Best earphones for heavy running

[nomhak]

I'm shopping for something with the ability to zap background sound pretty good without blowing my eardrums up, stay in my ears comfortably for at least an hour to two hours, and definitely not clunky.

I'm lookin' to spend $120-150 tops.


Any suggestions?

[jasoncordelle]

Phillips do some good ear-hook ones that are also sound-isolating IEMs. they are cheap, but good.

There's also some from Sony that are pretty good, again they are ear-hook ones with an in-ear end and decent sound quality. Nike have some too, but I am not sure what the sound quality is like

[Mochan]

For me the best earphones for running hands down are the Bose IE Triports. This is not going to be a very popular response I'm sure considering everyone and their dog seems to hate Bose, but I frankly found the Bose IE to be very good earphones.

I love the warm sound and they really have nice bass, and for running I think good bass is great because it gets your heart pumping and energizes you.

For my ears at least the Triport's silicon gels really stay in place and don't fall out, unlike the Shure E2C's I had which always fall out especially if the cable is tugged... the cable is so thick and heavy I think it drags the earphones out of my ears all by itself. This happened with all the plugs that came with the E2C's -- not to mention the seal always becomes undone because of this. The Triport's don't need a seal to sound great (heck they don't seal at all) so this is fine, and the lack of isolation is a bonus while running so you are aware of your environment and don't get run over.

They are also by far the most comfortable earphones ever, in terms of sound I like my VModa Vibes better but they are not anywhere near as comfortable.

In short the Bose IE Triports are the best for running, period.

They are not the best at some things, like soundstage which is horrible on the Triports, but when you are running I don't think you care about the soundstage.

Another decent one for running would be the Logitech Freepulse, no cords is great for running. But I hated my Freepulse because it was so tight and uncomfortable I couldn't stand using it for more than 10 minutes. Oh and the sound quality was horrible.

And what's nice is that it's right in your pricerange at around $100US. If these Triports had a wireless version they would be the perfect running earphones IMO.

[mightymilk]

For me the best earphones for running hands down are the Bose IE Triports. This is not going to be a very popular response I'm sure considering everyone and their dog seems to hate Bose, but I frankly found the Bose IE to be very good earphones.

I love the warm sound and they really have nice bass, and for running I think good bass is great because it gets your heart pumping and energizes you.

For my ears at least the Triport's silicon gels really stay in place and don't fall out, unlike the Shure E2C's I had which always fall out especially if the cable is tugged... the cable is so thick and heavy I think it drags the earphones out of my ears all by itself. This happened with all the plugs that came with the E2C's -- not to mention the seal always becomes undone because of this. The Triport's don't need a seal to sound great (heck they don't seal at all) so this is fine, and the lack of isolation is a bonus while running so you are aware of your environment and don't get run over.

They are also by far the most comfortable earphones ever, in terms of sound I like my VModa Vibes better but they are not anywhere near as comfortable.

In short the Bose IE Triports are the best for running, period.

They are not the best at some things, like soundstage which is horrible on the Triports, but when you are running I don't think you care about the soundstage.

Another decent one for running would be the Logitech Freepulse, no cords is great for running. But I hated my Freepulse because it was so tight and uncomfortable I couldn't stand using it for more than 10 minutes. Oh and the sound quality was horrible.

And what's nice is that it's right in your pricerange at around $100US. If these Triports had a wireless version they would be the perfect running earphones IMO.

if you're wearing the shure's properly, there should be no issue with the chord tugging the buds out of your ears. the chord wraps around your ear, therefore any weight from the cable is being stressed at the top of your ear... not in the ear canal itself.

there is however an issue with using certain silicone tips, which can become slippery if you're doing some serious excercise, and the sweat manager to slip between your ear canal and the buds themselves. in this scenario the answer would be foam or something less slick.

[yinzerniner]

In my admittedly limited experience, I would suggest the Sony EX75 earbuds for running.
The problems I have with the earlier recos are as such:
Yes, the Shures usually have a very good fit and great sound, and the over-the-ear insertion technique really secures the phones in the ear. However, I have found the buds to be very large and uncomfortable in the ear after a short while, and the over-the-ear technique, while sturdy, also acts as a sweat funnel.
While I personally hate almost anything by Bose, I have to give the Triports their due. They are very good sounding phones, and they are pretty sturdy as well. Also, they are very good at keeping outside noise and moisture out. However, what I have found with them is that the Bose fit amazingly well for a few people, while for the great majority of ears the fit is terrible. And while they sound good, better sound and isolation can be found for less. Also, Bose uses baby seal blubber to power their manufacturing plants (no really, but I seriously can't stand Bose).
Now, with my reco, the Sony ex75, here are my findings. They sound ok, though the bass is much better than expected. The Sony eartips, while not the best at isolation, are some of the more comfortable out there. The ex75 housings are very small, so there is no real discomfort after extended usage, and they fit a large variety of ear shapes/sizes. And, lastly but not leastly, they are immensely affordable. The problems with the ex75 are that they are not particularly sturdy (wires a little flimsier than I would like), their mids and highs could only be described as adequate, and their isolation and insertions are not quite air-tight like the Shures. However, for running these shortcomings, at least for me, could be ignored as it's actually better to have less sound isolation for running, I don't really do critical listening while working out so sound quality is not as important, and the phones are so affordable having to replace them after a year is not a huge problem.
Again, these are just my findings, but I thought they might be of some help. Best of luck finding a set, and please let us know which phones you choose and your opinions after you test them out.