[ultrarunner2018]

Hey guys;
I was wearing a pair of JBL/UA Sport Wireless Train cans for running (outdoors). They were great for the summer, since they're on-ear and not over the ear. I liked these headphones, except for the power and pause/play buttons - they became intermittent after only a few months of use, but I managed to continue using them for about 2 years. But a few weeks ago, I was out walking my dog, and a heavy shower hit. The JBL kept playing, but the next day when I tried to power them up, I got nothing. When plugged into a live USB charger, they didn't even show charging. So I began looking for a new pair of cans for running.

I tried a pair of Treblab Z2, but they turned out to be over the ear, and very hot, so I returned them.
I have 2pr of buds - Jabra Elite Active 75t, and Treblab X3-Pro, but for some reason, I cannot wear buds; they always work their way out of my ears. The Jabra don't have ear hooks, so they will actually fall out while I'm running. The Treblab X3-Pro have ear hooks, so they won't actually fall off, but the bud works its way out of my ear, so I lose all sound quality.
So I have begun a quest for a good pair of on-ear cans that will withstand my heavy sweating, and a bit of rain once in a while.
I need to go wireless, which I think actually gives me more options than if I wanted wired. My Pixel 6 doesn't even have a headphone jack, so I would need to use the USB to 3.5mm dongle I bought for my car. That presents a problem with water, due to the exposed USB port. In any case, after going wireless for several years now, I cannot go back to wired cans for running. However, my best pair of cans for home are the Sennheiser HD600's powered by my Schiit Modius/Magnius stack.

I would buy another pair of JBL Sport Wireless Train, but they're no longer available. I liked them for their decent sound, and being cool to wear in the summer.

At this point, I don't care how much $$ I would need to spend to get a pair of on-ear cans that will stand up to sweat and a bit of rain, and have good sound; but it seems that everyone's wearing buds for sports.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Ultrarunner

 

[Caipirina]

Funny thing, today I stumbled across a gently used pair of those JBL / UA and ordered them, your review makes me even more excited for them, as I am also a heavy head sweater runner ... and I like to mix things up, I do have a few TWS that work fine, but for long races I always use my aftershokz bone conducting thingies, they are awesome IMHO. But so far this is one of the very few i have found that have something like washable pads .. Adidas has the RPT 02 which looks ok .. and then there was a kickstarter a long time ago, by some athlete .. and somehow that fizzled away ...

 

[ultrarunner2018]

I found a pair or two of the JBL/UA on Ebay, but I hesitate to order used, since I once did and they smelled of cigarette smoke. I returned them for a refund.
In addition to that, I had trouble with the power switch on my pair of JBL UA not too long after I purchased them. I contacted JBL and was sent a new pair, but the switch began to give me trouble again after about 1 year. For this reason, I hesitate to buy used.

I have never been interested in bone conducting headphones, as by nature, they would lack much of the low end. For audiobooks, I guess I could live with them though.
I'm going to check Ebay again, and if I find something, I'll just ask the seller whether they were used/stored in a smoking environment.

I have a pair of Jabra Elite Active 75t, which sound very good, but will not stay in my ears while running - especially in warm weather when I sweat heavily. I even swapped out the tips, but nothing seems to work.
But a couple days ago, I started wearing a headband, which covers my ears, and thus keeps the buds in place. Still, I find the buds uncomfortable when I sweat heavily.

Edit: being inspired by your reply, I checked Ebay again, and found a pair of JBL/UA Sport Wireless Train unused, open box for $200.
I ordered right away, as I didn't want to let them get away.
When I receive them, I think I'll try to improve on the power switch so it won't get messed up again. Maybe if I could wrap a thin piece of plastic over the back of the right earpiece, it would protect the switch & buttons from dust. In any case, while these cans are water resistant, I won't be taking them out when rain is expected.
That's how my last pair died.

 

[Caipirina]

I found a pair or two of the JBL/UA on Ebay, but I hesitate to order used, since I once did and they smelled of cigarette smoke. I returned them for a refund.
In addition to that, I had trouble with the power switch on my pair of JBL UA not too long after I purchased them. I contacted JBL and was sent a new pair, but the switch began to give me trouble again after about 1 year. For this reason, I hesitate to buy used.

I have never been interested in bone conducting headphones, as by nature, they would lack much of the low end. For audiobooks, I guess I could live with them though.
I'm going to check Ebay again, and if I find something, I'll just ask the seller whether they were used/stored in a smoking environment.

I have a pair of Jabra Elite Active 75t, which sound very good, but will not stay in my ears while running - especially in warm weather when I sweat heavily. I even swapped out the tips, but nothing seems to work.
But a couple days ago, I started wearing a headband, which covers my ears, and thus keeps the buds in place. Still, I find the buds uncomfortable when I sweat heavily.

Edit: being inspired by your reply, I checked Ebay again, and found a pair of JBL/UA Sport Wireless Train unused, open box for $200.
I ordered right away, as I didn't want to let them get away.
When I receive them, I think I'll try to improve on the power switch so it won't get messed up again. Maybe if I could wrap a thin piece of plastic over the back of the right earpiece, it would protect the switch & buttons from dust. In any case, while these cans are water resistant, I won't be taking them out when rain is expected.
That's how my last pair died.

I never believed in bone conducting (and sheepishly enough tried first a 40$ cheapo pair, finding my suspicions confirmd) ... but then tried a friend's aftershokz and there is a reason why they cost more While not an immense Bass, it is pretty decent for 26 mile runs ... and that battery is great, had them on for 8h on a 62K run (mixed with walk, turned out later I caught myself a little stress fracture ) ...

As for the JBL, i found them here on a very trusty headphone dealer's site (e-earphone, Tokyo, Japan) and so far their rating of how used / what shape has been spot on ... and used articles in general in Japan feel like 'barely used' and come with all the accessories .. so, I am very hopeful ... now, that switch thing .. I wonder what I can do to protect ...

 

[Caipirina]

They arrived, look and smell like new! first impressions: really nice sound! Way less muddy in the bass compared to another JBL model I have. But oh boy, that clamping force! This is either going away over time, or my head will get lightly reshaped over long runs Even that case is pretty!

So, what can one do to keep that power button alive for as long as possible?

 

[ultrarunner2018]

Yes, the JBL/UA cans do have a strong clamping force. That's one reason I liked them so much for running - they stay on your head. But they do get uncomfortable after a while. I don't think you would want to run anything more than a 10K with these. That said, I have run longer - 1/2 marathon - with them. I found that they are less uncomfortable while I'm running than when sitting with them on .
I don't think you can expect the clamping force to get any weaker with time. I think they're more comfortable if you wear a baseball cap under them.
I don't know what the ip rating is, but they are definitely not waterproof, as mine went dead after getting caught in a heavy, but brief downpour.

About the power switch; if you don't run in dusty environments, then maybe it won't give you any trouble. But where I live, just about everyone has a landscaper who uses leaf blowers, and even though most of the operators will stop the machine when someone approaches, they throw so much particulate into the air that it's impossible not to get some into the headphones - and your eyes, so I always wear sunglasses when I run or walk my dog.
When I receive mine, I'll see whether I can come up with anything. If there's nothing better, perhaps some Saran wrap could be attached to the right earcup.

 

[ultrarunner2018]

OK; So I had this great thought while I was out running (only 6Km today): Maybe someone already makes a waterproof/resistant cover for headphones that could be slipped over the back of the can. But no; The only covers I found are intended to protect the user from COVID and other bad stuff if they want to share their cans.
Right; like you're going to get anything through your ears. I suppose it's theoretically possible, but especially for COVID-19, I don't think that's an ingress route that has even been considered. It's much more likely with earbuds, but then I think most people understand the reason they should never share earbuds. Yuk!

So, maybe if I can 'invent' something, I can patent it and make some $$ to buy more expensive cans.
Currently, I own the following:

Sennheiser HD-600 on balanced line from Schiit Modius/Magnius stack.
HiFiMAN Deva Pro with BlueMini D/A
Sony WH-1000XM5
Jabra Elite Active 75t
And now, I will once again own a pair of JBL/UA Sport Wireless Train.

Even with the headband, the buds (Jabra) come loose, but at least not as bad as without the headband.
I would not wear the Sony WH-1000XM5 on the run, as they are $400, and I want to keep them as my indoor go-to cans - and they are NOT water or dust resistant. I wouldn't need or want the superb ANC those cans offer outdoors anyway.
The Jabra Elite Active 75t have pretty decent ANC, but they're buds. In any case, I usually run with them with ANC turned off until I get onto the pathway in the local park, but even then, I should probably leave it off, considering that bikes, and even powered MOW (maintenence of way - ie; lawn mowers, police vehicles, etc) vehicles use the path.
So, unless it's going to rain, I will use the JBL/UA on-ear. But it would be great if I (or anyone else) could come up with a protective cover for the electronics.
I guess when they give headphones an ip rating, they're mostly testing for gym sweat, and light and brief rain showers or sprinklers.

Of course, I could go back to wired cans. I had a pair of Koss Porta-Pro and Sporta-Pro on-ear cans. I loved them, until I bought the JBL/UA and found the freedom of wireless, and the much improved (over the Koss wired) sound. But once you go wireless, you'll never go back - at least for sport/active use.
With wired, I would occasionally have to deal with the wire while out running; like if I needed to make a pit stop. And then there's the lack of controls on most wired headphones. Then there's the killer; My current phone - the Pixel 6 - doesn't even have a headphone jack. I can plug them into a USB adapter, but that adds yet another wired device to get in the way.

Good luck with your JBL/UA. I really think they're one of the (if not the) best choices for active people who don't want to or cannot wear buds.
It's unfortunate that JBL appears to have shut down production, and R&D on the on-ear models, since most people prefer buds; that's where the $$ is.
From a business POV, I can understand that, but it would be nice if someone with the resources would develop and produce 'specialty' products for runners, and other athletes who also enjoy high-end audio.

Enough said. Have fun
Ethan - Ultrarunner2018

 

[Caipirina]

So far I am surprised by how much I enjoy the sound of the UA/JBL Train. The clamping force is not that bad after a while (and also depends if / which glasses I am wearing) ... today I had them on for commute, but I think for being on the subway I shall stick with ANC stuff. Waiting for a good run chance to try them, tomorrow is 5K park run, with friends, so I will have bone conducting thingies on so I can still hear / talk, and Sunday is 15K, which I would not want to do a first try with the UA so, sometime next week ...

And I agree, seems that on-ears are being phased out, ppl either want buds or over ears. I recently rekindled my love for them ... I keep finding 'old' models at very decent prices, so, I have a bit of a collection going on (*cough*hoarder!*cough*) ... found a beats solo 3 for 40€, no accessories / cables, and slight deterioration on the earpads, but they still gave me 3 months warranty on it .. soo ... I could hardly say no

Oh, the Koss porta pro ... bought one a looooong time ago .. still fun to wear sometimes .. and I hear they are now becoming hip again? more like a fashion accessory?

Anyways ... enjoy your new / old JBL ... i am still a bit baffled how I never heard of them before cheers!