Not that you would sully a perfectly good pitcher with a floating iPod, but with the waterproof iV6 case, you could.

 

What’s the best song to listen to while you’re snorkeling Molokini Crater or the Florida Keys? “Beyond the Sea,” sung by Bobby Darin? “The Ocean,” by Led Zeppelin? “Seven Seas,” by Echo and the Bunnymen? Stop before you scoff and think this exercise is fruitless because you can’t listen to your iPod underwater. With the iV6, you can bring your iPod classic with you in the water, and with a pair of the H3 waterproof headphones, you can listen to Handel’s “Water Music” while you’re swimming.

 

The iV6 is made of thick, clear plastic and uses H2O Audio’s LatchTight lock to securely seal the case. The lock won’t open accidentally—it has a switch you have to slide to the side while you pull the lock open, and this double action acts as a safety.

H2O Audio’s metal Commander Scroll Wheel gives you smooth access to the iPod’s clickwheel, though you can’t whiz through your iPod menus as fast as you normally could. The rubber buttons used to tap your iPod’s Menu and playback control buttons are responsive.

 

We performed two tests on the iV6. In the first test, we left our iV6 with iPod in a rainstorm that dumped 2 inches of rain on San Francisco. After the storm, our iPod was dry (and fortunately, it hadn’t blown away). In our other test, we brought the iV6 with an iPod into a 6-feet-deep swimming pool for 30 minutes. We had no problems using the iPod underwater, and the music played without a hitch. When we opened the iV6 after our test, however, we could feel a tiny bit of condensation on the back of the iPod.

 

H2O Audio says that the iV6 is waterproof up to 10 feet when paired with the waterproof H3 headphones. The H3 ’phones work underwater with the iV6, but the audio they produce sounds like a clock-radio. The tone is flat, and there’s an obvious lack of richness. The supplied neckband won’t fit anyone with a hat size of 7 3/8 or larger, and fortunately, you can remove it. The coiled headphone cable is a nice touch, preventing the cable from floating away from you. Think twice before using other waterproof headphones with the iV6—H2O Audio says the case is waterproof only with the H3 headphones.

 

The bottom line. Together, the iV6 and H3 make it possible to musically enhance your lap session at the pool, or when you’re swimming with the fishes. Just don’t be picky about the audio quality.

 

iV6

COMPANY: H2O Audio

CONTACT: www.h2oaudio.com

PRICE: $99.99

REQUIREMENTS:iPod classic

Durable. Submersible up to 10 feet if you use the H3 headphones.

Headphones not included. Can’t access Hold button. Some moisture from condensation.

 

 

H3

COMPANY: H2O Audio

CONTACT: www.h2oaudio.com

PRICE: $49.99

REQUIREMENTS: Headphone jack

Waterproof up to 10 feet.

Neckband is too small for larger necks and noggins. Poor audio quality.