Recommend in-ear replacement headphones?

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Thanks. I like my helmets on the tight side - The Balaclava did the trick. Without the balaclava, I just use the tape (one in the first-aid kit) and tape the headphone wire to my neck.

MacDoc said:
Yes - an Oxford thin balaclava....
Alss tilt the helmet so one ear goes in ( or out ) first then the other ...getting the Shures flat is a trick ...when in correctly there should be nothing outside the shell of the ear.

You are looping the wire over the ear I assume.

INsertd correctly they will sit inside the ear like this

t10i-in-ear.png


You have to insert and twist them into place then run the cables.

Balaclava makes it far easier and keeping your helmet clean
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And bump.

My current pair of in-ear monitors just bit the dust. They were pretty inexpensive and got wet frequently when I would ride in the rain, so I'm pretty happy they lasted about 100k.

I was leaning towards the Shure 2's or 3's, because I have owned their 5 series before and really liked them, but I am concerned about getting the helmet on and off - and I prefer to not wear a balaclava. I also have a Scala G9, which I use occasionally with earplugs, but the sound of them with earplugs in, doesn't compare to in-ear monitors. My favourite for riding were the Etymotic Er-6i's, but they are not available any more, unless someone has a pair...

Any suggestions for a new pair - ideally not much more than $100.
 
I bought a pair of these from Bose. They were around $100 but they fit really well and don't fall out because of the little wings which flex up against the ear to press them into place.

e228049.001


I've never tried them in my helmet... maybe today.

EDIT: I tried them but never got out of the house. They rolled out of my ears when putting on my helmet. Any tips or tricks to prevent this? It seems like a problem with most earbuds if your helmet is a snug fit as it should be.
 
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Quote Originally Posted by GreyGhost View Post
I never liked riding with IEM's in. When you are listening to music, you are way too isolated from the world around you for my tastes. For those riding with IEM's and music, how do you hear anything (horns, sirens, etc.)?
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Please understand the difference between blocking sound and attenuating it.

Earplugs and attenuating earphones simply drop the sound level down - you still hear sirens etc and your ears don't shut down the way they do with constant high dB noise from riding.

Earplugs drop the dB about -30 and indeed it's kinda nice but I too prefer music or talking books.
The quality of the tips on the earphones is very important to get proper attentuation ( about -26 db is the best you can expect )
Westone tips I find are the best value and last longer than E500s from Comply.
Without a good seal you lose bass responce and let in ambient noise.

The silicone tips are useless for blocking ambient noise.

One idea I've found useful ...most helmets have a pocket for speakers ....it resonates like crazy. Stuff that pocket with sound absorbing material ( I use a few earplugs stuffed into one of the bags they come in .....helps a lot.)

Shure 215s work for me and I like the replaceable components.
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/earphones/se-earphones/se215-sound-isolating-earphones
Just need better tips.

I'm also partial to the Panasonic but they may be hard to fit your helmet over. Nice bottom end too....

Panasonic-RP-HJX20-6.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SMVLKNU/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

worth the effort and usual Panasonic build quality.
Use a thin Oxford balaclava to make it easier to get your helmet on, holds them in place and fresher helmet too as easy to wash.
Pannies are good value.
 
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MacDoc said:
Please understand the difference between blocking sound and attenuating it.

Earplugs and attenuating earphones simply drop the sound level down - you still hear sirens etc and your ears don't shut down the way they do with constant high dB noise from riding.
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This is correct until you start playing music. Say the level at your ears is 85 dBA, with earplugs or IEM's in, that gives you the equivalent of ~60 dBA , no problems, great deal. Now add back in music using IEM's at 80 to 95 dBA and most ambient noises are 20 to 35 dBA below the music and essentially inaudible (sirens being much louder than typical ambient noise can still be audible depending upon the chosen sound level of the music).

With music playing in IEM's, you are not going to hear the click of something stuck in your tire for the car beside you hitting the brakes or the gas hard. I am not saying it's impossible to ride, I am just saying you have almost eliminated the usefulness of one of your senses while riding.
 
You underestimate your ears.
Music is not continuous and - it's the steady whitenoise sound at higher motorcycle speeds that kill your hearing both short term and long term.

IF you can hear a faint click from the bike tire then you do not have enough ear protection to ride above 40kph.
Now there are applications that use your phone mike to hear ambient noises and lets you set thresholds but bottom line getting the ambient level to a comfortable 60-70 db at 100 kph lets yours ears relax enough to pick out lower level sounds and still listen to music at decent levels.

Think of sitting in your living room with music playing and you still can easily hear a siren going by. That's where attenuating earplugs or earphones set you up.

100 kph is 90-100 dB ambient. Knocking it down 25-20 dB puts you in a good zone and safe zone for your ears. If you are listening to compressed heavy metal at high volumes of course you are limiting your ambient hearing but then that occurs with or without hearing protection as you are doing the same damage as riding without ear plugs.

A relaxed rider not fatigued from high ambient noise levels is far more alert.

Pilots, Noise Fatigue and Tinnitus: The Importance of Protecting Your ...
https://patch.com/.../pilots-noise-fatigue-tinnitus-importance-protecting-your-ears-0
Mar 1, 2016 - Danbury, CT - Noise fatigue is a huge problem for all pilots, flight ... to loud sounds is 90 dB for up to eight hours, or 100 dB for up to two hours.
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there is a huge issue for pilots and nothing like fatigue to get you in trouble. I was tired from 120 km of off pavement the other day and a bit shaky so rather than tightrope the log bridge and ride across the uneven surface I paddled most of it.
If I was fresh would not have been an issue.

Noise is one of the main issues with long distance air flight tho planes like the A380 and the Boeing 787 ( Dreamliner ) are pretty damn quiet already while others are up in teh 90 db level in the cabin and that's both damaging and fatiguing.
My earphones or earplugs are always in use - often even when I sleep.
 
Folks. Earphones with rubber or foam tips are junk. They don't block sufficient wind and engine noise. Most likely you will turn up the volume just to overcome the noise. The proper solution is professionally fitted custom earphones. I purchased a pair years ago from a vendor at the winter MC show at exhibition place. These work great. Noise is vastly reduced. As a result, I was able to reduce the music's volume substantially. With the tighter fitting earphone, bass is also enhanced. The ones I purchased are made by Sennheiser, a quality brand with good sound. I am not sure what is available these days. I have tried various earbuds, one with active noise reduction. Nothing comes close to custom fit for noise reduction. They can be made with either soft silicone, or hard plastic. Hard plastic is much more durable and lasts forever, but maybe not quite as comfortable. I kept destroying the soft molds and had to switch to the hard plastic. Link to the vendor below. I have no affiliation with them, just a happy customer. Save your hearing. Going deaf isn't fun.

http://nulifehearing.com/audio-communication/audio-music/
 
I used to ride with earphones in but once I got an intercom system set up with proper speaker placement it was so much nicer to put comfy earplugs in to dull the road and air noise and still listen to music without any dangling wires or strange phonics from cable movement. I hear my music just fine even with Howard Leight 32 db earplugs in. The key is correct speaker placement in the helmet. Even just a few mm off makes a massive difference.
 
Blacque Jacque Shellacque said:
Folks. Earphones with rubber or foam tips are junk. They don't block sufficient wind and engine noise.
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False. If you find tips that fit you properly they work well (ER4's with foam are 32 NRR). Obviously you couldn't find tips that worked for you and resorted to custom molds. Why do people insist on using their own personal experiences to call everything else junk?
 
GreyGhost said:
Why do people insist on using their own personal experiences to call everything else junk?
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Because my experience worked well for me, therefore yours must be invalid.

Macdoc - those Panasonic's seemed good, but just no inline control. I don't care about having a mic inline, but need the ability to quickly shut off the music if I need to talk to someone or take a call via the bluetooth headset.

JC - I agree that speaker placement makes a huge difference and I forgot that I have some velcro cushions which can help get them closer to my ears. As they currently sit, I can hear the music, but not the finer details. Riding for long stretches means that the most comfortable thing in my ears is the foam type earplugs, so it's definitely worth seeing how I can improve that. Not to mention that I barely use my Scala G9, so I might as well get some use out of it.
 
GreyGhost said:
False. If you find tips that fit you properly they work well (ER4's with foam are 32 NRR). Obviously you couldn't find tips that worked for you and resorted to custom molds. Why do people insist on using their own personal experiences to call everything else junk?
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because the thing that worked for me is the best thing to use, ever!

The etyomics are imo the best you can get for the price, nothing else can really compete that I have seen\heard about.

The other common name tossed around is the shure 2's, I had a pair and sold them pretty fast because to me they were a step backwards compared to the Etyomic's they were bulkier and sat much farther outside my ear, I could not get them to sit comfortably under a helmet, others claim they have no issues at all. I had great success with Westone products and fitting under my helmet, I am currently using a pair of theirs now that I've had for a few years (now they are custom's) they seemed to be less bulky than the shure's to me.

If I were starting from scratch I think id want someone to tell me, "if you are planning on keeping them for years, make sure the cord is detachable and make sure they are as low profile as you can get"

For stopping music I've now switched to using a Satechi bluetooth media button, its awesome.
 
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jc100 said:
I used to ride with earphones in but once I got an intercom system set up with proper speaker placement it was so much nicer to put comfy earplugs in to dull the road and air noise and still listen to music without any dangling wires or strange phonics from cable movement. I hear my music just fine even with Howard Leight 32 db earplugs in. The key is correct speaker placement in the helmet. Even just a few mm off makes a massive difference.
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I agree. Once I went with a built in bluetooth system there was no going back. I did not even like listening to music through earphones while riding before. If the earphone moved a bit it was super annoying trying to fix it while riding. Any helmet I buy now has bluetooth with speakers and microphone. Great setup, play my music from my nav or I could have it set to stream right from my phone, but I prefer the nav as I can control it while riding through the bikes controls. Helmets with this are more expensive, but worth it in my opinion. I have a Schuberth C3 Pro and a Nexx XD1.
 
Macdoc - those Panasonic's seemed good, but just no inline control. I don't care about having a mic inline, but need the ability to quickly shut off the music if I need to talk to someone or take a call via the bluetooth headset.
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doesn't your system overide the music anyways? Most you can set priority so when a call comes in the music goes away ....same as with Nav voice instructions...
I use to have inline switch but found it more annoyance than good use with gloves on.


JC - I agree that speaker placement makes a huge difference and I forgot that I have some velcro cushions which can help get them closer to my ears. As they currently sit, I can hear the music, but not the finer details. Riding for long stretches means that the most comfortable thing in my ears is the foam type earplugs, so it's definitely worth seeing how I can improve that. Not to
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exactly ....music needs to be worth listening to ...not muffled ....in helmet speakers are optimized for penetration of voice

Next time you think your in helmet speakers are okay ....listen to the same piece with decent earphones ....

If you are ONLY using in helmet speakers then your hearing is at risk from wind noise.
This is not rocket science guys....no seal, no bass
.....only inserted earphones will give you bass, detail and attenuation.

I used to ride with earphones in but once I got an intercom system set up with proper speaker placement it was so much nicer to put comfy earplugs in to dull the road and air noise and still listen to music without any dangling wires or strange phonics from cable movement. I hear my music just fine even with Howard Leight 32 db earplugs in. The key is correct speaker placement in the helmet. Even just a few mm off makes a massive difference.
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I do that as well and it works very well with talking books but the music is pretty dull
I also use the Howard Leigh and crank the SENA 20s up. Aside from losing music detail it's a very nice set up.

•••

BTW Shane a super thin buff works equally well as a Balaclava

how-to-wear-a-buff.jpg
amongst other uses and makes helmet over earphones equally easy.

They are lots stretchy enough to go over hair and ears and still tuck underchin as they are so thin.

Lycra-Balaclava-Mascarilla-facial-Ultra-Thin-Bici-de-La-Motocicleta-A-Prueba-de-Viento-Máscara-Ciclismo.jpg


and so easy to wash to keep helmet funk at bay.
 
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It took me a long time to get the speakers just right in the helmet but the music isn't dull or muffled (that much) anymore with the 32db plugs in. Don't get me wrong, I love my music and have some pretty good house stereo speakers and headphones but comfort is #1 followed by fidelity on the bike. I'd be interested to see how the Bose noise cancelling earphones behave though. I read reviews and I think there are some annoying pops etc on the bike.
 
jc100 said:
It took me a long time to get the speakers just right in the helmet but the music isn't dull or muffled (that much) anymore with the 32db plugs in. Don't get me wrong, I love my music and have some pretty good house stereo speakers and headphones but comfort is #1 followed by fidelity on the bike. I'd be interested to see how the Bose noise cancelling earphones behave though. I read reviews and I think there are some annoying pops etc on the bike.
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My music sounds great in my Schuberth and my Nexx, even when wearing ear plugs which I do all the time. Clear and good sound and the music automatically gets louder or quieter depending on my speed. Sure in ear will be better, but the music is far far far from terrible for both music and spoken word.
 
wonderings said:
My music sounds great in my Schuberth and my Nexx, even when wearing ear plugs which I do all the time. Clear and good sound and the music automatically gets louder or quieter depending on my speed. Sure in ear will be better, but the music is far far far from terrible for both music and spoken word.
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I'm about to put some cash down to get one of those two helmets very soon. How do you find the Nexx? Do you wear it more or less than the C3pro?
 
jc100 said:
I'm about to put some cash down to get one of those two helmets very soon. How do you find the Nexx? Do you wear it more or less than the C3pro?
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I go back and forth between the two. NEXX is definitely around town helmet, not something I would tour with, but that is mainly because the C3 Pro is so comfortable. I like having a beak for riding in town, especially to work as I ride directly into the sun. C3 Pro has a better comm system for music, it automatically lowers and raises volume of music based on speed, something I wish the NEXX system did. Both sound great, C3 is slightly better, but prefer the button layout of the NEXX. Both great helmets and would recommend either of them.
 
I currently use apple earbuds with earhoox(https://earhoox.com/). The hook part holds it in place and the plastic around the buds give a good enough seal to block out most of the wind noise even with no music on.

I've been searching like crazy to find a decent pair of bluetooth headphones since my phone usually doing some S&M strapped into my ram mounts X-Grip. Finally, found an indiegogo project for a motorcycle specific headphones that I am backing - Slimbuds (https://igg.me/at/slimbuds/x/15466872). They are promoting it more a pair a headphones that will fit under any helmet but I think their selling point should be more about the additional features like the handlebar mounted controls and accompanying app. Kinda pricy but if it says what it does then I think they will make a killing. They are already funded 250% over their asking. I really like the handlebar controls - small, none obtrusive, easy mounting, can run it of USB.

Until that comes through I'm going to try making custom fitted headphones out of moldable earplugs and the earbuds.
 
I sorted my SENA 20 out so will try with BT and audio book. Just tried it with the Howard Leight earplugs in ...sounds "okay" on music but suspect will not have the volume when riding. Audio book was fine. Will see on a ride up to the Forks.

Hmmmph - tempting to try tonight ..14 and no rain ...
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