My Powerbeats Pro just died after a little over a year’s worth of use. IMO they were never worth the price. What’s good out there?
I generally get a cheap set ~$15 off amazon. If I get 6 months out of them then I’m happy, usually around the year mark they die, last set were the pod style and I’ll never go back to wired. No particular brand, Im not worried about sound quality when I’m running or biking, so the cheap ones work for me just fine
AfterShokz Titanium are $80 now - https://aftershokz.com/us/products/titanium - bone conduction, so different than what you had, but my preferred exercise headphones now. I’ve killed too many other “sweat-proof” regular headphones in the past.
I’ve been pretty happy with the jlabs bud air icons. If you’re in the US, buy through Best Buy and get the warranty and when they die you’ll get a free pair.
My Powerbeats Pro just died after a little over a year’s worth of use. IMO they were never worth the price. What’s good out there?
You know based on our personal conversations and on my Lavender Room posts that I absolutely hate Apple and their walled garden. You also know I also have penchant for cheaper more affordable products for the most part. However, I cannot tell you how good the Apple Airpods Pro are. This especially true if you cycling with earbuds in. Without a doubt if you are riding with anything else you need to switch.
Apple Airpods Pro defining feature is their noise canceling feature. Only the Airpods Pro have this. I think you also know about my long-term ear issues and what I can tell you is I think these are actually safer than any other earbuds out there. This is for a couple of reasons including the biggie that because of noise-cancelling you will find yourself having a much lower level of volume in the first place. You simply don’t need to turn them up as loud to overcome the background noise which is priceless for long-term ear health. High decibel level for long duration is the number one thing that causes permanent ear damage. Secondly, I believe while riding on the roads this is compounded as the wind noise is so loud and much if it is blocked out by the noise cancelling. This also allows you to hear passing cars more easily IMHO as well.
I can’t say I love them for running as they still don’t work for my ears and stay in, but for cleaning up around the house, cycling, yard work etc they are absolutely fantastic. They aren’t cheap but so far they have held up in summer Florida weather where I just sweat it out doing yardwork. I am still looking for a more affordable pair that have great noise-canceling. Unfortunately the Airpods Pro is the best at it.
AfterShokz Titanium are $80 now - https://aftershokz.com/us/products/titanium - bone conduction, so different than what you had, but my preferred exercise headphones now. I’ve killed too many other “sweat-proof” regular headphones in the past.
I have the pricey Aeropex version of these, way over $100 ($160ish?). Form factor is awesome, seems like the most sweat-resistant of any design (since it doesn’t get trapped in your ear sweat) but there’s a real downside and it’s the lack of clarity.
I’m no audiophile - I don’t even listen to music with my Aeropex, and mainly use it for Netflix when I’m on a SoleF80 treadmill or Vasa erg. It works fine for that, but I’d say subpar compared to normal earbuds since it does get muddy enough at low volumes that you have to crank it up pretty good, even with earplugs (earplugs make them louder and help block ambient.)
I thought I would love Aeropex’s ear-aware design outdoors running so I could hear all the cars, etc unimpeded, but turns out it just annoys me. I didn’t realize car traffic was so loud while listening to podcasts! I def prefer normal earbuds for sound quality and blocking the loud traffic noise. (I wear earplugs with Aeropex which helps, but still not as good as earbuds.)
Bottom line it’s not for everyone, although I do say it’s an impressive piece of gear in truly doing bone-conduction sound at a good level. And again, I’ll bet this is THE most sweatproof design out there.
I just picked up 2 more pairs of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07S7J1CGK?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Been using my current paid for about a year, but the sweat is starting to get to them. At ~$20 a pop, not a big deal.
I remember you mentioning those. Just feel kind of burned with my Powerbeats dying after a year of use. Hmmm… I’ll chime back here with what I eventually pick up. Thanks for the recommendations all.
Do yourself a favor and buy these: https://www.amazon.com/...TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
I had the original version that were not IPX7. I got over a year out of them, then they stopped charging. I emailed customer service and they sent me a new pair, and they are the 2nd gen, IPX7 waterproof version. This new version will sync L or R or both. Great if you’re out for more than 4-5 hours. You can toss the other earbud in the case (or without the case and turn it off). Great customer service, and I doubt you’ll find better a better deal for true wireless, IPX7 headphones with great customer service. If you’re riding or running outside, you shouldn’t be using both earbuds anyway!
Edit: On sale for $32. 16k+ reviews, most 4-5 star.
Ditto! I usually by 3 pairs at a time and use one pair for my swimming, one for my cycling and one for running.
Ditto! I usually by 3 pairs at a time and use one pair for my swimming, one for my cycling and one for running.
You have used this model in the pool? Do they stay synced to your phone?
I have a pair of Plantronics Backbeat Fit that have lasted forever. If they died, I would buy the same in an instant. They are fantastic for running and cycling.
I also have a pair of active noise canceling Anker over-ear for the trainer and a pair of AirPods Pro. I do not use my AirPods for exercise, but a good friend does, and he raves about them.
I have the AirPod pros that I use for work. But I struggle to keep them in my ear. Maybe it’s just me. I did a few trainer rides with them when I first got them and I had one of them fall off. I’m almost tempted to go back to the cheaper version.
…if / when I keep my head up (kickboard work) and swim an outside lane. I put the phone at the edge of the pool at mid-length, that way there’s no more than 40ft for transmission.
I have Aeropex headphones too. They’re great at what they’re supposed to be - so-so audio without preventing you from hearing outside noise. I think of them like having a radio on while driving a convertible - background tunage. If one really wants to hear great audio, stay at home with noise canceling headphones. I think it’s unrealistic to use earplugs and expect audio quality to improve much from so-so with the Aeropex.
Had a reminder of the safety aspect of the Aeropex headphones the other day while riding slowly on a bike path- heard a noise (thought it was another bike shifting or something) and was on a bit of alert. Came around a corner (and there was an elderly man in the bike 1/2 of the lane, in the shade, bending over to pick up his aluminum cane). I can’t fathom the degree of guilt if I didn’t hear him and sent him flying!
I have the AirPod pros that I use for work. But I struggle to keep them in my ear. Maybe it’s just me. I did a few trainer rides with them when I first got them and I had one of them fall off. I’m almost tempted to go back to the cheaper version.
Yes, I can’t get them to stay in my ears in Florida running but if it is dry they will stay. I will say that I tend to see people wearing Apple Airpods Pro and the stick is too far out which tells me they are using the wrong size tips. If you use the right tips the stick should be nearly hugging your face. But yes, it annoys me to know end that Apple has a one-size fits all approach and they could have some sort of loop system around the ears. I think the killer product product for running is actually vertical bluetooth headphones. You could actually put some serious battery into too
I remember you mentioning those. Just feel kind of burned with my Powerbeats dying after a year of use. Hmmm… I’ll chime back here with what I eventually pick up. Thanks for the recommendations all.
I hear you on that and believe me I am worried too as I haven’t had good luck with earbuds over time not dying which is why I usually buy cheap and treat them as disposable. However, I really do think that anything earbuds that reduce the level of volume you need to listen to get the full effect is worth its weight in gold and their noise-cancelling is that good. Sometimes I don’t even listen to anything and just wear them. You can always purchase on an AMEX and double your warranty and their warranty process is super simple. I don’t abuse their warranty process and I have been AMEX customer since 99 but they have never even followed up on anything. They just take my word on it. Probably submitted 5 claims in the last 15 years. That gives you hassle-free two year guarantee.
Just my $0.02; IME Beats products are mediocre quality (at best) with a premium price tag based on brand image. I had a pair of Beats earbuds and sound quality was no better than some mid-tier Sonys, plus some of the cheap plastic on the volume switch broke after just a few months. There was also this: (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3131799/A-cheap-trick-Teardown-suggests-Beats-headphones-contain-metal-weights-make-appear-better-quality.html) about Beats using steel plates to make their headphones seem heavier/better quality while using cheap components.
All that being said, this doesn’t mean that high-priced headphones can’t be great quality. I have some Bose over-ear headphones and the quality is spectacular (great for flights and other times I care about audio quality). I have the Aftershokz xtrainerz and they are bombproof; the audio quality is so-so, but for swimming/zwifting I don’t mind. My wife works out with Airpods, and they have been great (tempted to get a pair myself, but I already have too many devices).
I got a set of Jabra Elite Active 65 off of Amazon Warehouse for $50. They’re normally like $175. The Elite Active 75s are even nicer, and you can find them open box on Amazon Warehouse for like $125. But the 65s are awesome. I’d highly recommend them. Just wait for someone to buy and return on Amazon. That’s for sure the best way to get deals on stuff like headphones.
I got a set of Jabra Elite Active 65 off of Amazon Warehouse for $50. They’re normally like $175. The Elite Active 75s are even nicer, and you can find them open box on Amazon Warehouse for like $125. But the 65s are awesome. I’d highly recommend them. Just wait for someone to buy and return on Amazon. That’s for sure the best way to get deals on stuff like headphones.
I have them both and they are the best I have used after going through a dozen pairs of other BT headphones. The 75s are marginally better so the 65 is the way to go if you can find them in the <$75 range. They constantly advertise refurbished ones. One of my 65s and my 75 were both refurbs in perfect shape. I use them hours every day which is why I have a few pairs between home and work. I’m confident Jabra’s ‘HearThrough’ option will be standard on every headphone sold in a few years.