WIRED HEADPHONES ARE popular again. The cords are showing up in NBA arena tunnels, where Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry walks in with them hanging from his ears. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams wears corded headphones as part of his pregame routine. Bose felt they were worth bringing back, too. In October, it started shipping the $99 Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds, its first new wired headphones in years.
While our favorite wireless workout headphones are more advanced than ever, they still have problems at the gym: connections drop, audio crackles, and you have to constantly manage the battery. And we've all had a bud knocked loose by a burpee and watched it bounce across the floor and under a squat rack. Just me? A wired pair avoids all of that. Sound travels through the cable, so there are no Bluetooth dropouts, and if a bud slips out, it hangs from the cord instead of hitting the ground.
Wired earbuds also have no battery. You'll never get to the gym and find out your headphones are dead, and a pair that's been sitting in your bag for a month still works as soon as you plug it in.
Best Wired Workout Headphones
Best Overall: Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds
Best Budget:
Best Adjustable Fit:
Best Sound:
Best for Apple:
Sure, the cord can have its own drawbacks. It can snag on a rack in the gym, and when you run, it can bounce around into your body and arms. Its weight also pulls the buds downward, which can put pressure on your ears.
Most picks below have a way to keep the buds in place, including ear hooks, stabilizer wings, or a cable that runs over the top of your ear. Most also come with the right plug for your phone, so you don’t need an adapter. These are the best wired headphones you can get right now.
What to Consider
Are Wired Headphones Better Than Wireless for Working Out?
Wired headphones are better if your workouts keep getting cut short by dead batteries or bad Bluetooth connections. Without a battery, wired headphones play as soon as you plug them in, no matter how long they've sat unused. There's also no battery to wear out after two or three years of charging, which is when many wireless earbuds start dying mid-run.
Wireless buds are the better choice when you need total freedom of movement. Rolling on the floor, kipping pull-ups, and jump rope can all snag a cord. If your workouts are mostly lifting, steady running, or cardio machines, a cord rarely gets in the way.
Will Wired Earbuds Fall Out When I Run?
Like any earbud, whether it’s wired or wireless, they can fall out of your ear. The cable's weight pulls on each bud with every step, so look for one of three fixes: ear hooks, like the memory wire on the MEE Audio M6 Sport or the FlipHook on the JBL Endurance Run 3, loop the cable over your ear. Stability wings, like those on the Bose, brace the bud against the ridge inside your ear. Over-ear cable routing, as on the Shure SE215, takes the cable's weight off the bud entirely. Plain earbuds with no tips or wings, like Apple's EarPods, are the most likely to fall out.
Do Wired Earbuds Work with a Phone That Has No Headphone Jack?
Yes, if you match the plug to your phone. USB-C earbuds plug straight into an 15 and later and most Android phones. Their digital-to-analog converter is built into the plug or cable, so you don't need an adapter. Since most modern smartphones no longer have a 3.5mm jack, earbuds with a 3.5mm plug need a USB-C-to-3.5mm dongle, and on a run that dongle adds weight and can snag on equipment. Choose a USB-C version when one exists.
How Do I Stop Cable Noise When Running with Wired Earbuds?
The thumping you hear when the cord bounces against your shirt is called microphonic. Vibration travels up the wire into the earbud. Routing the cable over your ears is the most effective fix because it breaks the straight path from your chest to your ear canal. Running the cable under your shirt collar also stops it from swinging. A thicker, rubberized cable, like Bose's, transmits less noise than a thin plastic one.
What IP Rating Do I Need for Gym Headphones?
IPX4 is the minimum for sweaty workouts. An IP rating has two digits. The first is dust protection on a scale up to 6, and the second is water protection on a scale up to 9. An X means the product wasn't tested for that category. IPX4 protects against splashing water from any direction, which covers sweat. An IPX5 rating means the headphones can withstand water jets, but it doesn’t guarantee protection in every condition, such as heavy rain. IP65, the JBL Endurance Run 3's rating, adds full dust protection for trail running.
Water and dust resistance is one area where wireless earbuds are well ahead. Most wireless workout models are rated at least IPX4, and many are rated IP55 or higher. Only three of the wired picks here have a rating: the Bose, the JBL, and the MEE Audio. If your pair doesn't have one, they can still survive light sweat, but remember to wipe them dry after each session.
How We Selected
I use Apple’s EarPods every day and have spent years testing wireless headphones and earbuds. That experience shaped what I looked for here. For this guide, I picked models based on factors like fit, durability, compatibility, and inline controls. The rest of the Men's Health team also reviewed and contributed to the list.
First, I looked at fit. A cable pulls on the buds every time you move, so I looked for ear hooks, stabilizer wings, or cables that run over the ear. I favored pairs with an official IP rating over vague "sweat-resistant" claims. I also checked that each pair is sold with a plug that fits current phones, because a 3.5mm-to-USB-C adapter is one more thing that can come loose mid-run. Inline controls mattered as well, since a remote you can reach mid-set means you don't have to dig your phone out.
