Yo! jogging fans who can’t pound the pave (or revolving treadmill belts) without music being piped into your cranium, what’s your favourite headphones?
The search for a pair that is lightweight, comfy, sounds superb and sticks to ears has been a frustrating one for me.
Just bought a pair of Nike Sport Flight (pix below) at Harvey Norman this week, and I’ve been let down again.
While this pair of behind-the-neck ‘phones sounds ok, stays on fairly securely and is lightweight, the inflexible earpiece hurt my ears so bad near the end of my hour-long run yesterday I had to ditch the music.
The thing I love about this headphones is the single cable that hangs from your back – and out of the way. Sound quality is decent, but below par in terms of headphones I’ve heard for the price ($30). It has good clarity but lacks body. And like I said, the fit on my ears has not been good so far. But I’m gonna persevere for a while more and see if comfort improves just because it is otherwise pretty ergonomic.
My favourite non-running, portable ‘phones are Sony’s in-ear, silicone-bud type headphones (I love the Sony MDR-EX85LP, shown below). They are efficient, sounds superb with portable players and gives good noise isolation.
But once the sweating starts (ok, I, er, perspire like a leaky pail once the heart-rate goes up), these ‘phones invariably start slipping.
In the past few years, I’ve gone through a number of headphones in search of one that fits well and sounds great. And I’m still searching. Here’re several in my embarrassingly well-stocked headphones cabinet that haven’t been that far from the mark:
1. Sennheisser PX100
With its thin foam-covered earpiece, these open headphones (as opposed to the closed design of its big brother PX200, which a leather ear-cup seals the sound in) have the best sound I’ve heard for ‘phones under $100. Plus, it is so efficient that nearly any portable music player can drive it with ease. It has excellent fit too and is far cheaper than the PX200. But I can’t seem to find it these days in shops here. Grade ‘C’ for sweat resistance though, no thanks to the porous and thin foam covers: I’ve worn out a few covers and ultimately the headphones as well.
2. Audio technica Onto
Stylish, good fit and lightweight – but unfortunately, also a tad lightweight in sound quality. But all things considered, the Ontos are decent running headphones. These are my most current ‘phones before I got itchy-finger and shelled out for the Nike.
3. Sennheisser PX200
Superb fit but very bass shy. ‘A’ for sweat resistance and toughness though.
4. Sennheiser MX75
Touted as ‘twist-to-fit’ sports earphones, these icky-green ‘phones sounds great but alas, in my ears, they just seem to twist loose after a while when the heavy perspiring starts. And I’ve long misplaced the fiddly tiny rubber stub that’s supposed to anchor these ‘phones into your ears. Then again, whether the design works seems very much dependent on how your ears are shaped. It is possible they might stick like super-glue on some ears.
5. Sony sports headphones
These trusty Sony sports headphones (Sony MDR-A35 pictured above) have been in production for so many years, I’ve lost track of their changing model numbers. They used to be my favourite running ‘phones and I’ve worn-out a few pairs over the years. These are solid running companions that fit very, very snugly. You can even train your sprints without running the risk of dislodging these. However, the last pair I owned (an earlier model than the MDR-A35G which I haven’t tried) sounded bass-shy, different from earlier models, which sounded rich.
do you want to hear any warm and fading ring of each pluck of a guitar sting? Bose on Ear headphones will satisfy your requirement.
Yo BK,
I have a Nike-Phillips headphone similar to yours – and it was crap. Sounded worse than the Sonys, very uncomfortable, and I don’t like the cable running down the back. We should start awarding some of these crap a “goodu award” of sorts.
I use the non folding version of the MDR-A35 (I think its A20 something, gotta go look). I agree that it certainly stays on really well – no foam/rubber parts so it is sweat friendly and easy to wipe down – but it has never sounded any good. Has absolutely no low end and the sound falls apart if you really crank it up. Which is disappointing since some of the workout tracks are bass heavy. Noise isolation is nothing to shout about but since I take it outdoors sometimes, I’m not about to complain on that cos I like the fact that you can still hear the traffic and people. Meanwhile, it will have to do as I can’t find anything that stays on as well.
I also have the PX200 for listening on my commutes. Good stuff! Closed back too so it shouldn’t irritate the hell out of your neighbour on the bus/train. Only problem with mine was that the plastic pieces that hold the metal band in just above the earpiece kinda “clicks” when you stretch the headphones apart to put it on. Minor problem though.
I don’t like in-ear phones so the search continues…
Hey Steph, I like the look of both ‘phones you mentioned. But if you, like me, is a specky, earphones that clips behind the ears (like the Moto S9) are an uncomfortable prospect since it interferes with the specs frame. I was reminded of that again with my new Nikes.
Yo, Fangirl, I am surprised you find the AT Ontos floppy. I have tried jogging with a Sony in-ear silicone type Bluetooth headset, which didn’t fit well at all. I am still looking 🙂
Hey, great post. I blame the derth of good sports headphones for my not running. I have the Audio Technica Ontos, but can’t imagine using it for running since they fall off even if I’m just walking. Plus flopping wires can be super annoying too. Would you know of any Bluetooth or wireless options?
Hello Boon Kiat! apparantly the MotoRokr S9 is not a bad piece of earphones for joggers. I havent tried it myself, but a couple of my friends swear by it. And the Nike Philips one is just too gorgeous! (:
Brudder, I’m using the Sennheiser Lx-70. Not sure if you can still find them though. Fits your bill (flexible, durable but sound quality is relative). The Nike sports headphones can’t cut it – my previous pair lasted two weeks. and they were hardly comfortable.