Tech Article 5/4

The Best Headphones for Running

The right music doesn't soothe the savage beast, it makes the beast more savage. When you're going for a long run, that's exactly what you want. The pulse of thumping beats can make you feel superhuman. It certainly beats the sound of your own labored breathing.

But all earbuds are not created equal. Some refuse to stay in your ears. Some have no dynamic range. Some are like small torture devices. So we took five of the best workout earbuds and put them to the test. Meet the new king of your sweaty ear canals. 

Sony Active Sport In-Ear Headphones XBA-S65

The Sonys were the lightest of the headphones we tested and arguably the most comfortable. The cord loops back over your ears and then tightens to keep them from falling off. They are sweat-proof and water resistant—you can even rinse them off after each workout. They are designed to block external noise, which is nice for creating a little bubble of sound, but you lose some situational awareness, so there may be some safety issues.Unfortunately, there is a fatal design flaw. While the looping design keeps the buds from falling off your ears altogether, they do nothing to help keep the bud actually in your earholes. While running, the buds would work their way out of the ears every minute or so and would have to be poked back in. Basically it's up to the little rubber nubbin to keep it in, but the cord actually seems to be pulling it out. Very frustrating. They sport Sony's new balanced armature drivers, and they have a pretty decent dynamic range, but they were quiet, pretty muddy, and the bass is thinner than we would like. $80