Earphones

[bigjohnsd]

jblanken64 posted: Does anyone leave the regular speakers from their Sena unit in place as well or just exclusively use the ear phones?

The Sena speakers are installed in my helmet, but I almost always wear earbuds. I removed the speaker-spacers, however, so the speakers aren't close to my ears any longer. Truth is, I can't see a permanent way to remove the Sena speakers without cutting the speaker wires, and I really don't want to do that. (Right speaker wire is broken anyway -- my helmet and Sena get a lot of use, and therefore a lot of exposure to weather.)

My earbuds are Fuze self-molding, so I have been able to avoid a bulge of "stuff" protruding from my ears. The racing model is also inexpensive, which is good since I'm already on pair #2. The Sena plug/jack combo is situated to put right-angle tension on the earbud wires, and the Fuze earbud wires are slimmer than the Sena speaker wires.

Wish I could unplug the speakers, throw them out, then plug the earbuds into the Sena chassis where the plug/jack points down instead of towards the back. Don't think it's possible. And everything is too microscopic to solder/splice the earbuds onto the Sena speaker wires.

Hud, my Sena 20 offers the ability to remove the speakers and just run with the plug in Ear Buds. I ordered a set of the Fuze Self-Molding Earbuds today based upon your sterling endorsement

I built my Fuze Earbuds yesterday, wore them today on my Spearfish to Denver run. They do a great job blocking out the wind and road noise, the cell phone, music and gps all are crystal clear. A winner in my mind and superior to my Sena 20 helmet speakers.

 

[Mr_Canoehead]

I still haven't heard back from Fuse about the ones that broke. It's been two weeks and I have sent three emails and tried calling (voice mail says to email). Terrible service. If you spend the money be prepared for no warranty when they fail.

 

[JJnNC]

The problem came when I took them out and tried putting them back in - there was an unpleasant "crunch" noise in my left ear. Didn't sound good, so I took it back out - and the flanged tip stayed in my ear.
This used to happen occasionally with my ER-6is (usually when the tips were getting old), so I calmly got out the tweezers and extracted the tip from inside my ear canal. To my surprise, the end of the earphone was still attached to the tip - it had broken off the rest of the earphone.

This is exactly what happened to me in my right ear about 3 weeks ago. Fuze earbuds lasted about a month with daily use. I threw them in the trash and am currently looking for something else earbud-wise.

I guess I'm gonna try the Etymotic MC5. This will be about the 8th different set of earbuds

.

Rbentnail, I have been using Etymotics for about 3 years, love them. I plug them into a bluetooth dongle into my pocket, mount the phone on the bike.

 

[Norumbega]

My Etymotic Er6i's are the best ever. Very effective noise isolation (hearing protection!) combined with the best quality sound reproduction. Alas, they are discontinued.

I tried these: https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/hf5.html

The work and sound great but stick out a little further than the Er6i's. Tried some Sure in-ear monitors , which some swear by, but found them fussy to put in and prone to coming out.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I've got two Nolan's with current generation N-com. The n-com is great, wireless is great, radio/music/intercom controls are easy to use. Sound is good. But I still prefer the quiet and concert-hall quality of my Shure 215K's. I can hear cars around me, but they just kill all roar and wind noise. I always use foam plugs if I'm not wearing the shure monitors, but even they don't block out ambient roar as well as the shures.

 

[Norumbega]

I tried the Sure 215k's and really wanted them to work out. They didn't FOR ME. This is an important point for anyone reading this thread. We all have different shaped and sized ear canals, heads and helmets. The only way to know if a particular headphone or earbud works FOR YOU is to ride with it! That's why so many of us have a few pair that we tried before settling on THE ONES that work best FOR US. Reading the experiences of others can only give you a starting point and some pointers for your own personal quest.

After joining this thread I realized that I'd best get a spare set of Etymotic er6i's before they were totally unavailable. A bit of time on Google turned up what may be the last new pair anywhere so now I have a backup!

Thanks!

 

[Bounce]

Good point and why I landed on custom molded ear monitors. The same reason I went with a custom-built Russell saddle.

 

[Niehart]

Rbentnail, I have been using Etymotics for about 3 years, love them. I plug them into a bluetooth dongle into my pocket, mount the phone on the bike.

I don't use my phone that way but that is a very cleaver setup.

 

[AlleyCat]

I tried the Sure 215k's and really wanted them to work out. They didn't FOR ME. This is an important point for anyone reading this thread. We all have different shaped and sized ear canals, heads and helmets. The only way to know if a particular headphone or earbud works FOR YOU is to ride with it! That's why so many of us have a few pair that we tried before settling on THE ONES that work best FOR US. Reading the experiences of others can only give you a starting point and some pointers for your own personal quest. After joining this thread I realized that I'd best get a spare set of Etymotic er6i's before they were totally unavailable. A bit of time on Google turned up what may be the last new pair anywhere so now I have a backup! Thanks!

Same for me, the Shure didn't cut it. Really happy with my RHA MA750i.

 

[rbentnail]

Follow-up: got the Etymotic MC5. Like them alot! The flange style ear tips don't work for me. The gray foam ones do but they lasted about 2 days. I searched and bought and tried all kinds and finally settled on the glider style ear tips. They too don't last as long as I'd like but they sure fit me well, don't come loose after insertion and do a great job isolating wind noise.

The other ear tips I have are up for grabs in the Pay It Forward thread.