Soundcore from Anker Sport X10: The Soundcore Sport X10 has an interesting design with rotating ear hooks that flip up when you use them and flip down when you want to put them in the charging case, which has a smaller footprint than many ear-hook buds. As long as you have a tight seal, they sound good, with powerful, punchy bass and good detail. They also have active noise cancellation, which is effective although not as good as the Sony or Bose noise cancellation. They are also fully waterproof with an IP rating of IPX7, meaning they can be fully submerged in up to 3 meters of water for 30 minutes. Battery life is rated at up to eight hours with three additional charges in the charging case.
Shokz Open Move: Shokz’s entry-level OpenMove headphones list for $80, though we’ve occasionally seen them drop below $70. It replaces the older Titanium model and features some minor design improvements. I found it comfortable to wear, and while it doesn’t sound great, it sounds relatively good for a bone-conduction headphone — again, keep your expectations of sound quality in check or you’ll be disappointed. It’s great for listening to podcasts, audiobooks, and newscasts while running.
Sennheiser Sport True Wireless: The Sport True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones (about $100) are essentially Sennheiser’s CX True Wireless headphones with sports earcups — for a more secure fit — and better durability. They have an IP54 rating that makes them resistant to splashes and dust. The IPX4-rated CX True Wireless does not offer dust resistance.
Skullcandy Push Active : With their on-ear design, they’re basically a more affordable version of the Beats Powerbeats Pro, and actually fit my ears a little better than the Powerbeats Pro — I’m not usually a fan of the style buds caps, but these are one of the best models. They also cost a lot less than Beats.
Clear Audio Arc 2 Sport: Cleer’s original Arc headphones were solid sports headphones that featured good sound for the open-style buds that sit above your ears and sound in them. The 2023 model (about $170) boosts sound quality and offers additional enhancements and feature upgrades, including a new “enhanced” charging case with UV sterilization and Bluetooth multipoint connectivity (Bluetooth 5.3), all of which make a significantly improved product.
Beats Powerbeats Pro: While the Powerbeats Pro headphones remain popular workout headphones, they’ve been around for a few years, so it’s best to get them at a significant discount.
JBL Live Pro 2: Over the years, JBL Headphones has released a few decent true wireless Bluetooth headphones, but nothing that really excited me. That finally changed with the arrival of the new Samsung-owned brand Live Pro 2 AND Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds — the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 have a pill-shaped design — offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice call performance, plus a robust set of features including multi-point Bluetooth pairing, an IP rating of IPX5 (splash resistant) and wireless charging.
Sony LinkBuds: LinkBuds are, in a sense, Sony’s answer to Apple’s standard AirPods. While they don’t sound as good as Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM4 or the LinkBuds S noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones, they offer a discreet, innovative design and a more secure fit than AirPods, as well as good sound and plenty of volume. good- call performance. Like third-generation AirPods, their open design lets you hear the outside world — that’s what the ring is all about. Read our Sony LinkBuds review.
