MP3 players, ear buds & helmets

[willie]

Hey Spyder, which ones are you using? I see the FMJ are alot more than $35.
Thanks,
Willie

[Buffalo Bill]

Too much wind noise.

I tried some Sony earplugs, but I found that my helmets have too much wind noise. I have to blast the volume so high, I could be making myself deaf.
Be sure to compare the sound level you need for riding, to what you use in a quiet room. You want to keep your good hearing.

[Riding Again]

JVC canal buds have a squishy foam that fit fairly comfortable. I've bought mine at Wal-mart. About $15-$20

[dpep]

I tried some Sony earplugs, but I found that my helmets have too much wind noise. I have to blast the volume so high, I could be making myself deaf.
Be sure to compare the sound level you need for riding, to what you use in a quiet room. You want to keep your good hearing.

Good point. When I next used my MP3 after having listened to it on a ride I was always taken by how loud the volume was set. I would have to crank it down several levels for it to be comfortable, maybe even intelligible.

MP3 aside it is an indication of how loud the background noise (primarily wind) is while we ride. It shows how important it is to use ear plugs when riding at highway speeds.

I have done a lot of experimenting with helmets, windshields, fairings, ear buds, ear plugs, etc. toward minimizing the wind noise both for easier listening and for my hearing health in general. And I have yet to come up with anything I really consider satisfactory. I wasn't surprised to find that full fairings like a Winjammer or the GK fairing offer the most quiet. I was surprised to find that a windshield of the wrong size or at the wrong angle could be louder than no protection at all.

[Giblet]

Keep my good hearing? TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LATE! 46 years old and my 2000 Sierra seriously needs new front speakers.

I tried some Sony earplugs, but I found that my helmets have too much wind noise. I have to blast the volume so high, I could be making myself deaf.
Be sure to compare the sound level you need for riding, to what you use in a quiet room. You want to keep your good hearing.

[Spyder]

Hey Spyder, which ones are you using? I see the FMJ are alot more than $35.
Thanks,
Willie

I can't remember exactly what model they are. They were the cheapest SkullCandy buds that best buy had. They came in black or Jamaican rasta lookin' colors. ( mine are black)
They also have the convenient in-line volume controll...

[oramac]

I have to agree on the skull candy earbuds.



They fit in the ear, don't get pulled out, and I can keep my mp3 player on the minimum volume and still hear them clearly. Oh, and I frequently find them on sale from 9.99 to 19.99

[Baatfam]

Bringing up an old thread...

Found this thread in a search and got myself a set of the V-MODA Bass Freq Earbuds from amazon...
Simply amazing. Dug out on old IRiver mp3 player/FM radio I had and bingo...music when I ride.
They sound great, fit great and stay in when I helmet up.

Now I just need a portable AM radio so I listen to my talk shows...

[Joe Nardy]

Ear Fuze custom molded ear plug speakers

I have never had any luck wearing any type of earbuds with a helmet. Helmet Speakers work okay but need a lot of volume if used with earplugs. A couple years ago Cathy and I had custom molded earplugs with speakers made at the bike show. They are the ultimate in fit and comfort and sound good but are EXPENSIVE, over $200 a pair. The problem we've had is that the wires break from time to time. I have repaired mine three times and Cathy's once (one speaker is bad again). The maker wants $50+ to repair them, if they can be repaired, and require them to be shipped to them so you're without them for a week or more. I did some research and found Ear Fuze do-it-yourself custom molded earplug kits with speakers for $36. I made a set last week and tested them this weekend at the Brown County Rally. They fit well, stay in place, and sound better than the $200 custom made set. They don't seem to block as much noise as the $200 set but I was also riding with a windscreen for the first time and I know it deflected a lot more wind to my helmet. For $36 I'll carry a spare set and toss them if they fail. My next experiment is to get some earplug only kits like these for around $10 and try making a set using Skull Candy earbuds. I'll keep you posted......

Thanks,
Joe

[mriddle]

Plus 1 on the V-MODA Bass Freq Earbuds from amazon...

I download (podcast) some radio (no commercials) to my cell phone.

Yesterday my portable (very old) XM Radio slipped from my tankbag at about 70 mph.

I went back and found it, took it home and put a spare battery in it, still works !

I enjoy riding much more with audio than without.

Bringing up an old thread...

Found this thread in a search and got myself a set of the V-MODA Bass Freq Earbuds from amazon...
Simply amazing. Dug out on old IRiver mp3 player/FM radio I had and bingo...music when I ride.
They sound great, fit great and stay in when I helmet up.

Now I just need a portable AM radio so I listen to my talk shows...

[Zooks]

I tried some Sony earplugs, but I found that my helmets have too much wind noise. I have to blast the volume so high, I could be making myself deaf.
Be sure to compare the sound level you need for riding, to what you use in a quiet room. You want to keep your good hearing.

The sustained wind noise is damaging your hearing anyway. Any sustained noise over about 70 to 80 dB will damage your hearing. The louder the noise, the less time it takes to do damage. If your helmet is very noisy it may be 90 to 100 dB in there. It would be worth wearing earplugs anyway.

I'm not saying don't worry about the loud music, just pointing out that the noise of the wind is (could be) just as dangerous. 'Industrial' deafness is something that I have a fair bit of info about.

[Colorado85gs550]

with my Blackberry I can listen to my MP3s......I just use my bluetooth headset that fits perfectly in my ear socket of my helmet. That paired with the AM/FM stereo now offered with my Blackberry I can listen to local stations as I drive through a town and it automatically answers a call after just a couple of rings..........

NO WIRES ATTACHED!!!!!

[AF_Bill]

When I started riding last year, all I had was a full face. Riding w/o tunes on the short distances I did was fine. But riding for 2 hours w/o anything but the wind and sound of bugs hitting me, . So I started bringing my iPod. I TRIED wearing the standard iPod ear buds and HATED them. They hurt So bad and would not stay in place. I went out to best buy one day and pick up a set of 2XL (thats the brand) ear buds for $10 and love them!!!!!!!! Full face or my brain bucket, they work perfectly.

[dickidav]

i got a jabra dogtag last year for sports and general enjoyment. it pairs with a bluetooth STEREO capable phone. it either hangs around your neck like a dogtag or clips on your clothes by way of a removeable clip. the unit comes with a set of great earbuds and has sizes of insert for different size ear canals. it charges by way of a regular in wall charger for at least 7 hours fo music and lots more of talk time. if you get a call it alearts you and you can either take it or ignore it, when the call is over your music will turn back on. i put an 8 gb chip in my phone and put it on shuffle and never hear the same thing twice. check it out.... www.amazon.com/Jabra-BT3030-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headset
sorry it so long i just like it so much. dave

[Colin Green]

I have found it a real pain to use an mp3 player with unusable buttons and annoying wires connected to the helmet. It is difficult to simply stop and start the sound so you can hear someone who has stopped along side you at the lights when they talk to you. by the time you shag around turning the sound down, the light has changed and it's time to move but you then have to shag around turning the sound up again before you pull away (or go without your music till you can sort it out). I just got a set of these with a bluetooth module. Works with my bluetooth phone (which has an mp3 player) and can pair with a pillion intercom and another mp3 or a GPS (via bluetooth up to a max of 3 items). Very loud, stereo sound (but not the greatest sound frequency range) I have rationalised that if it ain't loud enough to hear, it is worse than useless. Great to be able to listen to (and hear) music and answer my phone when it rings.

a true Bluetooth rider to pillion system that is small enough to attach to the left hand side of a motorcycle helmet , Each unit can pair with a cellphone or Bluetooth AV dongle and an mp3 player for stereo music while riding , it only has a talk time of 3 Hrs due to the small internal battery 200 mA ( a problem with bluetooth units ) however we have worked a way to extend its talk time to over 20 Hrs by using an external USB derived power source that can be carried in the pocket . The same charger can be used to charge the Bluetooth AV dongle as well. It is a class 2 device with a typical maximum range of 10 m, plenty of range for a rider to pillion system . The unit has more than enough volume for the noisiest helmet or half deaf rider too! The unit comes with a stereo headset and boom mic thus can be used in a full faced helmet and an open face helmet as well.