If its for swimming and anything else my choice would be Nu Dolphin as its versatile and has the best designed  earphones for swimming.

Another choice for swimming only is the Speedo Aquabeat its controls are easier to use than the NU Dolphin but the earphones are not as well designed for swimming as the Nu Dophin.

If you buy a Speedo Aquabeat you can buy additional earphones like the  ones by Aquatunes that are a better design for swimming and Speedo have similar earphones that will be in stock May 2010.

Please see this answer to a customers  question

Dear Customer,

The Finis SwiMP3.1G waterproof MP3 player is my first choice simply for ease of use when swimming. It is a waterproof MP3 player specifically designed for swimming. You can change track without breaking swim stroke I do this by turning over from front crawl to to backstroke then pressing button at side of my cheek & music track is changed in one swim stroke then I flip back to front crawl.

Standard waterproof mp3 players rely on the transmission of sound through air or water causing the swimmer to be reliant on the quality of their earplug seal. Any break in the earplug seal means that water enters and causes the sound quality to become muffled. However the SwiMP3.1G uses bone conduction – the direct transfer of sound vibrations from the cheek bone to the cochlea in the inner ear – to provide the swimmer with exceptional sound clarity.

Moreover bone conduction may be safer (researching this assertion) in the long run than using normal earphone based MP3 players. The European Commission is expected to demand lower default sound levels for all MP3 players sold in Europe. According to the EU’s scientific research arm listening to MP3 players at high levels for an hour a day can lead to permanent hearing loss in five years.

Please see

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/09/28/237881/ec-to-demand-quieter-mp3-players.htm

Finally SWIMP3 is my personal choice because..

http://www.swimmer.co.uk/blog/?page_id=2

However I would recommend NU Dolphin 2GByte waterproof MP3 player with earphones if you are going to choose one that uses earphones as my next choice based on its reliability.

Although some of my customers have had a few problems with left earphones failure but the product is well supported and the earphones are well designed for swimming & staying in the ear (Christmas tree style long tapering conical barbs)

Then I would choose the Speedo Aquabeat as its controls are easier to use than the NU Dolphin but I believe the earphones are not the best design based (mushroom type) on a few my customer feedback experience

Hope this helps

Chris Billingham

www.swimmer.co.uk

Regarding your Waterproof MP3 Player not playing files.

Please make sure its .MP3 audio files you are putting on your Waterproof MP3 Player?

When you view the files using Windows file manager (Explorer) can you see if the file extension is a .MP3 ?

To find .MP3 files on your PC right click the green ’start button’ at bottom left of your PC screen and select ‘the Search’ option. Then type  *.MP3  in the search text box (where it says  all or part of file name)  or  tick the check box that says search for music.

This will locate any .MP3 files you have on the computer and should examine each drive & folder in turn searching for any audio file that end with a  .MP3 extension.

Apple iPod MP3 players will play MP3 & AAC Files.

Most MP3 players usually play only MP3 & WMA files.

If you are using the iTunes library to get your songs please read on… else skip this bit.

In the iTunes library the default file format is called AAC & you will have to convert the AAC files to .MP3 file format to get them to play on most MP3 players (other than an Apple iPod).

There are two types of AAC File formats.  Protected (AAC M4P)  and unprotected (AAC M4A).

Protected (AAC M4P) songs have Digital Rights Music (DRM) encryption to stop the sharing of files. They only allow for copying onto 5 other machines that the user authorises. They will only play on an iPod MP3 players.

However since 2007 on the iTunes store you can get unprotected songs (AAC M4A) with no restrictions on how you use the songs for personal use or which type of MP3 player you choose to play them on.

You can convert the unprotected AAC Files in the iTunes library to MP3 files by right clicking the desired songs and selecting ‘Create MP3 Version’ . They will then play on any MP3 player.

These unprotected songs are found in the iTunes Plus section of the iTunes store. To find them click the  iTunes Plus link in the Quick Links section at the top right column on the iTunes Store  homepage.

When you click on the iTunes Plus link  iTunes will search your current song collection (and if available in the iTunes Plus store) it will offer to upgrade your protected (DRM) songs which you already own to unprotected songs for a small fee.

Older songs typically imported from audio CD files into an the iTunes library are normally of the unprotected type. Hence you can use your unprotected songs in your CD collection by importing them in MP3 format to the iTunes library and then transfer and play them on any MP3 player.

To import music in MP3 format go to  iTunes Preferences (Under Edit Menu for Windows Users) select ‘General icon’ & then click the ‘Import Settings Button’ and from ‘Import Using’ menu choose ‘MP3 Encoder’.

Moreover if the DRM on the protected AAC files purchased via the iTunes store does not stop you from burning it to a CD, you could try just that and then re-ripping the same track in non DRM format, i.e. MP3. You should then be able  to play it on any MP3 player. However you may be breaking the terms of your license agreement.

Hence it may be more practical if your looking for a source of legal MP3 downloads that will play on any MP3 player, to go to a store that tends to offer unprotected DRM free songs like Amazon.

Please click the ‘Amazon Music Store’ picture widget below to access over 8 million DRM free songs.

Chris Billingham
www.swimmer.co.uk
waterproof mp3 players and cases

I’m keen to purchase the interval system and I have not yet bought the ipod to go with it. So at the moment I’m veering from interval 2nd gen to 3rd gen and back again. One of the problems I have with 3rd gen ipod shuffle is that it has the control on the headphones and under normal use (not swimming) I would have problem as normal bud headphones don’t fit in my ears. I need the inner
ear type.

The H20 Audio 3rd Gen Shuffle Interval System comes with two style of ear bud one of which is black not blue and is more elongated this may fit your ears as in the picture below

However I will probably using it mostly for swimming so I’m interested mainly in the experience I’ll get from your system. My key question is whether the 3rd gen version is a marked improvement from the 2nd gen model?

When I asked why the H20 Audio 3rd Gen Shuffle Interval System was more expensive than the 2nd Gen Shuffle at outset of October 2009 the guys who import them into the UK from H2O Audio USA said they had examined them and found they are a lot better in terms of build construction than the 2nd Gen shuffle & that because of the technology involved in voice recognition that the cost is also justifiable

Is the sound quality much better?

I believe the sound is mostly dependent on the speakers quality in the waterproof headphones & I suspect they are the same surge type of waterproof headphone speakers as in the 2nd Gen shuffle interval system. However the speakers may have a better acoustic range if they are a newer model of
waterproof headphones. The acoustic range in the 3rd Gen interval surge speakers are as follows

Driver Type/Size Dynamic/8mm
Magnet Type NdFeB
Frequency Response 18-20,000Hz
Impedance 16Ω
Max Input Power 5Mw

Moreover H20 Audio 3rd Gen Shuffle Interval System comes with a greater range of earbud styles (7 as opposed to 5 in 2nd Gen model) so this should help with sound delivery dependent on your ear and it size for fit. The acoustic range in the 2nd Gen Speakers are probably the same but this is an excerpt of a review from ilounge of the H20 Audio 2nd Gen Shuffle Interval System Surge Speakers . I don’t think you will be disappointed with the sound quality whichever you choose…

(excerpt of a ilounge review)

“To make a point previously found in the Surge review, these earbuds are excellent by waterproof earphone standards: as we said last year, “”the sonic difference [between Surge and prior models] is considerable: what you hear is legitimately balanced, clear sound, complete with ample bass and none of the tinny, shrill emptiness that typically characterizes waterproof headphones.”"

Waterproof iPod Shuffle 2nd Gen Interval System

I like the look of the controls on the 2nd gen. Are the 3rd gen ones the same? Presumable you have skip /pause and volume.

I have looked at the pictures and there are 3 blue buttons on the 3rd Gen Shuffle. The 2nd Gen Shuffle worked on click wheel and all you needed to do is remember the button configuration-up for volume up, down for volume down, left for track back, and right for track forward.

I assume that the 3rd Gen it would have all these functions at a minimum and perhaps more.. I will look a the packaging and see if there is any more info on this & if you call me on 07984 180 799 I can confirm this too you before you make a decision

Apart from this and ergonomics would you be able to give me any other reasons to go for the later model.

The UK importer reckons the clasp & general build of case is stronger on 3rd Gen Interval system and less prone to breaking. This was a problem on the 2nd Gen Interval system and is the reason why we have had some returns in the past for replacement when the clasps snapped off.

Hope this helps here is link to the H2O Audio website with specifications and an image for the 3rd Gen shuffle interval system

http://www.h2oaudio.com/waterproof_headphone_system.php

Waterproof iPod Shuffle 3rd Gen Interval System

Chris Billingham
www.swimmer.co.uk
Waterproof MP3 Players and Cases