3 Of The Best Over Ear Headphones For Working Out

You've probably seen those ads with people hitting the gym, rocking their over-ear headphones like it's the ultimate workout accessory. And yeah, they make it look cool, but are they really the ideal gym headphones? While you might assume that on-ear counterparts, which are typically lighter, are the go-to option, that's not totally true. When using headphones at the gym, what you're most concerned about is blocking out distractions like grunting, panting, and clanging. Over-ear headphones excel here because of their larger cups that fully cover the ears, providing superior sound quality. Even models that don't have active noise cancellation still offer impressive noise reduction capabilities.

Nonetheless, there are hiccups to using them during workouts, including pricing, size, and cup design. Most consumers want a product offering a balance between affordability and high-quality performance. But, because of the components and production processes involved in making these headphones, finding a cheap option could be challenging. Then there's the size — they're bulky. It's like adding one more item to your gym bag checklist. Plus, the design of the cups, tightly covering the ears, tends to trap and accumulate sweat, resulting in heat buildup. Fortunately, you can get headphone covers to fix this. With plenty of choices at your disposal, here are three of the best over-ear headphones for working out.

The Jabra Elite 85h are technically sweatproof, thanks to a nano-coating on their internal components that prevents dust accumulation and repels water. Their battery life is good, offering over thirty hours of usage which means you won't need to charge them as frequently. Regarding active noise cancellation, the Jabra Elite 85h perform quite well, effectively blocking out nearby conversations. However, they may struggle a bit with heavy bass sounds like the rumble of car engines during outdoor exercise. Additionally, the headphones feature SmartSound that adapts audio to your surroundings and voice control for hands-free operation, allowing you to change music tracks or answer calls effortlessly during your workouts.

The Jabra Elite 85h have an impressive Bluetooth range of up to 50 feet and additionally support dual-connectivity, meaning you can connect it to your phone and your computer at the same time, which is handy, though you can't blast music or take calls from both at once. When you purchase these, they come with a durable travel pouch, useful for safeguarding your headphones and convenient for transporting them to the gym. Even during intense workouts like running or extended cardio sessions, these headphones provide a secure fit. Despite their weight of about 296 grams, they won't slip out or fall off.

You can find the Jabra Elite 85h for approximately $299 on Amazon.

"Beats" is a household name, co-founded by the rap legend Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. They have Apple's W1 Chip following its predecessor, the BeatsX. This makes pairing these headphones with your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch a breeze. Plus, you get up to 40 hours of battery life. Unlike the Jabra Elite 85h, the Beats Studio3 Wireless don't have active noise cancellation. Still, they hold their own with "Pure Adaptive Noise Cancellation," designed to continuously monitor your listening environment and adjust the level of noise cancellation in real time to provide the best listening experience while blocking out unwanted noise.

But there's a downside if you plan to use the Beats Studio 3 Wireless for your workouts. The headband padding is relatively thin, and when combined with its firm grip on your ears, it can become uncomfortable while putting it on for a long time. You may find yourself needing to take it off at intervals. These Beats use physical buttons instead of touch-sensitive controls, which people prefer more. The Beats logo serves as its interactive button. It allows you to control various functions like playing and pausing music, skipping tracks, answering calls, adjusting the volume, and even activating your voice assistant. You can find the Beats Studio 3 Wireless at $281 on Amazon, making them a competitive option in the market.

Picture this: you've got a daily 8 a.m. workout routine, but you overslept, and it's 7:45 a.m.! That gives you a tight 15-minute window to get to the gym. To make matters worse, your headphones' battery ran out the day before. But here's the good news — with just a quick three-minute charge, the Sony WH-1000XM5 can give you a solid three hours of playback time. And though these headphones may not have sweat and water resistance, they can handle simple workouts without breaking a sweat themselves. If you happen to accumulate moisture on them during your workout, a quick wipe-down will have them ready for immediate use again.

You can find the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones on Amazon for almost $400, making them a premium option. They're not cheap, but they offer impressive features for those who value audio quality and customization. The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are supported by Sony's Headphones Connect app. This app allows you to fine-tune the adaptive sound control, adjusting the noise-canceling performance based on your movements. So, whether you're in a quiet corner lifting weights or on a treadmill surrounded by a lot of noise, you can customize your sound experience accordingly. You can also customize sound effects, enable notifications and noise guidance, and explore a range of other features.