£59.99

In a market that is becoming increasingly competitive, I was pleasantly surprised by the TrueConnect Wireless Earbuds by RHA. For those who, like me, are afraid of investing in earbuds for fear of misplacing one (or both!) of them, the TrueConnect earbuds come in a handy case that will fit in your pocket and keep your earbuds safe and protected. Sleekly designed, and with an aluminium covering, the case also acts as a charger, and boasts an outstanding 20-hour battery life.

It shows the evolution of audio technology when the box your earphones come in is also the charger. This was what first struck me about the Life P2 Total Wireless Earphones from Soundcore (Anker); that and the smart look to the whole package.

Easy to set up, easy to use and easy to store, these earphones are very comfortable; so comfortable in fact that it is easy to forget you are actually wearing them.

The IQbud Boost from Nuheara aren’t your regular wireless earbuds; these things care about your hearing and can personalise the sound to your specific needs, thanks to the included Ear ID, a clinical-grade hearing assessment that automatically calibrates the earbuds to your unique hearing profile. If you already have a degree of hearing loss, these earbuds help you get the best out of your audio by using intelligent amplification to suppress the background noise and boost your hearing which is customisable to different environments.

The MW07 from Master and Dynamic come in seven stand-out designs: Tortoiseshell, Steel Blue Matte, Grey Terrazzo, Matte Black, White Marble, Piano Black and Pink Coral, all models are handcrafted with acetate, giving a glossy and durable finish whilst keeping the weight down to just 9g per earbud. The ear buds have a D-shaped outer casing and come with a range of ear tips for a precise fit, including the silicone Fit-Wings in two detachable sizes, which help to hold the earbuds in place whilst moving around more vigorously, running for example.

Earin is a Swedish based company that take audio seriously, they were one of the first companies to produce truly wireless headphones after a successful Kickstarter project way back in 2016 which is about 50 years in gadget time. At first look the Earin M-2 appears to have the same level of quality and class as their older brother, these small but mighty earbuds are wonderfully light that you could be forgiven for thinking you weren’t even wearing them.

The BE Free5 Nu Force from Optoma are true wireless Bluetooth in-ear headphones, ideal for escaping the cables that tether you to your device and helping you to become completely immersed in the audio experience, with unrestricted movement.

We were lucky enough to be sent three out of the four headphones Periodic Audio has to offer: the Magnesium, Titanium, Beryllium as well as the Nickel. This young company wants to create the best audio experience by stripping away all the bulk and unnecessary frills and focusing on a high quality sound in a super portable way. Periodic Audio is a company formed to act as the self-funded, small team of audio product specialists, who want to produce “performance heavy, and buzzword-y feature impaired”, devices.

There is nothing quite like music to motivate you on your workouts, people who manage to push themselves during a session with nothing but the sound of their own wheezing breath and pounding heartbeat in the ears are some sort of weirdos. The issue is that you may have some really good over-ear headphones already, but wires and bulky headgear are just not your friend in the gym, seriously try doing 10 burpees without them doing your head in.

For me, one of the least motivating things in the gym is the sound of some attention-seeking meathead grunting through every rep like they are trying to give Nadal a run for his money; the best antidote to this annoyance is to plug into your favourite tunes and drown out the world around you. The Optoma NU Force BE Sport 4 have been specifically designed for use within the gym, the Bluetooth headphones remove any annoying dangling wires shackling you to your phone and come with a sweat- and water-resistant IPX5 rating.