Customer Reviews

FINIS SwiMP3 Surf

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have both an older Finis SwiMP3 unit and an older version of this product, the SwiMP3 Aqua (The newer version of the Aqua is called "Surf," I believe). I'm fairly sure the Aqua and Surf are nearly identical, so I thought people looking at the Surf might be interested in my experience with the Aqua and with the SwiMP3. Of the two, the Aqua is more versatile because its earbuds allow you to listen to music both in and out of water. My comparison of the two:

SwiMP3 Aqua: Music is audible both above and underwater. The earpieces (which insert into the ear canal) are comfortable but do occasionally slip out, especially when swimming. I've found that using a cap of some sort will usually prevent this (I tried a sunbonnet that ties under the chin, and it worked very well for me.)

SwiMP3 (I do have an older unit, and newer models may be better). Music is audible underwater but not above water except in snatches. Music is transmitted through cheekpieces, and these stay in place quite well when the user is swimming, even with vigorous head movements. A cap isn't necessary to anchor the cheekpieces securely but helps.

The fidelity of the music underwater for both units is nothing short of magical. Though the Aqua's playback out of water is perfectly fine, the sound is noticeably richer underwater. Though both units sound terrific underwater, the SwiMP3's cheekpieces deliver even better sound than the Aqua's earbuds. I use both units: the Aqua for water walking and the SwiMP3 for swimming. They really do take all the boredom out of water workouts, and after several uses I can say that they are completely waterproof.

Two slight drawbacks:

Neither unit has a display, so you can't hop around and select songs, though you can advance or back up one track at a time. However, you can use directories to organize your songs when copying them to the unit, and I've had no trouble with the simple drag-and-drop method to what the computer recognizes as a removable drive.

Finis is a small company, so contacting their technical support may take some time. I had what I suspect is a common problem with the Aqua initially: no sound when turned on. The technical support person solved it immediately, but it took several tries to reach her. (When hooking up the earbuds, you must push down AND twist them into the connecting cable.)

I purchased the Finis MP3 Surf so that I could do water aerobics 'on my own' with music I enjoy. When I can't make a scheduled class, I can now workout listening to my favorite music. This player is certainly user-friendly, and the sound is quite good. It can be used in the water as well as on land. I've been using mine for over a month now 4-5 days/week and have encountered no problems.

I just purchased this item as I swim daily and I thought some music would be great, and HOW RIGHT I WAS......This sounds as great in or out of the water. The ear plugs stay in as I do my laps without any problems. Hearing the music actually makes me want to swim faster and longer. Battery stays charged, music is easy to download, and I highly recommend this to everyone.

While its an excellent concept and design, this mp3 player falls very much short in playback. The headphones it comes with have horrific sound quality, the likes of which you wont see anywhere but headphones at the dollar store (and Id argue that even some of those have better sound quality). And the actual playback its self is buggy, theres a good 1-2 second fuzz every time you switch a song, so you always miss the first few seconds of your songs. The shuffle functionality is pretty miserable too, all it does is literally shuffle your songs, as in, randomly plays a song every time, including the one you just listened to, rather than shuffle through each song once, and then start over again. I ended up listening to the same 5 songs 90% of the time during one work out.

Overall I am incredibly disappointed with the quality of the product, but it does work under water, so it does that right. Also, I found the headphones to actually be quite comfortable and they stayed in place relatively well, too bad theyre just such poor quality. I wouldnt be so disappointed if I hadnt payed $150 for this. Id call it a 35$ product at best.

I really am so glad I got this - it makes swimming laps so much fun now. The only complaint I have is that I noticed when too much water got between my ear canal and the ear bud, the sound became very muffled and almost non-existent with just faint sounds of the songs. But after adjusting the ear bud, it's really no big deal. All I care about is getting some sound when I swim, and this does an excellent job! Also, converting iTunes to MP3s is a cinch, which had me worried at first based on other people's reviews. And the ear buds stayed in my ears the whole time...bravo!

I use this for book tapes and it works great. Swimming longer since I am not bored. My only problem is keeping the ear buds in and I am working on that. Thinking of buying and ear band since a swim cap didn;t work.

So, I LOVE having a waterproof walkman but... First, thank god for the first reviewer who pointed out that you need to twist the cord to make it work. I was flailing for a while until I read that. It doesn't work easily with iTunes, you either need to buy an MP4 to MP3 converter or change your itunes settings (you can find directions online but its not so easy). I also find the earphones hurt my ears and go in-and-out of whether I can hear through them. But here's the most annoying part -- I lost the cable from the player to my computer and it is IMPOSSIBLE to get another one without buying a new player. I have tried every way possible to get another (the "extenstion cord" they sell does't connect to the player) and the company is no help. Its not their fault I lost the cord, but it sucks I can't get a replacement...

waterproof,,, loud,,, with great sound! a real joy. i swim and the laps at the pool have never been better. if you buy this product you wont be disappointed..i cant say enough good things about it .when you get this on time from amazon you will be thrilled i guarantee it..i want to thank amazon and the makers of this product..thanks alot, I'm looking forward to using it for years to come.if you are looking for a waterproof mp3 player your search is over,in this product you have found the best!.and when you get it from amazon you are buying it from the best. thanks again everyone,,, and thank you gentle reader for reading my review

ESPAÑOL

No hay nada mejor que nadar escuchando tu música favorita. Gracias al "FINIS SwiMP3 Surf" esto es posible.

La calidad del sonido es perfecta, aunque si nadas muy rápido pierdes sonido, pero no es tan importante.

Cómpralo, no te vas a arrepentir.

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ENGLISH

There is nothing better than listening to your favorite music to swim. Thanks to the "FINIS SwiMP3 Surf" this is possible.

The sound quality is perfect, but if you swim too fast you lose sound, but not so important.

Buy, you will not regret it.