Tub Test: How Waterproof Is a Waterproof iPod Case?

We’ve told you all about H2O Audio’s Waterproof iPod cases and its improved H3 headphones , but until yesterday we never had the chance to try them out for ourselves. Team player that I am, I hopped in the tub, turned the G-Funk to 11 and took the plunge.

I could hear the tunes clearly underwater, and the case when closed correctly is absolutely watertight down to 3 metres, so I don’t owe Wilson a new iPod classic. (Naturally, due to tub limitations, I couldn’t go down the full 3 metres, but if you have a deeper tub than me, feel free to dive down.) The sound was good and the ear buds did not fall out of my ears while I was listening. However, I did have some trouble keeping the buds locked into the headband.

The case worked great and the controls were surprisingly responsive, especially given the fact that there’s so much case between your thumb and the clickwheel. I did experience a couple of momentary hang-ups, but they could have been from the iPod classic itself. (The classic is known for the occasional lag.)

If you’re looking to take an absurd amount of media with you in the water for swimming, snorkelling, surfing or just the weekly bath, I know no better hardware—and the same waterproof system is available for nanos too. Of course, this level of duck-ass watertightness doesn’t come cheap: the case and headphones sell for US$90 and US$50, respectively. [H2O Audio]