helmet speakers

Just spent $70 for some helmet speakers. They are uncomfortable and
the sound is crap. Not happy. Still, I'll be able to hear my GPS
telling me where to go. Might revert to my sports earphones. They are
uncomfortable too, but at least the sound quality is good.

 

They've probably been mentioned here before, and they're not cheap, but
Earmold headphones (I'm pretty sure they advertise in all the bike
mags), are the beez neez. Professional molded earplugs which fit your
ears perfectly, with a small plastic tubes running through it which
carry the sound from some tiny speakers and wired to a standard 3.5mm
plug.

I can set the volume to a comfortable level in a quiet room, then get on
my bike and ride down the freeway with a noisy helmet and noisy bike and
not need to adjust the volume to compensate for the extra external
noise. And because they're molded to your ears they don't get
uncomfortable. I have on a number of occasions worn them for 12-15
hours a day while riding. Not only do they let you hear what you're
trying to listen to, at a reasonable volume, but they also reduce
fatigue because you're not listening to wind/helmet/engine/exhaust noise
all day, nor are you straining to hear whatever it is you want to hear
over the top of that noise.

I've had my set for 3 years and in that time used them for about
60,000km and still going fine. From memory they were $200 3 years ago,
and I think $220 18 months ago when Jo got a set, so probably in the
$240-250 range now. Money I consider very well spent.

Nev..

 

What sort did you buy?

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:54:07 +1100

THe sound quality is pretty average though, as the sound goes through
long hollow tubes to get to you. THe difference between them and a
$90 set of Sony in ear Fontopias is very clear.

However... they are comfortable and they block more sound than even
good in-ear ones.

I am on my 2nd set. The first one broke down within the warranty
period and was replaced without question. The 2nd had a speaker die
again within warranty, again replaced without question. The
replacement electrics are breaking at the plug end, but are out of
warranty When they finally go I'll decide what to do. Probably
cut the plug apart, work out which wires are which, and wire a new
plug.

Yes, despite the problems, I like them one hell of a lot.

If the money's a bit much then you could look at
http://www.diycustomearplugs.com.au/ and mold them around your own
earphones, or something from here
http://www.earplugstore.com/music.html

Zebee

 

http://tinyurl.com/7y5mm4r

 

I use Tooks headband
http://www.tookshats.com/product_page.htm

 

I used Koss's "The Plug" earphones for a couple of years with great success;
they have a pliable "tacky" plug which moulds to your ear much like
noiseproofing (OH&S) earplugs do. You give them a firm twist to compress
them, insert them into your ears, and over the course of 5-10 seconds they
expand to fill your auditory canal completely.

I eventually switched over to a Cardo II system (which comes with its own
speakers), but the earphones are still a favourite for long rides when I
don't have to worry too much about wayward city traffic (they really _do_
cut out practically all outside noise).

http://www.koss.com/en/products/headphones/earbuds/PLUG__Plug_In-Ear_Headphone

At the time I bought mine, I couldn't find a local distributor/retailer who
carried them; thankfully though Koss themselves were quite happy to sell me
a set directly. I also ordered a half-dozen sets of replacement pads, of
which I only needed to use one set over the two years I used them daily (one
set per year isn't bad).

Sound quality was on par with any high end in-ear earphones I've tried, and
the cable showed no hint of ever getting damaged.

At USD$15 + postage, they're a far sight better value IMO than $200+.

 

The difference six-odd years can make... They're now available more easily
through eBay:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220888668748

 

On 01/07/12 11:49 PM, Bob Milutinovic wrote:


Probably a dumb question, but, if you plug these into a mobile phone
that kinda expects to also have a microphone someplace, what happens?

Do they work, just not letting you answer a call?

Do they stuff up the phone?

regards,
CrazyCam

 

I'd assume it depends on the 'phone, but in more recent years manufacturers
have standardised on a four-pole socket (stereo out + mono in + ground) with
the additional (mono in) pin occupying a slither of the space normally used
for the ground.

The net effect is that plugging a pair of stereo earphones in will (a)
provide stereo audio out (as the pins match) and (b) short the microphone
input to ground, thereby giving no audio input (not even noise), which is
the way it's supposed to be done.

Images for reference:
3-pole plug: http://www.connector.com.sg/catalog_item/634003-0.jpg
4-pole plug:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31uCVtzRChL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

 

On 01/08/12 8:11 AM, Bob Milutinovic wrote:

Is this what the Koss ones do?

BTW, thanks for the quick reply.

It's now coming up for ten years since I was paid to be interested in
all this geeky stuff.

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Tried to order a pair, they don't post to Australia.
You can order on eBay from US and UK sellers for about $25 inc postage.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 7 Jan 2012 23:42:24 +1100

I found that in-ear phones like the Fontopia, and normal earplugs
which are similar in idea to the Koss gave me trouble on long trips.

My ears would itch!

The earmolds don't do that, never an itch with them.

I also have small ear canals, and different size each side. I find it
surprisingly difficult to get good fit with earplugs or in-ear phones.

One problem I do have with earmolds is they block a bit more easily
than other designs. If my ears are waxy from a shower say then I
might find stereo has gone mono until I clear the blockage.

Zebee

 

You're not an ex-Tandy bloke too, are you?! :-O

The Koss earphones have the same standard 3.5mm stereo plug, so yes, they'll
do exactly that job when plugged into a 'phone with a standard 3.5mm socket.

 

Now that you come to mention it, I do remember having a similar problem with
itchiness. I removed the "plug" component of the earplugs, exposing the
narrow 1cm-long (approx) audio tubes, and trimmed them by 2-3mm. That then
made the entire "front end" of the devices more pliable.

 

It was quite a few years ago, and I had to harrass them with several e-mails
before they decided to oblige.

If you hunt around on eBay you should be able to find them for under $20
including postage - either way, not much more than a regular pair of
earphones. And I note now that they include two sets of spare pads in the
pack, something which was an additional extra back when I got them.

 

So, do they pronounce that tooks/hats.com or took/shats.com ?

Nev..

 

Being blessed with very hairy ears due no doubt to my proto-simian
ancestry, I have had constant problems most of my adult life with ear
phones sliding out.

Most recently I rode to Bris-Vegas and having not lived there for some
twenty years, had to rely on GPS to find my way around.

I discovered that the new Samsung Galaxy S2 with the standard Samsung
Earplug/Mike works bloody brilliantly. Could set a destination, toss the
phone in my top pocket, plug the buds in (which go right in the ear
canal) and just ride.

Going to save me a fortune in "Nair"

N/

 

On 01/08/12 10:08 AM, Nigel Allen wrote:

I'm happy that those supplied ear bud thingies work for someone.

I recently got a new phone, a Nokia, with GPS and navigation.

It also came with wee ear bug thingies and a mic/switch thing.

Anyhow, I was trying this arrangement out on the bike.

The buds fitted fine under my helmet, and, while not flash sound the
instructions were understandable at lowish speeds....60 and 70 kph.

All fine so far, then onto the Freeway..... well, at 100 or 110 kph, I
could tell that "she" was saying something, but what..... <shrug> but,
since I knew where I was going, not a problem. The voice instructions
were when I kind of expected them.

Then, I peeled off the expressway, thru Berowra, heading for Pie in the Sky.

Clear instruction to bear left out of Berowra, for the Old Road, then,
silence as I rode thru Cowan.

Now, from Cowan to Pie there are a couple of nice bends, and it's an 80
kph speed limit.

To be honest, I was enjoying the bends, but could keep hearing this
nagging voice, but not well enough to understand the message, so I
slowed down to hear it, but the voice stopped.

Repeat this a couple of times before I twigged that the GPS system was,
indeed, nagging at me.......when I got to 10 kph over the speed limit.

:-(

So, I really need some decent ear bud type things.

regards,
CrazyCam

 

I have a set of block out in-ear sports earphones with clips that go around the
back of the ears. Great for jogging. A bit uncomfortable under the helmet
though, and they have to be held in place or they fall out of the earhole while
putting the helmet on.

The standard earphones with the iPhone drop out too easily. When it happens
wearing a helmet its annoying.

As to the overspeed nag mode, I welcome that at present. I've had a couple of
fines recently and if it goes on I'll run out of points, or money, or both. I
can put up with the nagging till things get back on track.

Of course being a female voice I keep waiting for the sharp intake of breath
when I fail to follow directions, and having it tell me, "fine, ignore me why
don't you, find your own way there!".

So far it hasn't happened, but I keep waiting for it!