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Helmet audio blows!

P

Peter Downing

Guest
I purchased a used bike w/a J&M radio and Zumo linked to an ARAI helmet. The audio quality in the helmet is terrible but, no fear, it didn't fit and needed a new one anyway. I purchased a NOLAN from J&M w/ the best set up they have and the quality is terrible in a different way! One has no high-end and the other is ALL high-end. Anyone know how to EQ these things or know of a better headset?
 
you might want to consider in ear speakers or earplug speakers. I have a pair ER-6i earplug speakers and the sound is fantastic as is the sound reduction from wind and road noise.
 
Hmmm. I like the Sena..

system. Almost audiophile sound quality - and I wear regular earplugs to cancel the wind/road noise.:clap
 
I had a Nolan (N-103)... it was so bad on the audio, I went to iPlugz custom molded in ear setups. The in-ears were great, but could create pressure spots over time, and my main complaint was that the wire would catch on my suit or bike, mainly at in opportune times and tug -- sometimes uncomfortably, sometimes semi-dangerously, but often would unseat my earplug from where I wanted, and then I was f-ing with my helmet while riding one handed... not good.

I now have a Schuberth C3 with their add-on SRC bluetooth kit. It is bar far the best solution I have heard. The audio quality is great, the volume level is never anywhere near its max capabilities, it auto adjusts for speed, and is very comfortable. The thing I have learned in this, though, is that while the source providing the sound is important, the helmet is equally or more important. If the helmet is noisy, especially at riding speeds, the upper end noise will just be cut out period -- the speaker may be playing it, but you wont hear it over high freq howl -- the Nolan was notoriously bad in this regard.
 
Ear plugs no audio, no GPS, No distractions.

487,000 miles on a 1977 R100RS pulling a Bushtec Trailer

Wife & I travel with hand signals & new program called a MAP
 
chowda head

Tom I don't understand your reply...and scrod is a term for a smaller fish i.e, scrod cod, scrod haddock...remember haddock?
 
Well Said!

Darryl!
I wish the bike had none of this garbage on it when I purchased it, but it does. You're absolutely right. I've already noticed my focus waning while futzing w/ doohickies.
"Safety FIrst"!
Thanks to all for the suggestions.
 
I personally like music when I ride. Keeps me focused. The speakers from my Scala Rider set suck. I just cut them off & wired in a plug. I'm going to try molded plugs first... I have an ARAI helmet . Haven't ridden with it yet though, just upgraded from a Scorpion...
 
I have J&M Headsets in 3 Helmets. they sound good to me. The only thing I've noticed is that they don't have much base.
 
Tom I don't understand your reply...and scrod is a term for a smaller fish i.e, scrod cod, scrod haddock...remember haddock?


+1 means you agree. And to whomever said "audiophile" in reference to motorcycle audio -- naw, not a chance.

Haddock? Go to David's Fish Market on Rte. 1 in Salisbury, MA. Freshest fish you can buy short of catching it yourself. Best haddock I ever ate the week before Christmas (or any other week).

Scrod (from Wikipedia)

Scrod (also schrod) is a young (2.5 lb/1.1 kg or less) cod or, less frequently, haddock, split and boned. It is a staple in many coastal New England and Atlantic Canada seafood and fish markets.

A popular acronym used in New England area for scrod is "Seamans Catch Received on Deck", which implies whatever type of "whitefish" caught that day would be used universally for cooking. A dubious folk etymology holds that the term comes from the acronym "Small Cod Remaining On Dock", but it more likely comes from the obsolete Dutch schrood, piece cut off,[1][2] or from scrawed, from Cornish dialect.[3]

Scrawing was a method for preparing a fish for cooking by splitting it open, drying it in the sun and/or salting it overnight to remove moisture, and then broiling it when dry. Cooking a young cod or the split tail of a large cod, with the same preparation method as scrawing, have been labeled as "scrod" in a cook book published as early as 1851.[4] A fisherman friend of Daniel Webster is described as having greatly enjoyed scrawed cod for breakfast during his life.[5]
 
I have a Zumo to J&M amp to J&M piped in Arai helmet and it sounds fine. The Arai Profile which I bought from J&M is listed as a quiet helmet but it still has to compete with wind noise. I wear ear plugs so that dims the experience a bit.
 
I have nothing to compare since I've only used Autocom, but their system and their in-helmet headphones are awesome. People also swear by the in ear buds which I'm sure work great. I like putting on my helmet with nothing to futz with so I'm used to the built in head phones.

It's counter intuitive, but you definitely want use earplugs for sure. Not only for listening to audio, but for a million good reasons just for riding. Everyone has different ears and preferences, but disposable foam ones with a 32+ db reduction are the best if you know how to properly use.

I buy in bulk at the Earplug Store. http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/foearplinlaq.html?_s_icmp=HOMEBAR1_IND_FOAM_PLUGS Two favorites are the Howard Lights if you like the softer foam and my personal favorite is made by Moldex and is the official earplug for Nascar called "Spark Plugs" of all things.

PM me and I'll be happy to mail you samples.
 
I'm considering the SRC system for my C3. Does those round "earplug-speakers" work OK?
73043

In my opinion they work very well.. there is a carved out a spot in the foam underneath the velvet cover for them to be velcroed in... as I said before, I usually keep them in about the mid volume range (they can go way louder than I would want), and I do daily slab riding at about 70-80mph. They work much better than the ones in the nolan, and when looking at them it appears that it the speaker drivers are abit bigger than those in the little in-ear speakers.

The other nice thing about SRC on the C3 is the horsecollar built in controls and battery.. very comfortable and streamlined (and patented so no others will have this for a while). It has dual channel bluetooth (something others dont) so you can listen to music and get bike to bike autocom, etc. When you get a phone call its completely hands-free... it rings in your headset and you just say hello (or any other noise) and the mic picks this up as acknowledgement to answer the phone call. Finally, the charging wire is also a USB and comes with an adapter to direct wire plug in any audio source into the helmet as well. You can toggle between bluetooth, direct wire, and radio.

hope this helps.
 
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J&m

Just got off the phone w/ Charlie from J&M (he rides a '96 RT!) and he's happy to give me full refund on the Nolan. I'll take a trip to 'WIng Stuff' in Orange County and demo the Arai helmets which he believes are better suited for their 629 series headset. Also going to try using foamies in combo w/ helmet headset it just makes sense.
 
I have a Zuno 665 XM, MP3 equipped, also paired to a blackberry storm.

I ride with a Shoei RF-1100 with J & M HS-Blu277edr-FF their premium Blutooth Stereo speakers (deeper/thicker speaker drivers) and in helmet mic (not a boom)

I also use earplugs: Earsoft- Grippers

the J & M sound is outstanding. Absolutley no complaints. All I can say is good stuff about the J & M speakers. They are that good!

I played music professioanlly most of my life (Trumpet player) and have 2 extremely good (and expensive) sound systems at home. I still play and prractice daily and have spent a bit of time in professional recording studios.
 
Sena system. Almost audiophile sound quality - and I wear regular earplugs to cancel the wind/road noise.:clap

Hearing is subjective and people have diffrent definitions of "audiophile".

Start with good custom ear buds.

Throw J&M stuff away.

Plug the ear buds straight into your iPod. World of diffrence.

If you want multiple devices, use an Autocom it sounds almost as good as the source audio. A little tinny on the highs, but remember you loose the high end of your hearing with age so your mileage will very.
 
With SWMBO riding pillion, I think it's safer at times to have audio with her. In traffic or trying to find an address, it's nice to have a second pair of eyes doing the looking so I can focus on the driving. When the road turns boring, it's nice to have the occasional conversation. She's ridden herself and understands when I tell her that I need to focus on the road.
 
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