These days it seems that no matter what your exercise of choice, there is an armoury of tech to supplement, track, motivate and, well, show off about how active you are.
However, if you’re a swimmer the tech available to you has been rather limited until now, thanks to the fact that water and circuitry rarely mix. Waterproofing is now much more common among wearable manufacturers, especially in the health and fitness sector, as brands know their products need to stand up to more than just a light shower and some sweat.
So, when it comes to putting a soundtrack to a swimming session there are a few things that you need to consider and the first is, obviously, is, obviously, the level of waterproofing. Almost all the earphones on test here are graded either IPX7 (1m depth for 30 mins) or IPX8 (2m depth for 1 hour) and the one that isn’t has a separate casing that is equivalent to an IPX8.
The seal of the bud in the ear is also critical as there’s little point in having a pair of high quality, pin-drop sharp (and expensive) headphones when they’re languishing at the bottom of the pool. You also need something that will perform just as well during 10 minutes of gentle breaststroke as it does throughout half an hour of lane swimming with tumble turns. The seal of the buds will also dictate sound quality and ensure that your music doesn’t sound like it’s being played from inside a dishwasher.
The final consideration has to be the amount of storage that comes with each set – don’t forget, what we’re talking about here are waterproof MP3 players by another name and any hope of a Bluetooth connection is out because that wireless technology doesn’t work in the big blue. Here’s how the latest crop of phones stood up when we dived in.
1. Bragi The Dash Pro: €349, Bragi
What started life as a Kickstarter project is now a serious player in the market and it’s easy to see why. Set-up is seamless and quick and the totally wireless in-ear pods impressively turn on automatically as soon as both buds are safely in your ears. In fact, everything about these hearables is impressive from the incredible soundstage, even underwater, to the impressive battery life that will give you five hours of music from the 4GB player off a single charge. The fit was incredibly comfortable, watertight and were just as secure bobbing up and down doing breast stroke as they were when I reverted to a more energetic front crawl. There were no issues with the IPX7 rating even when I was in the water for 30 minutes or more and the phones come with a carrying case that can recharge them five times on the go so you won’t ever have to worry about your playlists not being ready for the pool. The price is listed in Euros, but shipping is free to EU countries.
2. FX-Sport VR-1: £119 + Silicone Skin £19, FX-Sport
Boasting 8GB of storage and five hours of battery life, these are the only phones that are external speakers (rather than in-ear) so in order to make them truly waterproof you need to wrestle them into a silicone skin first and then wear them under a cap. This means there are no slippage issues but they don’t feel that discreet. Sound was excellent, especially bass levels, and there’s lots of further functionality from swimming workouts and HIIT sessions that are already stored on the phones and are ready to use as an in-ear personal trainer if you want something more than music to motivate.
3. Sony Smart Trainer: £159.99, Currys
This Sony offering was originally targeted at runners but it can be co-opted by swimmers thanks to its IPX8 waterproof grading. Before you jump in you will need to switch in one of the four underwater buds that stops the headphone’s driver unit getting soggy. Sound quality when submersed was excellent and with 16GB of storage and up to six hours’ battery life, you can shuffle your way through the longest water session. The in-ear heart rate monitor works well, but the fact that it was designed for runners means it is on the bulkier side, which leads to some water resistance when hidden under a cap.
4. Finis Duo: £84.99, Amazon
This 4GB player can be used in salt and freshwater and is waterproof up to 2m for one hour. It attaches to goggles (which can be a little fiddly) and relies on bone conduction tech, so the speakers sit on your cheekbones and are picked up by the inner ear. This felt very strange at first but had a real impact on volume so music never sounded muffled and there was some decent bass, mid-range and high end. Also, the fact that our ears weren’t encumbered meant that we were still able to be fully aware of what was going on in a busy pool.
5. Exeze WMR: £47.95, Amazon
Set up here was straightforward and quick, with the 8GB player offering the opportunity to store hundreds of songs backed up with six hours of battery life – and it all sounds great. The unit has an IPX8 grading and attaches to your goggle strap. We found it was secure enough to stay put regardless of stroke or intensity, so you don’t have to worry about it going anywhere during your workout.
6. i360: £44.99, Amazon
Plenty of storage (4GB) and huge battery life of up to 10 hours means that you can complete plenty of water sessions without having to worry about charging with this pair. The sound is crisp above water but became a little echoed below, although this can be resolved with a swimming cap, which also helps the buds themselves stay in place. An IPX8 rating also means that it can tackle any swimming workout without issue. The music controls are quite tightly condensed, which can be tricky to get used to.
7. Exeze Rider, £29.90, Amazon
This is an excellent budget option with quality sound, IPX8 waterproofing and controls, which were easy to operate in the pool and made music management trouble free. The whole unit, which attaches to the goggles, is very robust and has the added advantage of being charged through the audio jack so won’t suffer from exposed charging points becoming scaled up through water contact. Gives up to 12 hours of battery life.
8. Sony NW-WS413: £69.99, Decathlon
Minimal wires and a sleek design mean that it doesn’t take long to go from the box to the pool, where it is IPX8-graded. The bass suffers a little in the water compared to on dry land but a big volume sweep means that you can easily drown out any screams and squeals from the toddler pool and concentrate on your session. And if 4GB isn’t enough, you can double the storage for another £10, which is an attractive option, especially with 12 hours of battery life. The headphones secure themselves around the back of the head, so no need to attach to goggles.
The Verdict: Wireless waterproof headphones
If you’re a serious swimmer then the Bragi Dash Pro is worth the serious investment. It will give you the purest sound in the water, total reliability no matter what the stroke and effortlessly intuitive controls. However, if you’re more of a part timer in the pool consider the motivational elements of the FX-Sport VR-1’s downloadable content or the Finis Duo’s unique conduction technology, which is well suited to water.
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