I never thought I’d love a pair of plastic headphones until I took a dip with the Finis Duo.
- Consistent underwater performance
- Intuitive controls
- Comfortable design
- Decent built-in MP3 player
- Good sound quality underwater
- Poor sound quality out of water
- Cheap build for its price
- Unusable without goggles
- Inconsistent battery life
- Limited features
When it comes to swimming accessories, I’m always on the lookout for innovative products that can enhance my time in the pool. So when I heard about the Finis Duo bone conduction headphones designed specifically for underwater use, I was instantly intrigued.
Traditional swimming headphones have never quite cut it. The earbuds always seem to fall out or let water in, ruining the listening experience. But, the Finis Duo promised a completely different approach by transmitting sound vibrations through the cheekbones directly to the inner ear.
No more waterlogged headphones or muffled music plaguing my swim sessions.
With its sleek, two-piece design that securely clips onto goggles, the Duo seemed poised to provide a seamless, hassle-free audio companion in the water. A built-in MP3 player and 7-hour battery life sweetened the deal even further.
But the real question was: could bone conduction technology actually deliver clear, enjoyable sound quality while submerged?
Waterproofing
The Finis Duo boasts an impressive IPX8 rating, specifically designed to handle water immersion.
However, it’s worth noting that while they excel in water resistance, they lack dust resistance. This is a slight drawback considering the plastic build of the headphones, as dust could potentially lead to wear over time.
But I’m happy to report that the waterproofing held up like a champ.
I tested the headphones at depths of up to 2 meters for 1-2 hours in total, and there were no signs of water seepage or performance hiccups.
Throughout these sessions, the Finis Duo maintained consistent performance without any issues. Whether at 1 meter or 2 meters deep, the sound quality and functionality remained steady.
Sound Quality
The sound quality of the Finis Duo presents a unique experience, especially considering its bone conduction technology. This method transmits music through vibrations around the cheekbone and temple, which is an interesting departure from traditional in-ear or over-ear headphones.
It’s not my first time testing bone conduction headphones as I’ve also used Shokz OpenSwim before. However, the Finis Duo has a completely different design so I wondered how it’ll translate when it comes to the sound.
It does take some initial adjustment to find the optimal placement on the cheekbones. But once set, it becomes second nature to position them correctly before each swim.
The bass has a noticeable presence, though it’s not going to blow your hair back.
Where the Duo really shines is in the midrange. It’s slightly boosted compared to the other frequencies so it lends welcome clarity to vocals and instrument separation.
The treble, however, is fairly average and nothing to write home about.
Underwater, the sound quality is solid. I found that pairing the Duo with a decent set of earplugs significantly enhanced the richness and body of the audio.
There’s a touch of that trademark underwater muffling, but it’s far from a deal-breaker. In fact, I only had to keep the volume between 70-90% to find the sweet spot for consistent clarity during swim sessions.
Unfortunately, the Finis Duo’s sound quality takes a major nosedive once you emerge from the water. Without the full ear/cheekbone coverage that goggles provide, the audio clarity just isn’t there.
This decline in quality is significant enough that I wouldn’t recommend using the Finis Duo out of the water at all.
Comfort
The Finis Duo headphones truly excel in terms of comfort during swimming sessions.
The lightweight, clip-on design integrates seamlessly with goggles, making it easy to forget you’re even wearing headphones during marathon swim sessions. And, the lack of dangling wires or bulky over-ear components is a total game-changer in terms of freeing up your focus for the swim.
Seriously, I’ve logged 3-4 hour swims without the slightest hint of discomfort or irritation from these.
Fit
While the comfort is on point, the Finis Duo’s compatibility with other swimming gear like caps and goggles is a bit hit-or-miss.
Personally, I prefer to cover the upper area of my ear with my swim cap to secure the goggles. But the bulky design of these headphones makes that impossible.
The clip-on design may also not be compatible with all goggles, so checking compatibility beforehand is essential.
Plus, getting the fit just right also requires a bit of fiddling.
You’ll need to thread your goggle straps through the left and right sound pieces and wiggle everything into position to get those bone conduction transducers lined up properly.
This is a minor hassle you’ll have to get used to as it’s important for their performance. Since these headphones are bone conduction, they need to be placed to touch a specific part of your cheekbones to play well.
Once situated though, the Duo stays locked in place remarkably well, even through aggressive stroke cycles. I’ve only had to make minor adjustments when my goggles start to shift. Using a headcap to really cinch everything down helps a lot.
Durability
The Finis Duo gives off a somewhat mixed first impression in terms of durability.
Its plastic construction doesn’t exactly scream “built to last,” but it also doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy. I’d estimate a lifespan of 1-2 years with proper care and maintenance.
The rubberized buttons and temple grips add a reassuring sense of sturdiness and water-resistanc. But, the neck strap does feel a tad flimsy, so I’m not sure how long that’ll hold up.
Luckily, keeping the Duo in tip-top shape is a breeze.
A quick rinse and dry after each swim seems to do the trick. I also make sure to give the charging plates a weekly deep clean following the instructions.
So far, so good – no signs of cracking, peeling, or color fading after weeks of heavy use.
Battery
With up to 7 hours of battery life per charge, the Finis Duo is about on par with other swimming headphones I’ve used. In practice though, the battery performance has been a bit inconsistent.
For typical 1-2 hour daily sessions, the headphones usually last a couple of days before needing to be juiced up. But every so often, I’ll go to power them on and find the battery has inexplicably drained overnight, leaving me high and dry.
The good thing is that charging time from low to full is only around 3 hours. This isn’t lightning fast but it’s definitely manageable if you plan ahead between uses.
The lack of any power-saving features is a bummer though. It would be nice to have some way to help preserve that battery life.
My biggest gripe is the lack of a clear battery level indicator while swimming. The only way to check is via the LED light when charging, which obviously isn’t much help mid-session.
It would be great if they could incorporate some sort of audio or visual cue to clue swimmers in on the remaining juice.
UX
The control mechanisms on the Finis Duo are impressively intuitive.
Clearly labeled icons make adjusting volume, skipping tracks, and pausing music takes no time to get used to. I can easily locate all the buttons on the left piece by touch alone, which is crucial when the controls are adhered to your head while swimming.
There was not a single issue with accidental activations or stubborn controls.
The only real complaint I have is having to hold the power button for a full 5 seconds to turn the Duo on and off. It feels a tad excessive and has definitely led to some premature powering-down mid-swim when I got impatient with the long hold.
But let’s be real, those are minor quibbles. From a usability standpoint, the Finis Duo masters the fundamentals that matter most.
Built-in MP3
The Finis Duo headphones come with a built-in MP3 player, making it easy to listen to music directly from the device. And, in practice, this drag-and-drop simplicity for transferring audio files is a total plus.
Of course, in this age of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, actually getting your hands on MP3 files for your favorite tunes can be a bit of a challenge thanks to copyright and piracy concerns.
But, if you do have the files on hand, everything else is smooth sailing.
With 4 GB of storage, the Finis Duo can hold approximately 1000 songs in MP3 format. The headphones also support various audio file formats, including MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, and FLAC, and can work with any device, so there’s no issue in compatibility.
When it comes to playback, it’s about as bare-bones as it gets with the Duo.
No frills, no shuffle, just straight playing through your tracks in the order you loaded them.
It’s functional, but the lack of randomized playback is a bummer, especially for those marathon swim sessions where variety in your listening is craved.
Who Should Buy This
The Finis Duo is an easy recommendation for any swimmer who just wants a solid pair of waterproof headphones to enhance their training time. If you log serious hours in the water and need a reliable audio companion that can keep up, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better underwater option.
However, if you need a more versatile pair of headphones for both wet and dry use, the Duo’s sub-par performance on dry land makes it a bit of a non-starter.
The audio quality just doesn’t quite cut it when you’re not submerged, and the design isn’t really built for practical wear outside of the pool.
Final Thoughts
The Finis Duo shines in its primary function as a reliable underwater audio solution.
Their build and bone conduction technology make for a consistent performance at various depths, and comfort is undoubtedly one of their strong points.
But it’s still far from perfect.
Disappointing battery performance, lack of basic features like shuffle, and essentially useless sound quality out of the water hold the Duo back from true greatness.
At the end of the day though, the Finis Duo remains my underwater audio MVP.
For those who want a no-nonsense music experience to enhance time in the pool without any of the fuss and hassle of traditional headphones, the Duo’s minor flaws are easy enough to overlook.
Just don’t expect this dedicated swimmer’s headset to be your go-to audio companion on dry land.
Where to Buy
What’s In the Box?
- FINIS Duo™ Underwater Bone Conduction MP3 Player
- User Manual
Technical Specifications
- Form: Clip-on headphones
- Driver: Bone conduction
- Impedance (Ohm): No Information
- Sensitivity (dB): No information
- Waterproof IP Rating: IPX8
- Weight (g): No Information
- Frequency Response (Hz): No information
- Removable Cable: N/A
- Source Jack: N/A
- Cup/Shell Jack: N/A
- Bluetooth Version: N/A
- Bluetooth Audio Codec: N/A
- Battery Life (hrs): 7 Hours
- Mic: N/A
- List any additional features: N/A