Swimming Headphones: Finis SwiMP3 and H2O Interval for iPod Review

Great swimming headphones are hard to come by. I learned this the hard way after permanently damaging my iPod Shuffle. But first let me explain why it’s hard to get swimming headphones right. There are a number of specific conditions that need to be met when looking for headphones geared towards water related activities. Swimming headphones are supposed to be:

• Entirely waterproof headphones;
• The headphones’ cord cannot get in the way of your body when you’re swimming – as doing so could potentially cause you to get tangled up in the cord;
• The sound quality needs to be good, even when there is water in your ear canals;
• You can’t just hook them up to your iPod and go, you need a special protective case for your device. Sadly however, most of these cases just plain suck (using an inferior one is how I damaged my iPod).

So are there any good choices out there? I’m far from being an olympic swimmer, but I do enjoy swimming, and my research on the topic led me to try out a few different pairs of swimming headphones. My conclusion is that there are only two combinations that worked well for me, and it took me a while to find these.

1) FINIS SwiMP3.1G Waterproof MP3 Player

Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ (8/10)

This solution requires you to get the best waterproof MP3 player on the market, the FINIS SwiMP3.1G Waterproof MP3 Player. This MP3 player holds 1GB of data (240 songs, which should be plenty for even an endurance swimmer) and is specifically designed to clip onto your swim goggles. As stated by the manufacturer, this pair is really ideal for swimmers, triathletes, surfers, synchronized swimmers, and anyone else involved in water related activities.

The audio quality is very good, and I love how this system doesn’t get in the way, even when swimming rapidly through the water (there are no cords attached to your arms, which essentially makes this pair wireless).

If you do decide to go this route,  I recommend you get a good pair of swim goggles that stay solidly in place (my favorites are the Speedo Air Seal Tri Goggle, Mirrored) and earplugs (such as Etymotic Research ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs or Mack’s AquaBlock Earplugs), to reduce the amount of water and external noise that may potentially get in your ears (I know it sounds weird, but Finis’ technology is amazing and works well with earplugs).

The Finis SwiMP3 is a very, very good all-in-one (MP3 player and headphones) option . Check out the video below:

Our second option is from H2O.

2) H2O Interval 3G Waterproof Headphone System for iPod shuffle 3rd Gen and 4th Generation with Swim Goggles

Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ (8/10)

OK, let’s say that you don’t want to give up on using your iPod when you’re swimming. The second option is to use H2O’s Interval headphones. This pair of headphones was developed by a company that specializes in waterproof headphones for swimmers (they even consulted gold medal swimmers Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin, when designing this perfect pair of swim headphones).

This pair delivers great sound, fits comfortably (they include five different sizes of earplugs to ensure you get the very best fitting pair for your ears), and above all, they won’t break your iPod like the cheap knock-offs I initially bought. This system includes everything, right down to a really good pair of swim goggles, is water resistant (naturally!), and certified up to depths of 12 ft.

The choice between these two reliable options really comes down to whether you already have – and want to use – an iPod Shuffle or not. Either pair will provide you with countless fun hours of swimming accompanied by your favorite tunes (or you could use the time extra productively, if you wanted, and pair your swimming season with a great audiobook!).