Running is simple. Lace up your shoes and go. Choosing earbuds for running is a bit more complicated – or maybe not, if you read this to the end.
Running with over-ear headphones is like rallying in Henri's Alfa Romeo: technically possible, but everything wobbles, rattles, and eventually something falls off. Earbuds are the only real choice for a runner. Full stop.
What you actually need from running earbuds
Forget the marketing waffle. Running earbuds need three things:
- They stay in your ear. This sounds obvious, but half of all returns happen because people run with the wrong size tips. Try all the included tips before you condemn the earbuds.
- They handle sweat and rain. The IPX rating tells you this. IPX4 is enough for sweating, IPX6 can handle a proper downpour.
- The sound isn't rubbish. This is where a lot of sport earbuds trip up. Manufacturers assume runners only listen to pumping EDM and don't care about sound quality. We don't assume that.
Also: battery life. There's nothing more frustrating than earbuds dying in the middle of a long run. Except maybe Henri's Alfa Romeo, which dies in the middle of everything anyway.
NL25 in a runner's ear
NL25 is our newer model. Bluetooth 5.4, ANC and transparency mode, wireless charging for the case, and sound tuned by Jasse. Battery lasts 4.5 hours with ANC on, 6 hours without. It comes with both memory foam and silicone tips, so your ear canal shape is no excuse.
Transparency mode is genuinely useful when running. You can hear traffic, a cyclist's bell, and that one neighbour who yells at their dog every single time. ANC, on the other hand, is handy when you're on a treadmill at the gym and want to block out the bloke huffing and puffing on the machine next to you.
What about the NL21? It hasn't been on sale for years, so hunting for one is wasted effort. If an old pair of NL21s is still in a drawer, by all means use them. We don't sell replacement tips for that model, but generic silicone tips are easy to find online.
In all honesty: the NL25 is rated IPX4. Sweat and rain are no problem, but don't take it swimming.
| Feature | NL25 |
|---|---|
| ANC and transparency | Yes |
| Battery life | 4.5 h with ANC, over 6 h without. Up to 17 h with the case |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 |
| Water resistance | IPX4 |
| Wireless charging | Yes, the case |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive |
Why Valco and not someone else?
We're not a sports earbuds brand. We don't put sweaty fitness models running into sunsets in our ads. Instead, we make earbuds that sound good and that can be repaired when they break.
Jasse's sound tuning is our strongest card. That bloke has spent thousands of hours making sure the bass doesn't turn to mush and the treble doesn't saw your ears off. His ears are insured – not because we're dramatic, but because they're genuinely valuable.
And then there's repairability. When your AirPods' battery dies after two years, they go in the bin. If a bud breaks during the warranty, we swap it for a working one, and broken buds get recycled into spare parts. The repair service in Kajaani covers the VMK over-ear models, where Hannes and the rest of the service crew put them right. This isn't greenwashing, we don't throw headphones in the bin.
When should you pick something else?
Let's be honest.
If you run ultramarathons in the wilderness and need 12+ hours of battery on a single charge, our models won't cut it. Check out Shokz bone conduction headphones – they stay on your head differently and the battery lasts longer. Sound quality, though, is what you'd expect from bone conduction, which is to say not great.
If ANC is your one and only thing and you want the absolute best noise cancelling, the Sony WH-1000XM5 wins. But they're over-ears, so running in them is daft. On the metro, though, they're unbeatable.
If you want seamless Apple ecosystem integration and only use an iPhone, AirPods Pro 2 is a good shout. Sound quality-wise, though, Jasse would weep if you compared them.
Summary
- Earbuds for running. Leave the over-ears at home.
- The NL25 is our only earbud model: ANC, transparency mode and tips that keep it in your ear.
- The NL21 hasn't been sold for years. Old pairs still work, but you can't buy a new one.
- Jasse's sound tuning, a Finnish warranty, and broken earbuds get recycled into spare parts instead of going in the bin.
Whichever one you buy, you're funding 0.000001% of our Death Star. That's a small price to pay for galactic domination.
