H2O Audio TRI Run review: Lightweight, secure, and comfortable bone conduction headphones
The H2O Audio TRI Run aren’t your usual workout headphones. They’re actually bone conduction headphones, so they use vibrations and airflow rather than slotting inside your ear canal. But are they some of the best bone conduction headphones on the market? Hmm, it depends. Do you want premium sound? Then no. Do you want headphones to stay securely in your ears? Then yeah!
You can’t have some of the best running headphones that constantly fall out of your ears, so you’ll be pleased to know the TRI Run do not do that. If you have a small head like me, they even come with a silicone band to tighten the neckband. This helped the headphones stay in place perfectly.
Although the TRI Run don’t have on-board storage like some other H2O Audio options, for just $99, there’s a lot to love… but also some sacrifices worth considering. Want to find out more? Why not? Keep reading this H2O Audio TRI Run review.
H2O Audio TRI Run review: Specs
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Price |
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Headphone style |
Bone conduction |
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Frequency response |
20 Hz – 20,000 Hz |
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Durability |
IPX8 |
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Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
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Battery life |
6 hours |
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Weight |
1.2 ounces |
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Colors |
Black/gray |
H2O Audio TRI Run review: Price & availability
The H2O Audio TRI Run are $99 from Amazon U.S. and £75 from Amazon U.K. In the U.K., you’re getting a much better deal. As you might be able to tell from my ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ above, the fit is excellent, but the sound quality doesn’t quite track for $100.
Shokz OpenRun are $129 and offer 8-hour battery life, compared to the TRI Run’s 6 hours. Our best workout headphones are the Beats Powerbeat Pro 2, $249. These aren’t bone conduction headphones, but IPX4-rated workout earbuds.
H2O Audio TRI Run review: Design
Despite the brand name “H2O Audio” and the IPX8 rating, the TRI Run are not suitable for swimming. H2O Audio makes this very clear in the user manual.
If you’re familiar with the neckband design of bone conduction headphones, nothing about the TRI Run will be surprising. They fit just like every other pair of bone conduction headphones I’ve tried. If you have a small head (like me), you can use the silicone adjustment band to tighten the neckband. This made the headphones fit perfectly for me — without it, the band kept falling down my neck.
Comfort
The H2O Audio TRI Run are very, very comfortable. As soon as I had them in (with the silicone band, of course), they were in. If you have new or sore cartilage piercings, I might recommend you look elsewhere, but my healed piercings were fine.
The vibrating drivers sat nicely on the peak of my mandible/cheekbone, didn’t press too severely, and didn’t cause any discomfort. At just 1.2 ounces, the TRI Run were so light I barely noticed I was wearing them.
Even when I was running on an uneven trail — jumping over exposed stones, for example — the headphones stayed in place. Big yes from me here.
Controls
Weirdly, I couldn’t figure out a way to get the headphones to skip a song. The on-headphone buttons control volume and play/pause. I had to ask Siri (on my Apple Watch SE 3) to switch songs for me.
I’m happy to put up with this, but if you want something with more on-headphone controls, I’d recommend investigating some workout earbuds rather than bone conduction headphones. I recently tested the $36 JLAB Go Sport Air+ and loved them — and you save $60.
There’s no companion app for the TRI Run, so you can’t adjust controls.
Connectivity
The TRI Run use Bluetooth 5.3. I found it instantly easy to connect to my iPhone 16 Pro. Multipoint connectivity is unmentioned in the user manual, and I couldn’t get dual device connection set up, so I don’t think the TRI Run have this feature. Even so, if you’re going on a run, you’re only going to need one phone, right?
As the TRI Run operate via Bluetooth, if you have a cellular/5G-enabled smartwatch, you could theoretically link the TRI Run to your watch for phoneless playback.
If you don’t have a 5G-enabled fitness tracker (like me), H2O Audio offers ‘Playlist+’ — a Bluetooth version of on-headphone MP3 storage… but not for the TRI Run. You’d need to spend $199 on the H2O Audio TRI 2 PRO for this feature.
Fitness features
So most of the TRI Run’s fitness features lie in its fit and IP rating. I discussed fit mostly in ‘comfort’, but the fitness-focused low-down is this: these headphones do not budge. At all. I had to use the provided silicone band to tighten the headband (I didn’t realize I had a tiny head until I started this job) and the headphones stayed put.
You’ve also got an IPX8 rating, which is as close to completely waterproof as headphones can get. This means you can sweat profusely and get caught in a torrential downpour — at the same time — without killing the headphones.
Despite this IPX8 rating, though, the TRI Run are not suitable for swimming due to underwater Bluetooth connectivity issues. You might want to check out Shokz OpenSwim Pro ($180) instead.
H2O Audio TRI Run review: Sound quality
Of course, these are workout headphones, so I wasn’t expecting AirPods Pro 3-level sound. Even so, the TRI Run might offend audiophiles or music snobs. They sound very meh. Like the headphone equivalent of a shrug.
I listened to a range of genres, but I’ll discuss standouts here.
First, I listened to ‘Beatback’ by Fcukers. This is an electronic track with a bubbly bassline and lazy, breathy vocals. I could make out the bassline perfectly, and the vocals were brought forward to the top layer of the track, but the sound performance did leave something to be desired. I wanted more clarity across the song, especially in the chorus.
Next, I played ‘Fine Everything’ by CIEL. This is a fuzzy indie track with layered guitars and female vocals. I did not like how this song sounded at all. Guitar music suffers the most when played through the TRI Run — something in the clarity of the bass, rhythm, and lead sections must get lost in the melee. The vocals sounded great, though.
Finally, I listened to ‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails and Boyz Noize. Trent Reznor’s vocals were the best part of this track by far, with clarity in his voice even when growling during the chorus. The bassline was pronounced and clear, but, again, everything sounded quite clouded. I wouldn’t recommend these headphones for serious music nerds, but casual runners or those who value vocal performance might be pleased.
I will add that podcasts sound great. I listened to a few episodes on Spotify and never struggled to understand the hosts. If you’re the kind of person who listens to podcasts while running or cycling, these might be the perfect budget bone conduction headphones for you.
H2O Audio TRI Run review: Call quality
To test call quality, I phoned my boyfriend, who has listened to every pair of headphones I’ve ever reviewed… so he’s basically a control test at this point.
He reported that my voice sounded fuzzy and distant. I had to repeat myself a number of times. I was running outside and, despite basking in weather I would describe as a “languid summer breeze”, he said he couldn’t hear me over the wind. He also said he could hear my shoes crunching on stones more than my actual voice.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend the TRI Run for calls. In a pinch, sure, but not for your primary work call or personal call headphones. I’d recommend the CMF Buds 2 ($49), our best budget running earbuds (which double up as excellent everyday earbuds) for this.
H2O Audio TRI Run review: Battery
Annoyingly, the TRI Run are charged with a proprietary four-prong charging needle rather than through a USB-C port, so if you lose that cable, you’ll need to buy another one. Also annoyingly, it uses a USB-A connector on the other end, which meant I had to scrabble around for one of my old adapters.
Even so, charging was easy; simply connect the charger to the headphones. The headphones tell you the remaining charge as soon as you turn the headphones on, but there are no warning lights. I would recommend charging them up before workouts just to be safe. I used them for 5 hours, and the battery went down to ‘Medium’.
The rated battery life of six hours isn’t exactly groundbreaking for bone conduction headphones. The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 ($179) last for around twelve hours, so I’d recommend these if you value battery life and have a little more money to spend.
H2O Audio TRI Run review: Verdict
I’m in two minds about the H2O Audio TRI Run. On the one hand, they stay put during runs, are lightweight, and so inconspicuous that you will honestly forget you’re wearing them. It just depends on what you’re using them for: do you want seriously powerful music performance, or do you prioritize comfort and functionality?
If it’s the former, then I think you should look elsewhere. I’d recommend the CMF Buds 2. Alright, they’re everyday earbuds, but they have a nice IP55 rating — sweatproof and rainproof. However, if it’s the latter — if you want barely there headphones that won’t budge on long runs — then I would recommend the TRI Run. If you spend a little more on the H2O Audio TRI Run Pro 2, you get onboard Bluetooth memory, but for $99, the OG TRI Runs are decent.
Personally, I’m happy to keep running with my AirPods Pro 2 — just my everyday earbuds — but if you want more rugged, workout-focused headphones, the TRI Run should do you well.
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