After a long day, have you ever just wanted to pop in your headphones and have a jam session or a concert in your shower?
Well, you’re not alone! Showering with your headphones in can be a fun experience that you have to try. However, your current headphones might not make it if you take them into the shower.
For this very reason, we have brought you a list of the Top 7 Best Waterproof Shower Headphones in 2023, to make every shower exciting!
In a hurry? Here are our top 3 favorite picks when it comes to the best waterproof shower headphones in 2023!
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What To Look For In Waterproof Shower Headphones?
Waterproof shower headphones, as the name suggests, are headphones that you can wear in the rain, or in the shower without worrying about them being ruined because of water.
These headphones are rated with an IP or IPX rating that tells you how resistant they are to water and other foreign particles.
How Do Waterproof Shower Headphones Work?
They sound great, but how do waterproof shower headphones work? Waterproof shower headphones achieve this resistance to water by either being tightly sealed so that water does not have any chance of getting inside or by being coated in a hydrophobic material that repels water or a combination of both.
Are Waterproof Shower Headphones Worth It?
While this is a matter of personal preference, we’d like to say that some level of water protection is absolutely necessary for your headphones.
Even if you don’t decide to run with them in the rain or take them with you in the shower, having headphones that are protected from the water will help you stay carefree when they inevitably get wet.
You should at least look for an IPX rating of 4 while buying headphones for a stress-free user experience. However, if you do decide to get waterproof shower headphones, that’s even better because you can freely use them wherever you want without worrying about them getting ruined.
So all in all, yes, waterproof shower headphones are worth it, because they offer ease of mind at a nominal additional cost.
1. JBL Reflect Pro+ – Best Overall
Up next, we have our personal top pick among these headphones, the JBL Reflect Pro+, packed with nifty features. One such feature is an extreme IP68 water rating which means that you can take these into the shower with you!
They also come with features like Adaptive Noise Cancellation and Smart Ambient for user convenience. The JBL Reflect Pro+ has 6 microphones for better calls alongside Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support.
They promise up to 30 hours of battery life with the case and 10 hours with only the earbuds. JBL deploys something called Powerfins to ensure a snug fit in your ears, so that your Reflect Pro+ earbuds don’t fall out while you’re doing something adventurous.
Features
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.0
- Battery Life: 10 hours (only earbuds) 30 hours (with charging case)
- IP Rating: IP68
- Special Features: Adaptive Noise Cancellation, 6 microphones, Smart Ambient, Powerfins
Why Is This The Best Waterproof Shower Headphone In 2023?
In short, the reason why we’ve chosen the JBL Reflect Pro+ to be our top pick in this list is simply because of its solid and completely waterproof IP68 rating coupled with JBL’s pristine audio quality.
You can be rest assured that as you take these headphones into the shower with you or even out in the rain, they will be protected against water. Features like the Smart Ambient Mode, Adaptive Noise Cancellation and a long battery life have certainly helped its case.
2. Tribit MoveBuds H1 – Runner Up
We’re kicking it off with the Tribit Movebuds H1 on this list of the top 7 Best Waterproof Shower Headphones in 2023. The Tribits Movebuds H1 are rated with an IPX8 water rating and are meant to be used as sports earbuds.
They have 65HTribit Longevity Guard, meaning 65 hours of total playtime combined with the charging case or 15 hours of separate playtime. The Tribit MoveBuds H1 gets a transparency mode that you can turn on while in situations where you might need to be aware of your surroundings.
They use Bluetooth 5.2. For audio decoding, the Tribit MoveBuds H1 uses Qualcomm’s Apt-X & CVC 8.0 True Sound Music and Call to give you the best audio while minimizing background noise when you talk.
Features
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.2
- Battery Life: 15 hours (only earbuds), 65 hours (with charging case)
- IP Rating: IPX8 (SGS rated)
- Special Features: Transparency mode, Qualcomm Apt-X & CVC 8.0 True Sound Music and Call
3. Soundcore Sport X10 – Premium Pick
Up next, we have the Soundcore Sport X10, a pair of true wireless workout headphones rated IPX7. These earbuds are waterproof, sweatproof and claim to have a battery life of up to 36 hours using the charging case and 8 hours per individual charge.
They also boast of having features like deep bass and fast charge. They have something called BassUp technology that enhances the bass from audio in real-time to add an extra punch to it while also having a dynamic acoustic system that claims to produce twice the amount of bass.
These earbuds use bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity. The earhook design on these is meant to offer comfort and convenience, with it being 210° rotatable for you to find a snug fit that won’t let them slip off.
Features
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.2
- Battery Life: 8 hours (only earbuds), 36 hours (with charging case)
- IP Rating: IPX7
- Special Features: 6 microphones, BassUp, fast charge, deep bass
4. TOZO T10 Bluetooth 5.3
Moving on, we come to the TOZO T10 earbuds that use Bluetooth 5.3. These are IPX8 rated earbuds that also have deep bass.
The TOZO T10 Bluetooth 5.3s can be wirelessly charged and fast charged, with wireless charging needing 2 hours to fully charge them and only 1.5 hours when they’re fast charged.
The earbuds themselves last about 6 hours per charge and 30 hours total when combined with the charging case. The TOZO T10 earbuds have an 8mm driver that delivers an amazing sound range from bass to mid to high frequencies.
They’re also pretty compact, at about the same size as a quarter and they come in five beautiful colors.
Features
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.3
- Battery Life: 6 hours (only earbuds), 30 hours (with charging case)
- IP Rating: IPX8
- Special Features: Wireless charging, fast charging, deep bass, touch controls, one step pairing, compact design
5. Relxhome Bone Conduction Headphones
The next pair of headphones we’ll take a look at are pretty unique as they’re the only ones that use one conduction on this list. These are the Relxhome Bone Conduction Headphones and they sound pretty exciting.
Why? Well apart from the obvious highlight, they’re both bluetooth headphones and an mp3 player that supports MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, and FLAC files.
You might question the need for mp3 players in today’s world, but that’s because these IP68 rated headphones can be worn during swimming and Bluetooth doesn’t transmit signals underwater!
They have a built-in 8 gigs of storage to store your favorite songs for when you go swimming. The Relxhome Bone-conduction headphones offer playtime up to 8 hours while you run, jog, swim or even shower! They use Bluetooth 5.2 and also feature a microphone for calling.
Features
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.2
- Battery Life: 8 hours
- IP Rating: IP68
- Special Features: Bone conduction, MP3 player with support for lots of codecs and 8 gigabytes of storage
How Do Bone Conduction Headphones Work?
Before we move ahead, let’s learn a bit about bone conduction headphones.
To understand how bone conduction headphones work, let’s first look at how we hear regular sound.
Sound usually travels through air as small vibrations that reach our eardrums. Our eardrums then vibrate too, which sends these vibrations to a part known as the cochlea (inner ear).
The cochlea being connected to the auditory nerve, transmits these vibrations as signals to the brain to tell it that we’ve heard something.
Now what bone conduction does, is that it skips over the eardrums and uses bones to perform the same function instead.
Bone conduction headphones vibrate and send the vibrations through your bones so that your cochlea receives them and transmits them to your brain.
Can Deaf People Hear Music Through Bone Conduction Headphones?
Yes! Bone conduction has actually been used for years to help people with conductive hearing loss to be able to hear. They tend to use a BAHA, or a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid.
Did You Know?
It is said that the famous deaf music composer, Ludwig van Beethoven used to use bone conduction to listen to the piano when he lost most of his hearing.
He would put one end of a rod in his mouth and place the other on the rim of the piano, thus using the vibrations from the rod to listen to what he was playing!
6. Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sport Earphones
The next waterproof headphone on this list is the T5 II True Wireless Sport Earphones from the legendary Klipsch.
These headphones promise to deliver the sound that everyone has come to expect from Klipsch products using a 5 mm dynamic driver and ultra thin diaphragm.
It gets 4 beamforming microphones for calling. This pair of headphones is rated IP67 and has a unique moisture removal system within the case to keep them dry.
There is also a Transparency Mode on offer here. The earbuds can last about 8 hours on their own and a combined total of 24 hours with the charging case.
Features
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.0
- Battery Life: 8 hours (only earbuds) 24 hours (with charging case)
- IP Rating: IP67
- Special Features: Transparency Mode, 4 microphones, moisture removal system in case, patented oval ear tips
7. Otium Bluetooth Headphones
Finally, last but not the least, we have the Otium Bluetooth Headphones that are IPX7 rated, great for sweat and rain but not recommended for swimming.
These are more on the budget side of things, but they don’t compromise where it matters. You get 10 hours of battery life in one charge with a pretty small charging duration.
The headphones use Bluetooth 5.1 with an 11 mm dynamic driver to bring you high quality sound and also give you a voice notification for upcoming calls.
There are convenient controls on the earphones to let you control your music/calls easily. The charging time is also convenient, coming up to only 1.5 hours.
Features
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.1
- Battery Life: 10 Hours
- IP Rating: IPX7
- Special Features: convenient audio controls, long battery life
How to Choose The Best Waterproof Headphones in 2023!
Now that you know the top 7 best waterproof shower headphones, let’s see how you can choose the right one for you with the help of this buying guide!
IPX Rating
If you’re looking for a waterproof shower headphone, you’re going to need to buy one with minimum IPX5 rating or preferably IPX6. These mean that your headphones are protected from water streams from any angle, perfect for showers.
You can go for IPX7 or IPX8 headphones, but make sure the manufacturer has also mentioned that the headphones are protected from water streams.
Seal Formed Between Earplug and Ear
When you wear the headphones, they should form a tight seal between the earbud and your ear to make sure that no water gets inside your ear while you use it in the shower.
Comfort
Your headphones should be comfortable to wear and workout with, without causing any pain or discomfort in your ears.
Battery Life
Aim for a minimum battery life of 8 hours (earbuds only) that can last you a whole day on and off. When combined with a charging case, the total battery life should at least be 24 hours.
Audio Quality
Depending on your preferences, you can either go for headphones that perform well across lows, mids and highs, or a bass heavy one. Just play your favorite songs and check if they sound how you want them to!
Build Quality
Make sure the build quality of the headphones is strong and made of high quality materials to avoid breakage.
Air Conduction vs Bone Conduction
With waterproof shower headphones, you can either get air conduction or bone conduction headphones.
- Bone conduction earphones tend to be completely waterproof and you can even swim underwater with the MP3 ones
- You can be more aware of your surroundings with bone conduction earphones
- Bone conduction earphones are light and comfortable
- Bone conduction earphones tend to leak sound while in ear air conduction ones can offer active and passive noise cancellation
- Audio quality in air conduction headphones is miles ahead of bone conduction ones
- Vibrations might get irritating at higher levels in bone conduction headphones
- In ear air conduction headphones can irritate some people’s ears
- People with conductive hearing loss can use bone conduction headphones
Frequently Asked Questions About Waterproof Headphones
What Are IPX Ratings?
If you’ve ever bought a pair of headphones or a smartphone, you’ve probably seen letters and numbers like “IP67” or “IPX7”.
These numbers are a rating given by the International Electrotechnical Commission to certify the degree of protection that an electronic device has against dust and water. These are called IP Codes, short for Ingress Protection Codes.
The first two letters, like we just told you, stand for Ingress Protection. The first digit in the code indicates the protection provided from potential harm caused by foreign objects such as dust entering the device.
The last digit does the same, but with protection from harm caused by the ingress of water. Sometimes, when an “X’ is rated instead of a digit, it means that there was insufficient data in that particular test to give a proper rating.
The following is a table of IPX ratings for water resistance.
IPX0 | Protection from water |
IPX1 | Protection from water droplets |
IPX2 | Protection against water droplets at a 15° angle |
IPX3 | Protection against sprays of water at a 60° angle |
IPX4 | Protection against water splashes from any angle |
IPX5 | Protection against water jets from any angle |
IPX6 | Protection against powerful water jets from any angle |
IPX7 | Can be submerged under 1 meter of water for 30 minutes without any harm |
IPX8 | Details decided by the manufacturer, but can be continuously submerged underwater with no harm |
Can I Shower With AirPods?
No, you cannot shower with AirPods on. Airpods Pro and Airpods (3rd Gen) have an IP rating of IPX4, which means that while they’re protected against splashed, they can’t be continuously used in rain or underwater.
Why Does Water Destroy Electronics?
The problem comes, not from the H2O itself, but rather from the tiny ions and impurities present in it.
These ions and impurities make the water suitable for conducting electricity, which means that if water gets inside a circuit, the ions and impurities can “bridge” the gap between two or more pathways and cause a short circuit.
Another way that water can ruin your headphones is by getting inside and corroding the metal due to a reaction between water, air, and the metal.
The tiny paths/tracks in the circuits dissolve or erode away, rendering the electronic item useless.
Conclusion
To conclude, waterproof shower headphones bring a much-needed advancement in hearing tech that has long been desired by consumers all across the world.
Waterproof shower headphones, such as the ones on this list can be subjected to water, without worrying about them short-circuiting.
Bone conduction headphones are also coming up as strong alternatives to air conduction ones, but they still have a long way to go in terms of audio quality. We hope this article helped you find waterproof headphones that you can use in the shower!