For many people, music is absolutely necessary when working out. Studies have shown a link between increased exercise performance and listening to motivating music. In the gym, music is probably already pumping out from the speakers, but if you want to listen to music while running you need to consider purchasing some headphones made especially for this. Whether you are using your mp3-player or cellphone as the source of music, there’s a jungle of options out there. What features are the most important? We have taken a look at the best headphones for running 2011 and picked out the a few of them standing out from the crowd. Keep in mind that these three headphones are all worthy a purchase, but you should consider their pros and cons to figure out which of them that suits you. We have looked at the following criteria while reviewing:
Comfort
The first thing you should look for is comfort. You should be able to go for a run every day of the week if you choose to without getting sore in your ears. Since you most likely won’t be able to try out the earplugs before purchase you should look for an elastic and soft cushioning at the surface of the plug. Hard plastic plugs will eventually become uncomfortable. The earplugs should be adjustable to make sure to fit every ear. Another thing we’ve looked for is the length and quality of the cord. You don’t want a cord that is so small it constantly keeps dragging the earphones out of your ears.
Sound Quality
Some users require better sound quality than others. In our honest opinion this is not a feature that should be overlooked. Listening to music is a much more pleasant experience when it sounds clean. Some of the earplugs we have tested had so-called noise cancelling and reduction features. This makes sure to minimize or shut off the outside sounds completely. Keep in mind that if you are running in high traffic areas, especially on the road, noise cancelling can be dangerous. On the other hand these features are great for conserving battery life. If you limit the outside sounds you don’t need to keep the volume at as high levels anymore.
Durability
We have not spent enough time with the air plugs to test their durability properly, but we did stress test them with physical force to find any weaknesses. Another thing we’ve looked for is if all connections are properly built together to ensure your cord doesn’t fall out of the headphones or the plug that goes into your music player. This is obviously not an issue if you are looking for the best Bluetooth headphones for running.
Value
The last criteria in this review is value. How much money you intend to spend on your headphones will ultimately determine what you can expect from the three criteria above. There are certainly good headphones in lower price classes, but if you plan to wear them often and for a long time, maybe a more expensive is better?
Sennheiser Adidas PMX 680i Sports Headset
Sennheiser and Adidas has worked together to make the best headphones for runners. We have to admit that they’ve come very close. There’s a wrap around design that helps to keep the earplugs in place while still feeling comfortable. The sound quality is excellent. The headset comes with a robust cord and a volume control.
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$69.95
- Comfortable
- Perfect for running
- Durable
Cheapest at Amazon.com
Motorola S9-HD Bluetooth
Motorola is an excellent choice if sound quality isn’t the most important feature and if you hate cords. Not to say that the sound quality is poor. There is an upgraded version on the market called S10-HD, but we feel that the differences from the S9-HD wasn’t big enough to justify the increase in price.
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$48.99
- Wireless
- Comfortable
- Good sound
Klipsch IMAGE S4
These headphones are technically not for running, but more suitable for the gym as they don’t have any extra support to keep them in your ear. If you are looking for headphones for activities similar to weight lifting and cycling, where your head moves relatively little, the Klipsch Image S4 is by far our number one choice. We have simply not found any headphones that can compare to these in terms of sound quality for this price.
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$63.51
- Superior sound quality
- High value
