NANK Runner Diver2 Bone Conduction Headphones, IP68 Swimming Headphone with MP3 Player Built-in 32G Memory, Bluetooth 5.3 Open Ear Headphones with CVC6.0 Mic for Swimming Running Cycling Gym

I recently acquired the 2nd generation runner diver 2. I have had it for about 3 weeks now and wanted to post a review.Of note, I had some issues with the first generation. After about six months, it stopped working, I received a replacement, and that stopped after about six months. Both were after a swim. The company replaced the first one and then replaced with the 2nd generation now which I am reviewing.I use these heavily for athletics. I bought it when training for a 70.3 distance triathlon. Music helps a lot with mostly solo training, so I was using it a few hours per week.Comfort: I found these to be comfortable in most uses. I use it swimming, cycling, and running. When swimming, I barely notice it. When I swim outdoors with a swim cap, the cap does put some downward pressure on the back, but I am able to adjust it to keep pressure off the ears. Running is no problem. It is lightweight and secure. Cycling is a little more challenging with sunglasses and helmet straps to work all these around, but I have ridden 3-4 hour rides and only mild discomfort.Sounds quality: I don't put a lot of weight on sound quality as I am mostly using this as background. I would say it is actually the best quality when swimming. Being in water seems to enhance the conduction. Cycling is a little more limited because of more background noise and wind. It is very good when running. I don't think bone conduction technology will ever give as good of quality as over the ear noise canceling headphones which I use for sedentary activities, but I am happy with the quality.Usability: I mostly use MP3 format and record. Bluetooth is not conducive with swimming. I prefer to not have a phone with me when running, and so bluetooth is also not useful then. It is simple to transfer and save files. It is harder during the activity to skip a song and so I am mostly limited to how I have saved the files. I do use bluetooth when cycling and it connects easily to my iphone. The control buttons take some learning as you only have 3 buttons and the rate or duration of holding the buttons help control features. This makes sense as you wouldn't want too many buttons. The location is an improvement over the 1st generation. It does require a proprietary charging device, but other than making sure I don't lose it, that is understandable as most USB or other styles would have issues with waterproofing.Microphone: I don't use it for phone calls. I used it x 1 for Discord while on a bike trainer. People could hear me, so it seems to have worked.Longevity: This is going to be my biggest question after my experience with the first generation. I believe the issue was waterproofing and the microphone. That is the main difference I see in the new construction. I swim with it a few times per week for a total of about 1.5 hours and will update this section if there are any issues or after about six months.Edit: It is now about 6 months later. They continue to work as well as day 1. The biggest concern I had was waterproof. I reviewed my stats and I have swam 28 hours which included pools, ocean, and fresh water lakes since I purchased these. I have not had any issues with water. The sound is very good in the water. That is where it excels. It does well running. When I am on my indoor cycling trainer with fan blowing, it does get a little difficult. The earplugs work, but unless people in my household are sleeping, external speakers are a better choice.In reviewing some of the other comments made since my original, fortunately I haven't had those issues. My first portable music was a cassette player-Walkman, so maybe I don't expect as many features. When I am using these, my main focus is exercise. The music is a bonus. I'm not going to take time to select different songs are playlist. I just set it before I start and let it go until I finish.I'm completely MP3 when swimming bluetooth to my iphone when riding, and a mix when running. The bluetooth connection hasn't ever been an issue. If I have left my phone in my car and forget I'm on bluetooth mode, I actually am about 100ft away before I lose the connection (or buffering if that is how it works).Overall, I am quite happy with this. It is a game changer for me for lap swimming especially. That can be very monotonous as I mostly do all my workouts solo. I also like this technology for cycling as it allows me to still hear and be aware of vehicles around me.

TL:DR - These are an improvement overall from the Pro2s, but for something costing >$150 (even on sale), they don't last. If you're fine doing small electronic repairs on your own, and still having to replace them every year, then purchase away. Otherwise, look for something more durable.Update from 11/14/2024:I've had these for barely over a year, and they're even more broken than they were in May (see other update below), and mostly dead. For the last couple of months, at least once during each hour-ish pool swim (usually 3x/week), the headphones would just...stop. Not turn off. The music just stopped. Wouldn't shuffle back or forwards. I would have to turn them off, back on, back into storage mode, and try again. Sometimes it worked and played normally. Other times it would only play the same song again, before stopping entirely, again.Adding to that, one ear piece snapped back in May, and the other snapped this week. Both broke while I was wearing it under my swim cap, so I have no idea how/why. Even though it was the right earpiece which broke most recently, the left speaker now no longer works. As for the right earpiece, I repaired it with a piece of a coated paperclip and electrical tape. The right speaker is still working.The chlorine must finally be getting to the rubberized coating as well, because just sliding it back to expose the broken plastic caused several tears in the coating. I wrapped that in electric tape too, but I can't imagine it's going to hold up for long._______________________________________Update from 5/1/2024: (original review and November 2023 below this)I've had these for about 8 months now. The waterproofing is still holding up. No issues, even with swimming over an hour 3-4 times a week.One of the ear-pieces broke this week, while still on my head. I was adjusting them before pulling down my swimcap, and I realized the left side just didn't feel right/wasn't fitting like it should. I took them off to investigate, and the plastic beneath had snapped in half. I have added pictures to the review which showed how it broke, and how I repaired it. Fortunately, none of the wires seem to have been damaged, so other than fitting not quite as well, and looking lumpy, they have survived 2 swims since then without apparent issues. I'm disheartened that, even with taking good care of them, they broke within 8 months of purchase.One other thing, as I've used them longer: I wish it would stay in whatever mode you choose. Bluetooth mode doesn't work in water (that's a well known thing). That's why it's amazing to have the built-in storage for music. However, if I don't turn my phone's Bluetooth off, the headphones will repeatedly switch out of storage mode and back into Bluetooth mode, which, of course, doesn't work in the water. NBD, if you're not using anything else while you're swimming that requires occasional Bluetooth feedback/interaction. Like a fitness tracker/watch. This means I just write my workouts down or screenshot them on my phone, and turn my Bluetooth off for the duration of my workout.___________________I started with the Runner Pro2s, and now have the Runner Diver2s. In my pictures, the Diver2s are gray, the Pro2s are black.I bought a pair of the Naenka (now globally: Nank) Runner Pro2 bone conduction headphones August 2023 after roaming the endless options on Amazon. I was looking for a pair of waterproof headphones with internal storage which I could use while swimming. I prefer earbuds and over-ear headphones for other things in my life and have found things I love. However, for swimming, I just couldn’t find something that ticked all of the boxes. So, I decided to try those. I haven’t tried any other bone conduction headphones, so I can’t comment on how these stack up against other brands.I uploaded some songs to the internal storage, and used them (the Runner Pro2s) for lap swimming for about 6 weeks (2-3 times/week, for around 90 minutes each time). I was pleasantly surprised with how they fit and functioned. However, the internal storage/drive then just seemed to vanish. The headphones would no longer switch between Bluetooth and Storage modes, and the computer would no longer recognize that there was even a drive. They would still charge, the bluetooth function still worked, but the internal storage went kaput. The internal storage was the entire reason I had purchased them.I reached out to the company, and they immediately messaged me back, saying that they took all of the feedback about the Runner Pro2s, and used that to create the new iteration: the Runner Diver2. They said that if I wanted to try them out, I could buy them off of Amazon, send them my order number for verification and my PayPal information, and they would reimburse me the cost, to make up for the failure of the Pro2s. Sure enough, I got reimbursed (and BEFORE I wrote this review, too!).Here are my “fresh outta the box” impressions:The Good:- The sound quality seems better than the Pro2s. The bass sounds cleaner, and there doesn’t seem to be as much sound leak (which is sort of inevitable with this type of tech).- Initial battery life is better. Pro2s advertised as up to 8 hours, and these up to 10 hours.- There’s a new voice for the functions (“Power On” and what not), and it’s more pleasing and less tinny- The outer coating feels amazing! It’s an almost velvety silicone coating, and feels a little more padded/comfortable than the coating on the Runner Pro2s.- There is both a sequential AND a random play option for the songs on the internal storage. This is a great update from the Pro2s, where you could only listen to songs in the order you uploaded them.- The control buttons are in a more intuitive/ergonomic position, on the bottom of the headpiece. The Pro2s had them on the outside, meaning you sort of had to press it into your head to push the button. The Diver2s fixed this.The Odd:- There was a huge price jump from the Pro2s to the Diver2s (~$100 to ~$170). Yes, there are discount codes, coupons, etc. However, for the same storage (32g), only 2 more hours of battery life, and a little bit better sound, I don’t think they’re worth the price hike.- The volume buttons feel backwards. The volume + button is towards the back, and the volume - button is towards the front. Intuition tells you it should be the opposite. They’re also the reverse of the volume button setup on the Pro2s. Not a huge deal, but it’s going to take some getting used to.- The “size adjustment” cord is the same dinky piece of stretch-rubber used for the Pro2s. Yes, it “works,” but I can already tell it’s going to stretch out and not stay fastened for long.- Nank threw in some “extras” with the Diver2s, but I’m not sure they really add anything. Included in the box is a pair of rubberized earplugs, as well as “sound enhancers.” The “enhancers” are these rubberized pieces designed to be placed in the outer part of the ear, thus blocking some of the sound transmission via that route, and allowing an “enhanced” sound via bone conduction. They include 3 sizes, which is a nice touch. However, I don’t foresee these staying in while doing anything remotely aerobic, and they absolutely won’t stay in while swimming (but I imagine that’s why they included the rubberized ear plugs).Initial Concerns:- I’m not sure if this is a manufacturing defect, or if it’s supposed to be like this, but on the bottom side of the right “speaker” there is a small white plastic circle with an opening in the middle. There is a divot in the same position on the left speaker, but it’s completely covered by the same rubberized coating on the rest of the device. For something waterproof, it seems odd that there is a hole. Time will tell, I suppose.- It has (yet another) proprietary charging cable. To keep its waterproofing, I understand the decision to keep the charger as a magnetized style. However, it is a different shape/style than the one used for the Pro2s. It feels like sort of a jerk-move to make it where the charger isn’t even interchangeable among similar devices from the same company. (They do at least sell the chargers separately as well in case you want/need another one. Currently listed on their website at $16.99/each.)- The time to transfer songs to their drive definitely takes longer. I used the exact same files I had used with my Pro2s, and the same computer, but it took considerably longer to upload/transfer.Room for Improvement:- I wish it came with a carrying case. Nank makes one, and it’s listed on their website at $18.99, but it’s an add-on. I would MUCH rather the headphones came with the carrying case instead of the ear plugs and “sound enhancers.”------------------------------------------Update 11/3/2023:After my first several pool swims, they're holding up well! They seem to stay in place well, great battery life, and I'm loving having the shuffle option for the storage-mode music.I was excited to try the swimming / water-mode for the audio. Now, I'm terrified of it! It's like it goes to almost entirely bass, and the conduction speakers/points actually start to slightly bounce against the bone/your head. Not only that, you lose almost all highs and mids, and lyrics become so mush-mouthed it's like the songs are trying to summon something from the underworld. It's louder, so I *guess* that means it's easier to hear in high-chop or in a pool filled with screaming kids. This louder ain't better though. It's just painful.That said, the standard audio mode still works great, both in and out of the water. I like the IDEA of a different audio tune for in-water use, but the execution of that idea with these headphones is just terrible.