The Best Headphones of 2016
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Let the music play, wherever your workout takes you.
Gibson Trainer
The most visible attribute on the Trainer is the stabilizing second headband. And while it does help a little when running, what sold us were all the other features: an LED that alerts after-dusk drivers to your presence, ten hours of battery life, and a muting button for when you need to hear the world around you.
Price $250
Optoma NuForce BE6
Optoma’s cylinder-shaped monitors have always been good for everyday use—they’re lighter than they look and sit firmly in your ear canals. Now, with the BE6, Optoma goes wireless, offering up to six hours of play on a charge. Red flag: there’s no fit kit included, so the tips are one size fits all.
Price $129
Koss FitClips KSC32i
Sub-$25 earbuds this well made are a rarity. The FitClips are sweat-resistant and have a comfy over-the-ear loop to hold them in place. The soft tips create a seal that blocks out external noise, and an inline mic lets you take calls. Best of all, they rise above the tinny sound that others in this price range emit.
Price $20
V-Moda Crossfade Wireless
These are some of the best-sounding headphones we’ve ever tested. The fact that they’re military-grade tough and have a headband and cord that will probably never fail only makes them better. And the cord is optional: the Crossfade holds a charge for up to 12 hours of Bluetooth use.
Price $300
Bose SoundTrue Ultra
This compact pair pumps out detailed bass. The SoundTrue is built for all-around use, but it does offer sweat resistance and a cable design that helps reduce wire noise as you bounce along. A mic-remote lets you answer calls without fishing out your phone. (Separate models are available for Android and iOS.)
Price $150
Scosche SportclipAir
We’ve had more than a few ’phones short out on us from nothing more than a trickle of sweat. Enter the waterproof, Bluetooth-enabled SportclipAir. They stayed in place during workouts, thanks to a moldable wire that wraps around the top of the ear, and the sound is richer than $100 usually buys.
Price $100
