Earphones

[azitlies]

Been looking around for a great set of earphones myself. My nephew told me to check these out https://1964ears.com/index.html he told me to get the quad drivers...Said they are SICK. He is a professional musician so I guess he knows his stuff. They are way pricy though but definitely look like they would be comfortable in a helmet.

400+ ? wow, not cheap.

One word of caution where this type of custom molded speakers is concerned (I've tried this type, but not these specifically), wear your helmet at the fitting. Bring it with you, and before the mold settles, put the helmet on.

If like me, you have a very well fitting helmet (read tight), you're going to put pressure on the outside of these molds. So wearing the helmet can help a lot with the comfort. Remember, the outside of our ears are still in touch with the helmet padding, the opening in the padding isn't meant for the complete outer ear, that pressure will be transmitted to the ear canal, especially when you move your head (with helmet on of course).

Second, my experience was that, without music the 'isolation' capability of these molds is much less than normal ear plugs. So what that meant to me was that if I wanted the music off (downtown traffic, etc), it's time to stop and change back to normal ear plugs.

To mention again, I'd seriously look at the S-Plug guys. A major advantage it has (especially for those with snug helmets), is that the whole thing is in your ear canal, nothing sticks out. You pull it out by the wire (which is made very durable to accomplish this). So while the outside of your ear being moved still transmits some of that movement to the ear canal, there's a lot less discomfort than when just the slightest movement of the outside of your ear is felt because you have this huge glob of silicone in your ear but outside of the ear canal ready to make everything that touches your ear felt.

just my .02

 

[CAJW]

Nope, I'm good! Got the answer I needed without having to swim thru a couple of pages of sheep jokes (with pictures no less!)

What has become of our beloved forum! I fear a downward spiral into the abyss is imminent!

(Unless Beemerdons or Bust come along to rescue us)

 

[Aasland]

To mention again, I'd seriously look at the S-Plug guys. A major advantage it has (especially for those with snug helmets), is that the whole thing is in your ear canal, nothing sticks out. You pull it out by the wire (which is made very durable to accomplish this). So while the outside of your ear being moved still transmits some of that movement to the ear canal, there's a lot less discomfort than when just the slightest movement of the outside of your ear is felt because you have this huge glob of silicone in your ear but outside of the ear canal ready to make everything that touches your ear felt.

Totally agree - as I have used the Ety's before which have the same concept. One reason why the S-plugs and Ety's and standard/generic earplugs don't work for all of us is that we have oddly shaped ear canals. I've got tall narrow canals which squishes the round Ety/SPlug forms. After a period of use they put more pressure in one place and hurt, and lose the ability to seal effectively. Wierd canals = $$$.

 

[Geno]

I've fancied myself as an audiophile for a long time now, although it's probably wishful thinking (those damn Magnolia salesmen). I've had Etymotic ER6s for several years, and have used them on the bike a lot. IMHO, they were the most comfortable, great isolation, and had great sound quality. They started falling apart recently, so I tried using my uber-expensive Ety ER4s ($300) They sound better than the ER6s, but are practically unusable under a helmet - they stick too far out. I just researched and bought a pair of NuForce NE-700X buds ($65 at Amazon). Tried 'em out this morning, and am thrilled with the performance and comfort. They could have better eartips (like the 3-flange ones on the Etys) but there are other tips available. They're not quite the sonic equivalent of the ER4s, but at one-third the price, you can't beat 'em.

 

[0-8er]

I bought a pair of $20 Sony earbuds and a $12 Radians Custom Molded Earplugs kit like this:

Radians Kit

I made my own custom molded ear pieces that I have used almost daily for 2 years.

The earbuds can be removed from the earplugs for replacement if a wire breaks. And as recommended by azitlies in the previous post, you can put your helmet on while the earplugs cure. Takes about 10 minutes.

 

[Aasland]

I bought a pair of $20 Sony earbuds and a $12 Radians Custom Molded Earplugs kit like this:

Radians Kit

I made my own custom molded ear pieces that I have used almost daily for 2 years.

I'm glad this worked for you. The two times I tried it, they didn't block noise well and the molded stuff broke apart after a couple uses.

 

[jryan]

I use the sennheiser cx 300. they stay in when I put my helmet on(shoei multitec) ,but they pull out when I take it off. Great sound.

 

[Fontanaman]

Nope, I'm good! Got the answer I needed without having to swim thru a couple of pages of sheep jokes (with pictures no less!)

What has become of our beloved forum! I fear a downward spiral into the abyss is imminent!

(Unless Beemerdons or Bust come along to rescue us)

Yeah were is Bust when you need him? This has become much to drab.

 

[GPRIDER]

I've used the same Sony MDR-EX36v earbuds for 3+ years now. They sound great, they don't pull out when putting on the helmet,and they are fairly comfortable. I use them with an xm radio and they come with an inline volume control that works out great because it's a hassle to adjust the volume on the radio. I bought a back up pair for when these bite the dust, but they just keep on cranking. I'm pretty hard on earbuds and I can't believe these have lasted so long. $35 at Best Buy.

GP

 

[guyver60]

I've had the single speaker S-Plug for about four years, and I love them. I have a rather tight helmet, and these don't cause any discomfort. I have the short cord version, which I attach to an Ipod Nano that is hung around my neck. I think the sound is great, and the plugs do serve as good ear plugs; even with no music. I also use these when mowing the yard. About a year ago, I experienced a lose connection where the wire goes into the plug. Since they were out of warranty, I decided to try to fix them myself, but was unsuccessful. I sent the plugs back to Plug-up, told them what I had done, and asked them to fix if they could. In less than a week, I had a new pair and was charged three dollars and change. How's that for customer service.

 

[BwanaDik]

Update on this. I bought S-Plugs for wifey and I for a ride we just did in the Hill Country. I do like them a lot, the sound is excellent and the fit good. They work well in our helmets and didn't pull out or rub on the helmet liner.

One thing that may be a plus or minus, depending on your preference, is that they don't completely tune out all wind noise. I've used ear plugs that almost zero out any sound at all and that starts to be a little weird. Total sound removal+tinted visor+tunes and it all seems more like a virtual reality TV game than actually riding a bike. Sensory removal from the road. Not good. With the S-plugs there is still some wind noise so there is still a sense of reality inside your helmet.

 

[azitlies]

Update on this. I bought S-Plugs for wifey and I for a ride we just did in the Hill Country. I do like them a lot, the sound is excellent and the fit good. They work well in our helmets and didn't pull out or rub on the helmet liner.

One thing that may be a plus or minus, depending on your preference, is that they don't completely tune out all wind noise. I've used ear plugs that almost zero out any sound at all and that starts to be a little weird. Total sound removal+tinted visor+tunes and it all seems more like a virtual reality TV game than actually riding a bike. Sensory removal from the road. Not good. With the S-plugs there is still some wind noise so there is still a sense of reality inside your helmet.

Congratulations on the s-plugs, happy owner here also.

I normally wear Hear-o's earplugs that have a 32 db rating, iirc. The s-plugs seem to do as good or slightly better job with the wind noise. I agree with you though, I don't like it when all noise is blocked. That's just not safe imho.

One pretty cool thing recently did was to take my sansa clip mp3 player and tune it to an unused fm station, then set my gps to ouput to the same station. Have it play mp3's and then it mutes the music to give you directions. It's kinda cool to not have to be "tethered to the bike". That's not really an s-plug thing per se but it is if it's the only in ear speakers you find that work for u

 

[s.ga.rider]

I had a pair or er6i for years and sold them to buy the updated pair. I cant recall the model right off but they are the best ear buds I have found for noise isolation.

 

[FJRMaineiac]

I have been reading this thread and others with interest as my Etymotic ER6i's have been starting to get flaky (bad / intermittent connection on one side). I tried a few cheap alternatives - Panasonic and Rovking in particular. They were OK, but not as comfortable as the Etymotic and too much wind noise still making it through. I was concerned about the design of the MC5's because of the longer barrel. I (like others) was concerned they might stick out too far, rub against the inside of the helmet and / or make it difficult to remove the helmet. After the cheap options failed, I decided to take a chance on the MC5s and I am pleased to report that (at least in my case) they fit great and are perhaps even better than the ER6i's. Even though the barrel is longer, the shape of them encourages the placement of them so that the turn in the barrel lines up in that channel or slot in the bottom of the ear in front of the ear lobe. As a result, they don't seem to protrude past the surface of the ear and don't rub against the inside of the helmet. Better wind noise isolation and the seem to be a little tougher construction overall. I will report back after using them a while, but for right now I am very satisfied.

 

[AlleyCat]

I bought the RHA MA750i ear buds. They are noise isolating (block out outside noise). I love how they are supported over the ear, so they stay put very well. I did an Ironbutt with these and no issues with regards to comfort. They come with different sized ear tips (silicone and memory foam). Solid quality and great sound. Very satisfied with mine.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Shure 215K. No substitute.

 

[want2ride]

When I use ear phones I have the plug phones. Earplugs with built in earphones. They attenuate the noise by 25dB. Not as much as other earplugs but I get sound with them.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

That's what Shure monitors do. Blocks noise better than foam plugs, but you can still hear traffic. Excellent sound. They have Kevlar for the first few inches of the cord for durability, and the whole cord is far more robust than normal earbud leads. The cord goes over your ears, so they don't come out when putting your helmet on. I recently put N-com in both my nolans, but I must say, I like the ambient noise isolation better with my shure's. Recommended by the Twigg.

 

[jblanken64]

Every time I try ear buds to get better sound from my Sena 20s, I find it hard to put on the helmet and remove it and for the earbuds to stay in place. And that can make it not so comfortable to wear and remove the helmet. What type of profile do the Shure earphones have? I've got a different brand that are visually similar but may have a higher profile, causing the helmet to snag or something.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

They fit in the ear, with the cords going over and behind the ear. There's a method to it. But once you get it they never come out.