Ear plugs & Helmet speakers

[Jpeck]

So, I wear earplugs to protect my ears - and it really helps over a long day of riding. Now, if I put headphones in my helmet - do I now have to ride w/o earplugs? Or do I crack the sound up so loud it overrides the earplugs, in which case we're back to the old noise problem.

What have you folks done?

Thanks! - James

 

[SkooterG]

Earbud speakers. There are a PLETHORA of threads on the topic around here.

IMHO, if you do the speakers without earplugs, you wont' be able to hear the music for shit due to all the road noise. So the preference is speakers while still wearing earplugs. That doesn't get you back to the 'same old noise problem' however, as the earplugs are still doing their job. You just won't get the best sound quality.

Like I first said - earbud speaker! Google Etymotic ER-6.

BTW, your terminology is misleading. You don't use 'headphones' in your helmet. You use speakers. Either installed in your helmet, or earbud. I changed the wording your title.

 

[Bungie]

So, I wear earplugs to protect my ears - and it really helps over a long day of riding. Now, if I put headphones in my helmet - do I now have to ride w/o earplugs? Or do I crack the sound up so loud it overrides the earplugs, in which case we're back to the old noise problem.

Like Skooter said, ear buds.

I use a Collett Communicator that has speakers that mount in the helmet though. I can hear everything (cell, passenger, riders, music) fine even with ear plugs in. Yes, you do have to turn it up some, but the white noise in the background is gone. I actually prefer to use it with the ear plugs in!

 

[Scab]

IMHO, if you do the speakers without earplugs, you wont' be able to hear the music for shit due to all the road noise.

What road noise? I hard-wired an inline amplifier to the speakers. It can get quite loud if you wish. Of course, with the amp, you could use the earplugs - and still hear the jam.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Custom stereo ear molds. Comfy and musician quality in some cases. The best I have had made are from Big Ear. I have had three pairs and these are the best. I was able to turn all the devices down almost one third compared to the others I have.

 

[Grumpy]

So, I wear earplugs to protect my ears - and it really helps over a long day of riding. Now, if I put headphones in my helmet - do I now have to ride w/o earplugs? Or do I crack the sound up so loud it overrides the earplugs, in which case we're back to the old noise problem.
What have you folks done?

Thanks! - James

Works just fine with the ear plugs installed.

jim

 

[gasportrider]

I used Etymotic ER6 earphones for years and do recommend them. However, they do protrude from your ear canal a bit and do cause discomfort for many riders due to contact with the helmet liner. Also, I have come to believe that any protruding earphone in a helmet is not a good idea due to extreme movements of the head in the event of an accident.

I have found the S Plug in ear canal earphones to have all the great quieting attributes of a quality foam earPLUG while also offering a quality driver that competes well with the Etymotics. I find the S Plug to be very comfortable and can ride with them all day long and on multi-day trips without ear discomfort. I use a Smartcom Digital communications system so that the S Plug with a short cable works well with the helmet cables of the Smartcom system. It is also available with a longer cord from Cyclegadgets.

Currently, I am bluetoothed to my phone through the Zumo and can hear it and speak to a caller. I listen to my Zumo instructions, and can listen to a 1,000 songs on each card. I have 3 8GB cards which now go for about $25 each. Most important, the alarm signal from the Valentine overrides everything.

Check these out at cyclegadgets. When I bought mine, they had a return policy that allowed a return within 30 days if you bought replacement tips. Confirm with them.

Cyclegadgets Universal S Plug Earphones

 

[RsvlFeej]

Earbud speakers.
Like I first said - earbud speaker! Google Etymotic ER-6.

And for a very cheap test run to see if you like earbuds or not, you can get skullcandy silicone earbuds for about $15. The noise blocking is comparable (not quite as good, but WAY closer than say generic Sony earbuds) to $100 Shures that claim 93% of ambient noise is blocked. Another guy on this site highly recommends the $45 Skullcandy buds for better sound quality, but I'm happy with the cheapos. Use 'em daily but kept the Shures for long days.

 

[Geezer]

Ear plugs and speakers for me. Works fine. I use EAR soft rubber plugs, the ones with three rings on them. For speakers, I bought two pillow speakers from Radio Shack for about $8 each and took the speakers out of them, soldered them to a wire that has a 1/8 stereo jack on it and velcroed them inside my helmet with a little piece of velcro on the back of the magnet on each speaker.

I tried speakers from a cheap set of Sony mini headphones and I couldn't get enough volume out of them.

 

[Bugnatr]

+1 to Feejer/weejer

I have the challenger M custom earplugs with speakers.

Worth every cent!

 

[MojaveFJR]

Ear plugs with speakers works for me. I use the yellow ones as they attenuate less dB and you can hear the music better. No music I use the foamy orange ones as they appear to suppress the most noise.

 

[daviddowns2000]

I use the Etymotic ER6i earbuds also. No problem with comfort, I guess I'm used to them after a few years. The noise attenuation is good and the sound quality is acceptable (weak bass). The advantage for me is that I can use the same ones for exercising, etc. when not on the bike. The major disadvantage is that having earphones in both ears while operating a vehicle is illegal in many places, whereas earplugs and helmet speakers are legal just about anywhere. I have been stopped by LEO's at least once with the earbuds in and I managed to pull them out before they noticed, but I might get caught at some point.

 

[Grumpy]

Currently I'm using these ear plugs, as they're very comfortable and with the plug installed, are quiet. As a side benefit, you can also shoot pistols using these.

Surefire ear plugs

 

[oldryder]

I've used the "crushable" foam earplugs with J&M speakers when riding my Gold Wing for a long time and it works well. The ear plugs attenuate the wind noise and the music comes thru clear.

When riding my FJR I use an Ipod with ER6i earbuds. not as comfortable (or as easy) as the helmet speakers but still very functional and probably a little better fidelity.

 

[Bounce]

I've used the "crushable" foam earplugs with J&M speakers when riding my Gold Wing for a long time and it works well. The ear plugs attenuate the wind noise and the music comes thru clear.

i did too for years. but i had to crank up the volume to hear the detail. i found that proper ear monitors gave me noise protection, greatly improved clarity, and the ability to turn DOWN the volume to nearly minimum. all of these are good things for your hearing health.

https://www.fjr-tips.org/acc/ear/ear.html

 

[tim_miami]

Earbud speakers. There are a PLETHORA of threads on the topic around here.
IMHO, if you do the speakers without earplugs, you wont' be able to hear the music for shit due to all the road noise. So the preference is speakers while still wearing earplugs. That doesn't get you back to the 'same old noise problem' however, as the earplugs are still doing their job. You just won't get the best sound quality.

Like I first said - earbud speaker! Google Etymotic ER-6.

BTW, your terminology is misleading. You don't use 'headphones' in your helmet. You use speakers. Either installed in your helmet, or earbud. I changed the wording your title.

I second the Etymotic ER-6. I have used them for a while now. IT IS ILLEGAL and I have gotten a ticket. Although most officers won't give you a ticket for it unless he's doing you a favor (ie: en lieu of a more severe charge). I too wear plugs on the track and while taking a break from the iPod. As far as plugs go, I like the baffled in-ear plugs that shooters use over the foamy ones. They stay in better and have a lanyard connecting them. Also a handy little case. Less that $5 at Wal-Mart.

 

[zorkler]

I use the big ear product which is molded to you ear spec. .I have had them for 2 1/2 years 2 problems the wire frayed and had to send them back ,Also i build up alot lot of ear wax so you need to keep your ears clean or the wax gets inside the canal in the plugs and the tools they give you sometimes they work if not back to the shop .Overall they sound great