Ear Plugs, Headsets, Ear Buds, Noise Cancellation?

[ejether]

Hey all, I'm kinda new to the touring thing and so with most of the riding I've done I've had ear buds in and music, or empty ears wishing I'd remembered to bring ear plugs.

I've seen lots of recommendations for the Sena Bluetooth headsets to connect with my iPhone for music, calls and GPS nav but what about noise? The Sena are just speakers you stick in there, but does noise cancellation prevent hearing damage?

I've found with just ear buds, sometimes I need to turn them up so loud just to hear that I worry about long term noise exposure, but then I also worry about it with the wind noise.

Thanks!

 

[Signal 50]

I use these Comply Comply Foam tips. You order them based on what ear buds you currently have. They are foam tips that replace the tips on your current ear buds. The great thing about them is that you can roll them up just like you would do a standard ear plug. When the foam expands in your ear, it seals your ear. This allows you to keep ambient noise out and music levels at a reasonable volume. I can't say enough good things about them.

 

[MrMogensen]

Hey all, I'm kinda new to the touring thing and so with most of the riding I've done I've had ear buds in and music, or empty ears wishing I'd remembered to bring ear plugs.

I've seen lots of recommendations for the Sena Bluetooth headsets to connect with my iPhone for music, calls and GPS nav but what about noise? The Sena are just speakers you stick in there, but does noise cancellation prevent hearing damage?

I've found with just ear buds, sometimes I need to turn them up so loud just to hear that I worry about long term noise exposure, but then I also worry about it with the wind noise.

Thanks!

A bluetooth set + regular earplugs works just fine.
I have the Interphone F4 bluetooth set in my helmet (more or less similar to Sena). On longer rides (including lots of highway) I mostly use the cheap Plug&Go earplugs from Alpine and they work quite nicely for me. It's a 5x2 set and you can easily use each pair several times before they start to look a little nasty - all depending on how often you wax those ears
They are cheap - try them out before you spend alot of money on customized earplugs and so on.
Those little speakers in the Interphone F4 has pretty poor bass, but with earplugs (at least the foamy Plug/Go ones) it makes the sound seems a bit deeper so that evens it out for me... win/win!

EDIT: SIGNAL 50 mentions the expandable foam - Alpine Plug&Go is the same type!

 

[Downs]

Hey all, I'm kinda new to the touring thing and so with most of the riding I've done I've had ear buds in and music, or empty ears wishing I'd remembered to bring ear plugs.

I've seen lots of recommendations for the Sena Bluetooth headsets to connect with my iPhone for music, calls and GPS nav but what about noise? The Sena are just speakers you stick in there, but does noise cancellation prevent hearing damage?

I've found with just ear buds, sometimes I need to turn them up so loud just to hear that I worry about long term noise exposure, but then I also worry about it with the wind noise.

Thanks!

A headset with "noise cancellation" does nothing to protect your ears if they are not sealed inside of an ear cup kind of like shooting ear muffs.

You can get the SENA baseplate that has no speakers and an outlet for earphones. I've got one on my modular helmet. Works well and with the right earbuds (with foam tips that seal the ear canal) offers almost as much protection as the "Foamy" earplugs.

I use these

BRAND NEW SHURE SE115CL SOUND-ISOLATING EARPHONE on eBay!

When I use my full face with the ear speakers instead of ear buds I wear foamy ear plugs under the helmet and at max volume I can hear everything just fine. I actually have to turn it down a bit when making or receiving phone calls.

 

[rck18]

"How to" - Best custom tips for IEMs ever. IMHO. with pics

Easy way to use standard foam earplugs alone or with inexpensive earbuds.

 

[bdavis8224]

Etymotic Research makes a great product. I've been saving up for a set of ER-4. They have great reviews. BTW, I should mention that I'm a huge Audiophile and look for only the best sound quality. Not only do these completely isolate noise (to almost nothing), they pride themselves in sound quality.

Etymotic Research, Inc. - Earphones

 

[paulie75]

Etymotic Research makes a great product. I've been saving up for a set of ER-4. They have great reviews. BTW, I should mention that I'm a huge Audiophile and look for only the best sound quality. Not only do these completely isolate noise (to almost nothing), they pride themselves in sound quality.

Etymotic Research, Inc. - Earphones

The look cool and the specs are nice, just wondering if they might be too long and will get caught when ya put your helmet on?

 

[gielamonster]

I just bought this device and have been VERY happy with it thus far:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Ericsson-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headset/dp/B003DQ1DCM]Amazon.com: Sony Ericsson Hi-Fi Bluetooth Stereo Headset with FM Radio[/ame]

It's a bluetooth powered audio source. It has a mic for making phone calls and voice commands but I haven't tried that part yet. I guess if I tucked it up inside the front of the helmet that might work. Here are the best features:

• bluetooth pairs with whatever you want, saves 3 sources.
• built in FM radio so you don't have to drain your phone battery on long rides.
• incredibly long battery life. Used it for ~9 hours on the first trip (50% BT and 50% FM radio) and it was only half dead.
• earbuds that come with it are excellent. Better noise reduction than the $100 motorsports ear buds I use for car racing. Fit inside my helmet without any pressure on the ears.

 

[Downs]

A lot of the long distance guys use the Etymotic ER6i. I don't think they make them anymore so they might be hard to find.

 

[texcollect]

I'm in the Sena plus custom earplug camp. I don't want music in my ears so loud that I can't hear traffic etc and my setup just works. I tried all sorts before hand. The best ear phones I came across were http://www.meelec.com/M6_Series_earphones_s/246.htm. They fit pretty well, blocked out the noise, and sounded great. They were also only about $20.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MrMogensen]

Before my earplug + Interphone combo (mentioned above), I had custom molded earplugs. I also bought a set of micro speakers to slot into those...

Sonomax / SonoPCS500

But after one single summer I got tired of it. My experience with speaker+earplug in same unit is that every time something would scratch against the cables the sound of this would canal straight into my inner ear!

And then there was that little detail about connecting my phone...

 

[ejether]

I just bought this device and have been VERY happy with it thus far:

I just got something just like that. I opted for not having the FM radio... My (hopefully) phone will be charging in its cradle.

I'll try the headphones that come with it and see, I expect they will be fine for me, but if not, I will check out the Etymotics, they look nice!

I opted for this because I don't want a big blue tooth plate on the outside of my helmet and I don't anticipate wanting to talk on the phone while riding anytime soon. I prefer to text while riding! :BLAA:

If my girlfriend decides she wants to ride again after her recent wreck, the some communicators might be nice to have. Otherwise, I think I'll be plenty happy with my music and an external control on my lapel.

If not, well, it wasn't that expensive and I'll have a hands free device to walk around and talk to myself on!

 

[Nelly]

There are a dozen threads on this subject, IMHO long term damage to hearing needs to be the first and only consideration.
http://www.ridermagazine.com/motorcycle-gear-buyers-guides/hearing-protection-for-motorcyclists.htm
http://www.600riders.com/forum/safety-equipment/581-ear-plugs-no-ear-plugs-question.html
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/upload/Ride Magazine/Product test pdfs/10 Oct08 Earplugs.pdf
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/helmet-noise.htm
Nelly

 

[DownrangeFuture]

There are a dozen threads on this subject, IMHO long term damage to hearing needs to be the first and only consideration.

Yep, I agree. If you're allowed to have earphones in your state, check out the KOSS "The Plug". It's basically a foamie ear-plug with headphones shoved into it. You actually have to roll it up like earplugs to put it in. And, if you're a good little boy and keep the volume down, you should be able to have "situational awareness" as good as earplugs and speakers, but with hi-fi-ish sound. All for $14.95.

I don't know what the db rating is on them, but they felt about as good as the issued plugs in the military.

 

[ejether]

Yep, I agree. If you're allowed to have earphones in your state, check out the KOSS "The Plug". It's basically a foamie ear-plug with headphones shoved into it. You actually have to roll it up like earplugs to put it in. And, if you're a good little boy and keep the volume down, you should be able to have "situational awareness" as good as earplugs and speakers, but with hi-fi-ish sound. All for $14.95.

I don't know what the db rating is on them, but they felt about as good as the issued plugs in the military.

I had a pair of those a long time ago and blew the speaker out.
I had sealed them in so tight that just taking a drink and swallowing put so much pressure on them that after that I blew out the speaker cone and all I got after that was crackling. They were great when they worked though :-D

I'm hoping the Jabra kit that I got works to isolate the noise well enough.

 

[NorCal FZ6]

I just picked up some Shure 215's. Somewhat expensive for just a pair of headphones.

Do they work? Yes
Do they sound good? Yes
Do they seem over priced? Yes

All in all, I believe you can still get a cheap decent set of noise isolation headphones (earbuds), accompanied by some after market ear foam pieces, if they don't come with them already and they would still be adequate. I wasn't really blown entirely out of the water with the Shure 215s