Speaker Earplugs question

tommcgee said:

Great. Only two more attempts then...

grumble grumble...

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Not neccesarily, find an audiolgist that guarantees his or her work, have them send the impressions to EAR,Inc. who do as well. They'll be right without having to pay for more work. (And probably the first time. Ear, Inc. (InstaMould) is who finally did mine RIGHT, the first time. And their guarantee is great. They've replaced/repaired mine 3 times in the last few years when they malfunctioned (mostly for abusive behavior) for a total of $30.

tourunigo said:

great info. These are just what I've been looking for. However, I really need them for communicating when riding two up and the plug-in part, which seems fine for a standard audio unit, will not work with my 5 pin (?) connector of course. Does anyone know how I can adapt this? Maybe this is something which can be modified by good audio electronics person? Note: my hearing is not the best so when I have the regular helmet based speakers I find over 50 mph unmanagable. So, any suggestions? -Bob

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Once again, let me recommend Ear, Inc. They made comm devices for everyone. From pilots, motor patrolman, race drivers, shooters, etc. The only disclaimer is that if it's a product they are not familiar with, you may have to send it to them for them to make the molds/adaptors. I had to send them my plantronics Discovery BT headset, because they hadn't done one previously.

I've also heard it said that you should wear your helmet while the goo cures in your ears so that it will bear whatever shape your ears assume when scrunched up in the helmet. Just something I've heard; I have no experience with them but it sounds (no pun intended) reasonable.

A couple of others have mentioned Challengers from the Earplug Company (there's a link posted earlier in the thread). I've had them for a couple years now and recommend them. I've worn them on 800+ mile days with no discomfort and the sound (satellite radio and GPS voice) is, if not concert hall quality, plenty good enough for me.

John

tourunigo said:

great info. These are just what I've been looking for. However, I really need them for communicating when riding two up and the plug-in part, which seems fine for a standard audio unit, will not work with my 5 pin (?) connector of course. Does anyone know how I can adapt this? Maybe this is something which can be modified by good audio electronics person? Note: my hearing is not the best so when I have the regular helmet based speakers I find over 50 mph unmanagable. So, any suggestions? -Bob

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I don't have the product name handy but there is a box that you can put in line with your five pin. When the earbuds are also plugged in you get sound in the buds and your helmet mic works.

Unplug the earbuds and the helmet speakers activate. I used this in the IBR with excellent results, every other day I used foam plugs because after 24 hrs without removal they get a little uncomfortable.

FS1 earbuds from Xtrememac with the large foam tips work for me. Nice seal, lots of ambient noise reduction and seriously good music reproduction. I have not seen any posts in this thread about these so here's my .02.

Cool.

Wez

Shure makes in-ear headphones that are awesome under the helmet.

If you don't know, those fancy earphones you see musicians wearing at concerts are usually Shure. The microphones you see on stage are Shure for sure. (Sorry - couldn't resist typing that)

Shure knows a bit about high quality audio. While the earphones cost more than my iPod, they are a worthwhile investment.

Here's a link to the web page for the earphones I use:
http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/Products/Earphones/ESeries/us_pa_E4c_content

They come with an assortment of different adapters to fit different shapes/sizes of ear canals. You can also get them made with custom ear molds.

As always, just my $.02 worth - YMMV

I had a pair made in Burlington also made by Big Ear and I have used them on my R75, R1100RT and R1200RT.. I have to keep the volume well below 1/3 or it blows my ears out and they are great at keeping outside noise down. I also have a pair of the non speaker type and they are real quiet also.


"Whats on your Odometer?"

1975 R75/6
2006 Red R1200RT (with a tag on the way that says RDALRT)

+1 on the shure e3c earphones. These things sound great, seal out noise extremely well, fit well under my helmet and are all day comfortable. They are a bit pricey at a retail of $199, but can be bought on e-bay for around $135. I have found that the yellow foam plugs give the best sound isolation and best bass response.
I use an i-pod nano2 with a sports cover that fits over the gas cap tab on the RT, the sound quality with this set up is wonderful.

Sounds like they are made wrong. I have "deep" canals so I kind of know what you are experiencing. It took a few molds to get the product to produce the right fit. I however went back to the foam ear plugs as I end up breaking and damaging and losing and forgetting and other wise doing something bad to the expensive plugs.

Remember everyones ear is different which is why the Shure Brothers include all the extra ends for their products. What is interesting is that on my Shure stuff, I use a different size on my left ear as my right ear.

I also recommend the Etymotics they are really good and fairly accurate. However I have been really impressed by the Harman solutions (Full disclosure - I work for a Harman company) The pro versions are the IP-2l or the JBL Reference 220 which are the consumer version. Do not believe the list prices.

Thanks

Burnszilla said:

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6i.aspx
find them cheap with www.froogle.com

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Thanks for the tip on these earplug/speakers. I ordered a pair and they work extremely well. I am beginning my third season of riding and for the first time, I can actually hear music. Thanks again Burnszilla.