Bluetooth Earbud (in ear) Recommendations

Equipment
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A little background:

I live in the gulf south where humidity is about 90% year round. I generate a LOT of sweat on pretty much every workout: indoor, outdoor, VO2, tempo, you name it. I’m not sure if it’s the sweat or just bad luck but I’ve had 5 Bluetooth headset/earbuds fail on me in the past year. 3 Skullcandy method wireless, one Lg “halo” type earbuds and one random nameless earbuds. I’m so sick of it. I need a recommendation for RELIABLE earbuds. Good, not great audio is desired. What are people using? Thanks!

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JBL reflect. Had my last set for 4-5 years with no issues. Dropped them into my back wheel and broke one of the buds off the other day, went on eBay and bought another new set for around $50 or so. Hopefully get that long or longer out of them again

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@fierceseaman I have had great luck with Jaybird Freedoms or X3s. They are waterproof and have really great sound. The other is the Aftershokz Trek bone conduction headphones. The aren’t the best for audio but they are great for road riding so you can listen to music but still hear everything around you.

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I use the JayBird X3 and they are fantastic. The killer feature is that they are sweat and waterproof (IPX7). I killed a pair of BeatsX from sweating in TR sessions, but the Jaybirds have not failed me. They recently released the X4, which are very similar, just minor enhancements.

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For truly wireless buds i.e. no little cable at the back:
Jabra Elite Sport. Click for review

Good connection strength that doesn’t seem to drop much at all, battery life is good at around 5 hours per charge, and the case has about 2 charges in them. Stays in ears even when out running and moving about lots.

As a bonus, it also tracks heart rate. I haven’t needed to look at HR while doing workouts since going power, but as a by the way sorta thing, why not. It is still good data for post workout analysis

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i had the a jawbone fail due to sweat during workouts.

A friend recommended me these and by far have been the best earphones bang for buck i have bought

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I’m super happy with apples airpods…

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Jabra Elite 65T for me - also fantastic but without the HR

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Same here, they just work very well.

Sound quality is good (not the best, but very good for the price), they never fall out of my ear whilst riding or running and they even survived two trips in the washing machine.

Jaybird might have a better sound quality (also more expensive) but I really dislike that they have a specific charger for their headsets, it’s the type of thing I would misplace or forget to bring along on a trip.

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I have the X3 as well. They are actually only sweatproof and have some hydrophobic coating - it’s the X4 that is fully IPX7 waterproof, but I haven’t had any problems on even the sweatiest of VO2 max sessions with my X3. So you should be able to pick them up a bit cheaper now the X4 is out.

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Apple air pods have worked great for both indoor cycling and running for me. No issues yet with sweat or falling out - few times when I am rubbing my face with a towel and hit my ear hard. I like that they will pause video and audio When I pull a bud out and start back up with just a tap - don’t have to reach over to tablet/computer/Apple remote which saves hassles. Plus interface if you have a iPhone is really nice for day to day life.

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I like Anker SoundBuds Slim. They come with a little clip you can put on your cycling jersey which stops them getting all over the place during workouts. They’re cheap too like $20 and they have a good warranty.

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I use these. They’re fantastic - Shokz UK | Professional Bone Conduction Sports Headphones

They’re bone conducting so nothing goes in the ear.

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+1 for the Jaybird X3

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I have Anker’s SoundBuds Slim too. I don’t need audiophile quality earbuds for a workout, these work well, are very sweat resistant, and cheap.

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Same issue here, I’ve went through at least 5 over the last 18 months. The aftershocks are interesting since they are truly different from all the others I’ve tried (ear buds). May be trying them soon if I can get them on sale. Nothing would be worse than spending 100 bucks and they break in a couple months like all the others.

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Jay bird has an absolutely horrible reliability record and even worse customer service.

Go read the reviews on Amazon for the X2 and X3. Almost 25% are 1 Star out of thousands of reviews. I had the worst customer support experience I’ve ever had with any company with Jaybird. I would stay away.

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I agree, they are my go to

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When I run, I sweat like there is no tomorrow. I’ve killed more headphones than I can count. The Jaybirds X3 lasted five days with me. Second time I’ve tried them, second time I’ve killed them.

Currently, powerbeats2. I had them died within a year, got a referb back from apple, I use them on the trainer now, taking a break from running to cycle. While waiting for the referb’s, I tried the powerbeats3, killed them in a short time. Hard to say how long this second gen will last, curious to try the third gen again.

IPX7 waterproof, 3 feet/1 meter for 30 mins, not sure I’d trust it.

Jaybird freedom 5, lasted about a week or less.

Jaybird x2, same, very short time till I killed those

Plantronics backbeat go 3, same, dead.

skullcandy xt plyo, same, dead

jbl reflect mini, same, returned

yurbuds focus 400, same, returned

That goes back to Feb 2016. I had a yurbud sport that lasted for a while, sound was okay, support got tired of me killing them and exchanging them, that was before the one year warranty change. They had a lifetime warranty, bad for them, good for me, I’d keep a backup and keep sending them in. You say they’re waterproof, prove it…

I’ve yet to have one manufacture out of the box, make it through the entire warranty period. Some were uncomfortable and sound was just bad, so those could be part of the returns also. Right now, the second gen beats slide on my ears and just work but still have they glitch’s, I’ve had the sound cut out of on them. Not sure if they’re dying or finally getting old.

Good luck on your search.

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I’ve been using these cheap mpow branded ones, they were like $17 on amazon and have worked great. They’re listed for $36 which seems high at the moment and I think they have newer models out as well for less, but I’ve been happy

https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Bluetooth-Headphones-Sweatproof-Hands-free/dp/B00TALUPQO/ref=sr_1_49?ie=UTF8&qid=1538404805&sr=8-49&keywords=mpow+bluetooth+headphones

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