ear buds or in helmet bluetooth

[BigOgre]

I was a big fan of the S-plugs. Sounded great, good customer service (had them repaired/upgraded) and for the most part comfy. Sometimes on long multi day rides if the ears became a little irritated I found a dab of ointment (bacitracin?) helped. Made the seal better also.

I cut the cord and went BT awhile ago though and have been just as happy. Maybe more so considering the ease of gearing up at stops, etc. I had to fiddle with the Sena speakers to get them close against my ears without being uncomfortable, and each helmet was different there, but once done they work out fine. Not nearly as loud or clear as the S-plugs but I still know what tune is playing or what info comes across.

Finally, maybe a year or so back I was in the mood for louder music on a ride and broke out the S-plugs again. It seemed the mold wasn't as pliable and they also didn't conform to my ears as I remembered. Maybe the shape of our ears change over time? Don't know but the molds definitely felt harder.

 

[SkooterG]

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

Dat ain't no lie!

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*******!

 

[graler]

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 a 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.

I have a set of SE-215 that I use when I fly. I have tried to get them on under the helmet several times - the struggle is real. When I succeed it is great - often I grow tired of the fight and go back to low profile good quality ear buds from makers like Klipsch or Sennheiser. To each his own I guess.

Joe

 

[HyperPete]

www.PlugUp.com

I like the s-plugs too. I attach them to my Sena 20S. I just could not adjust the Sena helmet speakers to be able to hear them in my RF-1200. I finally gave up and removed the speakers.

I have read about some folks who have purchased different speakers to use with the Sena that supposedly had better bass response and were louder, but I don't want to cut the plug off the original speakers in case I decide to sell the 20S at some point.

My girlfriend says she can hear the Sena speakers in her RF-1200 just fine... go figure.

 

[gazza]

Im using Etymotic ER 20 high fidelity plugs with my Cardo Packtalk bold and it works for me.

Gazza

 

[hppants]

Graler and I fish in the same hole. The Shure ear buds sound amazing, but the fit isn't consistent. The in helmet Sena stuff is crap for music.

Jay - got a link to the Big Ear site? I can't find anything on it (no surprise, Pants is a internet *****).

 

[juniorfjr]

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. :tonguesmiley:

Ha ha ha, he said it. We were all thinking it.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

Graler and I fish in the same hole. The Shure ear buds sound amazing, but the fit isn't consistent. The in helmet Sena stuff is crap for music.
Jay - got a link to the Big Ear site? I can't find anything on it (no surprise, Pants is a internet *****).

https://www.bigearinc.com/

https://www.bigearinc.com/products/motorcycle-ear-plugs/

 

[someguy]

good reading.

very sadly i recently discovered i have lost 40-50% of my hearing and have severe tinnitus.

i would give anything to have this back and i'm very serious about investing in good protection for pretty much anything from mowing the lawn to riding...

i wish to keep what i have left.

reading the comments and experiences here with interest.

 

[BigOgre]

Slightly off-topic if I may (worth a split?) but my question has to do with noise coming from the movement of the earbud cords. I have a few pairs of earbuds, some from recommendations here on the Forum, but the majority of them are . . unsettling, if that's the right word, to listen to due to this "noise". Sorta like hearing yourself chew or breath for the first time with ear plugs, I find even the slightest movement of the cord by my head or ears causes this sound. Securing it with a clip doesn't help as even touching it with my fingers will cause it to happen. Could I be just sensitive to something or is it something in the quality of the cords?

 

[draco_1967]

I have read about some folks who have purchased different speakers to use with the Sena that supposedly had better bass response and were louder, but I don't want to cut the plug off the original speakers in case I decide to sell the 20S at some point.

You can remove the speakers from the 20S base without cutting anything. There is a tiny screw to remove, and the set should have come with a little plug to go over the hole for the speaker plug.

 

[Bounce]

I went with custom molded in-ear "monitors".

For years I've used in-helmet speakers. Turning them up high enough to hear was obviously worse than the unprotected helmet-only wind noise (see someguy above).. Using foam ear plugs helped with the wind noise but it meant turning up the helmet speakers even more. Not good and I knew it.

When I bit the bullet and got the monitors, I actually found them excellent at killing ambient noises without blocking traffic sounds (because ALL sounds were decreased equally). On top of that was the benefit of better sounding audio that was a combination of not having to jump the gap from the speakers to the ear and fighting riding noises. I had to turn DOWN the audio to its minimum while also getting better quality.

Are there occasional wire noises? Sometimes. It's a small price to pay for keeping my hearing. I also route the wire inside my jacket and down the bottom. That keeps the wire from whipping in the wind and pretty much stops that rubbing noise because the jacket acts like a buffer/muffler.

As for longer rides, they worked for the IBR. Some people use a little water-based lube to avoid extended use rubbing in the outer ear.

 

[Uncle Hud]

draco_1967 posted: You can remove the speakers from the 20S base without cutting anything. There is a tiny screw to remove, and the set should have come with a little plug to go over the hole for the speaker plug.

Until this moment, I was unaware that the Sena in-helmet speakers could be removed without cutting wires. That changes things drastically!

I've used both: listening to the low-fidelity Sena speakers through conventional earplugs; and wired earbuds plugged into the Sena headphone jack. The earbuds produce far superior sound quality. I also can listen to my podcasts at a much lower volume through earbuds, since they significantly reduce road and wind noise.

Unfortunately, the earbuds aren't convenient for my daily commute. Why? Because the ear cup/hole in my helmet liner isn't big enough for earbuds AND Sena speakers. If I use the earbuds, then the Sena speakers must get buried somewhere in my helmet liner, away from the ear cup/hole.

If the speakers can be 'permanently' replaced by earbuds ... problem solved! Remove the speaker wires and plug in earbud wires!

[PS: Like Bounce says, stash any loose cable inside your jacket. Leave just enough slack above your buttoned-up collar to allow full head movement without tugging. No rustling wire noises.]

 

[dravnx]

Foamys and Sena speakers for me. No fiddling with cords or plugging **** in. I went the custom molded ear plug route and could never get my left ear fitted correctly. I tried twice. They would fit fine for half a day and then they would either start to irritate my ear canal or lose seal. Everyone's ear is different.

 

[John d]

Fortunately for me, my earbuds stay well inserted and I can ride all day with them, except for breaks. I find that just a slight moistening of the ear tips with the tongue makes insertion really easy, and seals the tip to the ear canal well. Lick em and stick em. Where have I heard that before? Once the tip is well sealed to the ear canal, the bass sounds come through properly. People who complain that their earbuds sound tinny are not getting that good seal.

For me as well, I cannot have both earbuds and speakers. It's one or the other. My speakers are in the box. Some people have to go with speakers, just because their ears just can't accept earbuds, or ear plugs for that matter.

I keep the extra wire under my jacket at the front, and have no issues with the "rubbing" sounds. I suppose the make and model of earbuds is a factor as well. I also roll the wire over and behind my ears before going down, which helps keep the earbuds in place, and makes putting a helmet on easy.

 

[dcumpian]

Slightly off-topic if I may (worth a split?) but my question has to do with noise coming from the movement of the earbud cords. I have a few pairs of earbuds, some from recommendations here on the Forum, but the majority of them are . . unsettling, if that's the right word, to listen to due to this "noise". Sorta like hearing yourself chew or breath for the first time with ear plugs, I find even the slightest movement of the cord by my head or ears causes this sound. Securing it with a clip doesn't help as even touching it with my fingers will cause it to happen. Could I be just sensitive to something or is it something in the quality of the cords?

You want IEM's that run the wire over and behind the ear. That will isolate them from wire noise. I use a pair if Westone IEM's and they are plugged into my Packtalk when I ride.

Dan

 

[harper]

You could always ride in a car and listen to music. Or listen to it in your living room The trade offs aren't so great there. But on a motorcycle there are trade offs.

I have some comfortable Skull Candy ear buds ($10) that produce great sound...until I'm moving along at 50 mph. I have the volume turned all the way up for those and at 60 or 70 mph the sound quality suddenly drops abruptly because there is no sound...just wind.

I just bought a pair of Elgin Ruckus Earplug Earbuds ($20).

https://www.amazon.com/Ruckus-Earplug-Earbuds-Reduction-Headphones/dp/B078YFYJFT/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Ruckus-Earplug-Earbuds-Reduction-Headphones&qid=1557271715&s=gateway&sr=8-4

The sound quality is not so great...except they seal well and reduce background noise by 25 dB. I can turn the volume down two steps and still hear music at 70 mph. Suddenly, poor quality audio is really good quality just because there is some audio. They have to be wetted and seated perfectly to do this but once seated they stay there with no irritation. I can see how they wouldn't work for others or even for one ear for some people. They have to seal to work. And they have to be removed carefully because of it. I haven't changed altitude with them and that could be problematic.

 

[Bounce]

If you're turning up the volume to hear over wind and road noises, then you're hurting your hearing.

 

[Uncle Hud]

If you're turning up the volume to hear over wind and road noises, then you're hurting your hearing.

EXACTLY.

(1) So, if you wear conventional earplugs you drop sound levels to your eardrum. By turning up the speaker volumes, you're listening to music LOUDER than ambient, but still lower than being unprotected. Unfortunately, I can't get my Sena speakers to be audible this way. (I'm sure if I moved the speakers slightly, that would change things, but I've already earned several frustrating hours moving them a few mm this way and that way, with no perceptible improvement.)

(2) If you wear quality earBUDS, they too will reduce ambient sound levels to your eardrums. However, the music gets a direct, unobstructed pipeline to your eardrums, and you can listen with the audio volume set very low.

I prefer option #2, although several here have told me option #1 is equally protective. (Except I can't hear my music under option #1.)

<edit, 2 mins later> Please note I am not an audiologist, nor do I play one on TV.

<edit after reading BigOgre's comment below> Yeah, moving the speakers around will help, as do the foam backers that press the speaker against your ear. Mine are already centered and tight against my ears. Still using an iPhone 5, and will not spend money to upgrade something that continues to work just fine.

 

[BigOgre]

Got in a few hour ride yesterday. Actually more like a lunch run but it did total 150 miles albeit half slab. Anyway, point being I was aware of the sound from my Sena speakers just because of this thread. Now I'm not trying to convince anyone but for me, with foam earplugs, they were completely acceptable. Definitely not sound quality like decent earbuds but good enough to enjoy what I was listening to on Pandora. Two things that might have helped form this opinion:

First, during the install, it wasn't just moving the speakers around in the helmet pocket so they were centered over the ear but it was also building up behind them to get them closer. I remember fiddling with scrap pieces of foam with different thicknesses to get them just close enough without rubbing uncomfortably on the ear.

And second, got a new phone over the winter so maybe? it puts out a little more umph? I do need to remember to adjust the media volume separately from the other volumes on the phone, this is important, but had to do that on my last one also. With that full on along with the Garmin set to 100% for media also, I''ll only go full volume on the jog dial of my 20s while slabbing. Secondary roads I'll usually turn it down some and stops for gas etc. gets it down quite a bit.

YMMV. Guess I just got lucky.