Best running headphones: I’ve run for miles in earbuds and headphones – these are the brands that come out on top for sound quality, comfort and they won’t fall out of your ears while running

I was slightly apprehensive ahead of testing Beats’s premium contribution to the running headphone market.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are undoubtedly garish, with unusual arms sticking out of the earbuds to help them fit in your ear, as well as an interesting selection of colours, of which the electric orange is the most popular.

And there is no sugar-coating the price either. At £250 on the Beats website, they are more expensive than Airpods.

Thankfully my fears were immediately assuaged by the quality of sound emerging from these things, which handle heavy bass, guitar licks and a range of vocals just as capably as their Apple rivals.

The Powerbeats are also easy to connect, proving that other brands have come a long way in recent years with their ease of use. This is helped by the fact they are powered by the Apple H2 chip.

Of all the headphones I tried, these probably fitted the most securely in the ear – a key plus point for runners.

Not to be outdone by Apple, the Beats have also implemented heart rate technology which is a nice touch, and their battery life stands at an impressive 10 hours, decently longer than their Airpod rivals and certainly longer than any workout I’m planning on undertaking.

Aesthetically, however, they lose marks on their top competitor. The design is simply not as attractive as other headphones out there, and the case is slightly bigger than it needs to be.

But overall these give the Airpods a real run for their money and are arguably better for running purposes alone.

I was perhaps guilty of an underlying desire to find fault with Apple’s much-vaunted Airpods, such has been their complete domination of the wireless headphone market for around a decade now.

But as is so often the case with the American tech giant: their product is pure gold.

Maybe our brains have just become aligned with Apple’s way of doing things after years of using their devices, but there is something so satisfying in the way these Airpods work.

Easy to connect and effortless to adjust settings and features, these headphones are a joy to use.

Answering the phone is seamless as is cycling through the range of noise cancelling modes these Airpods offer.

And the noise cancelling is great. The full-on setting – which Apple claims is twice as good as the Pro 2 – offers almost complete separation from the outside world. So much so that I couldn’t hear the mocking remarks from passersby as I jogged along at a crawling pace.

It’s easy to forget these are just tiny little earphones which can fit in a pocket-sized case, such is their richness and depth of sound which rivals the best over-ear cans and hi-fi speakers.

They even boast a brand new heart rate monitor for those looking to hone in on their running performance.

Lacking a clip which lodges them fully into the ear, there is always an outside chance the Airpods could fall out if you are particularly exerting yourself. But this never happened to me, and is not enough to rob this product of an easy five-star rating.

Tested by Shivali Best

These clip-on open-ear headphones – hovering above the ear much like the Shokz Open Runs do – have been billed as a genuine rival to the Airpods.

Certainly the Bose Ultra Opens are incredibly comfortable, and possibly the most discreet of all of the headphones we tested.

And the sound they deliver is balanced and satisfying – full value for every song from every genre we tried.

But these are even more of a culture shock than the aforementioned bone induction headphones, with your ear feeling almost completely exposed to the hustle-bustle of the outside world.

Perhaps this wouldn’t be a problem while jogging in a country field, but given that noisy, busy city streets are where I plan to do most of my running, this is certainly a frustration.

The ‘immersive audio’ Bose boast of on their website is actually the major downside to these headphones, which lack the noise cancelling technology their rivals have.

I need more oomph from my headphones if I’m going to finally make good on my jogging vows. With the Ultra Opens, it seems like your ears only receive half the power the speakers emit.

They are, however, comfortable enough and sufficiently high-quality to warrant a four-star rating – especially if you plan to use them at home or in quieter outdoor settings.

I have a real soft spot for these little pebble-like headphones.

They pack a wonderful punch for such small, unassuming buds and the sound is consistent across the variety of tunes we tested them on.

The Sony Linkbuds Fit offer a high quality depth of sound and are surprisingly loud too.

Their noise cancelling is similarly impressive and Ambient Sound Mode automatically adjusts the background noise to your surroundings.

Sleek-looking and stylish, these headphones also come in a convenient and compact box.

They are obviously small and slightly awkward to get in and feel a tad like they might fall out. But they don’t – they are as secure as any of their rivals.

But alas they have a defect. Those around you can hear what you’re listening to a bit too clearly. Embarrassing. But if you run at the pace I do, no one can get close enough to judge you.

In contrast to their bigger, more expensive sibling, I was quite excited about trying out the Beats Fit, enticed by their sleek design and more reasonable price tag.

Make no mistake, these are still premium running headphones – but they failed to live up to the lofty expectations I placed upon them.

The sound was tinnier than its more expensive rivals and struggled to cope with the louder, more stretched sounds of some of the rock and jazz tunes it was tasked with playing.

And after enjoying the bliss of the Airpods and Powerbeats, the noise cancelling on the Fits was also slightly disappointing.

But it’s not all bad news. These headphones are incredibly stable and are barely noticeable throughout a variety of different exercises.

Their sound is balanced and they can play a majority of songs well enough. I also liked the Fits’ range of different noise cancelling options, from Transparent to Active.

They are easy to connect to, and answering calls is very straightforward.

The listening experience might not be as luxurious as some of the more expensive options, but the price tag – which is often less than £200 – is enticing, and their stylish design is enough to bump these headphones up to a four-star rating.

Arguably the Final Boss of running headphones, the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 eschew all style in favour of pure efficiency.

Boasting bone conduction technology, the speakers hover next to your ear held in place by a band which wraps round the back of your head.

They take some getting used to. For those who are accustomed exclusively to in-ear or over-ear headphones (like I am) the Open Runs are worth a few practice laps before you take the plunge.

Once you break the psychological barrier, this device can offer a surprisingly rich sound boosted by DualPitch technology, which is pleasing to the ears.

Used by stars of the athletics world including Eliud Kipchoge, the Open Runs are undoubtedly good for your ears and offer very solid noise cancellation.

If you’re searching for a real dose of musical inspiration by cranking the volume up, these headphones do not quite reach the heights of some competitors, the out-of-ear design limiting the loudness they can achieve.

Mine did not seem to fit quite correctly and were quite loose around the back of the head, and I can imagine this being the case for others.

And, of course, they look a bit daft – but if you’re a committed runner I don’t suppose this is something you’re concerned by.

Simply the best sound I’ve heard in a pair of headphones.

They may not technically be for runners and are certainly a great deal more cumbersome than others on this list but I cannot in good faith give them anything other than five stars.

The noise cancelling in the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones 2 is so complete, you could jog through a field of a million cicadas and barely hear a peep (not recommended).

These headphones can go loud – very loud – but they maintain their delicate grip on the subtle sounds that make music great, at any volume.

Their range of audio options genuinely adapt to what you are listening to and during our testing the Quiet Comforts were able to adjust their sounds from rock music to pop to, and from jazz to podcasts.

I have become absolutely obsessed with them since they arrived and, while I would use one of the smaller options if I was a regular jogger, I have brought this out on every other occasion – and even chosen them over its sleeker rivals for the odd run.

They are stylish – especially the all black ones I received – but frankly they could be decorated in a gruesome combination of clashing neon colours and flashing fairy lights and I would still adore them.

And, unlike some headphones which start rubbing on the ear after a while, the Quiet Comforts live up to their name and remain cosy thanks to the ‘luxe materials’ described on their website, even on a long jog or trip to the gym.

At 30 hours of battery life, these last longer than many of the other options we tried and they are incredibly easy to use, from Bluetooth connection to phone calls.

These are headphones of the highest quality, and would not be out of place in a top music studio.