11 Best Headphones For Swimming- The 2021 Expert Review

It’s no secret that swimming is one of the best full-body workouts you can do, that said as a regular team swimmer, I know just how boring swimming alone can be- constantly staring at the black line on the pool bottom as you swim laps up and down hundreds of times over until you finally reach the end of your workout. 

One sure way to spice up your swimming workouts and add some extra entertainment is by listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks while you swim. 

That said, generally, electronics and water don’t go together too well. That’s why it’s important to invest in some good swimming headphones. This will ensure that you get both good durability and sound quality underwater while also ensuring your headphones stay in place while swimming.

Swimming headphones work by connecting to an external MP3 player strapped to your goggles or by using a built-in MP3 player within the device itself. These devices can’t be used with Bluetooth as a Bluetooth connection can’t be carried through the water. That said, some of these swimming headphones are still Bluetooth compatible in case you’d like to use them outside of the pool as well.

11 Best Waterproof Headphones For Swimming.

Here are the best headphones for swimming-

  • SwimBuds Delphin
  • FINIS Duo
  • AfterShokz Xtrainers
  • Sony NWWS413BM
  • SwimBuds Flip
  • H2O Audio Stream 2
  • SwimBuds All-In-One MP3 Player
  • Pyle MP3 Bluetooth Headphones
  • SwimBuds Hydroactive Premium
  • SwimBuds Sport
  • H2O Waterproof Swimming Headphones

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Swimming HeadphonesHeadphone StyleOnboard MP3 PlayerWaterproof RatingStorageBattery LifeBluetoothView On AamzonSwimBuds DelphinIn-Ear BudsYesIPX88-16GB6 HoursYes>View PriceFINIS DuoBone ConductionYesIPX84GB7 HoursNo>View PriceAfterShokz XtrainersBone ConductionYesIPX84GB8 HoursNo>View PriceSony NWWS413BMIn-Ear BudsYesIPX84GB12 HoursNo>View PriceSwimBuds FlipIn-Ear BudsYesIPX88GB10 HoursNo>View PriceH2O Audio Stream 2In-Ear BudsYesIPX88GB10 HoursYes>View PriceSwimBuds All-In-OneIn-Ear BudsYesIPX88GB7 HoursNo>View PricePyle MP3 Bluetooth HeadphonesIn-Ear BudsYesIPX88GB10 HoursYes>View PriceSwimBuds HydroactiveIn-Ear BudsNoIPX8N/AN/AN/A>View PriceSwimBuds SportIn-Ear BudsNoIPX8N/AN/AN/A>View PriceH2O Audio Waterproof HeadphonesIn-Ear BudsNoIPX8N/AN/AN/A>View Price

1. Swimbuds Delphin Micro Tablet Swimming Headphones And Tracker.

11 Best Headphones For Swimming- The 2021 Expert Review

The Swimbuds Delphin Micro Tablet Combo is one of the most advanced swimming headphone devices currently available. What separates this device from others is the fact that it doesn’t just offer your standard MP3 music streaming, but also allows you to listen directly from some of the most popular audio streaming services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. (Also compatible with many other streaming services).

Swimming Headphones Design: This bundle includes the Delphin Micro Tablet and your choice of either the SwimBuds Sport Swimming Headphones or the SwimBuds HydroActive Swimming Headphones.

The Delphin Micro Tablet is compact and streamlined for swimming purposes as well as 100% waterproof with an IPX8 rating. It also offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatibility allowing you to separately use the device outside of the water for other purposes as well.

The Micro Tablet offers 6 hours of battery life and has onboard storage of either 8GB or 16GB depending on which model you decide to pick. The entire micro-tablet is also encased within a rugged shock housing for added durability and features a high-quality metal clip at the back allowing you to securely strap the device to your swimming goggles.

Additionally, the device features 5 easy-to-use raised buttons, ultimately making the use of the device while swimming seamless and easy.

As mentioned, for the swimming headphones you have a choice between the SwimBuds Sport Or SwimBuds HydroActive headphones. Both of these models are great and are some of the most popular swimming headphones on the market delivering a lightweight 100% waterproof design with great underwater audio as well.

You’ll also receive 11 different earbud options ensuring that you have both a perfect fit as well as many extra earbuds if you ever need them.

Audio Profiles: Unlike other swimming headphones, the Delphin Micro Tablet isn’t an MP3 player (although it works similarly), but rather an actual micro-tablet, as the name suggests. 

The device has an Android 5.1 operating system, allowing you to actively install apps such as Spotify or Audible directly on your micro-tablet without the need for an external computer. The Android operating system is a bit outdated compared to modern devices, but will nevertheless still work great for swimming purposes.

If you are someone who will like to easily stream music without the hassle of setting it up through your computer first then this is going to be great. We should also mention that you won’t be able to listen to Audiobooks from certain services such as Audible on a standard MP3 player as they don’t support the same file formats. That’s why the Swimbuds Delphin is a great way to ensure easy streaming of whichever audio format you’d like to listen to.

Keep in mind, similar to other MP3 swimming headphones you will have to download the playlist that you want to listen to at home as Wi-Fi connectivity, similar to Bluetooth, won’t work underwater. 

Nevertheless, this is still much easier and faster than some of the other MP3 swimming headphones as those will have to be connected to your computer first to transfer the MP3 music files.

Additional Features: What’s more is that the Delphin Micro Tablet offers an onboard lap tracking feature. This allows you to count your laps and split-times while swimming for some more detailed insights into your training. Your workouts can be synced to Strava while the device also offers real-time voice feedback as you swim.

Generally swim trackers are expensive on their own so the fact that you get a basic swim tracker with your swimming headphones is a huge bonus. Additionally, we’ve found the on-board swim tracker to be quite accurate only being off between 100-200 meters after a long swimming workout.

Additionally, your Delphin Swimbuds Headphones will come in a very nice storage box with different compartments to keep your headphones, earbuds, and micro-tablet. Your headphones will also receive a separate carry case as well.

Downsides: The only downside of the SwimBuds Delphin Micro Tablet Swimming Headphones is its price point. This device is quite a bit more expensive than any of the other devices on our list. That said if you have a little extra to spend we highly recommend this device as it is, in our opinion, easily one of your best options.

Swimming Headphone Quick Specifications-

  • Headphone Design: In-Ear Buds.
  • Onboard MP3 Player: Yes, Includes Android 5.1 To Download Streaming Apps.
  • Audio Profiles: All Popular Audio Streaming Services, Also Supports MP3, WMA, M4A, And AAC audio files.
  • Waterproof Rating: IPX8.
  • Storage: 8GB-16GB.
  • Battery-Life: 6 Hours.
  • Rechargeable: Yes.
  • Bluetooth Connectivity: Yes (for non-swimming purposes).
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