I spent 2 weeks testing the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro, and found them to be the perfect headphones for swimming

Date:
Mon, 23 Mar 2026 02:00:00 +0000

Description:
Between the form factor and features, this is one of the best bone conduction headphone options for the pool.

FULL STORY ======================================================================H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro: Two-minute review The H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro are possibly the best possible headphones for serious swimmers. They secure onto a
headband instead of having their own (and are very stable when in place), making them unique among H2O Audios offerings as well as setting them apart from the rest of our best swimming headphones . Since Bluetooth connectivity has trouble in water, H2O has added some features to get around that.

As good as the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro are for swimmers, theyre probably among the least interesting headphones for any other purpose. They only sound good underwater this is by design, of course and its still not quite an audiophile experience. And that form factor is very limiting. While some of our best running headphones list use bone conduction technology and can be used in water and on land, there are other options, even from H2O Audio, that I prefer for that purpose, such as the H20 Audio Tri 2 Pro, rated our best bone conduction headphones overall. But for their intended purpose, youll be hard-pressed to do better than the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro. With that in mind, lets dive a little deeper on why that is.

While I already had an idea of what to expect when I received these headphones, I was surprised by how small the box was its not much bigger
than the box AirPods come in nor how small the soft-shell case inside was, which was basically the same size as the box.

The actual headphones came inside the case along with the folded up charging cable and a pair of waterproof earplugs. The headphones themselves, besides being fairly small, are unique looking because they have no headband of their own, just a thick, blue cable that goes behind ones head connecting the drivers to each other.

The bone conduction drivers are each in black housing with a clip on the outside and three control buttons the left has the Mode (switches between Bluetooth Mode and using internal storage in Memory Mode), forward and back, while the right has Play / Pause / Power, and Volume Up / Down. (Image
credit: Future / James Holland) Since these are made for swimming, they have an IPX8 rating about as good as it gets in any consumer product not meant
for the Mariana Trench so it can be underwater up to 12ft/3.6m without any restriction. If youre considering these for serious diving, be warned the pressure in deeper waters could affect these headphones. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Also, since the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro are made for swimming, they come with a couple features meant to circumvent one of the biggest hurdles for using headphones while swimming. Bluetooth connectivity tends to become more intermittent the more water is between the source like a smart phone and headphones, so these headphones come with a built-in MP3 player with 8GB of storage.

Loading music onto these headphones then is reminiscent of loading music onto a phone as one might have done ten years ago, which is not the most convenient, using the included charging cable and connecting the headphones
to a computer. That also means that you have to have the music you want
stored in playable form like MP3 on your computer.

The H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro do have an additional feature to make this more manageable that the non-Pro version doesnt have, and thats the Playlist+ feature. This feature lets the user load music onto the headphones
wirelessly. Now, H2O Audio advertises this feature as a way to transfer a playlist, but that overcomplicates what this feature actually does.

Think of the Playlist+ feature like a tape recorder. Whether you do it
through the headphones (you press the Volume Up button twice to start and
stop recording) or the app, you basically start the recording process, press play on whatever music or podcast you want, and then stop it when the song is done. It wont stop on its own, so you could potentially have multiple songs
on one track. One thing that I do appreciate is that it will read the name
and song title from the source and automatically name the file after it. Its
a nice work-around, if a little inelegant. Its literally a digital version of pressing record on a boombox to make a mixtape.

Regardless of whether youre streaming through Bluetooth or listening to an
MP3 in Memory Mode (aka the built-in MP3 player), the sound quality is the same. And its a bit strange. The way bone conduction headphones work affects the sound quality a little, since what youre listening to is vibrating
through your cheekbones into the inner ear instead of actually passing
through your ear. So, everything sounds more intelligible when also wearing the included earplugs. (Image credit: Future / James Holland) It also sounds clearer when underwater. The listening experience is not quite HiFi, however. Ive listened to H2O Audio products underwater before and I dont remember them being as bass-heavy. Maybe its intentional to make the music sound more motivating but the low-end seems to be front and center to the point where a song like In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida sounds like a bass solo and songs with 808 drums like hip-hop and EDM are somewhat overpowered by the kick drum.

Whats strange is that theres no real way to EQ the headphones in a way to offset it, especially if youre using Memory Mode (you can always use an EQ on the phone for Bluetooth audio). That said, the mids and highs are fairly
clear when underwater, so if H2O Audio adjusted their app to have some kind
of EQ adjustments, I think these headphones would be even easier to
recommend.

Theyre still easy to recommend, despite that issue with the low-end. I havent really discussed fit yet, and while youre somewhat at the mercy of whatever headband you use, when these slip on theyre incredibly stable. They dont
move. They dont jiggle. I learned by struggling or thrashing my way through a couple laps in an Olympic pool to see what would happen. This is a big reason why theyre among the best swimming headphones.

Theres not else to write home about regarding the H20 companion app, other than to mention that it will give you a readout of battery life and let you navigate the songs stored on the device when in memory mode. You can also start the Playlist+ feature here.

Lastly, the 10-hour battery life doesnt seem impressive compared to what we see on the best wireless earbuds , especially when you include the extra charges in their carrying case something you dont get with the soft shell case as its not a power source. But I think its actually a decent amount of juice for a swimmer. H20 Audio Sonar 2 Pro: Specifications Swipe to scroll horizontally

Component

H20 Audio Sonar 2 Pro

Drivers

Bone conduction

Active noise cancellation

No

Battery life

Up to 9 hours

Weight

1.0 oz (29 grams)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3

Frequency range

30Hz - 18kHz

Waterproofing

IPX8

Other features

8GB storage and MP3 player, Playlist+, App support H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro: Price and availability (Image credit: Future / James Holland) How much does
it cost? $149.99 / 117.00 / AU$234.00 When is it available? Available now Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia The H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro arent cheap, but the price is very respectable at $149.99 /
117.00 / AU$234.00. Considering the feature set and niche use, I could see a higher price (though I would hope H2O Audio would give more control over the EQ before that happens).

Many of the swimming headphones and bone conduction headphones end up going for at least the same price if not more. The Shokz OpenSwim Pro , for
example, go for a slightly higher $179.95 / 169 / AU$299. They also have a built-in MP3 player but dont have anything like the Playlist+ feature (which is a proprietary H2O feature). They also have the more typical form factor of a pair of bone conduction headphones with a sturdy but bendable headband.

Even the companys own H2O Audio Tri 2 Pro Multi-Sport has a higher MSRP $199.99 / 155.68 (about AU$310). Of course, those are meant for a different purpose. They are sturdy and steady enough to swim in, but dont clip in, as theyre meant just as much to run in. They do come with the Playlist+ feature as well. Value score: 4 / 5 Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The price tag for these headphones are pretty reasonable as one could definitely pay more for swimming headphones.

4 / 5

Design

Though a niche design, the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro are ideal for swimmers
thanks to how secure they are.

4.5 / 5

Performance

The sound quality, though a bit bass-heavy, is clear underwater. Plus, the battery life is more than enough.

4 / 5

Average rating

It may be niche, but swimmers needing headphones that clip in will be
thrilled with these.

4 / 5 Should I buy the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro? (Image credit: Future / James Holland) Buy it if... Youre a serious swimmer

The clip-on design make these about as stable as one gets for swimming. Add
in the MP3 player and Playlist+ feature and you have ideal headphones for doing laps. Read more Read less You want your playlist while swimming

The Playlist+ feature is very helpful for getting your playlist or any music
/ podcast you dont own onto the headphones, and its a feature that one only gets with H2O Audio. Read more Read less Don't buy it if... You want bone conduction headphones for any other reason

If you dont need headphones that clip into the headband of swimming goggles, then look elsewhere including H2O Audios other offerings. Read more Read less
You want convenience

If you dont want to deal with plugging the headphones into your computer and transferring music or queuing up a playlist and running the Playlist+
feature, youre missing out on a good portion of what sets these headphones apart. Read more Read less Also consider Shokz Openswim Pro

The Shokz Openswim Pro are waterproof with a comfortable and tight fit, even if they dont clip into a headband, and come with a good nine hours of battery life. Its not the most up-to-date of Shokz headphones but is still an ideal option for swimmers.

Read our full Shokz Openswim Pro review Read more Read less H2O Audio Tri 2 Pro Multi-Sport

The H2O Audio Tri 2 Pro Multi-Sport arent cheap, but are worth it, especially for anyone also looking for headphones to use during swimming. After all, these are tailored to triathletes.

Read our full H2O Audio Tri 2 Pro Multi-Sport review Read more Read less
How I tested Tested over a couple weeks Listened to different genres of music Tested all the different features I spent a couple of weeks testing the H2O Audio Sonar 2 Pro including a couple laps in an Olympic size pool as well as just hanging out underwater to listen to them. While using them, I listened
to all sorts of genres from electronic and hip-hop to rock and acoustic music to get an idea of how they sound. I also tested the various features, most notably the Playlist+ feature.

After testing, its clear that these are ideal for serious swimmers, not only from the bone conduction but the form factor, which means that theyre as secure as a pair of headphones can be during a swim. Check out our guide to how bone conduction headphones work for more details on how headphones like these work.

Ive spent the last few years reviewing audio equipment and have spent even longer using my critical ear as a listener and musician to understand what does and doesnt sound good. First reviewed November 2025



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/fitness-headphones/i-spent-2-weeks-te sting-the-h2o-audio-sonar-2-pro-and-found-them-to-be-the-perfect-headphones-fo r-swimming


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