With long battery life, no risk of falling out of my ears, and an open-ear design for safety, bone conduction headphones are my go-to for music when I am working out. If you are a swimmer, like I am, there are limited options, and one stands out due to its support of both onboard music and Bluetooth wireless streaming. For the past month, I've been running, swimming, cycling, and more with the Nank(Naenka) Runner Diver 2 Professional Swimming Headphones.
The new Runner Diver2 improves upon the original Runner Diver with double the storage (32GB versus 16GB in the previous model), newer Bluetooth technology (upgraded to 5.3), and replaced it with an integrated silicone case. In addition, the MP3 mode now supports more file formats and customers can select sequential or random playback. Accessories have also been added to improve the sound quality and protection of the headphones. .
Hardware
The retail package comprises the Nank(Naenka) Runner Diver2 headset, charging cable, user manual, six sound quality enhancers and silicon earplugs to help improve your audio experience while swimming. The charger connects easily, thanks in part to a pair of magnets that help align and keep the charger connected.
The wraparound headset has a titanium frame and is coated in soft-touch silicone material with a matte finish. It looks great and is comfortable for all-day use. The battery and internal components are primarily housed in the two curved oval sections that are found adjacent to the curved area that goes around your ears. After the curved section, there is a rounded, almost triangular, shaped large piece that serves as the speaker driver that vibrates against your bone to generate sound.
The charging cable connects to the inside flat part of the long oval section on the right side of the headset. On the top of this side are two large buttons that are well spaced and easy to find while working out. They serve as volume buttons that can also be used to cycle through music tracks. A microphone is found at the bottom of the end of the headset, at the location near your mouth.
On the outside of the left speaker end of the headset is a centrally positioned button that serves as the power and mode selector button.
Button functionality
After charging up the headset, simply press and hold the power button on the left until you see the LED flash blue and red. You can also tap on the right speaker driver area to pair via NFC. Pair up your device, and you are all set!
The volume buttons are, as you might expect, primarily used to control volume, but a long press of the decrease (-) button will move back one track, while a long press of the increase (+) button will move forward one track. These buttons are not used for any other functions.
The power button is used to power on and off the headset via a long 3-5 second press. Pressing and holding for longer when it is off will flip the headset into pairing mode. A double press of the power button toggles between MP3 onboard music mode and Bluetooth wireless mode.
This primary power button is also used to launch your device's voice assistant via a triple press of the button. Play/pause of music is also controlled with a single press of the power button. Lastly, for calls, the button is used to answer, end, or reject (press for 2 seconds when a call comes in).
Loading music
In addition to connecting the headset via Bluetooth to your phone, watch, or tablet, you can also side load music to the internal 32GB of storage. Approximately 6000 MP3 or FLAC music files can be loaded onto the headset. I have a few hundred songs from when I used to rip CDs into MP3 format, so I loaded about 200 songs on the headset to test it out.
Loading music requires connecting the USB-A cable to your computer and the other end to the charging connector on the Nank(Naenka) Runner Diver. The headset will appear as another drive on your computer, and then you simply drag and drop music files onto the headset drive. There is no support for this music to have playlists or any other type of organization, so only load up the music you wish to listen to or scroll through with the headset buttons. Unfortunately, downloaded subscription service music is not supported, and you must have your own MP3 files to copy over.
Daily experiences
The Nank(Naenka) Runner Diver is focused on providing a bone conduction headphone experience for exercise. It does feature a single microphone, so it is fine for emergency calls or occasional calls, but this is not designed to be a primary headset for business calls.
When you choose a bone conduction headset, it's understood that audio performance cannot directly match earbuds or headsets in or over your ears' openings. The headset does sound good, nevertheless, and the bass performance in the water is excellent. Wearing the included silicon earplugs helps you to focus on the music in water, but if you are not as focused on the music, then leaving your ears open is also a solid experience.
The headset is designed to hold fast to your head, and it is one of the most secure headsets I have yet tested. You can comfortably wear it swimming, running, and exercising without worrying about it falling off. It is also lightweight with titanium material so that you can wear it 24/7 without any discomfort.
Conclusion
The Nank(Naenka) Runner Diver2 is an excellent bone conduction headset. If you want to enjoy audio content on land and in the water, then I highly recommend you consider this headset. It is extremely comfortable for long term wear, and battery life is going to get you through at least a marathon. You may not need the onboard music storage capability, but if you want the best underwater audio experience, then onboard music is preferred, and the Nank(Naenka) Runner Diver2 is built for multiple sports.
Nank(Naenka) Runner Diver2 Bone Conduction Swimming Headphones
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