I have a pair of Bose Sound sport that I have been using for a few years, and while the audio quality is fine there is an absolute insane amount of wind-noise when using them outside. If there’s anything more that a light breeze, I have to crank the volume to hear my podcasts or music…and forget about using them on the bike!
What are some good alternatives that retain the audio quality, but reduce the wind noise and resist weather impact? On/over-ear headphones are not a solution for me, they’re all way too bulky for running. Bone conducting ones like Shockz seem flat when listening to them
Shockz are the best I’ve used, by far. I had a couple different kinds of non bone conducting in the past and the wind noise was always such a problem that I couldn’t use them on windy days, similar to what you mentioned. If you haven’t tried Shockz lately, you might want to find a running store that carries them and give it another shot. I recently got the OpenRun, and was surprised that they sounded better than the 3 year old “Air by Aftershockz” they replaced. (My dog chewed up the old ones 🫠) The OpenRun Pro are supposed to sound even better, but are not cheap.
Hm, I might try to find a store where I can try the OpenRun Pro then. Do you know if they’re annoying to wear while wearing glasses during exercise?
I wear glasses too, and it’s mixed. The headphones work better when they are next to your head, so the arms of the glasses are on top. My current glasses slip when I do this and it drives me crazy, but I have an old pair that doesn’t have this problem so I just wear those when I run (the arms bend between my ears a little.) YMMV.
Not sure about the Pro being a Best buy exclusive… Shockz sells them from their site directly. Seems like I’ve seen them at my local running store too, but it’s possible those were just the non-pro.
Yeah that’s what I’m afraid is going to be annoying, the frame on my glasses is pretty thick all-around (RayBan Wayfarer style frame)…there seems to be agreement that these are the only viable solution to reduce wind noise, so I’ll test them out and see how it goes I guess 🤷
I definitely agree with the Shokz. I think it’s nice to hear the environment while running for safety’s sake. I believe the Pros are a Best Buy exclusive, but they didn’t have some on display in the store by me. I ended up taking a chance on them and like them. The bass is a little better with the Pros than the regular ones, but it’s always going to sound a bit different than conventional earbuds. I wear glasses and they don’t bother me, but I would recommend putting the headphones on first, pushing the band in the back all the way up on your head, and then put glasses on.
I recommend any bone conduction headphones. I have got some cheap 30e from lenovo and they are great.
I personally switched to Shockz, not for sound quality, but for water resistance. Running in Ireland, we get plenty of water, but also loads of wind, and before going with Shockz I used a bandana over my earbuds to reduce the wind interference. Headbands are an option, but even if you find one that offers the perfect balance between snugness and limited pressure on the ears, over time (and after multiple washes) headbands tent to loosen up. A bandana is a cheap and near universal solution.
I use the first-gen Sony Linkbuds. Sony Australia sells refurbished models of their headphones for very good prices on eBay, which is why I tried them out.
Since they are essentially open-back, they don’t have that problem poorly sealed in-ears have with the wind tunnel effect drowning everything out. However they have no seal by design so you will hear the noise from your surroundings. Personally I don’t mind at all and being completely aware of what is happening around me and the sound of my breathing is actually one of my favourite things about them, but I know some people just like to block out everything and only hear their music.
Another good thing about Linkbuds is you can’t hear your heartbeat. That used to drive me absolutely crazy when I was wearing in-ears, to the point that I just gave up and didn’t listen to anything while running.
I’m using an older jabra elite set and am very happy.
