Bluetooth or In-Ear?

[Uncle Hud]

Mudslide Miller posted: Your better half uses the bathroom with her helmet on. That's impressive!!

I do too, when using the earbuds. It takes longer to take off the helmet and put it back on than it does to walk in, take a leak, and walk back out.

Now, in the sketchier parts of Atlanta, I'd never walk in to a convenience store wearing my helmet, because I'd be mistaken for an armed robber and would face -- or get shot by -- the gun beneath the checkout counter.

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And for all you guys doing mathematics, don't assume I listen to Outkast at 110dB above ambient. The music only needs to be a little above the attenuated road/helmet noise. (Would that really be 30dB above ambient noise?)

 

[someguy]

seems we all continue the search for the holy grail of in helmet audio...

 

[302]

Bluetooth with the U Clear 200 is the way to go.

 

[Bounce]

Now, in the sketchier parts of Atlanta, I'd never walk in to a convenience store wearing my helmet, because I'd be mistaken for an armed robber and would face -- or get shot by -- the gun beneath the checkout counter.

Yet another advantage to modular/flip-faced helmets.

 

[RJAMT]

Now, in the sketchier parts of Atlanta, I'd never walk in to a convenience store wearing my helmet, because I'd be mistaken for an armed robber and would face -- or get shot by -- the gun beneath the checkout counter.

Yet another advantage to modular/flip-faced helmets.

Yet another yet another advantage is not having to remove my helmet during ID check at the guard post like my full face helmet brethren.

 

[Ludwig61]

As for the earbuds/monitors versus in-helmet speakers and earplugs: If you turn up the music loud enough to hear your speakers through sound-deadening earplugs, how can that NOT be as damaging as other noise, like rotating machinery or an FJR engine? I mean, if the noise is loud enough to reach my eardrums through sound-deadening earplugs, won't it still be damaging?

Assume road noise of 100db. Assume earplugs are good for -30db. The sound level of road noise to your ear is 70db. Assume helmet speakers generate 110db. That would be 80db to your ear, and 10db louder than the road noise.

OK, I disagree with your assumptions (I think the road noise is higher and the music output is lower) but let's play the same game with in ear monitors.

Assume same 100 dB road noise, but your in ear monitor only attenuate by 20 dB. That would mean that you would have 80 dB of road noise at your eardrums before you even turn on any music.

Then, to have the same signal to noise ratio at your ear drum would require more than +10 dB of music output from the in ear- monitors due to the much higher noise level, so your total sound level will be higher than the 80 dB in the previous example. Decibels are in a logarithmic scale so the increase between 70 dB of noise and 80 dB of noise is much more than 10 / 70.

Bingo! Thank you for writing what I should have included.

+10db is generally perceived as twice as loud.

I would consider earphones if they were Bose QC 20 or some other noise canceling - not noise isolating - earphone. They can do -45db for some frequencies but less than -30db for most frequencies. When the two lines are on each other, the reduction is from isolation rather than canceling.

 

[Bounce]

I've always wondered if the rebroadcast of the targeted freqs, at 180degrees out of phase, still leaves you with pressures to deal with even it there's the perception of noise being cancelled.

 

[Fred W]

The physics theory says no. Since you are broadcasting a pressure wave and that wave is synchronized with the offending noise, the two pressure waves cancel out and there is a net zero pressure. In other words no sound energy reaches your ear.

The reality is that is is very hard, maybe impossible, to get everything to line up so your noise cancellation broadcasts the exact same pressure waves, at the exact right amplitudes and covers the same complex frequencies as the noise, so total cancellation is not likely. But you don't need total. Just a good percentage.

 

[Bounce]

So it's cancelling the pressure and not masking it?

Gotcha!

I remember reading up on the industrial application of the concept back in the 80s. Something like big speakers placed around a machine shop.

 

[Mudslide Miller]

I was messing around with 1.6 on my 20S the other night, and was thus far unsuccessful in getting dual A2DP to work simultaneously. Seemed like I could get one working, but once I started playing music or something from the second device, the first device would no longer connect at all, and would revert to HFP only. I still have more testing and troubleshooting to perform, but I wouldn't be so quick to call it an answer to prayers quite yet.

So I spent some time with the Sena techs online and am elated to say that I got both my phone and GPS paired to my 20S in A2DP stereo. I can now play songs in stereo off either my I-phone or my Zumo 665LM XM radio. I cleared the pairing off of my phone and GPS and did a complete factory reset on the 20S. After that it was just as easy as pairing my I-phone first on "Mobile Phone pairing" and then pairing my GPS on "Second phone pairing" with the "Audio" setting (not the "Phone" setting) under the GPS Bluetooth settings. They have a great tech department over there that really tries to help you get your issues resolved. Props to Sena!

 

[Madmudder]

I was messing around with 1.6 on my 20S the other night, and was thus far unsuccessful in getting dual A2DP to work simultaneously. Seemed like I could get one working, but once I started playing music or something from the second device, the first device would no longer connect at all, and would revert to HFP only. I still have more testing and troubleshooting to perform, but I wouldn't be so quick to call it an answer to prayers quite yet.

So I spent some time with the Sena techs online and am elated to say that I got both my phone and GPS paired to my 20S in A2DP stereo. I can now play songs in stereo off either my I-phone or my Zumo 665LM XM radio. I cleared the pairing off of my phone and GPS and did a complete factory reset on the 20S. After that it was just as easy as pairing my I-phone first on "Mobile Phone pairing" and then pairing my GPS on "Second phone pairing" with the "Audio" setting (not the "Phone" setting) under the GPS Bluetooth settings. They have a great tech department over there that really tries to help you get your issues resolved. Props to Sena!

Does that mean your prayers were answered?

The Sena 20SD is the top of the list. I have had Cardo G9x's flaky with more than 4 riders (poor support), Uclear HBC200D better product (better support) but for over all satisfaction and assistance with a product Sena has my vote. Now if they would only provide an AC charging unit with the dual kit it would be over the top. The 2 charging wires with cigarette lighter adapter ends do not plug into the FJR & the hotels I have stayed at don't have cigarette lighter plugs

 

[Mudslide Miller]

Does that mean your prayers were answered?

The Sena 20SD is the top of the list. I have had Cardo G9x's flaky with more than 4 riders (poor support), Uclear HBC200D better product (better support) but for over all satisfaction and assistance with a product Sena has my vote. Now if they would only provide an AC charging unit with the dual kit it would be over the top. The 2 charging wires with cigarette lighter adapter ends do not plug into the FJR & the hotels I have stayed at don't have cigarette lighter plugs

For now they have been.

Won't be able to verify all the comm functions till the next group ride.

For charging I just use my Go Pro chargers (have one for 12V; cigarette lighter USB style and one for A/C at the hotel; dual plug-in USB style). Don't have a real need to charge while riding. I've ridden 10 hour days with constant music streaming, nav and comm without the 20S dying.

 

[Madmudder]

I use the one for my Iphone with the wire provided to do updates. When riding where I have poor cell coverage its difficult to charge my phone & 2 20s units over night for the next days ride. My point is I think this is an oversight on Sena's part. How many Motorcycles have a cigarette lighter on board? if they do they likely have wired intercom also. However you can charge these units while using them Uclear and Scala don't allow for this. I saw one guy with one of those USB external batteries plugged in and charging his unit while he rode. I might just get me one of those, it can be used for my phone also.

 

[BigOgre]

Powerlet might offer you some other on-board options also.

 

[jblanken64]

If I need to charge while riding, I have a USB battery pack that I can keep in my pocket and connect to the headset. The pack is 5000mAh and has 2 USB charging ports. I use a USB cable with a right angle connector to connect to the headset. The upside is you aren't connected to the bike. The downside is that eventually the pack will need charging.

 

[Madmudder]

If I need to charge while riding, I have a USB battery pack that I can keep in my pocket and connect to the headset. The pack is 5000mAh and has 2 USB charging ports. I use a USB cable with a right angle connector to connect to the headset. The upside is you aren't connected to the bike. The downside is that eventually the pack will need charging.

This what I was thinking I was going to get thanks

 

[RJAMT]

I have 12v in my tank bag so I can charge my Sena 20S while riding but don't normally need to as they last quite awhile.