It’s the second day of 2025. If you’re remaining disciplined, you’ve probably gone for a run by now. If not, you may need some new headphones. No, no, hear us out. There’s logic behind this beyond ‘I’d like a shiny new thing to play with’, though that’s also a factor.
Investing in your fitness journey, in the form of new headphones (and also some other gear), is one way to keep you on track. It’s a slight inverse of the sunk cost fallacy — if you’ve contributed monetarily, you may choose to keep going for longer than you might have otherwise.
Or, you know, this fitness experiment could go the way of so many gym memberships. But unlike a Virgin Active subscription, even if you’re not exercising you can still use your new audio gear. Never mind that twinge of guilt. That’ll go away eventually. Right?
Shokz OpenRun Pro
The thing about running in South Africa is that very few people have access to a track. Far more have access to traffic, pavements, and occasionally the road. In that environment, it’s a great idea to keep your wits about you. Situational awareness can save you from more than a strained hamstring and that calls either for an excellent hear-through mode or these Shokz open headphones. Bone conduction ferries surprisingly detailed sound into your ears via your thick skull (we’re guessing) while the open design means you’ll hear the roaring motor and blaring hooter of the vehicle careening toward your back. Unless it’s an EV, which tends to be silent but deadly. The IP55 rating will let you run in all weathers, too.
R3,500 | Buy it here
Beats Fit Pro
These headphones are Apple-owned so they’ll play nice with your iPhone and they’ve got ‘Fit’ right there in the name. Of course they’re meant for exercise… Actually, the ‘Fit’ right refer to how they feel in your ears but these are also designed to spend time in the gym. Out on the road? Not so much. These Beats are only IPx4 rated, which protects them from sweat and relatively minor water ingress. They’ll fare a bit less happily in a downpour. An extensive battery, excellent fit (we’d like to see the benchpress station that can dislodge these), and Apple’s excellent audio support make these headphones a compelling choice for basically everyone but especially for fans of Tim Cook’s ecosystem.
R5,000 | Buy it here
Jabra Elite 7 Active
These sports earbuds from Jabra are excellent. They’re perhaps the best option here, no matter how vigorously you’re exercising. But if you want a pair, you’d best hurry. Jabra has called it quits on the audio game, winding down its product lineup in favour of something far less sexy. They’re lightweight, feature an IP57 rating, and the external coating will keep them steady even in the slickest of ear canals. They’ll all but disappear from awareness until it’s just you, the challenge, and Hatebreed’s Weight of the False Self for the umpteenth time.
R3,500 | Buy it here
Soundcore Sport X20
Anker’s audio brand Soundcore has spent the last year or so surprising us with how effective they are at their jobs while remaining lower on the pricing scale. These exercise buds are no exception, despite their somewhat bulky design. Soundcore has packed its headphones with a lengthy battery and above-average audio quality, along with noise cancelling. Somehow, the brand has also opted for an IP68 waterproof rating, something we’d expect from a more expensive set of buds. We wouldn’t swim with them on but it’s not out of the question (for a while, at any rate). If you’re not sure whether you’re going to follow through and don’t plan to dump much money on your fitness journey upfront, the X20s will give you the best of most worlds.
R1,500 | Buy it here
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Apple’s headphones, almost without exception, operate best when paired with Apple’s other products. The AirPods Pro 2, as with all the others, are engineered that way. If you’re an iPhone user and want a set of headphones that can do it all, from regular listening to motivating you in the gym, look no further. Yes, they’re pricey but that’s what you should expect from multi-role tech that delivers this sort of quality. The IP54 rating isn’t the best on offer so you may want to keep these for indoor exercise sessions but whatever you use the AirPods Pro 2 for, you’ll have an excellent battery, brilliant transparency, and high-end active noise cancelling at your fingertips.
R5,700 | Buy it here
