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Oct 16, 2024

The best waterproof headphones 2024 | TechRadar

The best way to listen to your favorite tunes as you swim When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. 1. The list in brief 2. Best overall 3.

The best way to listen to your favorite tunes as you swim

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

1. The list in brief2. Best overall3. Best multi-sport4. Best premium5. Best music storage6. Best music stability7. Best for streaming8. How we choose9. How we test

The best waterproof headphones will serve you in the pool, open water, or even in heavy downpours for training all year round. While many of the best workout headphones on the market are splashproof, none are waterproof in a way that will give you peace of mind in very inclement weather, and none are suitable for use while swimming.

Waterproof headphones must be rated to IPX7 or higher, meaning they can be submerged in at least one meter of water for up to 30 minutes, or more depending on the rating.

Confusingly, you will find plenty of water-resistant headphones out there too, but the difference between waterproof vs water-resistant headphones, the upshot being that only one type is suitable for swimmers.

We've tested and tried many of the best waterproof headphones on the market, bringing together our findings to establish a comprehensive guide. That includes both of the main types of waterproof headphones, those that use Bluetooth, and those that use onboard storage. The latter offers huge advantages to swimmers who can't be close to their phone while exercising, playing music from onboard storage like an MP3 player of old.

Generally, you'll find in-ear headphones and bone conduction headphones in our list. Latterly, we've added the new Shokz OpenSwim Pro, tried and tested for 2024, as our very top pick in this category.

If you don’t have time to read our full guide to the best waterproof headphones, you can read the round-up below for a shortcut to the top options for your needs and budget. You can use the jump links or scroll down to see our more comprehensive overview of the headphones and click through to a full review.

Best overall

Best overall

Excellent sound performance, Bluetooth and MP3 support, and reliable waterproofing makes these buds our top pick for most people.

Read more below

Best multi-sport

Best multi-sport

There's bass-heavy sound and 8GB of memory here, and a mode that lets you use the headphones both in and out of the water.

Read more below

Best premium

Best premium

These top premium bone-conducting headphones use an FM radio transmitter to stream music and podcasts from your phone.

Read more below

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Best music storage

Best music storage

With 16GB storage, these headphones offer double the other options here. You can also stream music via Bluetooth when you're on land.

Read more below

Best stability

Best stability

Our top pick for stability, these bone-conducting headphones deliver a light and secure fit that'll see you through workouts and swim sessions.

Read more below

Best for streaming

Best cheap headphones for streaming

The YouthWhisper SuperQ3 does a lot of things well within its limitations, as it doesn't have any onboard storage so you can't listen without a phone. However, Bluetooth works surprisingly well, and it's below $50 with good sound.

Read more below

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Below you'll find full write-ups for each of the best waterproof headphones in our list. We've tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.

Our expert review:

The Shokz Openswim Pro are top of our buying guide because they are very high-quality bone-conduction headphones with excellent waterproofing, designed to work on dry land and in the water alike. Most of the headphones on this list leave your ears free and work through bone conduction technology, but Shokz stands out from the pack.

You're able to stream music from your phone or music player using Bluetooth, but it's notoriously patchy underwater, so you also have 32GB of onboard storage in a built-in MP3 player. It's a small consolation if you mainly use streaming services like Spotify, but if you do have a music library it's the perfect swimming solution.

Otherwise, you can use them as a Bluetooth headset on runs, cycles and in the office and stay aware of your surroundings. Great battery life, comfortable with excellent performance: it's our top overall pick for a reason.

Read our full Shokz Openswim Pro review

Our expert review:

The H2O Audio Tri Multi-Sport waterproof open ear headphones make listening to music underwater feel like a party with its bass-heavy audio and their 8GB storage, that lets you store your favorite tunes for pool workouts. Compared to the JBLs above, these bone conduction headphones are terrific swimming options as they leave your ears free, mostly without compromising on sound quality.

During testing, we found it easy to download and organize files how you want, so, if you're apprehensive about using an MP3 player in this day and age, don't be. The hardest part is finding decent MP3-downloadable podcasts!

If you do want to keep it to streaming, the headphones do have Bluetooth connectivity too, but Bluetooth still doesn't work as well underwater. Still, it does give you options to play around with, and allows you to use Spotify and other music streaming services on land and near the water surface.

The main button controls play, pause, toggling between Bluetooth and memory modes, and a few other functions, which need to be annoyingly precise and takes some getting used to. But in general, the headphones are excellent.

Read our full H2O Audio Tri Multi-Sport review

Our expert review:

The Zygo Solo is the only waterproof headphones we've tested that can stream music and podcasts from a phone sitting by the side of the pool. As mentioned above, Bluetooth signals can only penetrate water for a very short distance, and the Zygo Solo gets around this problem using an FM radio transmitter – an unusual but effective approach.

The transmitter is quite large, but the ability to enjoy music, podcasts and coaching tips (provided by the Zygo app) without messing around with MP3 files is a real bonus. The headset itself isn't as compact as the others in this guide, but in our tests, it proved comfortable and remained secure even when making turns underwater. The sound quality is impressive, too.

The Zygo Solo uses bone conduction to transmit sound to your auditory nerve, and while it sounds a bit tinny on land, once you're in the pool, the sound has an impressive amount of bass.

We're also big fans of the Zygo mobile app, which offers instructor-led workouts and drills to give you training some variety. In the future, the company plans to add Peloton-style interactive sessions, which will make use of the headset's built-in accelerometer to track your progress in the pool. The best premium waterproof bone conduction headphones you can buy today.

Read our in-depth Zygo Solo review

Our expert review:

The Naenka Runner Diver sets itself apart from other bone conduction headphones on this list by doubling the storage of the H2O Audio Tri Multi-Sport above, while still offering Bluetooth streaming options. Unlike the Zygo Solo, which uses FM transmitters to stream underwater, these waterproof headphones are limited to Bluetooth.

Still, it’s a step closer in the right direction, and it means that you can own only one pair to use for both land and water-based audio enjoyment. Adding to its versatility is its 16GB storage, double the other options here. As for its performance, we found during testing that it works beautifully in and out of water – although the sound quality is much better in water when you’ve got the earplugs on.

Since it uses bone conduction, expect bass-heavy audio that lacks treble detailing. But, we didn’t find that particularly deal-breaking. Not for everything else you’re getting.

Read our in-depth Naenka Runner Diver review

Our expert review:

An excellent choice for all-around sporty types, these slim-fitting bone conduction waterproof headphones work both in and out of the pool. Containing an inbuilt MP3 player, they let you take your tunes with you when swimming while also allowing you to exercise to music away from your phone. The Shokz Openswim only packs 4GB storage, much less than some of the products on this list.

When swimming, we found the Shokz OpenSwim (known as the AfterShokz Xtrainerz until the company rebranded in December 2021) best paired with swimming goggles or a swim cap to keep them in place. With a dedicated swim mode, the sound provided is clear enough, while not only will your ears be free from potential irritation incursions, you’ll be able to hear ambient noise, like the lifeguard blowing their whistle at you for excessive splashing.

Although offset by the other benefits, the lack of Bluetooth does mean you’re left to plug the headphones in to upload songs or podcasts, they’ll be no pairing with your phone to take calls. Still, if swimming is your main concern, these are an excellent choice.

Read our in-depth Shokz OpenSwim review

Our expert review:

Even though the YouthWhisper SuperQ3 doesn't have any internal storage, it works perfectly well in the pool – provided you stay close to the surface. If you're happy to leave a streaming device poolside, you can use the YouthWhisper headset perfectly well for lengths in even large pools.

During our texts, we found the controls were intuitive and easy to use even when wet, and you can take hands-free calls in and out of the pool. It's a swim-friendly headset, but it suffers from the same problem all Bluetooth headsets do: Bluetooth doesn't travel well underwater.

Nevertheless, the sound quality is great and especially good for podcasts, as long as you wear the earplugs in the pool for best results. The fit is comfortable and the whole package works really well within Bluetooth technology's limitations. It's very cheap right now too.

Read our full YouthWhisper SuperQ3 review

The style you prefer is the first thing to consider when buying a pair of waterproof earbuds or headphones. If you like the fit and feel of regular in-ear headphones, a couple of earbuds might be your best bet. However, a pair of bone-conducting headphones will work best if you want to keep your ears free to tune into your environment.

It's also worth thinking about how you want to access your music. If you want to keep your phone by the side of the pool, a pair of swimming headphones with a built-in FM transmitter like the Zygo Solo are your best option - regular Bluetooth earbuds just won't cut it underwater.

If you don't want to rely on your phone, you'll need a pair of swimming headphones with a built-in MP3 player. You'll just need to be sure to look into how much storage you're getting. For example, the Naenka Runner Diver headphones in our guide above have an onboard MP3 player with 16GB worth of storage – that's (very roughly) between 3,000 and 4,000 MP3s.

Not usually, because Bluetooth signals don't travel far through water. If you can attach your smartwatch to a pair of swimming goggles, you may be able to use it to stream music to a pair of headphones, but not all watches and headphones support this.

No, the Apple AirPods, AirPods 3, and AirPods Pro aren't fully waterproof. Only headphones specially designed for swimming should be worn in open water or the pool.

We've tested every pair of waterproof headphones in this list and in order for them to be included in this very select and specific roundup, we needed each pair of headphones to excel at a number of things.

The first thing, of course, is effective waterproofing – you need these swim-specific headphones to survive multiple dunks in the drink. But that is closely followed by audio performance, battery life, wearer security, comfort and ease of use. An IPX7 rating should not mean poor sound quality and we made sure to check for that.

From there, we looked at Bluetooth connectivity – or alternatives to it, such as onboard storage or (anyone familiar with smartphones knows that generally, they don't play well with water) or FM radio transmitters. Elsewhere, on-device controls, comfort, value for money and of course decent sound quality helped us to reach our verdicts.

Our testing is independent – there are no sales teams involved in our review process. That is why if you take the plunge (see what we did there?) and buy a set of waterproof headphones from this buying guide, you can rest assured you're purchasing a TechRadar-approved product. For more information, you can check out our page on how we test. Happy shopping – and safe swimming.

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Matt is TechRadar's expert on all things fitness, wellness and wearable tech. A former staffer at Men's Health, he holds a Master's Degree in journalism from Cardiff and has written for brands like Runner's World, Women's Health, Men's Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well on everything fitness tech, exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing.

Matt's a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning. When he’s not training or writing about health and fitness, he can be found reading doorstop-thick fantasy books with lots of fictional maps in them.

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