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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want an open-ear headphone for gym sessions, running and everyday outdoor training with simple USB-C charging, choose Aiwa Bone Conducting; if you need a bone conduction headphone you can actually wear in the pool, with built-in MP3 storage, choose MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming.
• Aiwa Bone Conducting — biggest strength: a straightforward Bluetooth 5.0 open-ear design with 6 hours of playtime, IPX5 splash resistance and USB-C charging. It's the simpler, more familiar pick for land-based sports.
• Aiwa Bone Conducting — biggest trade-off: IPX5 covers sweat and rain splashes, not immersion. It is not a swimming headphone, and there is no built-in memory for offline playback.
• MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming — biggest strength: an IP68 waterproof rating plus 32 GB of built-in MP3 storage, so you can listen underwater without a Bluetooth signal. That combination is the whole reason this product exists.
• MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming — biggest trade-off: you must manually switch to MP3 mode for swimming, which means loading and managing your own files rather than just streaming. It's also a smaller, lesser-known brand.
• Who each pick is for: Aiwa if your workouts happen on dry land and you want a well-known name with fuss-free Bluetooth; MARLALL if the pool is the point and you want music with no phone nearby.
The Aiwa Bone Conducting is a classic open-ear bone conduction headphone built around one idea: keep your ear canal open so you can still hear traffic, training partners and gym announcements. The drivers transmit vibration through the bones rather than firing sound into a sealed ear, and the spec sheet lists a 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz frequency range with Bluetooth 5.0 and a 10-metre wireless range. In practice that's enough for the treadmill, the bike path and the weight room, where a stable connection to your phone matters more than audiophile nuance.
What it does best is simplicity. You pair it once, you charge it over USB-C, and you get up to 6 hours of playtime per charge — enough for several gym sessions or a long ride if you top it up between them. The IPX5 rating means sweat and rain splashes are not a problem, and the ear-hook shape is designed to stay put during intense movement. It weighs 0.11 kg, so it's light enough to forget you're wearing it, and the pink finish stands out if you'd rather your gear not look identical to everyone else's.
MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming: Who It's For
The MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming headphone is designed around a constraint most headphones ignore: Bluetooth does not travel through water. MARLALL solves that with 32 GB of built-in memory in MP3 mode — roughly 8,000 songs, according to the product description — so you load your music once and swim without carrying a phone or worrying about signal dropouts. That single design decision is what makes this a swimming headphone rather than a headphone you happen to get wet.
The rest of the spec sheet supports the same goal. It carries an IP68 waterproof rating, which is the level you need for underwater use, and the enclosure is made from silicone with a turquoise finish. Bone conduction drivers again handle playback, with the same 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz range as the Aiwa, and the open-ear fit means your ears stay unobstructed in the water and on land. Bluetooth 5.4 is on board for out-of-water use, with a 10-metre range and magnetic charging — a sensible choice for a device that lives near water, since it avoids an exposed port. At 22.68 g it's lighter than the Aiwa on paper, and adjustable straps are mentioned to keep the fit secure without slippage. MARLALL also lists a 1-year warranty.
Who should buy it: lap swimmers, triathletes and anyone who trains in a pool and wants music without a phone on the deck. The MP3 mode also appeals to runners who'd rather not carry a handset. Who should skip it: people who want pure plug-and-play streaming with zero file management. You have to remember to switch modes before you get in the water, and if you'd rather never touch a music library again, the Aiwa's always-on Bluetooth approach will feel easier.
• Best for swimming → MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming. IP68 waterproofing plus MP3 mode is the only combination here that works underwater.
• Best for everyday Bluetooth simplicity → Aiwa Bone Conducting. Pair, play, charge over USB-C. No mode switching, no file transfers.
• Best for battery life → Aiwa Bone Conducting. It publishes up to 6 hours of playtime. MARLALL doesn't list a playtime figure, so I can't compare them on runtime — only on what's documented.
• Best for leaving your phone behind → MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming. 32 GB of built-in storage means your library travels with the headphones.
• Best for sweat and rain → both, with a caveat. The Aiwa's IPX5 handles splashes and sweat; the MARLALL's IP68 is a higher protection class and is rated for immersion. If you only ever get rained on, the Aiwa is sufficient.
• Best wireless generation → MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming. Bluetooth 5.4 is a newer version than the Aiwa's Bluetooth 5.0, which should mean better connection stability and interference resistance.
• Best charging setup for wet environments → MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming. Magnetic charging avoids a USB-C port that could collect water or grit over time.
• Best for brand familiarity and lighter weight → split. Aiwa is the better-known name; MARLALL is listed at 22.68 g versus the Aiwa's 0.11 kg (110 g), so the MARLALL is lighter on paper.
In my opinion, the deciding question isn't which headphone is "better" — it's whether you swim. If you don't, I'd buy the Aiwa Bone Conducting: it's a recognisable brand, it pairs over Bluetooth 5.0, it charges over USB-C and it gives you up to 6 hours of playtime for gym, road and trail work. If you do swim, I'd buy the MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming without hesitating. IP68 waterproofing and 32 GB of onboard MP3 storage are features the Aiwa simply doesn't have, and no amount of splash resistance substitutes for them once you're underwater. For pool training specifically, MARLALL is the only one of the two that fits the job.
No. It carries an IPX5 rating, which covers water splashes, sweat and rain. It is not rated for immersion, so it isn't a swimming headphone. The MARLALL, at IP68, is the one designed for underwater use.
The conduction part does — vibration travels through your cheekbones to the inner ear. The problem is Bluetooth, which doesn't transmit reliably through water. That's why the MARLALL includes 32 GB of MP3 storage and instructs you to switch to MP3 mode when swimming.
Only the Aiwa publishes a figure: up to 6 hours of playtime. MARLALL's data sheet doesn't list a playtime number, so I can't make a fair comparison. Check the current listings for any updated runtime details.
The MARLALL. Its 32 GB of built-in memory lets you store roughly 8,000 songs and play them without a paired device. The Aiwa is Bluetooth-only, so it needs a connected phone or player within its 10-metre range.
I don't quote prices in this comparison. Both listings change, so check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page before you decide.
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