[Review] Aquapac Waterproof iPod Kit and Headphones
Last night I did something I'd only dreamed of for years: I listened to my iPod as I swam laps. The products that brought this dream to life are the Aquapac 100% Waterproof Mp3 Player Case and the Aquapac 100% Waterproof Headphones.
As is my nature, I did a ton of research before I bought these. This project was one of those rare occasions that one of the cheapest options was also the best option. Combined, both the pouch and the headphones ran me $70. That sounds like a lot, but it isn't for truly submersible carrying cases -- most of which run at least $80 by themselves. Don't let the Amazon reviews fool you: this is the real deal, and iLounge agrees.
The secret behind the lower price is that the Aquapac is not a hard-shell case: it's a plastic/synthetic pouch with an internal-to-external headphone jack. The headphones simply look like everyday earbuds -- except water doesn't harm them. The bag construction makes the case a lot less durable than the ones by H2Audio and Otterbox that have hard cases, but it also improves the depth ratings over those two products (good down to 15-foot depths rather than 3 feet or 5 feet).
I read the instructions when I opened the case and headphones, and was very glad I did. This led me to test out the pouch for waterproofness using a worthless item. I put two folded paper towels in the caseand submerged it in a kitchen sink. The paper towels came out totally dry.
It was hard to get my iPod connected in the case at first, but with persistence I succeeded. The sound quality of my 20GB color iPod through the headphones was not too good outside of the water, but shockingly excellent in the water. Using the arm strap fastener, I did breaststroke, butterfly and crawl; only the crawl gave me any problems. After a few laps of rapidly-changing volume, I realized I had better use the device Hold switch or risk running out of juice and being irritated the whole time.
The one major downside is that these will have trouble staying in your ear. They included both small and large seized earbud adjusters, but they should have shipped them with medium in-ear bud holders. Last night I tried the small ones; they were too small. I'll try the large ones next swim, or maybe try some from my landlocked earbuds.
The best thing of all? After my swim was done, I thought "Wow. Done already?" Listening to music makes everything shorter. Given how I felt afterwards, I could have swam double the amount I did swim and be happy about it. Ultimately, that's what I bought the kit for: to make the most healthy (and most boring) exercise known to man fun again.
Obsidian Hit Counter
since: 18 Oct 2004