One of the best ways to keep your body healthy is by exercising in a gym. But did you know that listening to your own favorite music can boost your concentration while exercising? Awesome is it not? This is why having the correct equipment to achieve optimal performance is important. In this case, a wireless earbud can be your partner. But when it comes to earbuds for the physically active, what are the things you should be aware of, and which earbuds are the best suited for these cases? You will find out in this article.
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Earbuds for the gym: things you need to consider
If you purchase wireless earbuds to use in the gym without taking any consideration into account, you will end up disappointed in most cases. That is why it is important to know certain factors that make an earbud perfect for the gym.
One perfect example that you must consider is the loudness of the music being played inside the gym. Another one is fitting and that if it will stay in place no matter what you are doing. There are a couple more to consider but these are just a few.
Most people would easily buy the Apple AirPods in a heartbeat, but little did they know that the AirPods would easily fail on such a task. Sound quality? Sure, it is there, but for stability and fitting, these are some questions that you need to ask yourself.
But fret not, as we lay out to you the important aspects that you need to consider when buying an earbud for the gym. We will also recommend a couple of models on the market that has surely proven themselves to us.
In-ear earbuds for the gym
There are two types of earbuds on the market; the first one is an "in-ear" while the second is a "half in-ear" or more commonly known as the "semi in-ear." An in-ear earbud is a kind of earbuds that uses a silicone tip that goes inside your ear canal, thus the name in-ear. The latter, on the other hand, lies against your ear canal.
When it comes to physical activity, in-ear earbuds are the best kind of earbuds ideal for gym-goers.
Ambient Noise
Almost every gym plays upbeat music inside its premises. They commonly do this to enhance your mood to work up and do more. But of course, not everyone appreciates this kind of music. Sometimes, there are situations where one of the gym's speakers is just a couple of feet away from the bench press or on your favorite utility. In cases like this, the speaker can be so loud that it tends to overpower a half in-ears earbud, and when it does, it is enough to ruin your day.
Fortunately, this will not be a problem for in-ear earbuds. In-ear types have a good passive noise cancellation feature that blocks outside noise from entering your ears. This means is that when you put on an in-ear earbuds, your ear canal will be blocked or isolated from environmental noise. By doing so, you will be able to enjoy your preferred music while exercising.
An example of a quality in-ear earbuds that is capable are the Eardopes B6 Pro and the SoundPEATS Truengine 3 SE.
Noise cancellation
One particular feature that most of us are unaware of is the noise-canceling capability of the earbuds. There are two types of noise-canceling technology; active noise cancellation or ANC and passive noise cancellation.
- ANC or Active Noise Cancellation is a kind of technology that takes advantage of the built-in microphone. Basically, the earbuds pick up the ambient noise via the built-in microphone and then actively plays a frequency that cancels out and neutralizes the sound.
- Passive Noise Cancellation basically seals up your ear canal to prevent outside noise from entering your ear. Earbuds achieve this by having the silicone ear tips act as a plug that effectively blocks outside noise.
Noise cancellation is one of the important earbuds aspects that you must consider. Especially if you plan to use your earbuds in a noisy environment such as the gym. So, it is best to weigh your options here. Additionally, it is also worth noting that earbuds with active noise cancellation tend to cost more than the passive noise cancellation ones.
Sound quality
While working out in the gym, you want to be encouraged by the music you listen to. People tend to listen to exciting music or upbeat ones that enhance their mood to work out more.
But sometimes, no matter what music you listen to, you just do not get as excited. That is why it is important that the earbuds that you buy must have a good quality sound with deep bass. In our reviews, we have almost always mentioned that low tones and the bass dictates the audio quality of an earbud.
So in our list of best earbuds for the gym, we included those that are capable of producing excellent sound quality with noticeable low tones and deep bass.
Best fit for gym earbuds
The fit of the earbuds that you use in the gym is another important aspect to consider. Why?
Working out in the gym means you will be moving around a lot. That is why having earbuds that stay in your ear without you adjusting them every minute or the second you move is important. This way, you will not have to worry about it falling off, and you can give your full focus on your activity.
In-ear earbuds generally exert enough pressure to clamp themselves into your ear canal to prevent it from falling off. But if you prefer something that gives an assurance of the earbuds now falling off, then you might want to consider an earbud with an ear arch or earbuds with an ear fin.
Earbuds with ear bow
An earbud with an ear arch is basically an earbud piece with a hook that goes around your ear. Earbuds like this offer more stability compared to those that do not have them. The only disadvantage of this kind of earbud is that it often comes with a larger charging case.
Earbuds with ear fin
Earbuds with an ear fin are earbud pieces that come with a fin that slides into the top edge of your ear cup. This gives the earbuds more stability and pressure to prevent them from easily falling off your ears.
Waterproof
Another factor that you must consider when purchasing an earbud is its water protection rating. You do not want earbuds that get easily broken from simple body fluid such as sweat, right? Neither do us.
So you must take into account that you will be sweating a lot when working out in a gym. Which makes the importance of having an earbud waterproof. In fact, a water resistance rating of, at least, IPX4 should suffice. IPX4 means that the earbuds are splash-proof but are not submersible.
Battery longevity
Typically, an average gym-goer takes about an hour or two of working out in the gym. In this case, most earbuds on the market are more than capable enough to last that long on a single full charge. However, some of us will surely take long hours of working out. Especially those that are toning their bodies or building muscles.
If you are one of those people, then you will want something that can endure your demand. The Eardopes B6 Pro can last you up to 8 hours of continuous music on a single full charge. Couple more models are worth recommending such as the SoundPEATS Truengine 3 SE and the Jabra Elite 85t.
Charging case and functionality
Wireless earbuds usually come with a charging case and these cases come in various shape and size. Usually, the bigger the battery, the larger the case but not for every earbud. Nowadays, newer models becomes available on the market with smaller case but packs a larger battery capacity.
When it comes to gym purposes, having a large casing can be inconvenient. They can be space consuming and bulky in your pocket. That is why you would want something that is space-savvy and small.
Inside the gym, you will have two scenarios:
- Inside the gym, you can leave the charging case inside your locker. Most gym membership offers free use of locker while inside the gym's premises.
- You take the charging box with you inside your pocket.
If you opt to take the case with you, it is ideal to purchase an earbud that come with a small or compact casing. This is to prevent it from being inconvenient for you while you work out. So it is best to keep these in mind.
Here is a good example of the difference between having a large charging case and a small charging case. The Trueshift 2 (left) and the Truengine 3 SE (right) shows you how bulky casing can be too much. The Truengine 3 SE will be an excellent earbud to take with you to the gym.
Which wireless earbuds are perfect for the gym?
Taking all the consideration, factors, and aspects that we mentioned above, as well as the tips we mentioned, we have come up with the following earbuds that are perfect for the gym.
NUMBER 1: Eardopes B6 Pro
Do not get us wrong and we are not being biased here. We simply took all the necessary consideration for such cases. Because of it, we were able to design an earbud that addresses all issues and aspects that makes an earbud perfect and ideal for the gym. Especially for those that have an active lifestyle and are always on the go.
The Eardopes B6 Pro features an excellent passive noise canceling feature, nice low tones with punchy bass, a high waterproof rating of IPX7, and a whopping battery of 1000 mAh inside its small compact charging case.
Do you know any earbuds that deserve to be on this list? Do let us know in the comment section below.
