Bluetooth earbuds for running

[masraum]

I've been running for most of the year, and running with wired earbuds is a pain in the rear. I finally decided I'd had enough and needed some wireless earbuds. I wanted decent quality, but inexpensive. I did a lot of surfing on the 'Net to try to filter out the crap and narrow it down to inexpensive quality units. For me, inexpensive meant <$50. There are a bunch of unknown Chinese brands, so I ruled those out right away. I didn't want a lithium battery exploding in my ear after all.

I narrowed it down to 3 brands, Anker (great cust svc and they make great cables), Phaiser and Senso, because they all got almost universally good reviews.

I didn't want the around the ear style clips and I wanted something that fit into my ear canal vs the type that comes with an iphone, so I decided against the Sensos. Then it was a toss-up between the Phaiser and the Anker. I know Anker has great customer service, and I figure I couldn't have gone wrong with either, but I think the Phaiser marketing got to me.

I ordered these for $36 from Amazon.
Phaiser BHS-750 Bluetooth Headphones


They are bigger than I expected and since they are made of metal, they aren't particularly light, but they are completely comfortable in my ears and they aren't going to fall out unless I take up boxing while wearing them. The battery is supposed to last 8 hours. They have 3 built in sound profiles. They come with multiple sizes of stuff to fit them to your ear comfortably and have a 2 year warranty. Like a lot of this type, they have little magnets so if you pop them out, you can wear them like a necklace until you put them back in or put them up. I think they sound surprisingly good for an ear bud.

I considered the Phaiser BHS-730 which has lots of great reviews, and the BHS-750 and 760 which also have great reviews and even the BHS 780 and 790 which bumped the price up to $50. In the end, I went with the 750 because it's supposed to be a newer upgraded model from the 730, and I couldn't see a reason to spend the extra $14 for the 790 for running when I've got a great set of over the ear headphones for when I'm not running.

I'd considered the Anker Spirit headphones at $39 and the Anker Spirit Pros at $49.

[stomachmonkey]

How's the ambient noise when using the mic?

I've been chewing through BT headsets trying to find the right balance of fit and sound.

My current set is great for me but I get complaints from people on the other end that they pick up too much ambient noise.

I like the magnetic option.

Currently my headsets get caught on the seat belt every time I get out of the car, really annoying and I keep losing the little cushion inserts.

[930addict]

Check out treblab J1. No affiliation. Just a satisfied customer.
https://treblab.com/products/treblab-j1

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 930addict

Check out treblab J1. No affiliation. Just a satisfied customer.
https://treblab.com/products/treblab-j1

I did also hear/read good stuff about Treblab and JayBird. I also considered the Plantronics BackBeats.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

How's the ambient noise when using the mic?

I've been chewing through BT headsets trying to find the right balance of fit and sound.

My current set is great for me but I get complaints from people on the other end that they pick up too much ambient noise.

I like the magnetic option.

Currently my headsets get caught on the seat belt every time I get out of the car, really annoying and I keep losing the little cushion inserts.

So far, I haven't made any calls with them. I'll probably only use them while running, therefore, no talking on the phone.

I have these for talking on the phone
Plantronics Voyager Legend. It's got multiple mics for ambient noise cancellation when you're on calls
https://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-Voyager-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headset/dp/B00DQ5NU76


and Plantronics Voyager 8200 UC
also, multiple mics for noise cancellation of ambient noise while you're on calls and Active Noise Cancellation to cut down ambient noise while you're listening to music on on a call.
https://www.headsetsdirect.com/plantronics-voyager-8200-uc-computer-mobile-black.html

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by masraum

I have these for talking on the phone
Plantronics Voyager Legend. It's got multiple mics for ambient noise cancellation when you're on calls
https://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-Voyager-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headset/dp/B00DQ5NU76

I don't do boom mics.

It's just too much "that headset guy" for me.

My BIL uses one, all the time, if you knew him you'd understand.

I like stuff that is not as obvious.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I don't do boom mics.

It's just too much "that headset guy" for me.

My BIL uses one, all the time, if you knew him you'd understand.

I like stuff that is not as obvious.

I get it. I was like that for a long time. I bought it for work exclusively (to use when I was in the office with my desk phone). It had 7 hours of talk time which was about double the talk time of the headset that was provided by the company, and the audio was better.

I think that without a boom mic (to keep the mic close to your mouth) or without something pretty advanced (like the boomless multi-mic setup on the big headphones) you're going to continue to have the same problem on phone calls. If the mic isn't close to your mouth and somewhat directional, then it's going to have to be sensitive and will therefore pick up more background noise. The only way you might get better performance is with something that has decent noise cancellation because it's got multiple mics (The headset with the boom mic has something like 3 or 4 microphones with some being dedicated to listening to ambient for cancellation purposes)

[KevinTodd]

I've had fantastic luck with the Mpow Cheetah. They're light, they don't swing around heavily on your head, the sound is perfectly acceptable, the controls are easy, and they continue to work--even though they're very inexpensive. I run 4-5 times per week in all weather and these things stand up to rain, sweat, everything. I was afraid they'd disco them so I ordered multiple sets, but at $20 you cannot complain.

I won't ever go back to a more expensive BT set for running.


https://www.google.com/search?q=mpow+cheetah&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS731US732&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=ytHPHC7Kl2-9aM%252C1yoM6rbLscrdwM%252C_&usg=AFrqEzfY2KYQ0yl5eFSKYfKmfvcsnk3Wig&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjK-6Dh5ZTdAhVHY6wKHTa5D4AQ_h0wE3oECAUQCg#imgrc=ytHPHC 7Kl2-9aM

[Gus Berges]

I've been a wanna be freak of audio for as long as I can remember. Not a fan of Bose (though I do have their noice cancelling headphones I used to use often for international travels) nor am I one of those who can (in theory!) tell the difference in quality based on cables being used. I do enjoy my Paradigm reference series speakers and Definitive Technology too, but by far, the best bang for the buck ($30!) I've ever listened to are the bluetooth in ear buds from Soundpeats Q30.

I too was researching for earbuds to use while running (5K) and not affected by the vast amount of sweat I produce during such runs (they are IPX6 rated). They will not be Wilson Audio quality sound, but amazing how well they sound for the price. Very comfortable to wear too. The only potential negative comment I could say is that under a strong wind, the mic doesn't work too well.

[stomachmonkey]

Bought two sets of the Phaisers the day Steve recommended them.

Been using a week.

Pleased.

Everyone who has complained about noise from my end with my other headphones says these sound great.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[DavidI]

Thanks for the recommendation Steve. I just ordered a pair and plan to use them during my boxing and kickboxing workouts; not sparring though.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Bought two sets of the Phaisers the day Steve recommended them.

Been using a week.

Pleased.

Everyone who has complained about noise from my end with my other headphones says these sound great.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Nice, glad they are working for you and better on the calls too. I'm surprised, and pleased in case I ever need to use them for calls.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by DavidI

Thanks for the recommendation Steve. I just ordered a pair and plan to use them during my boxing and kickboxing workouts; not sparring though.

Nice, yeah, if you were sparing, I'm not sure that they'd stay in through getting punched or kicked in the head.