H2O Audio Tri 2 Pro Multi-Sport Waterproof Bone Conduction Headphones

The H2O Audio Tri 2 Pro Multi-Sport Waterproof Bone Conduction Headphones offer good sound quality, are excellent while swimming, and the Playlist+ feature is a neat idea. However, they are expensive, and if you are not a multi-sport athlete you may not require the additional features.

My recent Spotify Wrapped declared that I listen to around six hours of music a day, and I have used these headphones a lot for the last few months while running, cycling, swimming, working, and just general use.

Setting them up is very easy – they paired with my phone and Garmin watch without any problems. There's also an app to transfer music or sync Playlist+ (more on that later).

Like most sports headphones, these are connected by a band and sit over the top of your ears. The band is lightweight, and the material on the temples means they don't move around when climbing out of the saddle or running.

Sound quality

I tested them listening to various genres, including heavy metal, drum and bass, indie, and podcasts. While the sound quality is good for bone-conduction headphones, it lacks the deep bass and immersive richness typical of premium over-ear models. This trade-off is expected in bone-conduction technology but might disappoint audiophiles.

It was a bit of trial and error to get the volume right on the bike. What seemed loud in the garage was quiet when moving at speed, especially on a windy day. I preferred listening to music as it was a more consistent listening experience, as some podcasts would be too quiet at times and then too loud. It was far easier to get right while running, as the sound isn't as affected by the wind and you are moving a lot slower.

On the bike, even with the volume set pretty high, I was always able to hear traffic and never had cars pass that I wasn't able to hear. This meant I was happy to wear them at any time and felt confident riding with them.

There are no separate modes for activities such as cycling or swimming. It'd be good if some pre-set options optimised the listening experience for each activity type.

The buttons are a little bit fiddly when cycling, especially as I was wearing thick winter gloves during testing. Again it was easier when running, as I could control the music from my watch. I understand you'd be able to do this if you had a Wahoo computer, which makes it easier to change tracks when wearing gloves.

If you listen to loud bass-heavy music, it can cause vibrations on your ears that can feel strange and uncomfortable. However, it was only noticeable when using them at my desk rather than training, and I wouldn't normally wear them at my desk, I just did that for testing.

As you'd expect with the open-ear design, they leak a bit of sound so you won't make any friends wearing them in the office or on public transport. However, that's not what they are aimed at and I have other headphones better suited to that type of environment.

Playlist+

The Playlist+ feature sets these apart from the cheaper non-Pro headphones, and enables you to record music to memory while playing it. For those old enough, it is like recording using a tape deck! It is, therefore, slow and subject to interruptions (I ended up just recording while leaving it on airplane mode).

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The loading synced a two-hour playlist as a single track, and the volume you record at is the volume it'll play back at. It is a good idea as I don't own any MP3 files, but its execution could be smoother. Still, it's useful for swimmers or runners without Bluetooth-compatible devices.

Comfort

The headphones were comfortable on long rides and runs. I used them on rides of up to three hours and they didn't cause any issues with my ears. They were also comfortable while running, and I didn't need to readjust them.

The band around the back of the neck sat comfortably, too, though it was tricky to get the positioning right while wearing sunglasses, ear and neck warmers – something I probably wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't freezing during most of my testing!

Battery life & charging

The Pro version's quoted battery life using Bluetooth is nine hours, a touch higher than I saw in practice. Still, it was long enough for most of my riding or running. I'd hardly ever do nine hours on my own, and you can always top it up if you stop at a cafe.

The headphones charged in around two hours using a proprietary cable. H2O also sells a charging case separately, but it is quite large so you probably wouldn't want to use it on a bikepacking trip.

Swimming

As these are fully waterproof rated to IPX8 (fully submerged up to 3.6m indefinitely) and suitable for swimming, I dusted off my Speedos and headed to the pool.

As a former swimmer turned cyclist, my swim fitness is currently non-existent. However, the music kept me motivated and dulled the noise from my body asking what I was doing.

I was worried they might fall off when pushing off, but they remained in place throughout my swims. It took a few goes to get the placing of the headphones to the optimal position, but once there the sound quality was a lot better than expected. You need to wear earplugs (included) to enhance the listening experience.

Value

With an RRP of £175 (currently reduced to £146), these aren't cheap, and their unique selling point is their swimming capability, so they're more suited to multi-sport athletes than cyclists.

That said, the two pairs of Oladance headphones we reviewed a couple of years ago cost slightly more – the OWS Sports were £189.99 and the Open Ear Headphones £199.99. Both received very good reviews.

If you don't need the Playlist+ feature, then the non-Pro versions (below) are available for £174, currently priced at £146 on the H2O Audio website.

There are much cheaper options, though: the OneOdio OpenRock S Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds received an excellent review in 2023, and though they've gone up a tenner since then they are still only £99.99. And Mike thought the SoundPEATS GoFree 2 Open Ear Headphones were very good when he reviewed them last year, and they're down to £59.99 from £75.

Overall

The H2O Audio Tri2 Pro Multi-Sport Headphones are a good choice for cycling, and excellent for swimming. The sound quality is good, and Playlist+ is a great idea (despite some difficulties), but if you don't need them for swimming there are similar or better options out there for less.

Verdict

Solid multi-sport headphones with good sound quality, excellent for swimming