Thursday, April 28, 2011

H20 Audio Waterproof Headphone System & iPod Case Review

I have something to add to my list of confessions. Yes, I lick knives and sometimes jog with scissors. But, my biggest confession for today is that I don’t really like to swim. Which is humorous, because I am doing a Half Ironman in August and it requires a bit of swimming. Just 1.2 miles or so.

For all of the time I spend in the chlorinated and hairy waters of my local pool, one would think we are having a love affair. Not the case.

Sometimes swimming feels like a chore what with having to diligently shave certain areas that I would typically ignore. Then there is the whole locker room thing involving chit-chatting with the pussy posse while we’re all naked (weird). Don’t even get me started on the black raccoon rings the goggles leave around my eyes causing me to look more old-haggish than I usually do.

But, the real reason I don’t love swimming is the endless back and forth from one end of the pool to the other. I break it up with intervals and boards and pull things between my legs. But, I still find it a bit mundane at times.

H20 Audio took pity on me on sent me a gadget to help those hundreds of laps fly by just a bit more quickly. The item?

An Interval Waterproof Headphone System and Case for my 4th Generation iPod Shuffle.

ipodwaterproofcase

“The Interval is the only waterproof iPod case designed just for swimmers! If you’re an iTunes user, there’s no better way to bring your own personal soundtrack into the pool. The waterproof case for the iPod shuffle 4th generation has integrated Surge 2G headphones and easily attaches to almost any swim goggle. Finally swimmers can have the same advantage of training with music that dry land athletes have enjoyed for years. Train harder, swim longer and have more fun doing it with the Interval 4G.”

Pretty slick, right?

This thing intimidated me a bit.   First, I was worried my iPod would be ruined. Second, the sheer thought of figuring out how to swim with this thing was kind of a mental block. I got over it.

Prior to using the device, you test it to make sure the seal is adequate and that no water gets into the chamber. After doing this, I was confident my iPod would be okay.

Yesterday, I went to try out this baby. I loaded my iPod into the case (all pictures taken at home after the fact):

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I fastened to case onto my goggle strap like so (very easy to do; don’t mind my uneven goggle straps):

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I put in the headphones:

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I swam for about an hour (on the carpet of course. This is a great place to train):

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The conclusion? This thing rocks. Seriously. It changed the whole swim experience for me. I just got into a zone and tuned out. The laps flew by. I loved it. I never noticed or thought about the case strapped to my head. It is very lightweight and stays in place. The controls were simple to work.

I did struggle with the headphones a bit. There is a learning curve involved here. You are supposed to put them in before getting your ears wet and secure a seal. If they are placed correctly, no water should get into the ear canal at all. I was sent multiple-sized earplugs so that they would fit properly in my ear.

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Yesterday’s fit was not quite right, and although the phones stayed in my ears just fine, the sound quality could have been better. I am convinced this was user error and not the fault of device because other users have had good sound quality. Once I am able to find the correct fit, I will update the review.

All I know is it beats this one-eyed contraption I was using for water running:

hatipod

Bottom Line: If you like working out to music and do a lot of swimming, this might be a good investment. It is available for all iPod versions and there are armbands as well. The cost for this one is $99 and comes with the case, headphones and five sizes of earplugs (iPod sold separately).

Off to “carpet swim” because who needs a pool,

SUAR

Fine Print: The Interval Waterproof Headphone System and Case was sent to me free of charge from H20 Audio in exchange for my unbiased review.

37 comments:

  1. I. Seriously. Need. One.

    The pool and I are not friends right now. I'm currently just (not) patiently waiting for open water swims to start.

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  2. LOL Carpet swim. Too bad it isn't an official event because that one I could probably train for and do pretty well in. :)

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  3. I need that. Hate swimming because of how boring I think it is. I will have to look into those. Thanks for the review.

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  4. I like that I can't listen to music when I swim. For some reason I have to have music when I run but not so for swimming. It calms me down just swimming peacefully with all of my thoughts

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  5. That looks cool - it is smaller than I thought when I saw it on. Do you seriously carpet swim?? How does that work? :\

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  6. I could not stop laughing at your carpet swimming! Swimming is a chore for me too so I need that system.....brilliant! I think youvare going to change my whole perspective on swimming!

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  7. I really want one of those. My only concern with doing laps while listening to music is that I would zone out and forget to count my laps. But for water running? Priceless!

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  8. I so want that.

    Maybe it'll inspire me to learn how to swim. When I dog paddle - I don't need water proof anything.

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  9. I hate the rug burns that go along with carpet swimming! Cool gadget.

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  10. I want one. Please tell them to send me one so I can review it. After all, I was a swimmer before I was a runner!

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  11. Carpet swim/stationary bike/treadmill run … a new way to tri for those who don't like getting wet, have agorophobia, live in harsh climates, or just to push the 'go-nowhere-fast' limits ;-)

    Can we see those abs one more time? :P

    Seriously, it does sound like a VERY cool product… and I do LOVE this review!

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  12. I freaking love the carpet swim. How do your children not realize that you are the most awesome Mom ever??
    I would love to have an underwater iPod device but I seriously think that even if I had one I would be too scared to use it for fear that I would screw something up and either 1. ruin my iPod or 2. die from electrocution

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  13. I have the same case for the 3rd generation shuffle and love it. Makes all the difference in the pool!

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  14. GREAT review! I've always been tempted to get one. Up until now I have resorted to kicking hard near the back strokers for entertainment. lol!

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  15. I think you should consider trying out a Masters swim program where you have a coached workout. That can really help to have someone else dictating your workout for you, rather than just swimming lap after lap. Infact, you have wonderful resources in Boulder - Dave Scott coaches a Masters program there! Jealous!

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  16. I don't like to swim either, and I swam in competitively in college.

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  17. Brenda - I probably will do some masters later in my training. Right now I'm pretty happy with the workouts I've gotten online.

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  18. That is the coolest! I don't like to swim either but it is a goal of mine to do an iron man also so I guess I will just have to do it!
    Sarah

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  19. Huh. I've never understood this need for music at all times. I like the silence sometimes. Neither do I understand people that get bored swimming. I did 7 k a week ago and wasn't bored for even one second. Here's another vote for more ab photos, yours are amazing.

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  20. If I ever learn to swim I'm getting this! Thanks for the review!

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  21. Thanks for the review! And thanks for your witty writing; I very much enjoy it.

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  22. Thanks for the review! I have this on the potential father's day gift list for my husband, who has always wished for a way to listen to music in the pool.

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  23. carpet swim sounds dirty.

    So what happens when you don't own an iPod. That's right I don't own one so don't judge. Can I get Jay-Z and Rihanna to just sing to me directly for $99?

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  24. Oh, and when I am finally interested in a product you can't swing a giveaway? You have giveaways for books you read on the toilet but no giveaway for a iPod (ignore the fact I don't own one) holder for the pool. You've seen my training you know how much time I spend there. Geesh!!

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  25. Jason - I asked for a giveaway, let's see if they bite. Not sure about your iPod issue, though.

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  26. I just borrowed one of these from a friend while I was limited to pool running for a week or so. It worked pretty well, but I don't think the headphones were right for me. Maybe a different size would have worked better. It was really nice to have music, though!

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  27. Exciting! i had a radio thing that attached to goggles when i was little, but it never had good reception. this would be awesome!

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  28. Hmmmm carpet swimming....now there's something I might be able to get into. Is that an orange shuffle? All the coolest kids have orange you know. Great review!

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  29. Wow, that's awesome! I wish I had something like this when I was doing a lot of time in the pool!

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  30. I think I'll have to try out the carpet swim this evening because that SUAR girl told me too. Added bonus: it will totally freak out the kids.

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  31. I am SOOOO getting one! Thanks for the info!

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  32. Good review. My wife and I had the 3rd gen version and the clips broke on both of them within a few months. Keep us posted - especially if they start to fail on ya...

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  33. I really need to get that! With IM training, I am swimming a lot and it sounds like this would really make the time fly by!

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  34. I have another version of the "use your ipod in the pool" that goes on my arm. Tried it for the first time and hated it. Took me 15 full minutes to get it working properly. Ear phones kept coming out, water in my ear, arms would tug cord for ear phones, and it magnified the sou0nd of the water around me A LOT. As a "swimmer first, run/bike only to do tri's" gal, I found it threw off my stroke and was an annoyance. BUT, then I used it during my water RUN and it was FANTASTIC for that. Swimmers - be warned - an underwarter device may seem very odd if you're used to the peace/calm of swimming when you swim, but it is AMAZING for water running (and I imagine for progecting your ipod if you want to run in the rain - another nice feature.) Thanks for the review - love your blog!

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