For lovers of water sports and professional swimmers, waterproof players have been developed for listening to music. Outwardly, they practically do not differ from standard models, but still have some features. They are equipped with a metal case and rubber control buttons. There is a mount for fixing on glasses or on the head, as well as a case with a strap for fastening to a hand.
Advantages and disadvantages
Of course, a swimming player has a lot of advantages.
He develops an incentive for classes, as with the help of a sound device they are more interesting. Its body is made of stainless steel or special plastic, which is of high quality and long service life. The player does not let water through and allows you to connect headphones directly in the pool.
The headphones that come with the kit not only serve as a device for transmitting music, but also prevent water from entering the auricle. Many models lack a charger.
Charging and connecting to a PC is possible using the USB connector.
A variety of mounting options will allow you to attach the player as you like. You can listen to not only downloaded tracks, but also listen to the radio.
Despite the benefits, This device has its drawbacks.
The sound differs from standard music devices and has lower playback quality. The control buttons on the panel are very tight, which makes switching tracks or other functions inconvenient.
Operating time without recharging is negligible.
Manufacturers
Among the large number of manufacturers of this equipment, the most popular can be distinguished.
Company Speedo Founded in 1914 in Australia by the Scottish emigrant Alexander McRae. The brand specializes in the manufacture of products for swimming in pools.These are costumes, swimwear and, of course, players.
Aquabeat Speedo players have become a joint product of two well-known companies such as iRiver and Speedo. Models are characterized by shockproof qualities and a hermetic waterproof rubberized case made of plastic. The kit includes waterproof headphones, an extension cord with a clip, a cord for connecting to a PC.
The maximum working time reaches 20 hours. Battery charging is possible from USB. Dimensions 66x45x16 mm and weight of 34 grams allow you to use the player while swimming is very convenient and almost imperceptible. The model has an FM tuner and digital equalizer with a fixation of 5 tuning modes. The device withstands immersion to a depth of 3 meters. Flash media has a built-in 4GB memory. The OLED screen has a resolution of 128x64 pixels.
The player supports audio formats MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE.
The Sony brand is known worldwide for the production of radio equipment and tape recorders. The company was founded in 1946 in Tokyo. Two talented Japanese engineer Masaru Ibuka and entrepreneur Akio Marita first opened a radio parts workshop. Then began the development and production of set-top boxes for radios. To date, the company has a fairly large assortment of musical goods. Among them stand out players for swimming.
Sony NWZ-WS610 Series - A series of players designed for sports in fresh water.
The device is equipped with a light arc, which provides good fixation even with heavy movements. The memory sizes of the models range from 4 to 16 GB. The player’s operating time is designed for 7 hours, but this requires a full charge, which lasts 1.5 hours.
Recharging is very fast, only 3 minutes of recharge provide work for an entire hour. The device is designed to operate at a depth of not more than 2 meters. To switch tracks, there is a waterproof remote control that can be attached to your finger or bracelet. It is also possible to transfer data from a smartphone using SongPal.
For more comfortable swimming, it is possible to use inserts in the ears that have a membrane coating. Players of this series have a small weight - 37 grams. Color execution has 3 options: black, blue or lime.
MP3 player Sony NW-WS623. The model is made in white. The presence of internal memory of 4 GB allows you to listen to a variety of tracks for 4-12 hours. Three minutes of recharging will extend the use of the player for another 60 minutes. The small mass of the device, 32 grams, allows you to discreetly attach it to your head or glasses. The player has a dynamic normalizer and supports audio formats MP3, WMA (not DRM), AAC (Non-DRM), FLAC, Linear PCM.
Criterias of choice
When choosing a waterproof player, please note that There are two types.
- Models with integrated player provide excellent water resistance of the entire structure and have a fairly high cost.
- Models devoid of built-in remotes and microphones, equipped with ear clips and designed only for listening to music in the pool, have a slight degree of water resistance.
Any model of player for swimming must comply with the IP standard, which distinguishes the level of protection of the device from environmental influences.
Marking on the device can tell a lot. For example, the first digit immediately after the letters indicates the level of protection against mechanical damage, the second digit determines the level of water resistance.
An important criterion is the choice of model based on the type of mount. Indeed, the ease and effectiveness of movements depends on the type of fixation. The most convenient option is to fix the player on a hat or goggles for swimming.
When choosing headphones for the player, the best ones are wireless in the form of earbuds - they do not fall out, as they fit snugly against the auricle.
All players have an Ingress Protection class of protection, which involves the use of the device at great depths.
As for the cost, then it’s not necessary that an inexpensive model can be of poor quality. It’s just that in such models the number of functions is less, but they reproduce music quite qualitatively and have everything necessary for listening in the pool (mount, cable, cover).
You can watch the video review of the waterproof Sony WS414 player below.
