Best swimming MP3 player：Finis duo underwater mp3 player review

FINIS are well known for their excellent swimming aids, and they've been at the forefront of developing swimmer-friendly underwater MP3 players over the past 13 years.The FINIS Duo Underwater MP3 Player is their latest and most impressive waterproof music player yet. One of its main advantages is that it doesn't use ear buds, which have been known to fall out of ears easily during swimming. Instead, it features a clip design that attaches securely and comfortably to your goggle strap.So what is its actual use experience? Only used users know the answer. Therefore, this article collects some users' real use reviews for reference.

Product Dimensions：2.36 x 5.91 x 8.66 inches

Item Weight：5.3 ounces

Manufacturer：Finis, Inc.

ASIN：B0169RSNPG

Item model number：1.30.058.244

Batteries：1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included)

Special Feature：Waterproof IPX8

Connectivity Technology：Wired

Memory Storage Capacity：4G

Screen Size：1.77

Compatible Devices：Laptop

Media Type：Micro SDXC

Product name: FINIS Duo Underwater Bone Conduction MP3 Player Price: $109.18

Rating: 3.7 Where to buy: Amazon or official website.

User review 1：

User:Amberoni Nation:United States

“I really, really love these headphones. I had been swimming with the Finis Neptune model for over 4 years when they finally gave out. I wanted another pair of the Neptunes since that was what I was familiar with, but the price has skyrocketed after they were discontinued. I was skeptical about the Duo because the rating wasn't as good, but turns out, I actually like it better!

I feel like the sound quality from my Duo is better than my old Neptune. But there are 2 big differences between the pairs that I had to get used to:

1. The Neptune headphones clipped to your goggle straps, but the Duo headphones don't have clips. They simply have a "groove" that your goggle straps can snap in and out of. I swim with a pair of Swim Elite goggles and the strap is extremely chunky. My first couple times of using the Duo I had a TERRIBLE time getting my goggle straps in and out of the grooves! I was afraid I was going to break my goggles. Then I realized, why am I taking them apart every time I swim? I now leave the player attached to my googles all the time and just rinse with fresh water after swimming to prevent chlorine buildup between the parts.

2. The Neptune had 2 headphones plus a display screen. The Duo has done away with the display screen. It's really not that big of a deal. Since the screen was on the back of your head, it was kind of pointless while you were swimming anyway. The only thing I liked having it for, was sometimes, I would choose to only play a certain artist instead of my entire playlist. That option is now gone. But, the pay off is less bulk on your head while you're swimming!

All in all, these headphones are fantastic and really make my time in the pool so much more enjoyable!”

User review 2：

User:R.R. McCoy Nation:United States

“These head-phonish things really work for swimming laps. Don't get these if you are looking for amazing sound quality or pumping base. However, once you get underwater, the bone conduction sound improves dramatically. They hooked on to my googles perfectly, sit on my temples so I can use my swimming earplugs. It is a great setup for lap after lap of podcasts or whatever you can load on the MP3 player which was super easy on my Mac. Just drag and drop. The controls took some getting used to... the volume and next track are on the same button, which was a little frustrating at first. However, that is my only complaint and not enough to take away the five-star rating. Great job Finis. I am not sending these back :)”

User review 3：

User:nikki Nation:United States

“I was a competitive swimmer for much of my life, so I was excited to try this product. I've had other in-ear swimming earbuds (paired with a waterproof iPod shuffle), but having to adjust the earbuds every few hundred yards was a bit of a nuisance. So I gave the FINIS Duo a try, based on good amazon reviews.

The sound on these bone conduction devices is an absolute joke, and I can only assume that those that rated them highly are listening to them while gently breakstroking on their backs across a perfectly calm, private pool. This "swim" MP3 player don't live up to the hype at all. Weren't secure doing flip turns. Forget sprinting in them.

I was struggling to get them dialed in and a guy in the lane next to me stopped me to tell me that he had a set of these in his bag — and they never worked for him either.

Don't believe the hype. These are cool, novel technology and maybe someone will dial it in better someday. But if you want audio you can actually hear while you're doing a real swim workout, get an in-ear solution. And just deal with adjusting the earbuds every 3 or 4 hundred yards...

These were promptly returned to Amazon.”

User review 4：

User:Karen T. Nation:United States

“I purchased the DUO underwater MP3 player to make swimming laps less boring. This was my 2nd attempt at music during laps. I did a lot of research and read a lot of reviews and first hand experiences for an MP3/Bluetooth/earplug/earphone option. The Duo is by far the most enjoyable solution to my issues. (I didn't need Bluetooth options, just some good music to swim laps to, so I didn't go one to find that feature.)

The charging and loading procedures are pretty straightforward. If you've done any music file movement on a computer, you will be able to master this pretty quick. (I have a Mac and had to export the music in MP3.) The buttons are easy to find and maneuver. There are dual purpose buttons, so a little practice will master those in no time.

I don't have enough face to wear the DUO on the jawbone without the water seeping into my goggles from the temples, so I moved it back on the goggle strap behind my ear so that it plays on the bottom of my skull. It works well - probably not as great as on the jawbone, but it stays put and that was important to me. Best sound is when your head is fully underwater, with earplugs.

This player stays put. Period. It doesn't fall out of your ears. The wire drag doesn't effect the fit. It does what you want it to do: plays music for a workout. It just does it without sticking in your ears.

I purchased a refurbished pair. It came in like new condition with all the necessary parts. It was clean and acceptable.

I haven't had any issues with it to complain about, so I consider it a win. You will too.”

User review 5：

User:Marc Nation:United States

“First, if you swim in saltwater this is the only real option. I swim 4-5 times a week in the ocean and while this MP3 player has its quirks out of the water it really is superb in the water.

The real issue with this is the contacts for charging are hard to clean. They are recessed and hard to access. The cotton swab and alcohol would work if they were easier to get at.. Once the contacts get tarnished or oxidized ( I swim saltwater) you will have issues docking.. like it playing and not charging.. So at that point you really have to clean the contacts.. I used a pin and scrape off the film of oxidation. This needs to go into distilled water right after you swim. and it takes constant care and effort to keep the contacts clean. This is really the only real flaw with the design..

Otherwise the sound is superior over any of the in-ear mp3 players, and none of them are rated for salt water anyway..

The is no way to organize playlists. you have shuffle mode.. but you can skip tracks easily while swimming..

It is comfortable to swim with and it is not going anywhere unless your goggle strap breaks.”

User review 6：

User: Stewey Nation:United States

“I had the predecessor to this - the SwimP3 for several years. I decided to replace it because the o-ring had been leaking and the connectors were heavily corroded. So, since I had such good luck with the previous product, I decided to go with their new generation product, the Duo. This would be a great product except instead of using an electrical conductor that is resistant to corrosion (gold plating maybe?) they apparently chose something that does not do well with chlorine. After 20 hours of swimming, my computer would not recognize the unit or charge it. Turned out not to be a PC problem, but corrosion on the contacts between the charger and the Duo. I have found that I have to use a drop of vinegar on the contact and then rub it with a toothpick to clear off the corrosion so that it will work again. This would be a five-star product if it weren't for this problem but after many years of producing a swimming mp3 player, they should know better.”

User review 7：

User:FRANCISCO Nation:United States

“I have been reading positive and negative reviews about these Finis before buying until I decided to give them a try.

I am a swimmer and I have used other conventional mp3 players at the pool, with poor results, especially when it comes to flip turns (I like my current wireless Sony nwz-ws615 series, but the sound is dull when using the water pads, and most annoyingly, water gets into my ears when flip turning. Therefore, I ended up using them when I am "out" of the water, because they are very confortable and the Bluetooth feature is useful... so, it is pointless when it comes to swimming).

I must say these Finis Duo are the very best so far. Really comfortable to use, excellent clip to the goggles, no problems with flip turns AT ALL, the sound quality under water is AMAZING taking into consideration that my ears are absolutely free and I can still listen to the environment and/or people talking to me with these on, and I am not using earplugs, only the swim cap is more than enough to me. Regarding the magnet charger, I experienced no issues with the charging process, the magnet on my unit is very powerful (note that I have the new model, I think, which is number 011116, probably some improvements were made).

To sum up: I am REALLY satisfied. I have never expected such a positive combination of comfort, sound quality (of course, listening to HI FI mp3 tracks) and long-lasting battery (only charged it once and have used it for 3 whole sessions of 2-3 hours each so far, and no "low battery" indicator).

I will keep on using it and let you know how it performs - My best underwater set, to date!”

User review 8：

User:M. Wilkins Nation:United States

“I really loved this unit until it stopped working 13 months in, just after the warranty expired :(

The battery life is excellent! I only charged this thing maybe 5 or 6 times in the entire time I had it. Admittedly, I didn't swim that much last year, but the charge held even during weeks when I was swimming.

The sound is good (when aligned to your cheekbones underwater), though not good enough for podcasts. Just a lot of splashy noise, not any design flaw.

The problem, as can be seen in the photo, is that the hard plastic attachment of the wire connecting the two ear pieces frayed, shorting out the unit, and making it useless. After conversations with tech support, they found that the unit was out of warranty, and provided the offer of a replacement for $75, which just isn't good enough for me to bite, as others have commented.

Maybe there's some best practices for babying those connectors that would make these things last, but that was not in the manual. I used these with reasonable care, rather infrequently, and they lasted just over a year. This is unacceptable durability in my opinion. If the manufacturer stood behind their product and offered a longer warranty or a repair/replacement plan that wasn't 2/3 of the price of a new unit, I'd definitely have a higher rating, because overall I was quite happy with these headphones and they made my swim workouts much more enjoyable.”

User review 9：

User:James M. McManus Nation:United States

“Ive tried numerous types of waterproof headphones and either the sound quality was awful, the volume was too low or earphones would constantly pop out of my ears when swimming. I was about to give up however the owner of our local swim shop highly recommended the Finis Duo headphones. So far I am pleasantly surprised. The "headphones" fit on your goggle strap and are placed over your temple bones so you never have to worry about any ear buds popping out while you swim. The sound quality isn't Bose noise canceling quality but for underwater listening it is far superior to anything else I've tried. The volume is excellent under water and I can also get pretty decent volume when my heads out of water resting between sets. All the controls are simple and easy to manage. I am fairly computer illiterate but converting unprotected songs to MP3 format and loading onto The Duo was pretty easy. I have ~40 songs on it and still have a lot of memory left. Now I've heard there's some durability issues with The Duo but I haven't any issues so far. I do wash them with clean water after each swim and dry them off immediately. I also clean the small charging plates on the phones as instructed about once a week.

Lets face it, swimming is fantastic for the mind and body but can get a little laborious lap after lap after lap. Now I get to totally rock out and enjoy my workouts sooo much more. I just wish I found this product years ago. Thanks Finis!!! Great Job!!!”

User review 10：

User:S2cem Nation:United States

“I read all the reviews, all the instructions and all the online videos on this device. The manufacturer does a great job with letting the user know all the right and wrong ways to use it. However, these did not work for me. I used them during lap swim initially music with hopes to have an audiobook. Sad to say there is absolutely no way to listen to an audiobook with these and the music alone is barely audible- especially when you turn your head to breathe or while doing the breast stroke. Under the water these sound great but since I need to breathe as soon as they are out of the water they sound faint and distant no matter where I place them. This discrepancy was annoying at first and became unusable after the third use. To add to the frustrationthe loading of music and unloading turned out to be a nightmare. I'd load ten songs , listen to them and try another (different) ten songs. However even though I had deleted the old songs and loaded the new songs the old songs would irritatingly play.

Overall, this is a cool technology but it has a lot of work before it can be used by the average swimmer. Until then I would avoid buying them.”

Most users have given favorable reviews on Finis duo underwater mp3 player, indicating that it is a good product. But it is not without its shortcomings. MP3 player usually has no Bluetooth connection mode, and so does this one, so it is not so convenient to use, and there are still cable troubles. This MP3 has only 4G of memory, which may not be enough for people who like listening to music. If you are a person who likes doing swim workouts, I highly recommend that you choose a pair of swimming headphones with both MP3 mode and Bluetooth mode to replace this MP3 player, such as Wissonly Hi Runner bone conduction headphones.

Wissonly’s team is a technical expert in the field of bone conduction headphones. As early as 10 years ago, it began to develop bone conduction headphones that do not hurt the ears,and it mainly produces high-performance bone conduction headphones. The products have good sound quality, low sound leakage, high waterproof level, High comfort, high-cost performance, and other features, that received support from sports fans.

Hi Runner is the flagship product of Wissonly.As you can tell from the name, it's perfect for any sports.The Hi Runner bone conduction headphones are waterproof to the industry standard IPX8 rating, allowing the wearer to function properly while swimming or divingThe overall frame of it is made of adjustable aviation-grade titanium steel, which can adapt to different sizes of head circumference and ensure the stability of wearing, so that you don’t have to worry about the headphones falling off during exercise. Its weight is very light, less than 30g, so it will not feel heavy when worn.The surface of its headphones is made of high-tech low-sensitivity silicone material, which does not contain chemical ingredients to avoid allergies,which avoiding discomfort when worn for a long time.

In terms of wearing, it is open-ear design. This means that it can be worn directly on the temple, so your ear canal is completely open and you can hear the surrounding sounds. Let you can rest assured in the outdoor running, walking.This kind of open ear design makes you wear it for a long time without discomfort, which is healthier and cleaner.

It also equipped with 32GB of built-in storage, which can store 5,000 songs and supports both Bluetooth and MP3 modes of operation. When exercising underwater or you don't want to bring a smartphone, you can use it as a Bluetooth MP3 player. It's really very convenient!

Since it is a wireless headphone that needs to be charged, you may be concerned about its battery life. Yes, swimming workout is a long process, you have to consider battery life. The Hi Runner's battery life is so strong that it can listen to music for 10 hours straight, making up for the shortcomings of wireless headphones.