ear buds or in helmet bluetooth

[Mcompton1973]

Just curious for longer rides...

Do people prefer earbuds, or in helmet/built in bluetooth for music and such?

 

[John d]

Umm, both.

 

[Ignacio]

Both ear buds that lower decibel levels and wired into Blueetooth. I have a set of Etymotic E-6i that they don't sell anymore.

 

[John d]

^^^^ Old guy. My er6i gave up long ago. Went to hf5. Just as good.

 

[SkooterG]

Earbuds. No question. I highly recommend the S-Plug. They are pricey, but worth it. And they can be repaired instead of thrown out when the eventuality of something breaking happens.

https://leeparksdesign.com/s-plug/

I use them with my Sena 20S bluetooth system. Or, they could plug right into my phone.

 

[escapefjrtist]

I prefer a comfy set of foam ear plugs with Sena in helmet speakers. Used ER6i's, but after a few days ear discomfort set in and that was the end of that.

YMMV

~G

 

[RossKean]

^^^^ Old guy. My er6i gave up long ago. Went to hf5. Just as good.

Do you have a link for these? How are they for suppressing wind and mechanical noise? I have significant hearing loss and always use earplugs but would like to be able to use earbuds for GPS and tunes as long as I can keep volume low. I will look into the ones SkooterG linked as well.

 

[SkooterG]

I prefer a comfy set of foam ear plugs with Sena in helmet speakers. Used ER6i's, but after a few days ear discomfort set in and that was the end of that.
YMMV

~G

Pssst! S-Plugs! Much softer than the ER6I's!

 

[John d]

https://www.amazon.ca/Etymotic-Research-HF5-Black-Portable-Earphones/dp/B000XPG2QI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=60875962973&gclid=CjwKCAjwqqrmBRAAEiwAdpDXtKuEgYYmzclncNK2UjcbFb-iPmeN6D-A6VuHK0EVDuBgqO9heNCEcBoCWFIQAvD_BwE&hvadid=310034166677&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9000997&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17155656239387475570&hvtargid=kwd-300564091193&hydadcr=4384_9842136&keywords=etymotic+hf5&qid=1556850984&s=gateway&sr=8-3

 

[escapefjrtist]

Thanks Skoot. If I get the urge to try the in-ear route again I'll check them out.

~G

 

[puppychow]

Tried S-plugs. That sounds so wrong...but, they were comfortable enough, but not without discomfort.

I am with G, foam earplugs and in helmet speakers with Sena.

Never going back to wired again.

 

[Ludwig61]

I wear ear PLUGS when riding. Legal in Texas. Keep you from losing your hearing from the loud wind noise. My Sena 20S is still loud enough to be heard.

 

[SkooterG]

Tried S-plugs. That sounds so wrong...but, they were comfortable enough, but not without discomfort.

I am with G, foam earplugs and in helmet speakers with Sena.

Never going back to wired again.

Interesting. They have been the solution for me and others I know. I will say it does depend somewhat on the helmet you wear. The discomfort is usually caused by the helmet pushing against your ear with the earbud in it. So it depends on the helmet fit and ear pocket size/location. That being said, I tried helmet speakers and they were pushing against my ear causing major discomfort.

 

[draco_1967]

I recently switched from earplugs to some MEE Audio M6 Pros with Comply comfort tips. They isolate a lot of the noise (not quite as much as the earplugs), but they also allow me to hear important sounds (tires on the pavement, conversation, etc.). Additionally, I now have the volume on my Cardo PT turned down almost to the lowest setting and hear everything through the headset without issue, AND my battery last much longer since I'm not driving the speakers at full blast.

The M6s are not 14-hour-day comfortable, but it is easy to unplug the headphones, pop in a pair of plugs, and plug in the speakers on the helmet.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

I have been using Big Ear BE-1C ear buds for about 10 yrs now...got them fitted at a motorcycle rally in Galveston Tx. I send them in every 3 years for refurb and deep cleaning. They are kind of costly, but sound great, fit flush in my ears for helmet use, and if you wish to eliminate the cord between phone/GPS, you can buy an accessory blue tooth adapter.

 

[Geezer]

I always wear comfy earplugs when riding. I have small speakers in my helmet and can hear music and other things from the speakers just fine through the earplugs. Earplugs are inexpensive and easily replaced when needed.

 

[juniorfjr]

I had some Westone custom earbuds made several years ago and use with the sena. Good for several long days.

 

[FJReady]

S-plugs for me. Best combination of wind noise protection and good sound quality with my Sena system.

And Skooter, any helmet speaker is gonna interfere with those ears.

 

[Steel_Gin]

I had been using custom ear plugs with the Sena 20s speakers for years. Great comfort, could hear everything well but the sound quality wasn't all that great. Bought a pair of Shure SE-215 after a lot of research, comfort isn't what the custom earplugs are but can ride several hours without issue. Hearing protection sounds to me is just as good, sound quality is much better and I have the volume at about 25% of how I was running it before; turned all the way up.

I still carry the custom earplugs in case discomfort kicks in and go to speakers.