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Being able to listen to music anywhere you go is the best feeling and can really make your day great. A good set of earbuds allow you to do just that without having to wear or carry around bulky headphones all day. Depending what earbuds you get, you might not even have to deal with wires. You might even be able to take phone calls.
As with most things, you want your earbuds to be durable and last a while. Since they’re so tiny it’s common for them to break or stop functioning as well after awhile. Shopping for the best headphones might seem overwhelming, that’s why we put together this guide to give you some suggestions for the best earbuds.
According to our tests, hands down, the best durable earbuds are the Jaybird Vista. These compact hearty headphones provide excellent sound quality, almost never fall out and can be completely customized to your listening preferences.
8 Best Durable Earbuds
These true wirless headphones are dust proof, shock proof, and sweat proof. They can take a beating and keep on going!
These durable true wireless headphones are IPX 5 waterproof and have shock absorbing features that make them great for running, biking, and more.
The Urbanista London headphones are a durable pair of true wireless headphones with more features that you'd expect at their price point.
Durable, noise isolation earbuds in stainless steel housing with copper cable. The 3.55mm connection is reinforced and gold-plated.
The Shure SE215 are versatile earbuds with sound isolation and multiple connection options. In-line microphone and remote allow you to make phone calls and use voice controls.
Innovative, ergonomic design allows these earbuds to fit perfectly into your ear canal. They offer clear sound quality and up to 95% noise isolation.
Unique custom tuning features allow to customize your music listening experience like never before. Pressure relief on cable ensures long lasting quality.
Alexa enabled, wireless earbuds with easy one touch control. Up to 24 hours of playtime on a full charge.
Related Content: Best Over Ear Headphones For Working Out
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These ultra-durable true wireless headphones are made for athletes who put their headphones through hell. They're "earthproof" as stated by Jaybird, which means they'redustproof, shockproof, waterproof and sweatproof. They stay in place very well, and only come out when you want them to.
Jaybird is known for having some of the best cutsomizable sound settings in the headphone industry, and the Vista stays true to that reputation. If you use the Jaybird app, you can control everything from what button clicks do, a personalized EQ, and even set up a "find my buds" feature that helps track your ear buds if they're lost or stolen.
Overall, these heavy duty headphones are made to take a beating, and have great features and overall sound quality that make them stand out from the crowd.
2. Tranya M10
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These ultra-durable true wireless earbuds are great for running, cycling, and just about anything else. They use bluetooth 5.0 technology, so their connection to your phone is strong and reliable.
Earbuds tend to not sound as good as larger over ear headphones and tend to lack bass, but these headphones are different. The lower frequencies are punchy and full without sounding muddy.
These headphones are also great for taking phone calls, since they have 4 microphones working all at once. They're an overall great pair of headphones for sports and can take a beating while still holding strong.
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The Urbanista London has a style we've all become familiar with. They look like Apple Airpod pro, but pack more features at a better price point. They're true wireless headphones that have an impressive 25 hour battery life, active noise cancellation, voice control, ambient sound mode and more great features.
For being around the $150 mark, these headphones boast impressive sound quality and a slew of features we didn't expect to find for that price. You get active noise cancellation, and ambient noise boost modes, wireless charging, water resistance, in-ear detection and more.
They don't fall out easy and can withstand being dropped, however, they aren't fully waterproof. That means they'll be find if you sweat a lot, or run in the rain, but won't be suitable for swimming or for use in the shower.
4. RHA MA750
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These high resolution earbuds deliver crystal clear, balance audio from 16 to 40,000Hz. Their noise isolating design make them perfect for traveling, working and sleeping in loud environments. The earbuds themselves are really built to last with their stainless steel housings. The cable is also incredibly durable and made from oxygen-free copper with a reinforced, gold plated 3.5mm outlet connection.
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Whether you’re listening to music or making calls, these over-the ear earbuds deliver long-wear comfort and clear sound. The Shure SE215 headphones feature sound isolating sleeves that can cancel out ambient noise up to 37dB and there are different size sleeve options so you can choose the proper size for your ears.
These are super versatile and have multiple connectivity options. You can connect through USB-C, Lightning, 3.5mm or detach the cables and use them with Bluetooth.
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These ergonomic earbuds feature innovative neodymium speakers that deliver clear, high definition sound and deep bass. They’re able to isolate ambient noise by up to 95% so you can focus and enjoy your music without distractions. The construction of the earbuds is rugged and durable. Both the speaker housing and the cable are built to last and endure daily use. The unique design allows them to remain secure and fit comfortably in the ear canal.
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The Sennheiser IE80 is perfect for music enthusiasts who love to customize their sound. They feature a manual sound tuning function to adjust the frequency response to your liking. The housing on the earbuds is rugged and durable, it’s also built to relieve strain on the cable connectors. The earbuds themselves fit deep into the ear canals and isolate ambient noise up to 26dB.
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These wireless earbuds by Sony provide you with 24bit signal for clear, accurate sound quality. The QN1e HD Noise Cancelling Processor is one of the best in the industry and smart listening function automatically adapts based on your activity. They have up to 24 hours of battery life with the charging case. You can also do a quick charge for 90 minutes of play time in just 10 minutes.
These earbuds are very intuitive thanks to Wearing Detection Mode and are easily controlled with just a quick touch.
Advantages of Durable Earbuds
Choosing earbuds comes with many advantages. If they’re decent and durable, be able to enjoy these advantages for a very long time and can easily be some of the best headphones you ever own.
Cable Stress Relief
One of the things that will cause your earbuds to stop functioning properly is too much stress on the cable. This can cause the sound quality to suffer, skip or just stop all together. The stress can be caused by pulling out the earbud too roughly. Even if you try no to yank the earbuds out yourself, sometimes things happen that will pull them out suddenly.
Good, durable earbuds will come with stress relievers where the cable meets the driver. The connection in this area is very fragile and the first spot to break. Another point where stress relievers are needed is where the cable attaches to the 3.5mm connection. Stress relievers are needed here because it is wear you pull the cable out. If your particular set of earbuds have an in-line microphone, there will likely be stress relievers around that spot as well.
High Quality Materials
Quality material will last much longer. A lot of the most durable earbuds often use steel or aluminum driver housing and lost much longer than the ones that use plastic. In addition to high quality driver housing, sturdy reinforced cables are also going to much longer lasting - typically copper will be the most durable.
Characteristics of Earbuds
Ambient Noise Isolation
Earbuds a tiny speakers that are inserted directly into your ear, sometimes even into the canal. This closes off the entrance completely, keeping exterior noise out or at least limiting it. Some of the best noise canceling earbuds will even have tips that expand in your ear to close off and isolate the sound even more.
Small & Lightweight
Earbuds are very tiny and portable. This makes them super convenient to carry anywhere, you don’t even have to have a bag - they can fit right into your pocket. If they’re wireless, they often come with a small carrying case. If not, you can just quickly wrap the cord up.
Low Profile
Unlike big bulky headphones or earphones, earbuds fit right into your ear and don’t interfere with things like glasses or earrings, or messing up your hair. They have a very low profile and sometimes are almost undetectable unless you look for them.
Microphone & Controls
Some earbuds will come with a built-in in-line microphone that allows you to take hands-free calls. When there’s a microphone, there’s also often a small remote built-in as well that allows you to control volume and accept/end calls from the earbuds themselves. This is often located on the wire or as a small button on the earbuds themselves.
Factors to Consider When Buying Durable Earbuds
It’s easy to just choose the first set of earbuds you find and call it a day. But that doesn’t mean that they’re going to be very goods or last very long with daily use. They might even be missing an important feature that you really wanted. Here are some important features and factors to consider before making your decision.
Corded or Wireless
You need to decide if you want corded or wireless earbuds. More often than not, the corded ones will provide the very best sound quality, but there are Bluetooth ones out there that have very high quality sound. The downside of corded headphones is that you have to deal the cords and sometimes have to untangle them.
Going wireless is a great option if you don’t want to deal with wires, especially if you are active and like to wear earbuds while working out. The downside is that you do have to worry about keeping them charged and try not to lose them.
Tip Selection
Since earbuds to go into the ear and not all ears are shaped the same, it’s important to look for earbuds that include a variety of different sized ear tips so that you can try them all on and find the proper fitting one for yourself. If the tip of the earbuds don’t fit you properly, they might not stay in your ear or you’ll be very uncomfortable.
Waterproof Materials
This is especially important if you like to wear your earbuds to the pool or use them while sweating. Water and even a small amount of sweat getting into you earbuds can be very problematic and even ruin them if they aren’t built to handle it. Even just walking in the rain can ruin your earbuds, so it’s best to look for waterproof materials even if you aren’t planning to use them near water or in the gym.
Sounds Quality
When shopping for any type of speakers, headphones or earbuds, sound quality is going to be an important factor. They might be the strongest earbuds on the planet, but if the sound quality is bad then are they really worth it? Look for earbuds that have a wide frequency response, this will give your richer, clear sound quality.
Conclusion
Earbuds are convenient, compact and low-profile. Even though they’re so small, they can still be very powerful and give you an amazing, immersive music listening experience. Shopping for earbuds isn’t too hard, but making sure that you’re getting durable, high quality ones might take some extra effort. Everyday use can put a lot of pressure and wear and tear on them, so it’s important to choose some that are built with strong materials and extra reinforcement
Use this guide to help you navigate your options, know what to look for and make the best decision. Not only do you want high quality sound, you want your earbuds to fit comfortably and last a long time. With this information and a little bit of patience, you’ll find your perfect pair of earbuds in no time.
