SHOKZ OpenSwim MP3 Player Review: Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Swimmers?

By the end of this review, you’ll have a clear understanding of whether the Shokz OpenSwim Music Player is the perfect fit for your swimming needs.

Let’s dive right in!

Shokz OpenSwim MP3 Bone Conduction Player – Key Specs

• Price: $149
• MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC and FLAC compatible
• 4GB storage (~1,200 songs)
• IP68 rated (up to 2m of depth for 120 minutes)
• 8hr battery life
• Unit weight of just 1oz
• Available in black or blue
• Earplugs and nose clip included
• Carrying case also included (vented for water drainage)

Shokz OpenSwim – The Pros

Having tested nearly every piece of swimming gear over my 30+ years in the water, I’ve witnessed many trends come and go in swim equipment and technology.

The Shokz OpenSwim is one of the rare products that has truly exceeded my expectations while swimming.

Here’s what I really liked about the Shokz OpenSwim and how they performed in the water:

✅ Very slim profile

I was pleasantly surprised by how low-profile and lightweight the Shokz OpenSwim headphones are.

The single-piece titanium frame, along with the built-in MP3 player and bone conduction technology, is no heavier than my Swedish swim goggles.

This is excellent news for lap swimming, as they create minimal drag. More importantly, their design ensures they won’t get jostled around by incoming water, unlike bulkier and heavier devices that can “catch” water and shift position while swimming.

Especially when you start to crank up the speed.

Speed is everything in the water, and the last thing you want while swimming fast is feeling as though you have a snow plow mounted to your head or like the music player is going to fly off your head.

✅ Full, rich sound

The Shokz OpenSwim player delivers music directly to your ears through bone conduction, resulting in crisp, loud, and full sound quality.

One common complaint I have with most waterproof headphones—particularly those that use earbuds—is that water often seeps into the ear canal. This leads to a tinny or muffled sound as water interferes with the connection between the eardrum and the earbud.

The Shokz OpenSwim, much like its main competitor—the FINIS Duo, which is also designed specifically for lap swimming—completely avoids this problem by transmitting music through your jawbone.

As a result, you can enjoy consistently clear sound from the device, whether you’re kicking on a kickboard or powering through a long set with a pull buoy and swim paddles.

✅ Perfect for swimmers who wear earplugs

Swimmer’s ear is the worst, and for swimmers prone to ear infections (like me), this means using a set of swimmer’s earplugs when diving into the water.

This also means that most traditional waterproof MP3 players are kaput as they use earbuds.

Because the Shokz Open Swims use bone conduction, you get the best of both worlds (finally!): no earaches and, yes, music.

✅ No wires to get tangled up with

This is the key feature that sets the Shokz OpenSwim apart from the FINIS Duo, which uses a two-piece headset connected by a wire.

While the FINIS Duo has a single wire—much better than the multiple, often excessively long cables found on some other waterproof music players—it can still be cumbersome to clip onto your swim goggles without getting tangled in the straps.

In contrast, the Shokz OpenSwim easily slides onto your head, using your ears as a secure anchor, allowing you to dive right into your swim.

I have to say, I appreciate how quick and straightforward it is to put the player on. One of my main frustrations with many leading swimming headphones is dealing with the excess wires and cables that tend to get tangled with swim goggle straps.

With the Shokz OpenSwim, everything stays out of the way, keeping your setup tidy and hassle-free while you swim.

✅ They stay in place when swimming fast!

So, the sound quality is impressive, there are no wires to tangle with, and the design is low-profile. But the real question is: does it stay in place while you’re racing across the pool?

The answer is a resounding yes—almost without exception.

Whether I was powering through fast 50s with swim paddles or performing rapid underwater dolphin kick breakouts with swim fins, the Shokz OpenSwim player stayed securely in place.

That said, I would likely remove it if I planned on doing all-out 25s with swim fins and paddles, just to ensure a completely unrestricted experience.

Shokz OpenSwim Waterproof MP3 Player – The Downsides

While I really like these headphones, there is always room for improvement.

There is one thing I hope that future editions of this kick-ass set of headphones include, and that is…

❌ No streaming or Bluetooth

The Shokz Open Swim is currently unable to use Spotify or other streaming services to download music to the device. Which means it is purely an MP3 (or WMA files) player.

Because it has no Bluetooth connection, the ability to download a Spotify playlist to the device is not currently available, unlike other waterproof music players for swimming like the Underwater Audio Delphin or the H2O Audio Stream 3, which can be used to listen to Spotify, Audible, and so on.

Adding music to the device requires the old-school drag-and-drop method of plugging the Shokz Open Swim into your computer and adding individual MP3/WMA songs.

Shokz OpenSwim vs. FINIS Duo

These two devices are the best waterproof MP3 players on the market, and in my opinion, the competition isn’t close.

Thanks to the bone conduction, drag-and-drop functionality, and reliability, these two devices make them easy winners.

But how do the two devices compare against each other?

Well, the main difference between the Shokz Open Swim and the FINIS Duo is that the Shokz are wireless.

They have a titanium frame (almost hilariously lightweight) connecting the player/bone conduction “headphones” together.

The FINIS Duo, on the other hand, has a wired connection between the two head pieces.

As mentioned earlier, this makes for a messier set-up on your head with the straps from swim goggles.

Additionally, the Shokz Open Swim is more hydrodynamic.

The bulk of the device tucks in behind your ears when swimming, with just the slim “headphones” protruding.

Below is how the two devices compare in other key performance areas:

Final Verdict on the Shokz OpenSwim

If you’ve read through this review, you’ll already have a sense of how I feel about the Shokz OpenSwim. With its slim, comfortable design, impressive sound quality, and reliable bone conduction technology, this MP3 player stands out as the top choice for swimmers looking to enjoy music in the pool.

For anyone tired of the inconsistent performance of waterproof earbuds, the Shokz OpenSwim offers a superior, hassle-free audio experience that enhances every swim workout.

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