GPS Earbud Recommendation

[GreyGoose]

I plan on doing some touring with my new garmin 765T. I've come to realize that im not going to be able to count on the ability to see this thing, so i've opted to use the nice headphone jack that came with it and just follow the "little missies" voice through the wilderness. Problem is i wear earplugs. good ones. Custom made to my ears to maximize my protection. I wired a good set of headphone speakers into my helmut , but i could not get enough volume to hear missy over the road noise when on the highway. I then tried a little lesser dampening ear piece, but still couldnt confidently hear the directions. I then switched to an ipod type in-ear unit. This seemed to work really well, but it was a little uncomfortable and didnt give me enough noise cancelling ear protection from road / wind noise. I was wondering what other ear plug / gps users do in these situations. Does anyone have a specific recommendations concerning the end piece (that holds the in ear speaker in place) that can have a better fit and noise cancelling than what comes on the typical ear buds.

I went a step further and took a pair of standard foam ear plugs and fashioned a small hole through them (larger on one end than the other) and manipulated the speaker in there.

Seem to work pretty well, but i was really after an off the shelf product.

any recommendations would be appreciated. I'm glad i didnt invest in a bluetooth helmut system. No way i'd ever hear it with my plugs in.

GreyGoose

 

[Mcgyver74]

I use a set of Skullcandy earbuds..works great. 15k miles and still works good

 

[GreyGoose]

the picture i posted was with my skullcandy earbuds. i was looking for something with more wind protection and a better fit.

GreyGoose

 

[FJRBluesman]

I dig these. The only thing besides the high price is, I wish they sealed better like a normal ear plug. But you can't have it all... Etymotic ER6's.

 

[Big-D]

I bought a set of earbuds from Amazon by Sony. I think I paid about $45 for them. I use a Garmin 760 mounted on a stem mount Ram GPS mount. I have been using a Icon Domain 2 helmet. I inserted a 8gb HCSD card loaded with music and along with my music and the routing instructions that come from the GPS, I hear everything perfectly and my ears never get sore from the Sony earbuds. The only time I can't see my GPS is when the sun hits directly on it. The voice directions are crucial, especially in high traffic situations when you need to pay strict attention to what you're doing.

I just bought a new Shoei RF-1100 that seems to be a little quieter than my Icon, mostly because I went with a large instead of an XL and it fits more snug without being too tight, so I think my Sony's might sound even better. My only problem is getting ready to pull away fast enough before I'm left behind by beemerDon. When the Kickstand Up time is given, be ready or play catchup. I've only worn it for about an hour so far, so I won't really know until the 27th Winery ride where I'll get my chance to smoke Fairlaner! :yahoo:

 

[SkooterG]

This subject has been covered here on the forum ad nauseum. A search will return a plethora of threads with all different kinds of options and more advice than you can process.

The reader's digest version: Etymotic ER-6s are very popular and a great choice. I have had mine for 5 years now and love them.

For the ultimate, the S-plugs are the dog's danglies but are a bit more expensive. I find the S-plugs a bit more comfortable if you have a tighter fitting helmet that pushes against your ears. Also, the cords are thicker and more sturdy than the Etymotics. And I think they attenuate slightly more noise too. Available at cyclegadgets.com

 

[bramfrank]

I frankly prefer the Westone UM-2s (or, for those with some extra coin to spend, their 3-way-drivers.

Extremely musical and very comfortable, Westone is the premier providers of in-ear headphones for stage musicians.

While they offer custom moulded fitting for all of their phones, I run mine with Shure's triple flange sleeves (I trim back the tube slightly) which I find to be a touch more comfortable than the Westone Comply sleeves after a full day's riding.

 

[mferriter]

Etymotic ER6.

I've been using them for several years - work perfectly. You have to put them in pretty far, they practically disappear in my ears, but work great.

 

[fjrchooser]

I guess thats one way to get chicks to talk to you. A compass works fine if you're not real picky how you get there and back.

 

[Fairlaner]

I loved my ER6i's or i did until some one at Longstreet Casino decided they wanted them.......

R

 

[Aasland]

I've tried a bunch. Here's my summary:

Started with the old Koss set, added earplug foam like you did: not enough attenuation.

Went to Etymotic Er6's - not comfortable after a day of riding (and no bass).

Custom earphones from Starky Labs. Nirvana! One year later, loose connection.

Challenger M custom molded one: Nirvana! Two years later they stopped working.

Challenger M customs again: 4 attempts to get a good enough mold, then stopped working after two years.

Speakers in helmet with earplugs: can't hear the speakers.

Back to Etymotic ER6's but with Sebotek tips: comfy and quiet but doesn't seal reliably.

Skullcandy Titans: Comfy and awesome but too much windnoise.

Titans with Sebotek tips: Comfy and quiet and awesome sound but not reliable.

Titans with Etymotic tips: Comfy for a while, quiet enough, but I'm still looking for a better solution.

I'm still looking. So far nothing has been as good as custom-molded plugs. I just need to find a reliable pair that doesn't cost $350.

 

[ScottyUSN]

Westone UM1's are a great quality in ear canal headphone. They are comfortable (to me), cut out enough outside noise you may need to check your tach or key into bar vibration to determine when to shift.

Not cheap, but not so expensive I worry about breaking them (again). Oh ya... Westone fixed my error free of charge.

 

[tcfjr]

The Etymotics are great in-ear headphones, but for riding I've always been partial to the Shure e2c, and the newer model Shure SE110/SE115 in-ear headphones. I find that the over-the-ear cable routing of the Shure's keeps them secure, even if I accidentally pull on the cord while riding. The silicon flange ear tips give me great noise isolation, and all-day comfort (I wore a pair of Shure e2c's on an SS1K last Saturday), and they come with three different types of ear tips, each in three sizes.

I tried some custom-molded ear phones, and they're good, but not as comfortable for as long as the Shure's, and they didn't have quite the same noise isolation either.

 

[sportsguy]

I saw these in a catalgue I got yesterday:

From here: clicky

They claim a 48db attenuation rate to deal with jet engine noise (product target is frequent travelers). You can order different ear canal foam to tailor the fit as well... at an extra cost, of course.

I have no experience with them, but am considering ordering a set as the $70 cost places them in the "upper-reasonable trial" zone for me.

48db - holy crap! All I'd hear is my own heart beat...LOL The 33 db foam ones I use now are almost too much, bu tonly almost. Me likey the quiety...

 

[Gramps]

I've not tried these JVC's yet, but for "off the shelf cheapies" I've been told they're pretty good.

I personally use the ER6's with Listen Hear molds. The best I've found so far.

 

[GreyGoose]

I saw these in a catalgue I got yesterday:

From here: clicky

They claim a 48db attenuation rate to deal with jet engine noise (product target is frequent travelers). You can order different ear canal foam to tailor the fit as well... at an extra cost, of course.

I have no experience with them, but am considering ordering a set as the $70 cost places them in the "upper-reasonable trial" zone for me.

48db - holy crap! All I'd hear is my own heart beat...LOL The 33 db foam ones I use now are almost too much, bu tonly almost. Me likey the quiety...

I wanted to thank everyone for their input. I just frigin love this forum. you guys rock. that being said, i just purchased the above set of nr10's off ebay for 55 bucks (and that included shipping). i'll give a review of them when i get them. I couldnt pass up the 48db noise reduction coupled with reviews about extended wear comfort. The reviews state that the phones are bass heavy which is exactly what we tend to lose with all the wind noise. With 48 db reduction, i cant imagine its going to actually matter (untill GPS jill starts talking to me in a deeper voice :yahoo: . .......thanx again everyone

GreyGoose

 

[Mcgyver74]

These are the skullcandy's I use, not the cheapest but they sound pretty good for earbuds and are very comfortable under my helmet, Did a 2600 mile ride to Miami and back last week and wore these the whole time and they were comfy..

https://www.skullcandy.com/shop/configable/.../id/1018/cid/6/

 

[bramfrank]

I suspect that those NR10s are going to stick out too far.

and . . . 48 dB? A HUGE RED FLAG. 48dB is almost a 75,000 times reduction in sound level - it ain't gonna happen, if only because of the transmissive qualities of the plastic shell. Your head provides a lot less isolation.

 

[BIODSL]

I wanted to thank everyone for their input. I just frigin love this forum. you guys rock. that being said, i just purchased the above set of nr10's off ebay for 55 bucks (and that included shipping). i'll give a review of them when i get them. I couldnt pass up the 48db noise reduction coupled with reviews about extended wear comfort. The reviews state that the phones are bass heavy which is exactly what we tend to lose with all the wind noise. With 48 db reduction, i cant imagine its going to actually matter (untill GPS jill starts talking to me in a deeper voice :yahoo: . .......thanx again everyone
GreyGoose

I hope this doesn't come across as crass, but...if it sounds to good to be true it probably is. I don't believe a 48db reduction for a minute. Please report back and let us know.