The SYRYN MP3 Player with Swimbuds Headphones from Underwater Audio is a waterproof audio bargain. About three years ago, I reviewed a bundle from them with a waterproof iPod. While it worked awesome, the $200+ price tag is not for everyone. With the SYRYN bundle, you get similar performance, at about 1/4 the price. Although the sound may not be equal, it’s certainly not a fraction of the quality.
For the $60 MSRP, you get a pretty comprehensive bundle. There’s the 8GB player, Swimbuds headphones with 4 sets of earbuds, goggles, plus some Aqua Guard hair defense. They even included a half-ounce tube of FitGoo, for a waterproof seal. The player works with Windows or Macs, and should hold about 2,000 songs in .MP3, .WAV, or .WMA format. I like that there are three sizes of earbud tips, plus the standard round ones. So you can use them for underwater, as well as activities outside the pool. In the photo below, the SYRYN looks bigger than it is. It’s actually a bit smaller than one of those “fun size” candy bars.
When I first plugged in the SYRYN, it opened iTunes. But I decided to just drag and drop my .MP3 files. So I double clicked on the removable disk, and copied them over. Note that this can take a while, depending on how many songs you’re copying. Also, the same cable used to copy the songs is used for charging. One hour of charging should net about 7 hours of music. Once I was all charged, with music loaded, I hit the play button. Much to my surprise, a pleasant voice played instructions on how to use the SYRYN. Nice touch, and handy too.
Use the Play/Pause button to turn the SYRYN on and off. The forward and back buttons change songs with a short touch, or turn the volume up and down with a longer press. Simple. Charging with the included USB cable is through the headphones port. Again, that leaves it simple to use, and with less ways for water to get in.
Sound quality, as mentioned, was pretty good. It doesn’t cost much to get decent audio. Frequency response was clearly biased towards mids and highs. Such tiny drivers can’t reproduce the low bass tones well, but I didn’t expect them to. For exercise, something with a fast beat is all I need. If you listen to gansta rap or hip-hop while swimming, these may let you down a bit. Then you’ll remember what they cost, and realize you can’t complain.
Since I don’t have a pool, I did the next best thing. Sort of. I took a shower. First, I had to get a little creative by clipping the SYRYN to a lanyard. My music sounded great through the Swimbuds, but it wasn’t quite the same as swimming. Lucky for me, I got invited to two different swim parties later this year. While they were social events, I did get to put some “work” time in, and swim with the SYRYN and Swimbuds. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.
Even if you only swim occasionally, this is a nice setup. Pool, shower, hot tub, bath tub, lake, ocean, whatever. But I can see this as a good option for mountain biking or trail running. Especially in wet or humid climates. Why risk your expensive phone or iPod, when the SYRYN thrives in bad weather? I’ll save my phone for phone stuff, and use the SYRYN for music. Oh, the included goggles seal really well too. I was almost expecting them to be more of an afterthought, but they worked great. I didn’t try the FitGoo, as I have small ear canals, and needed the smallest buds, which were still snug.
If you’re looking for a waterproof music player, and/or earbuds, check our UnderwaterAudio.com for more info. They’ve got some really great products, and pricing for every budget.
A special thanks to Underwater Audio for providing their SYRYN MP3 Player with Swimbuds Headphones for this review. It’s not our typical review, but I really enjoy their products.