Ear plug recommendations? | Page 5 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Ear plug recommendations?

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PrivatePilot said:
Flush fit earbuds. Cords dangle out of my helmet - place in ears, put helmet on.



Yes, I did - I often use Siri on my phone to read/send texts and make calls etc while riding, but had mixed results today - not sure if it's the headphones (as they DO have a microphone/control that is redundant) or just a Cardo thing as it's been weird before in the past, working perfectly on some rides and then refusing to work or trigger properly the next day. I'm also running the beta of iOS 14 which can (and often does) introduce bugs and oddities, so I'm going to reserve judgement on the exact cause of it not working today.
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Thank you for the info! I was just thinking that I want something (tried a few different earbuds and it is so damn difficult to take off the helmet. Airpods were the worst, it felt like it will go through my head because they got caught between the helmet and my ears..

Just ordered SE215 from amazon. I love 1 day delivery heh
 
PrivatePilot said:
Flush fit earbuds. Cords dangle out of my helmet - place in ears, put helmet on.
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I see, so you just used the Cardo unit as the bluetooth/wireless device? I just bought a new intercom for the helmet this week, debating should have got the Shure's, just never had a good experience with in ear headphones and helmets
 
ScorpionT16 said:
I see, so you just used the Cardo unit as the bluetooth/wireless device?
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Yep. One thing I love about the Cardo/Scala Packtalk's we have is that they have a standard 2.5mm headphone plug hookup for the speakers portion of the system versus anything proprietary or hardwired, so you can plug whatever you want into them. I've tried a few different sets of headphones with these including a set of JBL earbuds - they worked great for piping sound into my ears, but they picked up a lot of background and wind noise and seemed to amplify it along with the audio. These new buds don't pickup or amplify any surrounding noises.
 
For me to switch the SENA 20 to earphones is a bit hassle but absolutely worth it. The Shure 2015s plug into the SENA headphone jack and fit well under the the helmet...tucked 6 earplugs in a single bag and tucked them in on each side of the helmet where the speaker space is....keeps the resonance down and the pressure keeps the seal on the earphones - one of the most important aspects to get decent bass. Bluetooth then hooks the iPhone to the SENA and I'm good for excellent music, audio books and voice navigation with a VERY quiet environment in the helmet.
 
I've been using the Bose Noise 'Quietcomfort' noise cancelling headphones. They work okay at low speeds, but they fall out of the ears easily and seem to cancel every noise out but wind noise. Just ordered a new set of Snugphones, reportedly designed specifically for motorcycles. They're on sale right now on their website. We'll see how they work out.
 
I was skeptical that any noise cancelling could work due to the energies invilved but the Pioneer Rayz were "okay" ...made the voices clearer for audio books at speed but did not really knock down wind noise and they fail if they get damp at all. The Shure 215s still rule for me
www.rtings.com

Shure SE215 Review

Shure is a mainstay of professional audio products. They're known for their widely recognizable microphones, which have graced the stages of some of the most ico...
www.rtings.com www.rtings.com
and I like the replaceable parts as I used to go through Ultimate Ears every two years ....expensive throw aways. The Shures are very low profile and there are a variety of good tips available .....currently using Westones but there are others I want to source.

You have to be careful to get both the correct size for your ears and for the earphone tips. Can't find the Bee tips in 3-4.4 mm ....:(
Pioneers are 5-7mm and the Bee tips work really well but the fit is nowhere near as good a seal as the Shures.
Can get expensive if you muck up.

....
I'd be skeptical of SnugPhones ...silicone is durable for tips but does not seal well to attenuate ambient sound and the tips do not appear to be replaceale plus they are as expensive as the Shure215s,
 
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MacDoc said:
I'd be skeptical of SnugPhones ...silicone is durable for tips but does not seal well to attenuate ambient sound and the tips do not appear to be replaceale plus they are as expensive as the Shure215s,
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We'll see, but the reviews are good and they are advertised as designed by motorcyclists for riding. Wind noise cancellation is the absolutely critical part of buying these things in my experience. Second is ill fitting things that fall out, or that are ridiculous to adjust/operate.
 
PrivatePilot said:
Just wanted to followup with this thread.

I ordered these Thursday evening and Amazon pulled a quickie and they arrived yesterday. They haven't been able to deliver the new set of riding boots I ordered 3 weeks ago yet and were supposed to arrive in 3 days, but that's another story.

Anyhow, I Installed them on my Cardo this morning and did a 6 hour ride today.

Have to say they are AWESOME. I think I'm going to change the tips out from the foamies to the rubber ones instead as I'm finding the foam ones tough to get into my ears before they expand again (and they get gunked up quick) and see how that works.

I immediately had to turn the volume down on my audiobook and intercom to about 50% of what it was previously. Everything was crystal clear. Was finally able to listen to an audiobook read by a quiet narrator that was proving impossible before.

Super happy with the purchase.
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Ordered based on this review!
 
Let me know what your experiences are.

I'm actually looking forward to our trip back up to Wawa in a few weeks as I'll have the time to really get into a bunch of audiobooks that have been piling up in my Audible app. Was really struggling to enjoy them while riding this year with the traditional helmet speaker setup coupled with earplugs. Fine without earplugs, but I just can't do long rides anymore without earplugs. These things are the best of both worlds now.
 
Cool, will check it out. Do a lot of the mainstream books make it there that I'd find on Audible?

I wish I had more time to listen to books but with my current position at work my actual idle time where I can really get into them is pretty slim - been working on my current book for about 3 weeks now and still only 60% of the way through.
 
I just started with it but $14 a book on Audible adds up against the much lower prices on Chirp especially for shorter books ( Saving Jemima was delightful - I wouldn't pay $14 for it as only 3 hrs but for $3.99 for sure. )
It's like BookBub it makes some books very affordable and info on others as well
Screen Shot 2020-07-27 at Jul, 27 2020 11.20.52 PM.jpg
 
So, just wanted to share my experience with the Shure SE215 bluetooth version. First of all, I decided to get these earphones because I didn't want to move my coms unit to the new helmet and was looking for some bluetooth earphones with decent sound quality.

I did some testing in the last few days and I do like them. The sound isolation is good. Better than other earphones that I've tried (I'm using foam tips) and comparable to nonoise earplugs. The sound quality is good for such a small unit. It is actually pretty comfortable to ride with them on hwy and listen to music/podcasts.

The bluetooth attachment is quite bulky but I just put it inside the jacket and it's not noticeable. Also, bluetooth works on hwy without issues or interruptions. They work for about 8-10 hours from 1 charge.

However, there is one issue - it's still not 100% painless to take off the helmet. Don't get me wrong, they are much better than anything else (especially airpods) but they do catch a little bit on the interior. Maybe it is just my helmet - I like when helmets are snug on me : )

Overall, I'm pretty happy with them. Thank you to everyone who mentioned them before especially @PrivatePilot and @MacDoc.
 
The trick is to get one in ( or out ) at a time then the other and pull that helmet open hard. Mind you, you have BT so might be bulkier than the hard wired.
 
MacDoc said:
The trick is to get one in ( or out ) at a time then the other and pull that helmet open hard. Mind you, you have BT so might be bulkier than the hard wired.
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The ear piece is exactly the same. All bluetooth stuff attached as a module to the wires. Technically, if you have a wired version, you can just buy the bluetooth attachment and plug-in your earphones to it. I will try the trick with one ear out.. my helmet is quite snug and has kind of a cushion on the bottom, so it is not that easy.
 
My Shure se215's won't stay on without a skullcap. So I wear a thing skullcap and they never become dislodged, regardless of which helmet I'm using.

What I do not like about them is that I can't wear my preferred Shoei GT-Air helmet for longer than 3 hours with the se215's in, because of the pressure of the thicker cables that run over the ear. My Shoei RF1100 I can wear with the se215's for 15 hours and be fine. Maybe I'll have to cut some of the foam out of the GT-Air.

The etymotic er6i's never did that, because they used thinner cords, which in turn failed quite often.

When these se215's finally fail, I will upgrade to the 500's again, because those are like having a concert in your head.
 
shanekingsley said:
My Shure se215's won't stay on without a skullcap. So I wear a thing skullcap and they never become dislodged, regardless of which helmet I'm using.

What I do not like about them is that I can't wear my preferred Shoei GT-Air helmet for longer than 3 hours with the se215's in, because of the pressure of the thicker cables that run over the ear. My Shoei RF1100 I can wear with the se215's for 15 hours and be fine. Maybe I'll have to cut some of the foam out of the GT-Air.

The etymotic er6i's never did that, because they used thinner cords, which in turn failed quite often.

When these se215's finally fail, I will upgrade to the 500's again, because those are like having a concert in your head.
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That's actually a good idea about a skullcap! I'm going to order one now and test it out later.
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