Gear Review: Retekess TT120 Waterproof Swim Coach Communicator Bone Conduction Headset

Gear Review: Retekess TT120 Waterproof Swim Coach Communicator Bone Conduction Headset
May 9, 2025
By Alex Rivera, Triathlon Coach

As a coach, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve frantically waved at swimmers mid-sprint—trying to correct their elbow drops or lazy kicks as they gasped for air between strokes. Sometimes they’d notice my crazy pantomime; but usually, they’d just grin and keep swimming. I recently got the Retekess TT120 Swim Communicator, which solves that problem. It’s a lightweight, durable, and affordable piece of swimming equipment. I learned that Retekess is a company that specializes in audio and video communication equipment, and its professionalism is convincing, and the price is very attractive compared to other brands.
So I wanted to test how this product really works in use and whether it’s worth buying?

Setup: Simplicity First

Out of the box, the TT120 Swim Communicator feels very simple—a good sign. It includes a handheld transmitter (about the size of a small walkie-talkie) with a black + blue color combination, which is beautiful and has a good texture. A lightweight swimming headset receiver, as well as some accessories, a lavalier microphone, a headset microphone, clip, earplug, USB cable, lanyard. The charging method uses magnetic charging, which is a good design and easy to use, avoiding the wear and tear of the interface and poor contact caused by frequent plugging and unplugging. The overall feel is very light and textured, and the product looks high-end. Holding two devices, click the button to select the channel, and they will synchronize on one of the 9 channels. The instructions for the buttons are clear and simple to operate. After that, I clipped the receiver to the goggle strap of a swimmer and hung it behind their ear - no hassle, no wires. Total setup time: less than two minutes.

Bone conduction headset

The receiver uses bone conduction, and the headset is not in the ear, but outside the ear (the earlobe is in contact with the head), and the transmitted sound can also be heard. This is a completely safe method of sound transmission, with good comfort and good sound effect of bone conduction transmission, comfortable and lightweight (39 grams), IP68 waterproof.

Waterproof test

In order to test the waterproof effect of the receiver, I put the device into the swimming pool with a water depth of 1 meter for half an hour. After that, I took out the device and checked it. What surprised me was that after the TT120 was tested in the swimming pool, there was no water penetration, no water vapor or water mist inside, and the device function remained normal, which met the IP68 waterproof standard and met my waterproof needs!

Sound quality test

Retekess official propaganda said that the receiver swimming headset adopts a fully waterproof bone conduction design, and the bone conduction transmission sound effect is good.
I swam in the pool with bone conduction headphones and tested it underwater to test its sound penetration ability. Later, I found that the tt120 headphone device can also clearly hear the transmitter sound within a water depth of 1.8 meters, with clear sound quality and no obvious delay or distortion. I also tested the transmission effect on the water surface and the far end of the swimming pool, and I could hear the sound clearly.

Headphone comfort test

The bone conduction headset adopts an ear hook design, which feels good and comfortable. The feeling of wearing is that it is very light, the silicone texture is very comfortable, and it does not rub the skin at all. And it is very firm to wear. I did not fall off when I dived in the pool and did large rotations. It may be because it is light and elastic enough to fit our skulls firmly.

Disadvantages

There is no perfect equipment. For those who have not experienced bone conduction headphones, it takes five minutes to adapt to the "vibration inside the skull" (the iconic feeling of bone conduction). And the bone conduction design needs to fit the face for good conduction effect.

Worth buying

Overall, this product is very cost-effective, and the quality of the product far exceeds the price, and it is not inferior to some big brands. I am very satisfied with the use effect, and I hope it can help swimmers of all levels improve their technical level faster.