Would like to hear from some fellow swimmers that have already purchased one of these. How well is the perception? Would like to hear if it is worth the 200 bucks.
I have used my Finis SwiMP3 for at least an hour per session, at least every other day if not more frequently since Feb 1.
My thoughts are: Very good sound quality. No, it’s not your home or even car stereo. But for where you are when you are listening to it, it is crystal clear. Lousy controls. The volume buttons barely function. Mine basically has one volume - loud. It is very finicky about how you disconnect it from your PC. I ALWAYS test mine at home, verifying that there are in fact tunes on it after I recharge it. I recharge it after each swim. But once you find a system that works for you, it’s not a hassle. I had to call tech support a week after I had mine because it was incompatible with the software it came with (???). After I downloaded a free alternative, I’ve had no problems with it. Use earplugs with it. I normally never swim with them but the sound quality is greatly improved if you have earplugs.
Overall I am more than happy with it. I love it. I have doubled my swim times (time in the pool doing laps) with it. Obviously, it doen’t do a damn thing to make you a better swimmer. But for me my increased yardage and just the sheer fun I have swimming to old VH or GNR has made my hour spent at the pool my favorite hour of the day.
I have had mine for a couple of weeks and have a few hours on it now. Well worth the money. I tried one of the swim radios. Used it once and returned it. Horrible equipment. The MP3 is the real deal tho. Works well, sound is good, battery life is good. I personally don’t like the lane4 goggles that come with it, but I plan to swap those out. FWIW: I got mine on E-Bay brand new for $170 including shipping.
Thanks for the advise. I too had one of the old underwater radios, and it was garbage. The controls stunk, it would go through batteries like it was a lighthouse, and the sound quality was poor. That is why I was skeptical about this product, but I can also see the benefit of tunes in the pool.