Worried about sweaty headphones?? If you’re into music while running, biking, swimming, surfing, skiing or any other outdoor activity you’ll want to check out H20 Audio Tri Pro Multi-Sport headphones for the ultimate in waterproof and sweat protection.
H20 Audio’s Tri Pro Multi-Sport headphones are the ultimate in waterproof convenience. The Tri Pro’s are waterproof and submersible for an unlimited amount of time! They’re IPX8+ certified which means they’re waterproof up to 3.6 meters or 12 ft. If you are using them for swimming, they do work underwater but read on for more particulars. You can safely wash them and they don’t intrude on your ears so you can share them without worrying about ear gunk.
Specs
The Tri Pro Multi-Sport headphones feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, delivering sound through bone conduction technology. Supports both iOS and Android with 8GB of onboard storage for .mp3 .m4a .wave audio files or connect for streaming audio through your Android or iOS devices including smartwatches.
The Tri Pro wireless headphones use Bluetooth 5.0 for quick and convenient compatibility for using the latest devices. Stream or transfer audio files to the onboard 8GB memory.
5 Hours of battery life.
The charging cable is proprietary and magnetic so you won’t be able to use a typical micro-USB or Type-C USB cables you have around.
Setup & Playlist+
Setting up the Tri Pro Bluetooth headphones is simple. In case you forget, a very pleasant and calming female ai voice with a British accent walks you through the pairing process step by step. This can help save time later as the instructions are always there for you.
3 buttons control everything; Volume down, Middle/Mode button, Volume up.
- Holding the volume +/- button skips to the next/previous song.
- Double click +/- button skips to the next/previous folder
- Click the Main/Middle button to play an audio
- Double click the Main/Middle button to select Bluetooth or Memory modes
- Triple click the Main/Middle button for shuffle mode
- In Bluetooth mode you can long press to access your Siri, Bixby or voice assistant
- In Bluetooth mode you can single click to answer a phone call.
Playlist+
Playlist+ is a cool feature that allows you to load/record any streaming audio to the onboard memory for offline play later. For example you could set up a Youtube or other streaming playlist. Set up your Tri Pro to use Playlist+ functionality and load up your playlist, let it play and forget it. Now this doesn’t account for commercials so if you’re streaming those, you’ll be recording those as well.
It’s important to note that whatever volume your source is set to is the level your Tri Pro will record the stream at. Ideally you’ll want to turn up the audio source to the loudest distortion free level. The streams are recorded in .mp3 format at 320kbps. Now that’s pretty nice but if you’re source audio is 128kbps then you get a nice 320kbps bit rate recording of a 128kbps audio.
To get the best recording you can streaming you’ll want to select the best source file you can. So Vevo over Youtube for example so you are getting a higher source bit rate. When recording a stream, we suggest to turn down the volume on the Tri Pro’s prior so you don’t blow out the speakers. Once you’ve queued up the song or audio you want to record, pause it. Go to your Tri Pro’s and double click the + (volume up) button. When you see the blue LED flashing, you’re recording; then go and tap play on your stream.
It is important to abide by copyright agreements and laws. This article is informational and any streams that you record you should have the rights to do so.
It is possible to charge while you are recording so you don’t deplete your battery doing this.
You can also plug into a pc with the magnetic charging cable using a typical USB-A port. The device shows as “mvsilicon B1 USB audio” and then you can simply drag and drop audio files like you would any other usb storage device. It should be noted that if you load your audio into the root level that the audio setup instructions might not be the audio file to play first. Instead, use the folder labeled “load” or “favorites”. You also have the option to drag your own folders onto the device.
Downloaded music files from Subscription based services like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora are copyright protected and cannot be copied into the Tri Pro’s memory.
Wearability & Comfort
Since the Tri Pro uses Bone conduction technology to delivery audio you don’t have to worry about them falling out of your ear or the wires getting caught on something. They are connected to one another by a semi-rigid yet pliable plastic sheathing that connects the two earphones together.
The contoured ear loop shape makes it easy to slide on and off your head. The sizing seems to work well for both adults and children alike, a truly OSFA design and very convenient.
These are really great for running, skiing, skating… Any activity where you are moving and shaking. The H20 Tri Pro’s work very well for safety when you really should have some awareness of exterior noises; cars, machinery, people/pedestrians etc. or for when you are removing the headphones frequently.
Operating the buttons can be difficult. It takes a fair amount of pressure to get them to function. Perhaps this is a good thing so it doesn’t inadvertently get pushed. You’ll either need to take them off and place your finger on the opposing side or when wearing them, push them up against your temporal bone (thats the bone directly behind your ear). The buttons are very small and stiff so if you’re using them often, it can be a little pokey on your finger tip.
Sound Delivery & Performance
Using in-ear headphone buds is great for injecting audio directly into your auditory canal for a fully immersive sound stage but that can be quite damaging to your hearing. Prolonged exposure to sound over 70 decibels can cause irreparable hearing loss, repeat this over a lifetime and the hearing loss can add up fast.
The bone conduction technology on the Tri Pro allows you to remain aware of the environment around you so things don’t sneak up on you and are much safer for your hearing. They are also much more hygienic to share than wireless earbuds since they don’t actually enter your ear canal.
The sound emitting earphone area rests just in front of your inner lobe. The sound does seem to output like a headphone speaker even when not touching/conducting, but the sound will amplify for you once the headphone area makes contact.
There is a fair bit of buzzing or vibrating when listening to music at loud levels that tickled the ear drum a bit. Though it wasn’t super bothersome it could get slightly annoying over time. This does seem to exhibit itself more prominently the more bass there is playing.
Sound Quality
As with any audio output from a device, the most important element starts with your source file. If you’re audio source is less than ideal your speaker will only amplify that aspect. It’s important to use a good audio source. That said, you can still stream audio from a Youtube quality audio stream with good results.
Bass driven music. Generally bass is great for any music or theatrical audio and will always thicken the audio up. But even with well-produced studio music with heavy bass, it is somewhat lost with the Tri Pro’s; songs like Van Halen’s Meanstreets or Beastie Boys Shake your rump where on a stereo the bass really thunders is lost. Even super studio-produced pop music like Kelly Clarkson’s Since you’ve been gone (that no one wants to admit they like) which sound better the louder you play it, loses a lot of the impact.
That said, the H20’s feature clarity of sound akin to that of studio headphones. If you’ve ever used studio headphones, you might think that they sound thinner than you thought they would. That is because studio headphones are originally used by the studio to listen to the audio recording sessions raw and unfiltered. So clarity is the name of the game here.
For clarity the Tri Pro’s were excellent. For speaking, classical music and anything with clear detailed recordings sounded great. Where the H20 Tri Pro headphones really shined were with acoustic performances. Live performances like Alice in Chain’s Down in a Hole unplugged and Queensryche’s I will remember unplugged sounded fantastic.
Sports & Swimming
While the H20 Tri Pro is able to be submerged for an unlimited amount of time up to 12 feet underwater. The caveat is that the headphones must be within a few inches of the Bluetooth connected device to stream when they are. For completely submerged performance a smartwatch can be ideal for underwater scenarios; or it may be best to load up some tunes so they’re onboard if you plan on being submerged swimming.
This range limitation is dictated by the law of physics inherent to Bluetooth signal. Bluetooth range is severely reduced when submerged underwater. This is because water molecules cause signal attenuation, greatly reducing the range to just a few inches vs up to 30ft in open air.
However, leaving your phone or MP3 player poolside works if you are doing a crawl, breast stroke, back stroke where you are nearly at the surface of the water.
That’s a wrap
The Tri Pro Multi-Sport wireless headphones from H20 Audio deliver good audio and the convenience of wireless Bluetooth. They’re super easy to take on and off and the Tri Pro’s aren’t super delicate either which is welcome for outdoor activities.
Playlist + functionality lets you record your audio stream for listening later offline.
The bone conduction speaker output keeps things hygienic since you don’t insert them into your ear canal. Stream audio from your connected smartphone or smartwatch or use the onboard 8GB memory to preload some tunes for your workout.
H20 Audio Tri Pro Multi-Sport headphones $159.99 $179.99
h2oaudio.com
