Can You Work Out With Bose Headphones?
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Music is very important when I’m working out. It keeps me motivated throughout my workout routine and also gives me that extra boost when I need to push myself, do that extra set, and go for one more rep. That’s why I’m very selective with my workout headphones. I own quite a few Bose earbuds for that purpose. Let’s check out if they are any good.
Bose usually makes some of the best headphones in their segment. The audio quality is top-notch with a well-rounded and balanced sound signature. They also equip a lot of their headphones with active noise canceling, a feature that is very important in public places like gyms.
Let’s figure out what you should look for in workout headphones and a few Bose headphones that can meet your workout needs. However, before we proceed, check out the specs of the Bose earbuds we are looking into:
Headphones | Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones | Bose Sport Earbuds | Bose QuietComfort Earbuds |
Price | Check on Amazon | Check on Amazon | Check on Amazon |
Weight | 0.80 ounces | 0.30 ounces | 0.32 ounces |
Active Noise Canceling | No | No | Yes |
Weatherproof rating | No IP rating, but sweat resistant | IPX4 | IPX4 |
Battery Life | 6 hours | 5 hours | 6 hours |
What are the things you should look for in a workout headphone?
When you buy a pair of headphones for working out, prioritize four things. Audio quality, fit, battery life, and wire noise. These things will immensely affect your audio experience while you’re working out.
Nows, look at the factors in a little more detail:
Audio Quality
This one is the first and foremost criteria while buying any pair of headphones, for a workout, content creation, casual listening, or anything else. You need to pick a pair that sounds good for the price and offers you the right amount of thump, crisp vocals, and clear mids.
Fit
The in-ear fit is also very important when you want a pair of workout headphones. I can’t imagine working out with a pair of earbuds that don’t fill. The amount of sweat that rolls down my ears during a workout isn’t just gross, but slippery as well. It will make my earbuds pop out of my ear canal in no time.
Battery Life
You also need to watch out for battery life when you buy workout earphones. Since the headphone jack was phased out from most mobile devices, most people including me have switched to wireless earbuds. They are convenient but need sufficient battery life to last through my workout sessions and then some.
Wire Noise
In this case, true wireless earbuds win out since they don’t have wires attached to them. I remember the horrifying experience of owning wireless earbuds that were attached with a single piece of wire. That wire would send noise to the earbuds every time it scratched against a surface or dangled in the wind. However, there are exceptions like the Bose SoundSport wireless headphones.
Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones (Best Budget option)
The Bose SoundSport wireless earbuds were the company’s debut into the Bluetooth sport earphone space. It’s quite a few years old, hasn’t received any major revision, and it’s hard to recommend it in 2021. Especially since it has a wire connecting the earbuds.
However, it has a lot of things going for it. For instance, it’s one of the cheapest Bose wireless earbuds you can buy. The sound quality is great and the StayHear+ ear tips with their winged extensions make a great fit while staying snug in my ear. I never felt like they would fall out of my ears.
The build quality is also great. Even if it’s all plastic, it’s a premium quality plastic that feels nice to the touch and the wire is thin yet robust. However, these earbuds are bulky and that makes ear fatigue kick in rather quickly. Despite their 6-hour long battery life, my ears started feeling heavy after the one-hour mark.
Pros
- Works with smart assistants
- Sounds good
- Budget-friendly
Cons
- Wired earbuds
- No IP rating
Bose Sport Earbuds (Best Value)
The Bose Sport earbuds are a pair of truly wireless earbuds from the brand that offers a lot of value. It’s the successor to the Bose SoundSport earbuds and a worthy one. It comes with an official IPX4 rating that keeps me at peace. I don’t need to worry about these earbuds getting damaged due to my sweat.
The sound has also been improved greatly. It’s warmer and the bass is punchier. I can also adjust Active EQ settings from the Bose app. It also has decent noise isolation due to the upgraded StayHear Max ear tips. Moreover, it gives me a 5-hour battery life on each charge and 10 more hours with the case.
Pros
- Comfy and secure fit
- Autoplay/pause on the right bud
- Fast Charging
Cons
- Poor battery life
- No support for aptX Bluetooth codec
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (Best Overall)
The Bose QuietComfort earbuds work phenomenally well and improve on the Bose Sports earbuds. Active Noise Canceling is one of its highlighting features. True to Bose, it works really well and helps to drown out the background noise. It’s built very well and also has an IPX4 rating. Moreover, the sidetone feature comes in handy and keeps me from shouting at the gym while talking to the trainers or other people.
This one also comes with the StayHear Max ear tips that do their job well and feature touch controls. That means I don’t need to hurt my ears to change a track. The sound quality is also great apart from the occasional too loud high notes and the slightly boosted mids.
Pros
- Mono listening on the right earbud
- Supports wireless charging
- Features more advanced Bluetooth 5.1 technology
Cons
- Can feel a bit bulky due to the added ANC components
- The Bose app is required to switch between devices
Conclusion
Bose is a great company that delivers a lot of thought into its products and makes some of the greatest audio gear. They may not be the first to enter the market with a product, but make sure that they deliver an excellent product when they do enter into a market segment. The same holds for workout headphones. I hope this article was helpful to you.