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Those searching for the best headphones for running understand that they’ll have to make some comparisons along the way to find their perfect pair. After all, the differences between the best over-ear headphones and earbuds for working out are vast. That’s why it’s crucial to compare running with earbuds vs. headphones before you invest.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
When you’re looking for the top headphones for running, there are a few features you should keep an eye out for. As part of your research, however, you may also want to compare headphones vs. earbuds for working out to ensure you’re getting precisely the right style for you. You could also compare over-ear vs. in-ear headphones for the gym.
Insider Tip
Some wireless earbuds can give you hours of battery life from a single charge.
A few different things determine sound quality. One of them is active noise cancelation, alongside the overall construction of the headphones. In this round, an over-ear design wins by a landslide. Their larger construction makes more room for better technology and larger drivers, whereas earbud technology can’t quite measure up. You can compare in-ear vs. over-ear noise-canceling headphones for more information. Comparing open-back vs. closed-back headphones can help you understand more about differences in structure.
Workout earbuds or headphones are better when you can change the music with just a button press. Touch controls are a great way to make this happen. This is a category where earbud technology shines. Touch controls on an over-ear design can be clunky and hard to use. On the other hand, workout earbuds have streamlined controls that are easy to navigate. This means that workout earbuds win in this round.
Warning
Sometimes ambient noise is important, so make sure your headphones have a transparency mode that lets you hear background noise in potentially dangerous situations, such as running in the street.
Lastly, we have to take into account water resistance ratings. This is especially important for running headphones and earbuds, especially in cases of long distances. Both running headphones and earbuds come with a water resistance rating, so it’s a draw in this category. You have to make sure your specific model can hold up against sprays of water or sweat. If you want more comparisons, try looking into neckband vs. over-ear headphones.
STAT: The digital music industry in the United States consists of two segments that are estimated to have a user count ranging between 51.7 million users (music downloads) and 116.5 million users (music streaming) in 2021. (source)
