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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-26 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a wired, fully submersible in-ear set tuned for pool laps and open-water swims, choose H2O Audio Surge S+ Waterproof; if you need a wireless all-rounder that doubles as a standalone MP3 player with ear hooks and a long battery, choose SANOTO Swimming Headphones.
• H2O Audio Surge S+ Waterproof — biggest strength: a wired 3.5 mm in-ear design with an IPX8 rating and full submersion to 12 ft / 3.6 m, plus five sizes of earplugs (XS–XL) and a tree tip set for a locked-in fit.
• H2O Audio Surge S+ Waterproof — biggest trade-off: it's a wired headphone, so you need an iPod or MP3 player as the music source, and there's no built-in memory or battery.
• SANOTO Swimming Headphones — biggest strength: a two-in-one wireless design with Bluetooth 5.4 plus built-in 8 GB memory (roughly 1500 lossless tracks) and up to 12 hours of MP3 playback.
• SANOTO Swimming Headphones — biggest trade-off: Bluetooth can't work underwater, so you must switch to MP3 mode and turn off your phone's Bluetooth before swimming; it also has no wired jack.
• Who each pick is for: H2O Audio for the swimmer who already carries an MP3 player and wants a no-fuss wired fit; SANOTO for the swimmer who wants one device for the pool, the run and the commute.
The Surge S+ is built around one idea: get sound into your ears while you're fully underwater. The IPX8 rating means it can handle heavy perspiration, rain and complete submersion to 12 ft / 3.6 m. That's the spec that matters most for swimmers, and it's the core of what this headphone does. Inside, it uses dynamic in-ear drivers with a 16 ohm impedance and a 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz frequency range, and the design pairs a rounded-tip earpiece with watertight, sound-isolating earplugs. H2O Audio's pitch is bass response and an ergonomic shape that sits flush with the ear to line the earbud up with your ear canal.
Where the Surge S+ really separates itself is fit hardware. You get five sets of earplugs from XS to XL plus a tree tip set, which is exactly the kind of thing that decides whether an in-ear headphone survives a flip turn or pops out on lap three. The short-cord design is deliberate too — less cable flapping while you run, cycle or paddle. It's a wired 3.5 mm headphone with media controls and a touch control method on the controller, and it's rated IPX8 specifically for swimming and water sports, which is a different job than "sweatproof for the gym."
Buy it if you already own an iPod or MP3 player, you swim laps or surf and want a wired in-ear that won't need charging, and you care about dialing in the seal with multiple earplug sizes. Skip it if you want untethered listening, built-in music storage, or you'd rather not carry a separate player to the pool.
The SANOTO S710 takes the opposite approach. Instead of a cable running to a player, it puts the player inside the headphone. You get Bluetooth 5.4 for normal everyday use and a built-in 8 GB MP3 player for the water, with a double-click on the function key switching between the two modes. That 8 GB holds roughly 1500 lossless tracks and supports MP3, FLAC, WMA, WAV and APE — a genuinely wide format list. Battery life is up to 12 hours of continuous playback in MP3 mode and up to 8 hours in Bluetooth mode, with a 2-hour charge time.
The waterproofing here is IPX8 as well, rated for submersion up to 10 meters for more than 2 hours. But there's an important engineering detail spelled out in SANOTO's own notes: Bluetooth uses the 2.4 GHz band, and water absorbs that frequency, so Bluetooth simply doesn't work underwater. That's why you must switch to MP3 mode and turn off your phone's Bluetooth when swimming. It's not a flaw — it's physics — but it's the single thing most likely to trip up a new buyer.
Comfort and stability come from skin-friendly silicone ear hooks that adapt to different head shapes and work with swim caps, goggles and earplugs. The earpiece is an in-ear shape with an ear hook, in ABS and silicone, weighing 26 g. SANOTO also notes the closed-back in-ear design transmits sound directly through the ear canal for deeper bass and better noise isolation than open-ear bone conduction — which is worth flagging, because despite the "bone conduction" branding in the driver description, this is a closed in-ear headphone, not an open-ear design. Controls are push-button, there's no wired jack, and Bluetooth range is 10 meters.
Buy it if you want one headphone for swimming, running, surfing and cycling, you like the freedom of no cable, and you want music stored on the device itself. Skip it if you need a wired connection, or you want to keep using your phone's music app mid-swim.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for pure underwater sound isolation → H2O Audio Surge S+ Waterproof. Watertight, sound-isolating earplugs plus five earplug sizes give you the tightest, most adjustable seal of the two.
• Best for battery life → SANOTO Swimming Headphones. Up to 12 hours in MP3 mode and 8 hours in Bluetooth mode, versus a wired headphone that needs no battery at all but also has no internal power.
• Best for swimmers who already own an MP3 player → H2O Audio Surge S+ Waterproof. The 3.5 mm jack and short-cord design are made for a separate player clipped to your gear.
• Best for all-day and dry-land use → SANOTO Swimming Headphones. Bluetooth 5.4 and 8 hours of wireless playback make it a normal everyday headphone, not just a pool tool.
• Best for maximum submersion depth → H2O Audio Surge S+ Waterproof. Rated to 12 ft / 3.6 m, deeper than SANOTO's 10 m claim when you convert — though both are far beyond what a pool demands, so this is a spec-sheet edge, not a practical one.
• Best for fit security during intense movement → SANOTO Swimming Headphones. The silicone ear hooks are designed to stay put through hard swimming and sweating and to work over a swim cap.
• Best for simplicity → H2O Audio Surge S+ Waterproof. Plug in, swim, done — no mode switching, no charging, no Bluetooth to remember to turn off.
In my opinion, the SANOTO Swimming Headphones are the better buy for most people, because the two-in-one design solves the problem that makes swimming headphones annoying: you don't need a second device, and you don't need to charge anything before a workout if you're using Bluetooth on land. The 8 GB of storage and up to 12 hours of MP3 playback cover a lot of laps. That said, I'd point a dedicated lap swimmer who already carries an MP3 player — and who wants a wired, fully submersible in-ear with a five-size earplug kit — straight to the H2O Audio Surge S+ Waterproof. Check the current price on Amazon before you decide, since both sit in different budget tiers.
FAQ
how to fit in ear headphones
how to clean in ear headphones
Wipe the earpieces with a damp cloth and mild soap after swimming, then let them air dry fully before storing. Both models use removable ear tips — the SANOTO ships with 10 replacement ear tips, and the H2O Audio set includes multiple earplugs — so you can swap or rinse tips separately. Never push water into the driver housing.
how to open in ear headphones
Neither of these is designed to be opened by the user. The H2O Audio Surge S+ and SANOTO S710 are sealed to hold their IPX8 waterproof rating, so opening the housing would break that seal. If something stops working, use the warranty instead — both brands list a 1-year warranty.
how to ear headphones
If you mean how to wear them, the H2O Audio Surge S+ sits flush in the ear canal with a short cord, while the SANOTO S710 adds flexible silicone ear hooks that loop over the ear and work under a swim cap or goggles. For swimming, remember the SANOTO must be in MP3 mode with your phone's Bluetooth off.
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