FX-Sport VRX Review

MP3 player with on-ear headphones and pre-loaded audio training guides.

The FX-Sport VRX is a different waterproof MP3 player because it doesn’t come with earbuds, but on-ear headphones.

And to use it in water, you have to get an additional silicone bag for full water protection.

The MP3 is designed for various sports, including swimming. Its smart design and good sound quality make it a good choice for any semi-serious swimmer.

Note: They’ve added new functionality for swimmers: a tempo trainer and a lap time pacemaker. So, these are perfectly suited for swimming laps in a pool.

Durability

4.0 Great

For swimming purposes FX-Sport VRX aren’t “swim-ready” out of the box, you have to purchase an additional accessory which is basically a silicone Swimcap for the MP3.

Get a silicone swimming bag and swimming cap here.

Together with the swimming cap, you can safely use the MP3 player in the water.

One of the most annoying problems with waterproof headphones for swimming is getting water in the ears. FX-Sport VRX does a better job of keeping water out.

Once you put the Swimcap accessory on the MP3 no water is getting in contact with it. The Swimcap is basically a specially designed silicone bag for the MP3 to be put in.

You can still put them on your head and wear them comfortably, as well as hear the music.

There is no specification of how deep these are rated for, but they are perfectly safe to use in even the deepest pools.

Just don’t take them ocean diving with you, as they’re probably not made to survive the pressures deep underwater. Snorkeling, on the other hand, is fine, but that wouldn’t be smart for security reasons. You need to hear what’s going on around you when diving.

You can easily use them in salty water since the water doesn’t really come in contact with the MP3, just wash it with fresh water afterwards.

The built quality is good, it’s sweat resistant as well so you can easily use it for other sports activity.

The headphones are made out of plastic, but the better kind which doesn’t make you worry about breaking them.

The control buttons are well-made and feel sturdy. The headband is very flexible, and you can bend it in all kinds of ways without any damage.

For IPX-rated alternatives, see the best waterproof Bluetooth headphones.

Comfort & Fit

4.0 Great

The fit is surprisingly good. Because of their plastic design, they are light, and once you hook them to your ears, they stay put.

You can easily run, exercise, or even do yoga with them without much adjusting.

To keep it in place in the water, you need to use a swimming cap, which you get together with the Swimcap accessory. Once you put it on they don’t budge.

You can even jump in the pool head down without having to worry about it moving.

The headphones stay on great during fast swimming, even underwater.

This is perfect for fast-lap swimming or practicing jumps.

You can get the silicone MP3 Swimcap and swimming cap on FX-Sport website.

The only bad thing about it is the whole procedure of putting them on before a swim. It’s quite a hassle, but it’s more than worth it since you avoid problems afterwards.

Approximately, it takes 2-3 minutes to adjust everything so this isn’t very long for a hassle-free swim of an hour or more, depending on how long your swimming sessions are.

If you’re a regular swimmer these headphones will save you a lot of time adjusting the fit because once you put them on, you’re good to go for the whole duration of the swim.

They’re comfortable enough for a workout, but since they are on-ear design your earlobes will get a bit irritated if you wear them for half a day.

Thankfully this is a sports MP3 which you’ll probably only use for a couple hour workouts and you’ll probably not spend half a day in the pool either.

Features

3.0 Good

With 8GB of onboard space, there is plenty of room for your favorite music.

With the updated VRX model you get hours of pre-loaded training programs that you can simply activate with built-in controls. You can pick anything from swimming, athletics or even golf. This is something other MP3s don’t offer.

The training programs cover everything you can imagine, from weight lifting to belly fat training.

The training programs give you instructions on what exercises you’re supposed to be doing, just like a real trainer would do. The music automatically stops, training program gives you instructions and then the music resumes so you always know what you have to be doing.

The MP3 plays .mp3 and .wma formats, but not .vmw or .wav which probably isn’t even a big issue since the latter two use a lot more space.

It is also iTunes compatible, just connect to a PC and add your favorite songs.

The controls are quite easy to use once you get used to them. With a bit of time, you will learn how to change songs even underwater.

Battery

3.0 Good

The battery lasts for solid 5 hours upon fully charged, which is good battery life, but not great. Anyways, for a regular swimmer, 5 hours should be plenty of time.

Charging time is the same, plug it in for 5 hours (VRX only 2 hours) and you’re ready to go.

We noticed a small battery drain when not in use, so if you don’t use the MP3 for a while after being fully charged, keep in mind that the playtime will shorten for every day, not in use. It seems the device is never fully shut down. To solve this, just charge it before using it.

Sound

2.5 Average

The sound is very good compared to other waterproof MP3s. This is because of a completely different design.

The best bone conduction headphones also deliver music differently.

Together with the Swimcap silicone bag for the MP3 you also get ear tips which are supposed to block the water out of your ears.

Sound quality is much better when your ears aren’t full of water and using the included ear plugs helps with that.

This doesn’t make the sound completely clear since some water still gets in if you dive, but it stays good enough even for listening to audio books.

When you dive into the water sound volume always goes down, this happens with all waterproof headphones or MP3. Thankfully FX-Sport is loud enough to keep the volume high enough even underwater.

The overall sound quality is nothing special compared to regular headphones, but considering these are sports headphones you can swim with, the sound quality becomes an advantage.

The bass is quite good with balanced mids and highs. The audio is clear enough to listen to audiobooks while swimming as well, great for doing 2 things at once.

You can also ramp up the volume to unhealthy highs but this distorts the sound quality so you probably won’t be doing that.

The sound quality slightly changes underwater, but compared to other waterproof alternatives, FX-Sport sound is one of the better ones.

As long as you don’t compare the sound to the best audiophile headphones you’ll be more than happy.

If you’re serious about swimming and don’t like frequently adjusting the fit, get them, they stay in place better than any other waterproof headphones out there.

For a waterproof design that enables you to swim or work out with good sound quality, and a great fit even underwater, FX-Sport VRX are worth checking out

This model is hard to get, it might not be available right now.

Find similar headphones:

• Workout headphones
• Headphones for swimming
• Check other MP3 players for swimming

Specifications

Matija Ferjan

Matija Ferjan is a seasoned audio enthusiast reviewing headphones since 2015. He has personally tested hundreds of headphones and earbuds. He’s an active member of the Headphone Audio community and a true nitpicker, always looking for the “best-value-for-money” headphones.