I ride with ear plugs, but I'm looking for a way to still listen to audio while riding. I'm looking for opinions and options on if people think I'll be able to actually hear the audio using in-helmet speakers. My reasoning is that ear plugs generally work by muffling or blocking noises above 80db, so while I may have to turn up the speakers, I should still be able to hear them.
What's your take on this?
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=25372.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=25372.0)
Some people actually get better performance out of helmet speakers with ear plugs in. This happens by having the ear plugs sticking out a little and touching the speakers. This will channel the sound from the speakers straight into your ears.
Okay, that's cool. Thanks for the link.
I'd suggest going with some nice noise canceling ear plug type headphones. They block outside noise really well and you don't have to crank the volume up to hear the tunes, keeping your hearing intact.
I thought about that as well, but they'd need to be fairly flush to the ear canal. I've had problems with ear buds getting knocked out when putting the helmet on.
Couple things for that.
1. Pull the straps as far out as possible when putting on the helmet. It'll help pull the pads away from your ears.
2. Pop your ears as you put in the buds. It'll allow you to get them in farther. Kinda like how when you yawn with ear buds your ears open a bit and buds tend to fall out.
3. Try wrapping the wire around your ear. This will give you some slack to pull up before the ear bud starts getting pulled.
If you're up for a bit of do-it-yourself, you might consider earfuze (http://www.earfuze.com).
Basically, a decent set of earbuds and some mix-n-mold gel that lets you make a custom set of earbuds. If you get the gel molded relatively flat when you make them, you can put them in and putting your helmet on won't dislodge them.
Not the greatest fidelity when compared with, say, Etymotics ER4P. But, you're on a bike anyway so fidelity is a somewhat moot point. Earfuze runs about $50, which is a lot less than custom in-ear speakers that start at $300 or so and go as high as you care to go. No financial interest for me, just a reasonable solution at a reasonable price point.
i use custom ear plugs by Westone, any ear nose throat doc should have a similar company they use to make in ear molds for you. Cost about $150, and you can change the db filters to suit your needs. This lets you capture the full range of frequencies available to your ear. This means a lower volume of engine noise (beautiful music), sirens, decreased wind noise, helmet speakers, passing traffic......etc. i prefer this method with helmet speakers, to me it is similar to driving in a car with the stereo on, where as ear buds block too much important noise IMO. Plus, after a half hour my ears hurt from the ear buds, and i have decent sennheisers and have tried all of the fancy foam and rubber bud covers for the inner ear.
As a follow-up, I found some excellent information here:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289280 (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289280)