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Fit, Sweat & Safety Guides · Guide

IPX4 vs IPX5 vs IPX7: which earbud water rating survives a sweaty hour

Three ratings cover almost every earbud sold. One is a splash, one is a hose, one is a bucket. Here's the table, the tests, and where a soaked workout actually lands.

By Mike M.Updated Spec-checked, not worn by us

#adReader-supported: we may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never decides a ranking. How we rank · Disclosure

Water droplets splashing, captured at high speed
Illustrative stock photo. It does not show a specific product reviewed on this page.

The table

RatingTest (IEC 60529)Light sweatSoaked hourRainRinse under tapShowerPool
IPX4Splashing water, any directionYesRiskyYesNoNoNo
IPX56.3 mm nozzle jet, 3+ min, all surfacesYesYesYesBriefNoNo
IPX6Powerful jet, 12.5 mm nozzleYesYesYesYesNot ratedNo
IPX7Immersion, up to 1 m, 30 minYesYesYesYesNot rated (heat, soap)Not rated (chlorine, depth)
IPX8Immersion beyond 1 m, maker-statedYesYesYesYesNot ratedOnly with a stated depth and onboard storage

“Not rated” means the standard doesn't test it; the maker may or may not permit it. Test descriptions per the Keystone Compliance and BONAD summaries of IEC 60529.

IPX4: splashes

The test splashes water onto the device from every direction. That is a good description of rain and of light sweat on a walk. It is not a description of an hour of sweat running into a hinge from above, drying to salt, and repeating daily. Bose (Ultra Open Earbuds), Beats (Powerbeats Pro 2 and Fit) and Sony (LinkBuds Clip) rate their sport-adjacent products IPX4. They are good products with a rain rating, and they are the rating that shows up most often in the emails we get about earbuds that died. On every ranking on this site, IPX4 costs a product points on the sweat metric.

IPX5 and IPX6: jets

IPX5 sprays the device from a 6.3 mm nozzle at about 12.5 liters a minute from 2.5 to 3 m away for at least three minutes, covering every surface. IPX6 uses a bigger nozzle and more flow. Neither is immersion, but a jet from every angle is a fair stand-in for sweat and heavy rain, and it's where most open-ear hooks live: Shokz's OpenFit line, Soundcore's AeroFit and V20i, JLab's open hooks are all IP55. JLab's Epic Sport ANC 3 is IP66. This is the floor for a gym.

IPX7 and IPX8: immersion

IPX7 is a defined test: up to a meter, thirty minutes, fresh water. IPX8 is whatever the maker states beyond that. Bone conduction neckbands cluster here (Shokz OpenRun and Air 2 at IP67; OpenSwim Pro, Mojawa and Raycon at IP68; Creative at IPX8), plus the Cleer ARC 5 hook (IPX7), the Baseus Bowie MC2 clip (IP67), the Shokz OpenDots 2 buds (IP57) and the Soundcore Sport X20 (listed as IP68 and IPX7 on the same page). An immersion rating is the comfortable margin for a heavy sweater and the only category where a rinse under the tap is inside the spec.

Where a sweaty hour lands

Between the jet and the dunk. Sweat arrives slowly, from above, into whatever crevice is uppermost, and it carries salt the tests don't. An IPX5 pair has proven its seals against directed water; that's enough for most gyms with a wipe afterward. An IPX7 pair has proven them against pressure; that's enough for anyone. An IPX4 pair has proven them against a splash, which is enough for a walk in the rain and a gamble for a spin class. The mechanism, and the two habits that matter more than the digit, are in can sweat damage earbuds.

The X, and IP55 vs IPX5

The X means the dust digit wasn't tested. IP55 and IPX5 promise the same thing about water; IP55 adds a dust result. For earbuds, treat them as equivalent on the sweat question. The full two-digit system is in IP ratings explained.

A pick at each rung

Our picks for this

IPX4, IP55, IP55 neckband, IPX7

One pick at each rating, so you can see what the digit costs and buys.

  • Illustrative stock photo: a woman with earbuds on a video call outside among fall foliageStock photo

    Best clip-on for calls

    Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen)

    Open-ear clip-on7.5/10

    IPX4: the best-sounding open cuff, for rain and moderate sweat.

    Check price · Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen)

  • Illustrative stock photo: profile of a young man in a white shirt wearing wireless earbuds outdoorsStock photo

    Best open-ear earbuds overall

    Shokz OpenFit 2

    Open-ear hook8.3/10

    IP55: the ear-hook floor for a gym, with a button and 11 hours.

    Check price · Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Shokz OpenFit 2

  • Illustrative stock photo: a woman with curly hair running on a city street while listening to musicStock photo

    Best bone conduction overall

    Shokz OpenRun Pro 2

    Bone conduction (neckband)8.5/10

    IP55 on a neckband with no case to worry about; damp-cloth cleaning per Shokz.

    Check price · Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Shokz OpenRun Pro 2

  • Illustrative stock photo: profile of a young man in a white shirt wearing wireless earbuds outdoorsStock photo

    Best water rating in an ear-hook

    Cleer ARC 5

    Open-ear hook8.6/10

    IPX7: the only immersion-rated ear-hook, 12 hours, every high-bitrate codec.

    Check price · Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Disclosure for the link to Cleer ARC 5

How we scored this

Pairs we claim to have worn: none we haven't

Plenty of sites say they ran a hundred miles in every pair on the list. We don't say that, and we say so on every page. What we do instead: classify the retention system (hook, clip, wing, neckband), record the maker's published IP rating, weight, battery, charging, mic and control type from its own product page, cross-reference at least one independent published review where one exists, and score every pick on a public rubric. Every figure links to where it came from.

Scores are editorial judgments from that documented research, not lab results. Commissions never set a score or decide a pick. The rubric and its weights are published.

Questions

Frequently asked

Is IPX4 good enough for the gym?
For light sweat and rain, yes. For a soaked hour daily, it's the rating most failed pairs carried. IPX5 is our floor.
Is IPX5 better than IPX4?
Yes: IPX5 survived a nozzle jet from every direction for three minutes; IPX4 survived splashes. That's the sweat line.
Can I shower with IPX7 earbuds?
The rating is fresh water at room temperature; soap and heat aren't tested. Most makers advise against it. See the shower guide.
What's the difference between IPX7 and IP67?
The dust digit. IP67 adds a dust-tight result; the water test is the same.

Keep reading

Related on Openear Club

Receipts

Sources

  1. IEC 60529 (IP Code) — degree-of-protection definitions, Keystone Compliance summary (checked 2026-09-21)
  2. IPX4 vs IPX5 test conditions (IEC 60529 nozzle, flow and duration), BONAD test-equipment summary (checked 2026-09-21)
  3. Shokz — official product comparison table (checked 2026-09-21)
  4. Bose — Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) product page (checked 2026-09-21)
  5. Cleer Audio — ARC 5 product page, specifications (checked 2026-09-21)
  6. Soundcore — Sport X20 product page (checked 2026-09-21)

We haven't worn every pair on this site and we don't pretend to. Specs come from the maker's own product pages (linked on every product), independent findings are attributed to whoever published them, and Amazon prices change often, so we don't print them. Where a figure isn't published, we say so. Read the full method.

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