These Comfortable Open-Ear Headphones Are Perfect for Long Runs—and They're 22% Off for Prime Day Big Deal Days

Gen Z was onto something with over-ear headphones for running, and JLab made the dream of comfort, cool ears, and safety come true. And right now the JLab JBuds Open Ear headphones are down to $69.99 for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, a drop from the usual $90. If you love over the ear cans, but worried about how they’d feel on a run, now is an affordable time to try.Over-ear comfort and a sweaty run rarely go together. Cover the ear and you trap heat against your head, and by mile three you are wiping a puddle off your earlobe—it’s gross. The JBuds Open Ear headphones sit over your ear with the cozy, settled fit of a bigger pair, but nothing seals around it. Air keeps moving and sweat has nowhere to collect. I finished my longest run in them without once thinking about my ears, which almost never happens. On top of that, my teenage daughter, who has smaller ears, and therefore cannot wear buds, stole these to wear to cross country practice and her own runs, and not only do they fit perfectly, I fear as though I’ve lost them forever.A Miracle of Modern EngineeringThe fit is dialed in like your favorite pair of running shoes. The ear cups tilt and rotate, which makes lets you find just the right spot. Heads are not symmetrical, and mine certainly is not, so being able to angle each cup until it sits properly matters for both security and long-wear comfort. I wore them from a morning run straight through a workday and never felt a pressure point.Now the sound, which is where these really shocked me. Each ear cup houses dual coaxial dynamic drivers, a 35 mm driver paired with a 12 mm driver. The big driver handles the low end while the small one keeps the highs crisp, and JLab’s Boost Bass technology adds punch to the beat on top. Open-ear headphones usually lose bass because there is no seal to hold it in, and I always expect a thin, tinny result. Instead, vocals come through clean and the low end has more weight than physics should allow. I have tested pairs at double the price that sound worse.JLab’s Focus Sound Steering is what brings it all home. It aims the audio toward your ear canal to cut down on sound leakage, so the person next to you on the train is not getting your playlist for free. (Or hears your not-so-commute-friendly audiobooks.)The rest of the techy specs are every bit as impressive. The bluetooth is a two-device multipoint that lets you stay paired to your phone and laptop at once, so a call that comes in while you are on a spreadsheet doesn’t mean you’re picking up your phone and taking off your headphones. The JLab app makes this even better because it lets you personalize your settings, like the microphone noise cancellation, which cuts wind and street noise so the person on the other end can actually understand you.At this price, the mic quality is a pleasant surprise. They are also sweat and water resistant, so a drizzle or perimenopausal hot flash won’t kill them.Then there is the battery. With 24 hours of wireless playtime, you can wear these for your run, through the workday, on the commute home, and while you cook dinner, and still have charge left over. As and ultra runner, and someone who relies on their husband to remember to charge their devices, I am enamored with this aspect of the headphones. 40 mile runs or ADHD has nothing on these.The usual open-ear caveat applies. If you want total isolation from a loud environment, a sealed pair is the better tool. For everyday runs and everyday life, these cover a lot of ground. At $69.99, the JLab JBuds Open Ear are comfortable, sound fab-tastic, and priced below what they should cost.Shop Jlab Jbuds Open Ear HeadphonesCat Bowen, senior editor of commerce; reviews, is a seasoned runner with more than 20 years of distance running experience, including dozens of marathons, half marathons, and even a few ultra marathons. For over a decade, she has tested parenting, fitness, home, and running gear and written in-depth guides to help readers with their next purchase. Holding multiple advanced degrees and currently studying kinesiology, Cat Bowen brings research-backed insight to all of her guides. Passionate about women’s health and neurodivergent inclusion, she advocates for closing research gaps and helping others—especially AudHD people—find joy in running and fitness.