Swimbuds Sport

I decided to try a different size of ear bud "trees" (the thing that sticks in your ear and seals out the water) and after switching from the large to medium, I was able to swim nonstop for 50 minutes without having to adjust at all! It really was amazing how they worked so well - even without a swim cap. Great sound! Works perfectly! Easily merits a 5 -star review!Original review >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>The good news:+ The Ipod and the buds really are waterproof! No problems at all after 7 sessions so far.+ Once you get the right fit, the sound is clear, the seal is tight and you can actually listen to music while swimming!+ It's especially awesome for kick drills when your head is mostly above water.+ The earbuds are rugged and sturdy and more waterproof that I expected. Even after I accidentally completely submerged the earbuds (not in my ears) they worked just fine.+ Overall, this is a pretty amazing!The not-so-good:- I usually spend the first 10 minutes of each swim session experimenting with the earbud fit, placing and replacing the bud in my ear until I get the right seal.- It's only occasionally that I completely forget about the earbuds and get into the "zone" and just swim. Almost the whole time, I am conscious of the buds, wondering if they will slip out, hearing the sound muffle because the buds shifted. I can usually swim for about 2 songs before a bud loosens and I have to stop for a minute and re-position it or maybe dry it off on a towel.- The iPod controls are very stiff from the waterproofing so you have to push fairly hard when you adjust the volume or switch songs.- There were very few instructions in the box; I watched a youtube video to learn how to place the earbuds properly (pull your ear up, put the bud in at a 45 degree angle).Despite the negatives, I still give this 4 stars, because it is pretty darn amazing to be able to listen to music at all while I swim! It's like a dream come true! Plus, it would be impossible to find a product that fits everyone's ears perfectly, but this comes pretty close and I find that when I breathe through my mouth, my jaw makes my ears move a little so it is natural that the bud would shift; can't fault the product for that. I really think this is the best product you are going to find for music while you swim. I am going to try and swim with a swim cap... I suspect that will keep everything more stable so I can hopefully completely get in the zone and just enjoy the music while swimming. Despite the caveats listed above, this product works well! Its exciting to finally be able to listen to music while I swim!

I can't believe I have been swimming for 8 years with horrible sound. I purchased the original SwiMP3 in 2007 and it was adequate. You could hear the music but it was muffled and tinny, but it did help elevate the boredom of hour long straight swims while training for triathlons. This year it died on me. Since I had bought mine in 2007, naturally Finnis had gone to a newer version.The newest version had horrible reviews so I went with a Diver under water MP3 for $50 Player that came with headphones so I thought I would give them a try. The sound was so much better than my SwiMP3 but there was one huge issue. It kept falling out of my ears while swimming and once water got in that ear was done. So, I bought a silicone cap that would cover my ears. That allowed me to make it half way though a swim. I am glad that when you screen "F**K" underwater nobody can hear because that's how frustrated I was getting.Next. I then bough some self molding ear plugs and watched a video on YouTube on how to wrap them around so they wont fall out. That was a waste of time and $10.So..I started looking for better headphones with good reviews and I came across these. I saw all of the different attachments and thought one of these may work. I was not holding my breath(pun intended) because I was convinced that there was no such thing as a good set of headphones for the water by this point. I was soooo wrong. They are pricey but worth every penny. Its the material they are made from that makes them superior. Its soft and contours as you insert them into your ear . There are so many different attachments that one is going to fit for everyone. You could listen to a podcast with these or a book. The sound quality is good and clear and music sounds great. And best of all they don't fall out of my ears EVER.The only real issue I found was instructions. That sounds funny because they are earphones. "Put them in your ears and listen to music...Instructions Done." But, some of the attachments I could not figure out how they go in your ear. Do they work together? These would be a great product for an instructional video.I highly recommend these to anyone who struggles in the water with bad headphones. They work great with my cheap Underwater MP3 Player too.

Context: I swim laps; a mile a week. Using this with the H2O audio Ipod mini underwater case (which has lasted me over 5 years). Comparing this to the Surge earphones from H2O audio, because the Surge headphones were the best ones I was previously aware of. I have done about 5 miles in the swimbuds so far.First the con: If you compare this on land to the Surge headphones or the the Apple earphones you will notice the lack of bass. So I had low expectations in the water.HOWEVER - I found this is barely noticeable in the water.* Using the tree seal option, the seal was flawless. The phones never leak and do not come out. (I loop the wire through my goggle strap) Better than the Surge phones which occasionally popped out (every other workout or so). This is important because keeping a dry air chamber between your eardrum and the phone is critical.* The Swimbuds sounded great and were consistently great - no matter if I was on the surface, or down a couple feet - in contrast to the surges whose performance changed with depth.* I didn't have to crank the volume up as much as with the Surge phones.So overall they are a winner and I will see how long they last (the Surge phones typically lasted 200 miles after which they grew crackly or the wire developed an open near the plug end)Possible improvements:- The extension cord is about a foot too long if you keep the music player in your back trunks- had to roll up the extra cord.- Bass and speaker quality can be improved- going with larger gauge springier wire is always a good idea to prevent the opens connections caused from flexing.Generally, these are the best I have found and I expect them to last a while.