By curtis from ocala on 5/3/2012

I think i came into this with some overly high expectations.  I swam in high school and remembered loving to swim at the International YMCA in Orlando since during warm ups they pumped tunes through some underwater speakers (which was awesome)
Overall I found that I couldnt get the volume high enough for the music to actually be heard while swimming.  Kicking isnt too bad but still not as loud as I would like.
Im putting it down to the headphones as I plug in a standard set of headphones and I get really good volume out of the mp3 player.  

I'll be trying another set of waterproof headphones, but overall Im happy with the purchase.

By Scott from Boiling Springs, SC on 4/10/2012

I did quite a bit of research before committing to Speedo's Aquabeat 2.0. As far as the quality, it's pretty solid, holds more songs than I can listen to for days straight, and the display screen was definitely a bonus that I thought I wouldn't pay much attention to. After opening it up, I plugged it into my computer and waited a few seconds for it to automatically install the drivers. As it's plugged in, it also charges the built-in battery. Once it provided me a new drive letter, I began copying over several mp3's. Later that evening, the battery was fully charged and I unplugged it to start listening to it. Well, the sound quality was not that great but I was just pleased I could have some tunes while in the water. I tried another set of earphones and the quality did improve...so you may consider buying those separately.

Here's were the bad news begins...the first attempt of listening to this in the water, I quickly learned that every tiny drop of water that gets in or near my ear canal will block the sound from exiting the earplugs. I tried to create a water-tight seal, but that's never going to happen even if movement weren't an issue. I then took the ear plugs out and could hear the music on and off as I put my finger on ear plug...covering the hole where the sounds emit from. It was like night and day with the music going on and off.

To sum it up, it was very annoying/distracting to constantly hear the music cutting on and off in each ear independently. Within the first minute and after trying a few ways to fix the issue, I took it off and sent it back for a refund. I had high hopes for this mp3 player and wanted to figure out a way to make it work out...but in the end, it just needs more engineering to make it happen.

By KeiKi from Antioch, CA on 3/14/2012

Think ratings are a little unfair reading some of the comments. So I hope this helps with your decision. I love this product and cant imagine swimming again without it. Had some moments at the beginning that made me unsure, but here are some tips I think might help!

   #1. found that even with smaller ears, the bigger ear buds are worth trying. thought it would work better the more I fit them in my ear, but for me, just sitting in the ear with the bigger ear buds prevents sound from getting muffled.

   #2. thought that covering ears would be better, but i have found that they work and sound better when not covered. I have to swim with a cap, so switched from a silicon cap to spandex/polyurethane. that alone helped and not covering ears made it even better. and the design of the earbuds that wrap around your  ears holds in place great. even in flip turns and when I do fly.

   #3. the most important tip I can give is just to give it a chance!

Whatever the brand and type, they all have reviews where it leaks and this or that. and that will happen with all waterproof things. But with warranties, I dont see that as a problem.The sound is great. the design is great. I have swam over an hour everyday for 2 months straight (minus maybe 2 days) and it has been just amazing! I think if anyone actually puts the thought into it that I did and find what works for them, the ratings for this would be a lot more fair! Its not perfect, I was a little disappointed it doesnt come with much instruction. but with 20 mins of playing around with it, its easily figured out!

    Last but not least... the best thing about this design is that it has a screen. other then being able to use it for other things in and out of the water. The screen makes it so easy to find songs quickyly without having to scan through song by song! And since you can play by artist, album, and genre, great thing about that is you can tweak info on songs and make playlists. I changed the genre info on songs to make different groups. so i can choose what songs i want for warm up, swimming long distance, sprints, just kicking, and cool downs. and can also make a favorites list by adding songs to favorites! TRY DOING THAT WITH ANY OTHER WATERPROOF MP3 PLAYER!!!

By sddolphin from watertown sd on 2/26/2012

we have encountered problems with water leakage within the first few hours of use.  The battery life is short. conpared to the older model with had.  Overall the product has some serious flaw.  the swim outlet customer service has been excellant in replacing the item.

By carl b. from kodiak, AK on 2/16/2012

I wear the device when i work out in the pool. now it might be ok for some one who has a leisure lap swim pace, but when put them headphones in the fall out the second I push of the wall. I tried all three sizes it came with. two of them were to big the other one will not stay in my ear. so in turn I have a floating waterproof streamer.

oh and one more thing it does not play FLAC like the description said.

By Robin H. from Vista, CA on 2/6/2012

I use this head set to swim with 3 times a week. It works great as a Mp3 player. However, the radio does not work so well for me. I can only hear static when I want to listen to the radio but if you download songs to it It works great.