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Ear buds in a helmet?

D

danpaddles

New member
Has anyone tried using Bluetooth earbuds inside a helmet? I am too cheap to pop for the Sena stuff, but on some trips, it would be nice to listen to some tunes. Most buds look like they will never stay put inside the helmet, let alone while you pull the helmet on. They do offer some active noise cancelling, as a plus.

TIA-

-Dan
 
Find ones with the least amount sticking out of your ears. Get something to put on your head, the unicorn free neck tube BMW sent last year works well ( never got but have a couple from before) or a nylon beanie and make sure it goes over your ears. I use it to keep my ears from folding over when I put my helmet on. and I sweat a bit. Keeps helmet liner much cleaner
 
Earbuds and helmets

I solved this with these:

Shure SE-215 in-ear noise isolating earbuds: https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE215-...F8&qid=1503627174&sr=8-4&keywords=shure+se215

Turn those or any other ear-buds into bluetooth buds with: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X3TRNG6/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I do this under my full face Shoei RF-1100 helmet.

It works great, for the most part. They're a little fiddly to get in place right. When you pull the helmet on it can drag the earbuds out of your ears unless you sort of hold them in place. You can make it work.

I admit I'm on the lookout for smaller form facter buds, but the Shures work and get high ratings on this subject. Check out the site http://head-fi.org for reviews.
 
If you don't get ear speakers made from a mold of your ear canal, whatever off the shelf earbuds you choose will become uncomfortable/unbearable on an all day ride. I never ride without mine. Too much wind noise above 40 mph.
 
good ideas

good ideas, thanks, will look some more. I know they may be illegal, but so is driving over the speed limit! I'm not thinking so much for around town use, but on the interstate.

-Dan
 
flymymbz said:
Stupidest law ever. I ride with them all time. Been pulled wearing them. Never been an issue.
Click to expand...

It makes sense for bikes, but scares the crap out of me when I see someone doing it in a car.

shutterstock_548248414.jpg
 
I used JVC noise-isolating earbuds in my helmet for about 7-8 years while commuting in Seattle traffic. You'll want a "noise-isolating" earbud because you need to cut down on the level of wind and traffic noise around you. Otherwise, you are boosting the sound volume up to overcome the wind and traffic noise...which is already at a loud enough level to cause permanent hearing loss. The JVC earbuds I used were good enough that I could set the volume at something comfortable to hear in my house before leaving, and not need to turn the volume up louder on the road. You won't get high fidelity sound...but for that you should be sitting in your living room, and not riding on the road.

The rubber flanges on the earbud will also hold the earbud in place in your ears.

The cost on mine wasn't high either. I paid around $22 for them.

Chris
 
I used custom earplugs (from Big Ear) and blasted through them with an Autocom system. When I switched to Bluetooth comms (Sena 20S), I tried the "blast through" approach for a while. It worked OK, but I ended up settling on a set of Shure SE-215s plugged into the 20S. It's a labor of love getting all plugged in, but it works. The SE-215d provide just enough sound suppression for all the wind/road noise, but still deliver great audio. YMMV.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Fasterling said:
I used custom earplugs (from Big Ear) and blasted through them with an Autocom system. When I switched to Bluetooth comms (Sena 20S), I tried the "blast through" approach for a while. It worked OK, but I ended up settling on a set of Shure SE-215s plugged into the 20S. It's a labor of love getting all plugged in, but it works. The SE-215d provide just enough sound suppression for all the wind/road noise, but still deliver great audio. YMMV.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

+1 and the Shure 215's. I wouldn't call it labor of love as much as a pain in the arse, but they do provide a reasonable amount of isolation, great comfort, and excellent sound. I'd recommend getting a dozen of the "Christmas tree" style earplugs, very easy to insert but I only get about a month of use out of them before they start to get bent up and no longer fit well. I'm not a fan of the expanding foam plugs - too hard to clean.

Ski
 
Go cheap

I bought a repair patch connector from BMW for the rear speaker outlet hidden on the steering column of my 2103 R1200RT and wired a simple stereo jack to it. I bought a cheap ear bud type extension cord and cut the end off. I laid the wire over my tank under the stock tank bag rail. I use cheap earbuds plugged into the extension cord and fade my speakers to the rear. Get the cheap ear buds with the little mushroom rubber ends. works great, blocks wind noise, in a full face Shoei and you can blow your brains out because they are a lower ohms than regular speakers.

The custom molded ear plugs are a waste of money. Buy a good full face helmet like a Shoei, not one of those noisy flipup POS.

Premium safety and excellent sound. Keep It Simple and don't over think it.

Oh ya, wearing a bellaclave over your ear buds (head) under your helmet deadens even more wind noise and improves the sound.

All the fun stuff is illegal, you decide, I like my music.
 
Ear buds

I use the "S-plug" with a Bluetooth TX/RX unit and they work great. Not cheap but not overly expensive either. You can look them up on the internet.
 
Klipsch X11i

As a pro pilot I work hard to protect what's left of my hearing. I have always used hearing protection in my helmet as the wind noise is well above hearing damage whenever you get above 60 mph. Riding in a 20 mph headwind at highway speeds puts you at 90 plus for noise.

I have used Klipsch X11i for years because they completely isolate the outside noise similar to ear plugs and they have a very, very small drivers that I can wear all day. My wife and I use Sena helmet comms with excellent readability with hearing protection in. Also, the sound quality is amazing!

Just my two cents

dp
 
Good morning. I have just ordered one of the ISOtunes Pro ear buds, which provide provide ANSI-certified 27 dB Noise Reduction Rating (NRR), as well as Bluetooth connectivity for receiving phone calls and listening to music. I normally ride with foam earplugs to protect my hearing. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this brand. Should they prove to be uncomfortable, or fiddly to work with, they will most defiantly come in handy while working in my woodshop at home. Here is a link to describe the features... https://isotunesaudio.com/products/isotunes-pro

Cheers
 
NAV VI and Blue Tooth Buds?

I think I already know the answer but want to verify it with those who really know. If I want to use wireless ear buds SOLELY so that I can hear navigation directions from a NAV VI, is this pairing possible? I've no interest in music, intercom, etc., and so SENA 20, et. al., would overkill. (I like paper maps in a tank bag window, but sometimes GPS Nav units can tell you about traffic/accidents in time to plot alternate routes. I have an 8-yr-old portable Garmin I use for this in the car, but it is not Bluetooth-capable and obviously won't interface with a R1200 GSA whiz-wheel.) Thanks.
 
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