When you test workout headphones, you don’t get to try over-ear ones very often. Over-ear headphones might be more comfortable, but they’re harder to stuff in a pocket when you’re on the go. They’re heavier, and they can get pushed off your head. They’re also completely useless if your workout routine involves headstands. Just sayin’.
So when I got the JLab Audio Flex Sport, I was skeptical. But over the course of two weeks, they converted me. They’re extremely light—just 6.3 ounces—and you can adjust the tensioning on the headband. They stayed on securely while trail running, hiking, lifting weights, and climbing, and they kept my ears warm and wicked away sweat.
The Flex Sport has its inconveniences. Even with a tight fit, they still slipped around underneath a rain jacket hood. I have a hard enough time keeping my workout clothes washed, so adding washable earpads and a washable headband is even more of a pain.
But I found myself forgetting all about those troubles when I stopped, mid-run, to cock my head and realize that I was hearing low heartbeats under a voice track on a podcast. Or to start pumping my fist when I realized that the downbeat on a Lenny Kravitz song was whooshing in from my right ear when the intro was building tension on the left. And all for only $99! These are a steal.
Upon opening the box, you can opt to choose between a loose fit without a tension band; a normal one, with JLab’s Flex Fit band; or a tight one, with the Firm Fit band. Without a tension band, the headband is perforated for greater breathability and comfort. There’s also an optional soft headband pad to wick away sweat.
I opted for the tight fit while working out, and for the normal one while walking my dogs and around my house. Each part, including the soft, washable ear cups, pops in and out easily.
The soft ear pads are cushioned with polyurethane foam and covered with a soft, absorbent polyester-cotton blend. To wash them, pop them out and into the travel bag, and run them on a gentle cycle. You can tumble dry them on low heat.
I thought putting a padded device on a not-insignificant proportion of my head’s surface area would be sweaty and uncomfortable. Oddly enough, it wasn’t. I really dislike the sensation of in-ear workout headphones getting sweaty inside my ear canals, and the Flex Sport eliminated that problem entirely.
The Flex Sport also solved my problem of how to keep my ears warm while running outside on chilly fall mornings, although they did have a tendency to shift around when I was wearing a hood. My ears did get a little hot when working out in a gym, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
When the headphones warned me that the battery was getting low, I found that it took around two hours of charging for the light to indicate a full battery. However, it took only five or ten minutes to top up long enough for an hour-long run or dog walk. JLab notes that it has a full 20 hours of battery life. In two weeks of wearing for multiple hours a day to walk, run, and do chores around my house, I only had to charge it fully once.
The buttons are easy to find, and versatile. It was easy to switch the Flex Sport’s connection from my phone to different music player devices (JLab also advises you to use their app to burn in the headphones, but I skipped that). You can also use the volume buttons to skip or go back to different tracks, or use the power button to activate Siri.
The right logo button also activates the Flex Sport’s ambient noise feature, which JLab calls Be Aware Audio. As an outdoor runner or walker, it’s extremely important for me to be able to hear outside noise. Rather than just letting in ambient noise, the headphones will use the microphone to pick up outside noise and play it for you, in real time. It's tuned to mimic the volume of the sound in real life.