Amazon.com: Customer reviews: HydroActive Premium Short-Cord Waterproof Headphones (Wired 3.5 mm Jack) with 11 Earbuds in 4 Styles (Separate Music Player Purchase Required)

Top positive review

Finally the waterproof headphones that don't leak or fall out!

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2017

I've tried about 10 different headphones for swimming; all of them either leaked or were falling out. I guess my ear canals refused to follow the evolution theory of Darwin and remained primitive. But finally I found something that even worked for me. I've been swimming with these amor about 2 years. These headphones have a very nice snuggle and comfortable fit, they don't leak or fall out after 45 mins swim in endless pool (I haven't tried them in a lap pool). The only peculiar thing is I found that if I wear them in proper orientation (that is left channel to left ear) I couldn't hear anything out of the left bud! However, when I reverse them and wear them "upside down" with right ear channel in the left ear, the sound is perfect and the buds still don't fall out. Short cord doesn't interfere with strokes or get tangled up.
These come with a myriad of different shapes and size buds, extension cord and very nicely packaged.
Overall I'm extremely satisfied with these - I think the money is well spent.

14 people found this helpful

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Troy

Decided to return

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2022

I plugged into the mp3 player as soon as I received it, and I noticed that the sound quality was like earbuds from a dollar tree store. In addition, the sound from the left side was so low that I could barely hear anything. There is absolutely no bass sound. Then I took it to test in the water and it was another disappointment. Only one side fits into my ear and the other one is out of position. The plastic part connecting the two sides looks very fragile and I did not want to bend it or mess with it. It was not possible to hear anything in the water at all. I have waterproof earbuds and I paid $6.99 for them. They have way better sound quality than this product. I decided to stick with my old earbuds and return that immediately.

One person found this helpful

350 total ratings, 284 with reviews

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From the United States

Andrew Beyzman

Finally the waterproof headphones that don't leak or fall out!

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

bbywu

I felt that Swimpod USA's SwimPod headset was the best headset. After several weeks of use

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

Prior to this purchase, I felt that Swimpod USA's SwimPod headset was the best headset. After several weeks of use, I now feel that the HydroActive is clearly superior for several reasons. I average 25000 yards a week. These headphones have tolerated chlorinated and salt water pools with excellent durability. The sound quality is excellent with very good bass response because the ear adapters create a water tight seal. Under the surface of the water, the sound quality is very good. Where it improves over the SwimPod, is the durability - the wire that connects to my iPod is thicker, and the headband keeps the cord orderly.

My only suggestion is to make the headband adjustable, as it is larger than my head and does flop around. However, as I wear a swim cap over it, it is typically not an issue.

These headphones are comfortable, do not move during my USMS practices, and provide excellent sound quality.

33 people found this helpful

Helpful

coopdog1

Best of the swim headphones I've used

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

I've been swimming with these for a couple of weeks now and have some observations.
Good n bad
1) These are the first pair of underwater headphones I've used that stay sealed in my ear for the most part. The other pair of underwater audio ones I've had often had issues with my right earbud falling out or unsealing. This is probably the fault of my ear as other headphones do this, too. On these headphones, the plastic arch pushes the buds into my ears. I don't wear a cap, so this has been incredibly helpful. However, if you DO wear a cap, it might be too much pressure. Your milage may vary.
2) The sound is good. However, due to the better seal, they tend to be too loud when my head is out of the water.
3) You know that sound you get with earbuds when the cord rubs against your clothes? That's not the issue here. However, the plastic seems to amplify the water sound when you're swimming. You especially notice this if one of the earbuds fails to seal correctly. This could also be why I have to turn up the volume.
4). I occasionally seem to touch the plastic with my shoulders when swimming. This doesn't affect anything, just an observation.
5) It works best with the plastic lower on the neck.
6) Just like the other headphones, the water pressure of flip turns will occasionally knock out the sound until you get closer to the surface.
7) It still takes me awhile to get a good seal, but once I get it, it usually stays for the duration of my swim.
8) Sometimes the plastic hurts my ears a bit, but it's worth it for the music all swim.

Overall, I like these way better than the other, slightly less expensive pair due to the seal I get and that fact it stays put in my ears once I get the seal to work. Are they perfect? No. But they have been the best pair of swim headphones for me. If you wear a cap, it might be a better bet to use the less expensive ones.

15 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bob

These stay in your ears and don't leak

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is the first pair of headphones that have enabled me to complete a whole hour workout without having to remove due to water getting by or the earbuds coming out of my ears. These are a gamechanger. I don't have the feeling where I need to be carful in pushing off the walls in flip turns or doing sprint lap sessions. These stay on my head and in my ears. The cross bar is not noticeable, which is a pleasant surprise. The molded soft ear inserts give lots of options, several of which are not available in any other headphones I have seen. One of these unique inserts is what made these work for me. You get what you pay for. This is worth it if you want a worry free swim workout with good music.

One person found this helpful

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Troy

Decided to return

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2022

Verified Purchase

One person found this helpful

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Sidney D. Parker

Plastic ring is a great design

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2018

Verified Purchase

I've gone through several headphones styles from Underwater Audio and Waterfi and I am most satisfied with these. Caveat is that I only have had them for about a month now. The real test for me will be how they perform a year from now.

The plastic ring design keeps the earbuds well positioned in my ear because they create a spring like pressure to hold the headphones in place. This makes a better seal. It prevents the headphones from popping out on a flip turn and in general keeps the water out of your ear better. Before I purchased these, I called the company and asked them what they thought of this product vs their other headphones. The response was that these headphones were the premiere ones of the group. So far, I agree with that..........

Over six months have passed since purchased and the earphones perform as good as ever.....great product...

After about 1.5 years. the volume level in one of the years dropped off significantly so I have to downgrade my rating of this product. I guess that they just won't last for multiple years....

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Worth Every Cent!

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

I was hesitant to order these headphones because of the price but I submitted because the $40 ones wouldn't stay in my ears (I actually questioned if I have a distorted ear canal). So far I have been using these for a month, about 3 times a week, 30 minutes to 1 hour for each swim, and they are wonderful. Best sound quality underwater and prevents water from going into my ear. It takes a minute to get the piece in just right but once it is, it stays in for my whole swim (fyi-I don't do flips so can not attest to that). I use them with a waterproof mini iPod shuffle. It is totally worthwhile if you swim often and want to zone out. I am super happy with this purchase.

Also, before purchasing I went to local stores: Sports Basement and Best Buy to see what they have. They had nothing comparable so I opted for same delivery as a Prime member, couldn't have been more in awe of Amazon as to the ease of the delivery. I had them ready for my following morning swim-incredible.

2 people found this helpful

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steve williams

Fix: One ear not working-intermittent

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2022

Verified Purchase

Lifetime swimmer here. I can't swim without my mix. These are great because they hold in place and sound terrific. I have three pair.

I had one ear stop working cutting out and the way it was acting I figured some dirt, oil, wax, scale, or whatever got on the speaker bud. So I used a small welding tip cleaner and alcohol and worked it around in there. I got most of the volume back it's not perfect but have full volume and sounds great. I used a hair dryer to dry it out and tapped on it upside down with kitchen knife to get the debris to drain out. It might take some time but worth a shot.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lunaticlulu

The tricks you need to know for these waterproof headpones to work perfectly every time!

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2019

Verified Purchase

***UPDATE TO MY ORIGINAL REVIEW***
At almost 2 1/2 years of near constant use, the sound in the left earbud stopped working. I was hoping it was a fluke and gave it a few weeks but it never came back. Fortunately for me I had purchased the extended warranty offered at the time I bought this item on Amazon through Asurion. When I received the headphones originally I had uploaded the receipt to them so the claim process went through very quickly and smoothly. They even gave me a prepaid shipping label to return the product through UPS. This doesn’t change my four star review because with almost 2 1/2 years of use I feel that I definitely got my moneys worth with this item. I just thought I would mention it in case you’re purchasing it through Amazon and aren’t sure if you should get the warranty or not. It was well worth the money because they very quickly reimbursed me with a $90 Amazon gift card to purchase a new one. I was actually going to go directly through the company to re-order the headphones since it’s Black Friday this weekend and they always have sales, but unfortunately they don’t offer an extended warranty if you purchase it directly through them. I will definitely be purchasing another extended warranty, even though I did notice the warranty price has gone up quite a bit since my original purchase, but it is still well worth it.

I have had these waterproof headphones for a year and a half now. There were some little, but very important tricks I had to learn in the beginning while first trying them out before they worked perfectly for me every time.
1. No matter which ear pieces you think will fit the best, take them ALL to the pool the first few times to try them out. Some I thought would be great, only to get in the pool and discover they weren't so air tight in my ears after all. It's too bad the company doesn't give a detailed description of how to fit each different ear piece in the ear. It was definitely trial and error for me. The medium size trees ended up working perfectly for me.
2. Once you get the ear piece you want to wear, add a sliver/tiny dab of petroleum jelly to the inside part before inserting it into your ear to swim. Makes sliding them into the ear much easier and provides an extra barrier to the water leaking in.
3. If you do manage to get water into the ear and 'static' develops while listening to your music, whatever you do DO NOT take the earbuds out to shake out the water. Just very gently push the earbud further into the ear canal and within a minute or two the static should stop. This also goes the same if someone wants to talk to you once you have gotten the earbuds wet. Turn off the music, DO NOT take the earbuds out to listen because it ruins the water tight seal. Unless you have a dry towel or q-tip handy, the static will become constant when you put them back in.
4. When you are finished swimming, rinse the earbuds in fresh water then gently shake and towel blot dry before putting them back in the case.
5. If you have any questions or concerns don't hesitate to call the company. They have great customer service and are very helpful.

Once I got the hang of these few tricks these headphone have been fantastic and well worth the money spent. The only negative to the design for me was that the earbuds are rather large and if you have smaller ear canals some days they can be uncomfortable by the way they stick out. I also found that if you want to wear a swim cap. the sides of the caps have to be above the ears so the headphones will fit on properly. So if you are looking for something that will keep your hair dry while wearing, these aren't the waterproof headphones for you. I wet my hair down before I put the swim cap on and use their Aqua Guard pre-swim hair defense cream. It really helps your hair from becoming trashed from all the chlorine in the pool.

So if you are hesitant about spending this kind of money on waterproof headphone, don't be. Follow the tricks I mentioned above and you will be so glad you purchased them!

35 people found this helpful

Helpful

VeniceBeach

Durability issues

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2022

Verified Purchase

I would have rated these a 5 or 4, but their durability is not there, especially at their price point. I have purchased 2 of these in the last 3 years. I purchased the first one when I kept having problems with the regular headphones that came with my Under Water Audio waterproof iPod shuffle kept coming out of my ears. I bought a second pair as I was quite happy with their performance and I received a discount when I purchased it in combination with a spare Under Audio device.

I stopped swimming during the pandemic as the pool I used closed. When I started back up, I discovered the left side of the headphone no longer worked. I was disappointed, but I had used them continuously for over a year before the pandemic and had the spare I purchased so I just started using that.

When getting back into shape I over did it with weight lifting and swimming and had to stop swimming for 3 months because of a sore shoulder. Once I returned, I discovered the left side of the spare had also stopped working. This was after only using it for several months. Because I purchased the spare before the pandemic (but never used them), I didn't try contacting Under Water Audio regarding their warranty, as it was over a year from the purchase date.

I belong to a gym that provides towels and always rinse my swimming equipment and then dry them after each swim with the provided towels. When I get home I leave them out to air dry further. There was no user error that would have caused the second pair I purchased to go bad after a few months. There was nothing I had done to cause the original pair to go bad.

I worked as a marketing product manager at Dell on their XPS gaming laptops and worked closely with the Dell audio product manager who oversaw speakers and headphones. Headphones have extremely high markups. A $90 headphone generally costs less than $10 to make. If they are selling things at such high margins, my feeling as a consumer is that they should last 2-3 years before going bad and definitely not less than 4 months. Water of course makes anything with electrical components tricky, but the $40 headphones that came with the iPod shuffle that I purchased 4 years ago still works and the HydroActive headphones are nearly 3 times the price. Another thing, is that the HydroActive headphones were never as loud as the other UnderWater audio headphones. I'd say there was a difference of 10-15%. Not a big deal, but the SYRYN product they sell isn't as loud as the iPod shuffle when you rip your music on Apple iTunes and the added lower sound of headphones became an issue when I used it on the SYRYN.

I have decided to buy a swimming cap to hold the other headphones in my ears better as I refuse to give away $90-$110 for something that goes out so randomly. If you do get it, I'd only do it with the added 3 year warranty plan that is offered through a 3-party. Also, when I first purchased these, the reviews were nearly overwhelming positive. I now see a lot more lower ratings, which seems to be that I am not alone with durability issues.

4 people found this helpful

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HydroActive Premium Short-Cord Waterproof Headphones (Wired 3.5 mm Jack) with 11 Earbuds in 4 Styles (Separate Music Player Purchase Required)

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