It "turns down" all sounds equally so anything ambient will be there if you listen for it.
helmet speakers
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RTSinDallass
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I recently bought a pair of ER20xs for riding and the occasional concert. I tried a few different ear buds, but could never get my helmet on without dislodging them. I have had good luck with Etymotic products, having owned a few pairs of their earbuds. I work in construction and spend a lot of time with hearing protection on, and the Etymotics have alway offered the best sound isolation with good sound. I like the ER20's so far. They are a good compromise with their level of isolation and still being able to hear the Sena 50r vs foam plugs. Although, I do still hear a good amount of wind noise with my GT Air II on.
OldGuyNewBike
Member
I have been using a Quiet Ride helmet for the last six years. Pros: Great sound and wind noise reduction, reasonable price. Cons: Plugged in with an adapter that had a short shelf life, cord from your phone to the helmet, so-so helmet quality, limited shields available, the pump-up parts would lose pressure and have to be replaced, has been out-of-stock for a long, long time. All in all, I loved having it and would buy another if I could. Now I am on the search for a suitable replacement.
Mikesgts1000
Well-known member
Hi, I've used Bose sound cancelling ear plugs(wired type. They are really good but a little awkward to put on my helmet but for long day rides it's great one charge is good for a long 8 or 9 hours with music playing As well. Still can hear slight background noise but I've found them the best over trying many other options. Down side, the cost around $300 US or $425 Canadian!
Ishkatan
Member
I use the under $10 BlueTooth Onn ear buds from WalMart. I have to watch the cord that joins them so it does not catch on things. Have to get them deep enough in the ear for good sound blockage, and spread the modular helmet a bit when putting it on. Good for talk radio. Still get some noise but raising my barn door (I mean Rifle shield) really cuts down wind noise. Still hear the car next to me on the highway. I also use Sony MX1000 noise canceling earbuds. I had to replace the tips with ear plug foam (cut an foam ear plug in half and punch a hole using a belt punch) but that really cut down the sound and the music quality is decent (for someone with some hearing loss...) You really need a modular helmet to use the Sony's since they stick out quite a bit. But the modified Sony's give the best sound and there is no string. The noise cancelling is ok but not really good for airplane droning noise.
OldGuyNewBike
Member
Has anyone tried these: SyphonSound
I've used them for a while now.
On my old helmet (GMAX Modular), they snugged underneath the little ear pockets and I wired the male plug to the rear of the helmet and zip tied it in place. There was room to leave the speakers in all the time comfortably. This, for me, was a game changer. It meant that I could have music I could actually hear just by connecting to my handlebar-mounted cell phone!
The newer GMAX MD-01 is too tight for that, but I can put the speakers in by hand in less than 5 minutes. The sound isn't perfect at 70mph, but it's great for cruising along Hwy 1 by the beach! At $40, it's a good buy.
cheers,
-StratTuner
running the Shoei Neotec 2. has pockets built in and a spot for coms on the side... currently running in ear earbuds and it's marginal at best, and the only reason i haven't upgraded is i have not need for bike to bike or bike to pillion comms (at the moment).
QUESTION: for those running in helmet speakers: what ear pro are you using and do you get good fidelity?
I want decent tunes, first and foremost.
I'll step up to Pillion comms when it's time...
QUESTION: for those running in helmet speakers: what ear pro are you using and do you get good fidelity?
I want decent tunes, first and foremost.
I'll step up to Pillion comms when it's time...
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I have the Shoei NEOTECH II with the Sena SRL-MESH system. Now, straight off the bat, no system is perfect but, when it comes to the speakers, the speakers on the Sena SRL-MESH are Harman Kardon and this is the best sound quality I've ever had from any in-helmet system. The Sena system also has a graphic equalizer of sorts (it's a bit basic but better than nothing).
Note, the Schuberth C3 Pro is noticeably quieter than the Shoei NEOTECH II (I have both) and has a Sena Comms system available (not sure if it's Harman Kardon though).
The first problem is, you want the "Holy Grail", good sound on a motorcycle That's never going to be possible on the motorcycle due to external noise.
The second problem is that earbuds block other sounds so you are not necessarily as aware of what is going on around you. This could make you more vulnerable on the road. In the ear Earbuds (not earplugs) on motorcycles are banned in most European countries for precisely that reason.
I also wear earplugs. I use both the AlpineStars MotoSafe and the Softvox. The Softvox have swappable inserts offering different levels of noise reduction.
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torch
Well-known member
Unfortunately, the SRL-Mesh version is not available in Canada (not sure about the US) and does not fit older Neotec2 helmets made pre-2019 or 2020. The Sena available here does not have the expensive speakers. The non-mesh version speakers are OKish, but certainly not something to write home about.
Shop carefully.
Shop carefully.
I have for years built my own sound into my helmets, which most are actually a very good sound chamber. With the right setup (and patience!) you can enjoy music with a helmet that has great fidelity - sounding like a set of pro-headphones, including good bass. And the best part - it's super cheap to do it and all the parts are easily available.
IME - There's isn't a single drop-in audio system out there that will sound like what can you customize. Think of it like a car audio system - you customize it to you and your vehicle.
I told that there is a "fix" for that. As I have the newer version I haven't investigated the "fix"
torch
Well-known member
I'd be happy with a fix for the terrible range. They promise hundreds of meters but deliver dozens of feet. (non-mesh version).
+1 to what BIODSL stated. I’ve used INEARZ for years and have no trouble hearing what is going on close to me. They definitely cut back ambient sound, but noticeably less than the claimed 32 db for me. I think that has a lot to do with the way I ride — stock screen, usually at a low setting, so more wind noise than most people like.
The harder acrylic mold material is super comfortable on long rides and makes putting the monitors into your ears very easy, but they do allow more noise to slip past than softer materials.
They are fantastic though. Very comfortable, and as FJR-Dave said, the sound is amazing. Highly recommended.
The harder acrylic mold material is super comfortable on long rides and makes putting the monitors into your ears very easy, but they do allow more noise to slip past than softer materials.
They are fantastic though. Very comfortable, and as FJR-Dave said, the sound is amazing. Highly recommended.
Sunnyorlando I'm all ears! (see what I did there?) That sounds like the kind of thing I may try. I have a Nolan N100-5 helmet and installed the Cardo PackTalk Bold. I upgraded the speakers to the largest JBLs Cardo offers and while it did improve the sound, I'm still not there yet. I tried a set of Shure SE215 wired ear buds and the fidelity and ability to play fairly loud (only when one of those really great songs comes on) went up a few orders of magnitude. Those have a couple of downsides however. They block the noise out a little too good. They come with foam sleeves (block the most noise and provide the best sound) and rubber sleeves (allow more noise but the bass suffers significantly). The other downside is getting the helmet on without dislodging them. A major PITA. With my rig, I also lost FM reception with the buds.
So, for now, I am back to the speakers. Sunnyorlando, what did you do?
I wear Sena's helmet. Outrush R. Price was cheaper for the helmet then I can buy the Sena 50 unit on its own. Sound is excellent. It looks to have the Spider RT1(looks like a Spider but seems to be a higher grade) built into it so I have mesh and it will work with all their remotes. Phone calls have been just fine. People I have talked to on it didnt even know I was on a bike.
Using the Ottocast C5 SE for my carplay.
BTW my hearing is terrible. Heavy stamping presses, shooting when younger and so on
Using the Ottocast C5 SE for my carplay.
BTW my hearing is terrible. Heavy stamping presses, shooting when younger and so on
General overview.
First - forget about using any kind of communication device for music, they are not meant to process music audio with any quality.
The - While this may sound outdated, my first choice is to connect directly (wired) to the playing device, which in my case I generally use either SiriusXM or my smartphone - mostly Sirius. By connecting directly to the device you're going to get better quality audio less compression.
Second - go find a relatively inexpensive over the ears headphones that you can try out by connecting to your phone or music player device. Once you find one that sounds good to your ears, this will be the sacrificial set you want. You can find a decent pair for under 20 bucks. Most of these have 8 ohm speakers built into them, and those are perfect for what we're doing here.
Third - installation. This will be a trial and error until you get the positionand spacing of the speakers exactly right to be pointed directly into your ear canal like the headphones would be, and minimal spacing with padding between your ears and the speakers. Positioning the speakers will require minor modifications to the speaker pockets already built into your helmet so they can be located correctly. A hot knife or a soldering stick works well to cut the helmet foam material.
Fourth - to test the position and you're going to wire the speakers temporarily so you can move them around until you get them into the right position while playing music. Small pieces of double stick tape work well for this until you get to the right position. Once there you will mount the speakers with a Velcro pad. Once you find the right position, then you can work on your final connection. Wiring is all done with 22/24 gauge wire, and using 2-pin micro connectors that are easily found for RC cars and such. I did this with micro connections so they can be disconnected if necessary. You can hardwire it all if you'd like, but if you need to make any changes later you we'll have to mess with all those small connections again. Then these are connected to a readily available 3.5 mm male headphone jack that will come out of, and positioned to the side of the helmet for easy access. You want to use a mail so it doesn't accumulate water in it when not in use. From there you use an also readily available 3.5mm female to male coiled headphone wire to connect to your playing device, this makes it easy to disconnect and connect as needed. If you want to get creative you can even add a mute on/off switch in the middle so you can pause the audio if you need to speak with someone momentarily without taking your helmet off or disconnecting from the device.
I understand that having the wire may be a traction for some, but if you use everything wireless, you're not only compressing the music on the device that is playing it, but also on the device that you're using on the helmet to receive the signal - it is also compressing the signal. Compression leads to loss of audio quality - especially bass. For me, having the wire is minimal obtrusion, and it make it reliable because they're no batteries involved on the receiving device that could wear out during a long trip for example. so as long as you're playing device works, then your helmet sound will work as well.
Well this process will take a little bit of time, the end result is far more rewarding than using system that is meant for communication and not for sound quality.
