Customer Reviews

Speedo AquaBeat 1GB MP3 Player - Black

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

Speedo Aquabeat Waterproof MP3 Player

I was, at one time, a competative sprinter, now train purely for health benefits...I swim laps in a 25 yard pool now (2-2.5 miles a day/5 days a week). I was just looking for a simple H2O proof MP3 player that was reliable and easy to use. I don't require outstanding sound quality or a bunch of bells and whistles from an MP3 player. After doing A LOT of research and reading all the reviews on all the available waterproof MP3 players out there I settled on the speedo aqua beat and ordered it from Amazon.com, here's my analysis of the product...

THE PLAYER - small, lightweight with easy to use controls and fits on most goggle straps. I swim with swedish goggs and the straps are a bit thin. This makes mounting the goggles on the back of your head kind of tricky because if you don't get it just right, the player has a tendency to pop off when pushing off the wall or doing a flip turn (VERY ANNOYING)...the drag is negligable from the device while swimming along, but with any kind of a strong push off the wall, it almost always slides down to the base of the back of your head even with VERY tight goggle straps (also VERY ANNOYING)...recommend using goggles with a wide strap if you're going to use this product. Of note, the internal, computer OSB rechargeable battery is a nice feature and the player can be used with other sets of headphone as a "dry land" MP3 as well.

THE SOFTWARE - easy to use, music can be easily drag-and-dropped into the "removable" hard drive that pops up on your computer...Note - you have to plug the player up to your computer's OSB port and allow it to charge 1 full time before you can load music to it (takes about 2 hours to charge) and the single LED on the player will turn from amber to green when it's fully charged. I was over-zealous and tried to load music on to the player within the first half hour of the first charge with no luck.

THE EARPHONES - These were the biggest let down in the whole package...they do come with 3 different sizes of triple flange rubber ear pieces, and while I have what I assume to be average size ears/ear canals, I could never really achieve a proper seal with any of the three sizes of plugs. These headphones REQUIRE a water tight seal to work properly...and even when you do get that seal, the minute you start swimming and turning your head to breath, the movement of your head or while streamlining off the wall makes the seal change and therefore VERY susceptable to water entry...BOTTOM line, they just don't fit well...ultimately your ear canal fills with water and the sound is no longer audible. This requires constant "fiddling" with the ear pieces after each lap and severly detracts from your workout. Also, in order to get a good seal the ear pieces need to fit very tightly, this causes ear canal pain over time...not being a wimp on this one, I can certainly hack the pain... and would have gladly accepted that as part of the deal if that were the only issue with the earphones! Additionally, after 1 use, my headphones developed a short in one of the wires to one side of the earphones...I'm not holding this against the product in my "number of stars" review as it may have only been a one time incident with my particular Aquabeat...but be aware that the wires from the player to the headphones are VERY thin and appear to be quite susceptible to fatigue/failure or shorting out after only a few uses. ALL in ALL this was a DISAPPOINTING PRODUCT, especially for how much it costs...I've elected to return the player to Amazon based on the defective short in the headphones. By the way, Amazon is great with their return policy and it's quite easy to do with a few clicks online. I've decided on trying the "bone conduction system" of the Fini-swiMP3-V2, and will order that from Amazon when my aquabeat is refunded.

In short, I would not recommend wasting your time and money on the Speedo Aquabeat MP3 player.

I'll write a Fini-SwiMP3 review in a couple weeks when I've had the chance to fully test that one out!

This product is great. I had read some of the reviews prior to purchasing and it was really hit or miss. Perhaps it really just depends on what you are expecting. My expectations were for soley to have music while I worked out. I bought this to wear for my morning lap swimming. This was my first mp3 player of any kind.

It was very easy to set-up and I've even taken to wearing it during my runs as well with a regular pair of headphones. The sound quality to me is great; I have not noticed any difference between regular headphones and the waterproof ones provided while I am swimming.

The unit is very light and easy to attach to a pair of goggles. It doesn't affect my swimming, I hardly notice it at all. Every once in a while the wire will lay against the side of my neck but after a couple of strokes it will correct itself and go back to where you don't even notice it.

I did have an issue with my first pair of headphones having different volumes and then the right side completely giving out randomly with sound. Speedo was very efficient and sent me a new pair that arrived in a couple of days at no cost. These second headphones have not caused me any problems. I don't know if it is because I wear a swimcap so the cap is pushing the headphones against my head but I will have to say they are not the most comfortable headhphones I've ever worn. Once I've started swimming they don't bother me, but afterwards my ears are sore for a couple of moments after I take them out. Does it bother me enough to stop using them? No. Would they make me consider giving up on using the Aquabeat? Not a chance.

I purchased the Aquabeat so I could listen to audio books while swimming.

This player does meet my minimum requirements. The sound quality is good and the earplugs effectively block out pool noise. Speedo provides several different plug sizes to ensure a good fit and I can hear the words clearly and follow the lecture or story I am listening to. Also, the player fits securely to my goggles strap and has coiled earbud wires that do not get in the way.

However, there are some features that are missing or were badly implemented, including:

1. No battery indicator - can t tell if the battery is low.

2. No way to sort the MP3s numerically or alphabetically. I had to merge the mp3 files to ensure I was listening to the chapters sequentially.

3. Unable to fast-forward within a file -- just between files.

4. The reverse and forward buttons double as on and off. It is easy to accidentally shut of the player -- or forward to a different file when you just want to shut it off.

5. No LED display.

6. Slow USB transfer rate - takes about 8-10 minutes to copy 250MB.

Overall, I am satisfied but not impressed.

I've owned this product for a little over a year now. I have to say it's made a big difference to my water workouts: I can go much longer and not get bored. This is especially notable in water running, which tends to be a bit duller than lap swimming.

As others have noted, the player is not sophisticated like an ipod, but it is very light and the simplicity doesn't strike me as a bad thing (I have an ipod, but who wants to fiddle with menus etc while swimming?). I can see that for audiobooks and podcasts you may find it a bit of a pain, but I just use it for music and have had no problems.

I do wish there was a battery life indicator, but unlike another reviewer below I've observed a much longer life. I swim about 1hr per session and can do about 3-4 sessions on one charge. One exception is that it used to sometimes turn on in my bag without me knowing and run down the battery. But one thing I appreciate is that the player stops and will not play when the earphones aren't plugged in. If you unplug the earphones after your swim, there is no chance the AB will turn on in your bag.

In answer to some of the limitations above: I have had no trouble with it staying on my goggles or my goggles staying in place. I suppose this could be head shape/size (mine is massive with a pronounced back ridge into which straps can nestle), but I also use goggles with a double strap. This might secure the player a bit more firmly.

As to the ear bud seal issue, I had this problem for the first few weeks. It took some getting used to, but just like using earplugs you really have to cram the buds into your ear canal. Once they are firmly lodged in (like earplugs, not normal earphones) and your cap is pulled down over your ears, they shouldn't fall out.

So my only real complaint is that my earphones only lasted until the warranty was up, and I've now had to scramble to find replacements (not as easy in canada).

If you want a barebones, no sophisticated features player for straight music without fanciness, this player is great. If you need a bit more in the way of features, I'd suggest the waterproof ipod casings you can find. Of course, you'll need an ipod and willingness to haul it around the pool. As one final comment, speedo has come out with a 2gb model, so you should be looking for a slightly reduced price on the 1gb model.

125+ miles of pleasure so far. Let me give you some guidance in determining the best ear bud configuration which as I see it is the determing factor as to whether you will love the Aquabeat or hate it:

After 2.25 months of 2.5-3 miles per day, my one ear bud came out once and another time leaked water into the ear canal. These were because both times I got the ear bud wet before inserting it in my ear -- hard not to get it wet when it falls in the water. When I say WET I mean much less than even a drop of water! So, here's the trick: ensure the ear buds are dry AND your ear canal is dry before inserting them. The first day I struggled with the 3 different ear bud sizes and ear connections until I finally discovered that simply inserting a dry bud into a dry ear canal was the solution. I also learned that using a silicon swim cap over the ear applies too much pressure on the bud and forces it in so tight that the sound is blocked. Play with the different sizes until you find a fit that will really resists coming out when you pull on the bud. Summuarizing:

1. DRY the ear canals
2. Insert the 3 different DRY buds into your ear canal, one at a time of course, and tug it. Pick the one that resists the most.
3. I never could figure out how to use the ear connections, so I removed the bracket part and use the plugs only.
4. Put Aquabeat on goggles
5. Plug in the earphones
6. Enjoy your swim
7. If for any reason the sound disappears or gets distorted, remove the ear bud from the earphoanes, blow it dry, blow on the headset speaker dry, reassert the ear bud, dry your ear canal, reinsert the bud into your ear.

How about downloading music to the player? Connect the Aquabeat to your PC via USB cable that comes with it. Create your MP3 songs (Rip a CD specifying rip to MP3 file) or simply download some from Internet. The Aquabeat will connect as a removeable disk drive. So just use Explorer to select the files to copy and drop them or paste them to the Aquabeat. It's really fast!

Pros: Fantastic Sound -- maximum volume is much greater than needed, Easy to operate (start, stop, control volume, skip songs, repeat a song) while in the water AND still swimming, ear buds do not come out unless ear canal is already wet (take a hanky along to the pool), Easy to load with music.

Cons: I am practically deaf in one ear and wish there were a volume balance -- even a one-time setup for volume in each ear would work).

This is a fantastic product that has made swimming really great. Swimming to the beat of the music keeps my speed up and allows me to swim at a constant pace. In the two months I have had this I reduced my 2-mile time by 8 minutes -- I no longer think of getting tired!

Hope this is of assistance to your purchase and even more so to using this product.

Oops. I'm the husband of Constant Reader Nancy. This was a gift from her.

Update: I finally discovered that not only am I hard of hearing in one ear, but the one speaker in the earphones was producing only about 25% loudness compared to the other. Kudos to Speedo -- I had new earphones in 2 days after calling them. The earphones have a 90-day warranty.

1/25/2011 UPDATE:

I am continually impressed with the Aquabeat. Since this April report, I have swum another 600+ miles with my favorite music. So far, the only flaw has been the headsets. The first was reported above. The second, a replacement from Speedo also died the same way after about 2-3 months (approx. 90 hours). So I ordered a new headset -- H2O Audio Surge -- only to have them fail similarly (partial sound in one earphone, plus a short that constantly interfered with constant play). Just received a replacement from them today. Now, here's the good news: I took the 2nd Speedo headset, opened the speaker casing and firt tried stuffing it with cotton. After it failed again, I discovered that it was getting water inside, so I stuffed the casing with plumber's putting instead. Now, for the last month everything is again PERFECT. Maybe a solution to the pesky headset problems. End Result: All smiles and Bob Marley et. al. get me through my swim sessions.

6/1/2011 UPDATE:

Oops! First MP3 just went belly up. After over 1000 miles of swimming, I tried for the last time to connect the MP3 to my PC. After THOUROUGHLY trying everything on the Aquabeat Support website, I tested their HUMAN support to no benefit to me. It was hopeless to find someone who was a real technician. Support's conclusion was it had to be the USB cable. I had already tested the USB cable, at least the power from it while attached, and it was ok. Since the problem happened gradually, each time being harder to connect and stay connected, it died totally. Since I liked the Aquabeat so much I ignored the fact that it lasted ONLY 15 MONTHS. But, my 15 months resulted in over 1000 miles and about 65-70 connections. Still, I expected it to CONNECT more than that. So, I moved my rating down to a 4. Well, my new, 2G Aquabeat came and I proved my conclusion that the Aquabeat circuitry involved with PC connection was damaged. My OLD USB cable worked fine with NEW MP3. My NEW USB cable failed the same way with OLD Mp3. I suppose I'll tinker with the old one since the warranty was only 12 months, however, here is how I see the Aquabeat now:

Still fine product -- unless you swim like me (1 hour/day, 6 days/week), you should see a better life then 15 months. Hopefully I will on the new one. btw, the old one still has power and still playing -- at least I can salvage the lithium battery from it. And, when you can buy a 2GB for less that a 1GB, the loss of the old one doesn't hurt so much. Especially when I got a new headset (the first problem you may hit unless you follow the tips I provided, like ALWAYS dry your inner ear with hanky BEFORE inserting the ear buds). Stay tuned for another update in about 6 months.

This is an awesome product, well worth the money. It really makes the workout go by quickly. I have found myself swimming harder and longer than I normally do. As a college student I have a great appreciation for good music while working out. In my experience I found that to prevent water entry into the earphones, it is best if you reverse them (right earphone in left ear, etc). I was able to get a much tighter fit, preventing water entry. Also, this product does work with Mac and iTunes, which is awesome. To get iTunes songs to play you just have to change a few settings. I found that speedo's web page guide for the aquabeat to be most helpful when first working with this device [...] Anyway, even though the aquabeat is a bit spendy, I have found it to be totally worth it!

This mp3 player was perfect for me to take so I could chill at the beach comfortably and take it to the waves to boogieboard. I also use it when I swim at my pool. It looks pretty unique and cool!!!!!!

Since I think it's a :) product:
1. The mp3 player works perfectly fine underwater, and the earphones came with a size which fits my ears perfectly. It's so neat to be able to enjoy some music in the water.
2. The buttons are easy to touch and click under the water

If you go in the water a lot for any reason from sports to relaxing, this product will make it so much better, to a different and NEW LEVEL!

I was using the Finis SwiMP3v2 mp3 player that cost me more than the aquabeat for under water music swimming but was having problem because at moments I could not hear on one side of the Finis ear piece. with the Speedo Aquabeat the quality of the sound is very good and the music is continuous. Since I have the opportunity of swimming with both mp3 players, I would rate the aquatbeat as outstanding and a very good choice Vs the Finis SwiMP3v2 that I would not suggest anyone to buy because it is a waste of money.Speedo Aquabeat Waterproof MP3 Player

I have foolishly purchased this item despite the onslaught of negative reviews. Please do not follow my mistake and pay for this. The device stopped working two days after purchase. The light got "stuck" until the battery ran out. After recharging, it worked again for a couple of days, and then again got stuck. The company's tech support is non existent, it's quite obvious they have no idea how to fix it.

Furthermore, the earphones got broken in between the two working periods (the company sent new ones). The software that lets you change the order of the songs was probably programmed by a first year CS undergraduate, as the interface was almost impossible to navigate.

This is quite unfortunate. It seems that the hardware is indeed water resistant. It's unfortunate that the company has chosen to put a lousy piece of software on the device. Another month of testing could yield a popular MP3 player, instead we got garbage.

I shopped online for weeks trying to figure out which MP3 player would be the most comfortable and easy to use. I didn't want to spend a ton as it was Christmas time and money is tight but wanted something to burn the long MN winters with in the pool. I ended up buying both the Speedo Aquabeat 1G(about $75) and the Diver MP3 2G(about $40)to compare.

The Aquabeat is a much better piece of equipment in feel, look and sound. The sound is GREAT in the pool, it had very clear instructions for converting Itunes to MP3 (ones I needed to load the Diver also but didn't figure it out until I opened the Aquabeat) and very comfortable. It has a learning curve to get the ear buds to fit and stay in but makes an hour in the pool go by sooooo much faster. I absolutely recommend one for anyone with a short attention span.

I found if you put the ear buds in before you leave the locker room and don't take them out, their is a better liklihood that you won't have to mess with them. If you are the social type and have to take them in and out, you will mess up the seal and have to dink with them a lot more. It is hit and miss but for me, well worth the extra effort of having music and Podcasts play.

I ended up keeping the Diver because for the limited time I use it, though it is much "tinny-er" and not nearly as good of quality it was just fine for my purpose. If the Diver tanks on me though, I will treat myself to an Aquabeat next time.