We’ve tested 50 different waterproof headset designs over the 22-year history of New Atlas, and a clear favorite emerged in 2021 when Zygo launched its initial headphones focussed on the audio needs of swimmers. This week a 2nd-generation Zygo was announced for May 2024 delivery, with enhanced audio, longer range, longer battery life, lap counting, and on-the-go charging.
The entire Zygo package offers military-grade reliability in water and its unique design can stream audio from a phone while swimming.
The original headset we tested has now seen daily swimming use for three years.
We've been searching for the perfect set of swimming headphones for much longer than that, but after multiple comparison tests where we sought out swimmers who were professional musicians, we found that while many waterproof headphones work well for a short time, most of them don't work reliably when you take them swimming regularly.
Indeed, it's fair to say that the majority are not fit for purpose. Most of the 50 we tested didn't survive for very long, but some survived much longer and a couple of the headsets simply refuse to die.
So having witnessed the Zygos work faultlessly for three years while streaming audio every day, the US$300 represents excellent value, as our experience suggests the new Z2 will offer an even better experience again.
Just as human beings develop trust, so too can brands. Below is the original Kickstarter video that convinced me to put my money up in the first place.
Three years later, the Zygo name now has 100% credibility. It did exactly what it set out to do, and the new Z2 headset is the company's second product after the success of the first.
Over years of testing, the champs emerge. They're the ones that keep working. At the pinnacle of both quality and performance for in-pool usage, there are two brands that stand out from all the waterproof players we've tested: any Sony Waterproof Walkman (W210, W410 and W610 Series) for those who want the sound delivered by in-ear headphones, and the Zygo for those who prefer bone conduction.
We cannot overemphasize how important reliability is for the headphone swimming experience. Exercise habits are like gold when you have found them, and having them broken up by unreliable equipment is very annoying. Once we realized that the Sony walkman variants and the Zygo were next-level reliable, we set out to see just how far we could push them. I have now subjected both the Sonys and Zygos to my daily routine for long periods, which involves rotating through the pool, steam room and plunge pool several times once or more a day, plus longer stints in the pool.
The Zygos have been doing that for the last five months every day without so much as a hiccup, and that's after three years of reliable service. The top-of-the-line Sony WS-W625 and the new Zygo Z1 may be a little more expensive than the rest, but having them continue to work every day is priceless compared to the cheaper ones that don't.
Swimming is obviously a hostile environment for electronics, but it's also a hostile environment for high fidelity sound, and I am surprised how infrequently this is mentioned in tests of swimming headsets.
No headset can be expected to produce premium quality sound both in and out of the water. All that waterproofing compromises the ability of the headphones to produce high fidelity audio when they're not in the water. On top of that, the laws of physics make it seemingly impossible to deliver audio of the highest quality through mediums (water and air) which transmit sound differently, from the same headphones.
Unless you swim breast-stroke and keep your head above the water permanently, you’ll never eradicate the need to breathe out underwater and have the resulting bubbles overwhelm your audio channels with vibration and noise.
Using earplugs in combination with the Zygo mitigates some of that noise and enables one to follow what’s happening in podcasts and audiobooks with surprising clarity though, because the brain fills in most of the blanks. The only downside is the need to concentrate – your brain does need to work a bit harder in decoding the sounds and making sense of them.
What I did find remarkable was that I was able to use the Zygo to swim and listen to live sporting contests. It wasn't perfect because if things get to a tight spot in the game, there’s an overwhelming need to stop swimming and just listen for a moment, but it's the only unit in the world that streams audio to swimmers and it's still a new frontier with new capabilities.
Just as music is helpful in creating the rhythm we each require when swimming, moving from music to podcasts, audio books and live sporting events is an exploration. You'll find they all bring a different ambience to the exercise routine and I now use that to break up the exercise experience without breaking the habit.
But wait, there's more ... at least if you are or work with a swimming coach.
One of the killer capabilities that sets the Zygo streaming headsets well beyond those of any other manufacturer is the ability to coach a swimmer in real time.
The ability to communicate clearly with someone swimming is a breakthrough moment for swimming coaches and competition swimmers everywhere. The transmitter is waterproof, so a coach can watch from below the waterline and then explain how to get better. Coaches not exploring this technology are leaving some of the potential of their charges on the table. Whether it's a real-time analysis of where you're losing your form in the last 100 meters of a long race, through to building mantras and mental resilience, getting an audio channel into the human CPU when you're seeking to get better has to offer a competitive edge.
If this functionality doesn't offer the potential for a competitive edge, I'd be very surprised. If you don't have a swimming coach, Zygo has that covered too, at least partially. There's nothing quite like having a human connection willing you on when personal goals are within reach.
The current (until yesterday) model Zygo has the best sound of any headset when swimming (unanimous from those who tried it), but it really isn't suited to being a day-to-day headset away from the pool. It can do both reliably but while the sound of the Zygo out of the water is OK, the first model was a tad too big and clunky and doesn't have the controls to make it a convenient everyday headset.
If you want one headset that will handle everyday tasks adequately and still perform well in the water, the Sony W210, W410 and W610 Series are all versatile and near-perfect for every non-water circumstance, and almost as good as the Zygos in the water for sound quality. They're also available at your nearest Sony outlet, which means no waiting to get one and no problems with returns, in the unlikely event they ever break.
The Zygo Z2 can only be ordered via the internet, and it's dispatched from the United Kingdom at $299 plus shipping. As can be seen directly above, the Sony waterproof Walkman can be purchased with a case like the the Zygo (that's the new Z1 unit at right), but the case for the Sony only comes with the top-of-the-range Sony NW-WS625 16GB Walkman, with prices varying between $250 and $300.
The Zygo doesn't have storage in the unit, relying on your phone's resources for its programming. There are advantages in having 16 GB of memory. The problem with in-water headphones is navigating all that content, and doing so in the water is a fruitless exercise beyond wishing to skip or repeat a track, so I have a series of playlists for different purposes. The most useful cadence for a swim is different to that of riding a bike, etc. Paying the extra freight for the top-of-the-range Sony NW-WS625 16GB Walkman does give you a case to keep your stuff in a safe place and in good working order, but it also enables a set of workout playlists that can be chosen before you slip into the water.
I have swum countless hours with the Sonys, plus they've also done many more hours in the custody of friends and acquaintances, and they are astoundingly resilient. The two original Sony W213 headsets we purchased in 2013 are still working – they really struggle to hold a charge, they no longer produce the same sound, and the microphones are kinda muffled due to the crud , but that reflects limitations in battery technology. The engineering required to develop an electronic waterproof audio player that is so fit-for-purpose that it can still function 11 years after its initial launch is testimony to sheer unadulterated excellence.
The last 15 years have regularly reminded us how unreliable most waterproof headsets are in the face of constant use.
I just put my order in for one of these units. In one sense, $300 is a lot of money for a headset, and I already have one that works perfectly. When you use a product every day, and it works perfectly every day for years, you build a respect for it that is bone deep.
That’s what I feel for Zygo. It’s an independent company that produces a unique product with military-grade reliability that makes my life better.
After having more than 50 different waterproof units in the pool over long time frames, Zygo is the only unit with reliability comparable to Sony.
We’ll do a full test when the unit arrives.
Company website: Zygo
