with ease, wherever you are working out.
(4.3 / 5)- Some of the best noise cancellation technology we’ve seen!
- Includes Alexa voice assistant.
- Smart features and controls incorporated.
- Super-fast charging times.
- High-resolution sound quality from Sony.
- Another good set of headphones for the gym.
- Some people may not enjoy the noise canceling experience.
- Slightly lower battery life than other headphones we’ve looked at.
- Over-ear design may not suit everyone.
- In a slightly higher price bracket, in comparison to similar headphone types.
So now we’ve looked at all the best Over-Ear Headphones that we wanted to include in this article, let’s move on to the earphones, or earbuds as they can be alternatively called…
8 Shure SE846-CL+BT1 Wireless Sound Isolating Earphones
The first earphones we’ll be looking at are the Shure SE846-CL+BT1 Wireless Sound Isolating Earphones. These are Bluetooth enabled and come as a clear color. On first glance, these earphones look very nice, with some impressive tech incorporated into their design.
These are certainly a premium end product, which has been designed to deliver powerful and clear sound from such a small device!
Four high-quality drivers have been built-in to these earphones. These produce long-lasting highs and pure low-end response – made for an enjoyable listening experience across all the frequency bands. In fact, they’ve really delved deep into the separation of the low, mid and high-end sounds, which are all powered separately to produce an unbelievable overall balance to your favorite songs!
Specifically, Shure’s signature low-pass filter design provides a low end that you’d expect to hear on a large set of premium quality over-ear headphones!
With premium quality sound and such a small in-ear design, you’ve got an almost unnoticeable accompaniment for your workout needs, without even the need for wires.
As well, you get sound isolation technology to block out the surrounding distractions, and a Bluetooth set up which will allow you to command changes in volume, receive calls and change tracks through voice commands.
Finally, it should be said that you’ll get a decent 8 hours of battery life and the Bluetooth connection will remain connected up to 30 feet away from your chosen device.
(4 / 5)- Small and light earphone design.
- Wireless Bluetooth connection, up to 30 feet from your device.
- Impressive sound separation technology.
- Integrated noise isolation tech.
- Ability to voice command with an in-built mic.
- Battery life could be longer.
- Comes in a higher price bracket than other similar options.
9 CCA C10 Better in Ear Headphones
The second of our earphones come in the form of the CCA C10’s. Which are an extremely lightweight and ergonomically considered design. Now if you’re looking for a great balance of sound and don’t want to spend a small fortune, these are probably a great choice for you!
The earphones have five built-in hybrid drivers which are there to really power your musical experience through those long training routines. And you’ll barely notice they are there because of their feather like weight. The name of the game here is that these earphones have been made for workouts, in that they are very flexible, durable and portable.
Noise cancellation technology has been incorporated into this CCA design. And attention has been given to produce a wide sound space for your music to play out in. Also, the cables have been designed in a way to not tangle easily, and durability has been one of the key focuses in CCA’s designing of these earphones.
We genuinely think you’ll have a great deal with these super lightweight earphones!
(4.6 / 5)- Super-lightweight design.
- Five in-built drivers for quality sound.
- Made to be extremely durable, flexible, and portable.
- Perfect for all types of workouts and exercises.
- Come in a great price range!
- They’re not a wireless earphone.
- There are no in-built voice commands.
- May be lacking in other remote control options.
10 BGVP DM6 5 Drivers Balanced Armature Customized HiFi in-Ear Earphone
So finally, we present to you these BGVP’s. They come with five well-balanced DM6 armature sound drivers, to produce powerful sound from such a small device. These earphones utilize some of the materials that Shure branded earphones use to produce long-lasting, high-quality sound for the thousands and more times that you’ll listen to them.
The recent trend of 3D printing technology has been used in the design of these earphones. This gives you a unique and customized resin cavity made with Germany Envision TEC 3D printing equipment – which maintains impeccable accuracy for each headset.
In our final thoughts, we really like this bespoke type of earphone design, which will certainly set you apart from the rest. And also won’t break the bank too much, in comparison to some of the other options we’ve looked at.
(4.3 / 5)- Great looking lightweight earphones.
- High-quality materials utilized for durability.
- Germany Envision TEC 3D printed for a unique resin cavity.
- Come in a very reasonable price range for what you get!
- Five well-balanced DM6 armature sound drivers for a powerful listening experience.
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Best Workout Headphones & Earphones Buying Guide
Now we’ve looked at both the Best Workout Headphones and Earphones that we think will drive you through your workouts!
For the casual gym goer, right through to the serious athlete that wants a great listening experience as they train, you’re sure to find a great way to listen to your favorite songs with any of our review items.
Some of you will have a pure preference for sound quality, and if that’s the case we would recommend the…
…for the ultimate premium listening experience. These Best Workout Headphones and Earphones, though, are probably not the most flexible and comfortable choice in a gym environment.
The…
…present a fashionable and user-friendly option of headphones, which many would gravitate too for general gym and workout use alike.
We did look over some high-class noise isolation type headphones. Which we definitely think should be a consideration for you when you are trying to focus on your exercises, without being distracted by outside noises in a gym or training environment.
In conclusion, we’ve given you a fair bit of information on each of our choices, so just remember really what kind of workouts you will be doing. For anything that’s high intensity and cardio driven, you really want to be choosing an in-ear earphone design, so that you can freely move with comfort and ease without feeling any strain on your head.
However, for general gym use, a nice set of headphones could be a great option to really help you ‘zone out’ and focus on your set routine.