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If you’re anything like me, your music when you’re working out is an absolutely critical component of your workout. Without music, I can’t seem to get into the zone and really focus on the task at hand. I get distracted without noise cancelling headphones and my workouts are never as good.
I have had so many earbuds over the years, from my very first iPod nano and the original apple headphones, to my first pair of headphones that didn’t have to connect to my phone, removing the need to keep my phone on me during workouts, to my current set of truly wireless earbuds with ambient mode and noise cancelling mode. We’ve come a long way from loading playlists on your iPods and making sure we didn’t snag a weight on the cord, ripping the headphones out of our ears mid-workout.
The following list of wireless earbuds will include earbuds that I have actually used, have asked my friends about their experience, or have had on my wish list for years due to their design, battery life, and noise cancelling capabilities.
Samsung Buds – Do Not Buy These
I wanted to start off with the earbuds that I do not recommend so you can understand the earbud design that I cannot deal with when I workout. I had received the Samsung Buds FE when I got my Samsung S20 back in 2020 and thought the technology was really cool. Noise cancelling was amazing, and this was the first set of headphones that offered the ambient setting, which allows you to keep listening to your music, but also receive feedback from your environment.
Unfortunately the excitement wore off pretty quickly when I realized that these headphones would fall out of my ear really easily. Even with the rubber case that wrapped around the earbuds, that I believe was designed to stop these headphones from falling out, I still found that if I was talking, or if I smiled, or if it was too cold or too hot, I was constantly having to re-adjust the headphones to make sure they wouldn’t fall out.
One day I was running errands and put the headphones in my pocket, finished paying for groceries, and when I reached back into my pocket the headphones were no longer there.
Which is what led me to buy the new and “improved” version, the Samsung Buds 2. I had thought that because they were the newer version that they would have addressed the fit issues.
After receiving them, I took them for a test drive and brought them on my usual evening dog walk and soon realized that the issue was even worse.
You can see in the image above that they have actually removed the rubber thing from the outside of the buds. The Samsung buds may have improved sound quality and added more noise cancelling options, but they made the fit issue worse.
With so many new noise cancelling options and actions driven by touching the surface of these earbuds, every time I have to adjust them so they don’t fall out, I risk pausing my music, changing the volume, or skipping to the next song entirely. It is incredibly annoying.
However, I paid over $200 for these earbuds, so I made sure I got my money’s worth.
After about a year and a half, and having accidentally dropped these slippery little ear beans, the right ear bud isn’t as loud as the left, it dies faster than the left, and I sometimes just get a loud, screeching sound from the right earbud.
So now in my quest to replace these earbuds, I have been hot on the research trail, thinking about the earbuds I have liked in the past, the ones that my friends recommend, and the ones I would love to purchase for myself simply because they are the opposite to what these earbuds were.
Okay, Samsung buds slander is over. Let’s move on to the real recommendations.
JBL Tune Beam – $139 CAD
When I was working as a personal trainer, I had a pair of early JBL earbuds that were my tried and true headphones. They made it through so many workouts, all of my long walks to and from work, and they even made the trip to Sweden when I lived there for a year.
One thing that I think it crucial in terms of the fit of earbuds is that little stick piece that has the microphone technology in it. When you set the earbuds into your ears, that projection acts a small anchor and an additional point of contact so that the earbuds do not simply slip out of your ears.
From the specs side of things these headphones offer a range of really great features at a great price. These include:
- 4 colour options to match your style (black, white, purple, and navy blue)
- High quality, JBL sound
- Active noise cancelling with smart ambient
- 4-mic technology for crisp calls so you never sound like you’re talking in a tin can
- Up to 48 hrs of battery life. 12 outside of the case, and an additional 36 hours of battery life in the case.
JBL also offers a slightly more affordable option, the JBL Vibe Beam ($99CAD), which boasts an impressive 32hrs of battery life and great sound quality for a great price.
Apple Airpods (3rd Gen)
It is tough to compete with Apple products, especially if you have an iPhone. I have found with other brands, they don’t always connect, the bluetooth connection can be spotty, and when I get on calls, my iPhone doesn’t automatically push the audio through my headphones.
I have asked a lot of friends about the AirPods and have been surprised to hear so many positive reviews. Many of them have said that they prefer the AirPods that don’t have the squishy ear pieces due to the issues with earwax build up and cleaning, and that these AirPods sit comfortably in their ear.
Some of the attractive features of the AirPods are:
- up to 30hours of listening time (6 out of the case, 24 stored in the case)
- Sweat and water resistant
- Quick access to Siri by saying “Hey Siri”
- Personalized spatial audio (similar feature to Smart Ambient)
These are a little more expensive than the JBL earbuds above, but you get the convenience of matching up an Apple product with another apple product.
Monster N-Lite Clear Talk Wireless Earbuds
If you’re a millennial like me, you’ll know the Monster brand well. It is up there with Skull Candy headphones as the affordable and surprisingly high-quality headphones that are available. I was shocked when I saw that the price tag on this was just $59 (with a 50% coupon on Amazon during July Prime Days!)
What is truly amazing is how these headphones are able to offer all of the best features at this price. Those features include:
- Improve the bass by up 35% using Monster’s bass+ technology
- Bluetooth 5.3 (same as JBL and Apple)
- Waterproof up to 1m for 30 minutes. I don’t know who is swimming with their earbuds, but you can with these ones!
- 60hrs of battery life and quick charging case
- And of course, noise cancelling earbuds.
There isn’t a clear mention that these headphones allow for the ambient sound setting that the Samsung and JBL headphones do, but it could be an unlisted feature. If you’re looking for great sound and design on a budget, I would definitely recommend these earbuds from Monster.
Skullcandy Push Active In-Ear Wireless Earbuds
When I discovered the Monster earbuds, I knew I also had to look into the Skull Candy earbuds that are available now. I was not disappointed when I found they offer a number of different earbud options, and offer some additional benefits that the other earbuds have not explicitly listed.
Those benefits and features include:
- Hands-free control app integration with amazon alexa and other voice assistants
- Tile technology to track down lost earbuds
- The over-the-ear piece to keep the headphones locked into place, ensuring they never fall out by accident during a workout (or at the grocery store!)
- Sweat and water resistant
- up to 44hrs of power
These are a great option for someone looking for something more affordable and who has also gotten into the habit of asking Alexa for everything (I am become guilty of this!)
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX
Now for the piece de resistance – the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay earbuds. These are the earbuds that have been on my wishlist for ages. Between the Danish engineering and the rich history of innovating high-quality sound products, these earbuds are the Ferrari of earbuds.
The design of these ticks all of my boxes, including the different colour options they offer. But the tech specs are really what excite me and I know that the day I get my hands on a pair of these earbuds is the day I realize the true quality of good earbuds. Those features include:
- Addaptive noise cancelling
- Sound tuning to adjust your experience and truly immerse yourself in sound
- Clear calls, with omnidirectional microphones
- Battery life is 6hours, with an additional 16 hours stored in the case
These are truly an investment, but if you have the budget to try these and make them your go-to earbuds for workouts, running, or your hot-girl walk, then I definitely recommend (and let me know if you love them!)
For more product recommendations to help you get the most from your healthy lifestyle, check out the other Recommendations articles on my site.
Riley Pearce 