Headphones for Swimming?

My wife is a swimmer and is looking to get some headphones to use while swimming laps in the pool. Can anyone recommend a good pair that has held up well?

I don’t have a pesonal experience with this, asked Claude Opus and got this:

For swimming, you’ll want to look for waterproof or “swim-proof” headphones specifically designed for use in the water. Here are a few well-reviewed options:

  1. Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Headphones: These are designed to work well in the water and have a short cord to avoid tangling.

  2. H2O Audio Surge S+ Waterproof Headphones: These wrap securely around the ear and are fully submersible. They have 8GB of built-in memory.

  3. Plantronics BackBeat FIT Waterproof Headphones: These are wireless headphones that are sweatproof and waterproof, making them suitable for swimming.

  4. AfterShokz Xtrainerz Bone Conduction MP3 Swimming Headphones: These use bone conduction technology, leaving the ears open. They have 4GB of built-in memory.

Remember, Bluetooth doesn’t work well underwater, so look for headphones with built-in memory if she wants to listen to music while swimming laps. Reading reviews from other swimmers can provide helpful insights into fit, sound quality, and durability in pool conditions.

Moderators, let me know if this kind of post isn’t allowed, I’ll delete it.

I am no moderator and I do not mean this in any bad way. I always think that it is nice to provide an answer if a question remains unanswered for quite some time. :slight_smile:

The thing with language models is that they may be a tool, but they for sure are no source for anything without checking their output. It has to be validated and verified. Language models can (or cannot) be a starting point to get stuff done. I have doubts if it is a good idea to take for granted what is being put out there by a language model.

Without having done any research: 2) and 4) allegedly do have built-in memory (headphones with built-in memory…). Which is… weird. 3) is the only brand I recognize (which does not necessarily mean anything, I am no headphones aficionado).

“These are designed to work well in the water and have a short cord to avoid tangling.” → Says who? Can be checked where?

“wrap securely around the ear and are fully submersible” → Are there any tests out there by trusted parties? What is the source for this claim? It for sure is no first-hand experience of “Claude”. :slight_smile:

And last, but not least: language models and intellectual property rights/copyright… This will be something interesting to watch in the near future. The list given above may not be an issue, but sometimes LMs use data they were not allowed to use in the first place… Again, I do not mean this in a bad way. :slight_smile:

Maybe, a swimmer will chime in eventually. :slight_smile: I am in the same camp, I never have used headphones under water.

I would love to see the MPU community keep being a platform with content generated by human beings also in a world with language models or what not. :slight_smile:

I agree with everything you shared. I also felt strange posting it.
The only reason I did was because it was unanswered for days and thought maybe OP isn’t aware that this can generally be first step in the R&D process. I’d personally ask a dozen more questions to the AI for more ideas and details.

After posting I re-read this part and released maybe no reply might have been better than the AI’s response.

1 Like

I totally get why you did it. :slight_smile: If I stumble upon a topic without any reactions, I always think about whether I could contribute something (because getting no answers may be frustrating for the OP).

I’ll share my answer to swimming with headphones, a wonderful hack that I stumbled upon three or so years ago. Find an old ipod shuffle (the small one without any screen), dielectic grease (any automotive store), a plastic syringe, and then inject the grease into the headphones plug. It takes a lot of force as the grease has to be pushed into all the crevices. Some of it may even come out around the seam of the round button. After this ten minute procedure, pair the shuffle with Swimbuds (special earbuds designed for the water). Then, Voila!

Six months ago, I purchased my second Shuffle on our local online marketplace for $15 used. The first Shuffle, an old one I had sitting in a box for years and years, lasted about two years of semi-regular lap swimming. I’m a runner but do mix things up with lap swimming. Music has made lap swimming easier for me, a better experience.

The biggest issue is that the Shuffle has long ago been shuffled out of sight and mind at Apple- which means that getting the music you want into it involves a lot of fussing around. But I’m still able to do it even when plugging it into my Mac Mini M2 running Sonoma.

Disclaimer: Of course, I’m not offering any guarantees here. The good news is that ipod Shuffles aren’t worth a whole lot anymore. I think the scroll wheel on my first shuffle stopped working after a few months in the water but I continued to use it as it continued to play music.