Bluetooth Ear Buds

I tried several early models, and they were sort of awful.  A year ago I bought Jaybird X2 headphones, love them.  Only $80 now. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013HSW4SM

My go-to source for electronics reviews is The Wirecutter.  Here's their current article on "the best wireless exercise headphones"

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wireless-exercise-headphones/

Last year the Jaybird X2 was the winner, now it's #2 ("tricky to fit") and the JLab Epic2 is the winner.

https://www.jlabaudio.com/products/epic2-bluetooth-wireless-sport-earbuds?rfsn=133410.207cf&variant=23929662023

I tried the Jaybird first. They had great sound and a great fit but died after just over a year. I spent about $120 so I wasn't happy when they wouldn't stand behind their product. (warranty was a year)

Then I got in on a pre-buy of the AfterShokz Trekz Titanium  I had a problem with them a few months in to ownership and they sent a new pair, no questions asked. I like them  because they sit on the jawbone so I can still hear what is going on around me.

Do you bicycle with those? Can you hear the music well?  I don't use my X2s on the bike because they would block too much sound, but that's what makes them great on the run.

I've never been in the habit of using music on the bike but one certainly could. Yesterday I was running with the headphones on and was able to carry on a conversation without turning them down.

My wife and I use the Plantronics Backbeat Fit.  We don't like the sealing in the canal type ear buds so these are nice as they don't seal but fit in the comfortably in the outer ear (concha) and can still hear what's going on around you.  Simple controls, left ear for music player (pause, FF, RW) and one button volume control, right ear for call controls for taking calls and mic with some noise cancelling.  I've used if to make/take calls many times while outside without complaints.

I've had mine for year and a half now, battery life is still has plenty of reserve and best part is that it is very durable. Mine have been through the washer and dryer twice so far (!) and I've been caught in at least 3 major FL downpours and still are working like day one.

They just updated the model so the older model can be found online for ~ $75 or so. Originally ~ $130.

Almost any of the cheaper chinese BT sport earbuds work well.  It'll depend a lot on whether you like the fit, or need earhooks.

The Taotronics ear-hook BT earphones are my favorite. The earhooks are super solid, so they won't fall out of your ears. (I've tried several non earhook models and all of them fall out of my ears - your ear shape may be more favorable.) The only drawback on these is the body of the earbud is a bit larger, so you hear slightly more wind artifacts when the wind is blowing, but it's trivial to ignore.

I definitely don't think you need to spend $50+ on 'high-end' earphones by Jaybird or similar anymore. That used to be the case, but now, the $20-$30 earbuds perform admirably well. The sound quality is now excellent on these cheap ones and the durability is every bit as good as Jaybird. I know this as I've killed 8 Jaybird BT earbuds over the last 4 years, with two separate models , and they don't last particularly longer than the cheap ones despite the $$$. 

Furthermore, companies like Anker (they make good earbuds as well) have warrantee and return policies that just beat the pants off of Jaybird. 

I had an Anker charging battery pack for phones (not earbuds, but they have the same warrantee for all their electronics in this range) that recently failed and this is how it went down:

- Emailed them about my failed product that was 13 months old. Lucky me - they have an 18 month warrantee!

- They apologized and said a new one was on the way

- I received in 2 days, as fast as Amazon prime for new products. Didn't have to fill any forms or send back the original.

- Total turnaround time: 2 days, $0 cost on my end. It's almost impossible to improve on this!

Here is out all my Jaybird returns have gone down. These include a pricey $100+ set, so you'd expect good customer service.

- Emailed them about the failure

- They ask me to mail it back to them at my cost.

- After I mail it back priority mail, it takes them another 3 days to even process it, and then 4-6 more days to send me a new one

- Total turnaround time is 4 weeks each time, and I've paid for shipping the defective product back. The big delay in the turnaround is why I actually bought two sets of Jaybird earbuds to begin with as I really needed them for training on my treadmill/Kickr.

It's no contest in my book - Anker >>> Jaybird for returns, and they have a killer 18 month warrantee. Anker's been around for several years+ now, so I'd say you can buy those cheaper $25-35 Anker earbuds with confidence.

I gave out six pairs of $30 Chinese BT earbuds for Christmas; they work reasonably well I'm told.  I felt the sound quality of the X2 was significantly better especially low-end.

Never tried Anker earphones, but I have a bunch of Anker products and they've all worked great (solar charger, phone charging case, backup battery, Bluetooth dongles).  I totally agree Anker products are high quality.

I must be lucky or something. I've never had a headphone die, wired, wireless, expensive, or cheap. I lose them, but I don't break them.

It's the sweat the ultimately kills them. I take extra care to not open the USB port whenever it's remotely damp, but I think some eventually seeps in at some point (I sweat a LOT on the trainer/TM) and kills it. I managed to kill a Bluebird on its third use, which was a major bummer (got a replacement, which I also killed.)

I'm the kind of guy that leaves a literal 3-4 foot puddle around a gym bike in an hour if there's no fan. And at home, even with a fan going full blast, there's usually a 2 foot+ puddle around me on the garage floor.