I see a lot of people talking about wearing headphones or earbuds under their helmet to cut down on wind noise.
Are these headphones/earbuds that you listen to music through? Or, are they just your basic noise blocking ear plug without a cord and music playing abilities?

I've done both.

I ride with regular noise-lessening ear plugs pretty much all the time to cut wind noise. If I don't, my ears ring and my head feels buzzy for a while after I get off the bike.

A couple of times when making long trips I've run with ear buds in. I use the ones with the little plastic cup that fits in your ear canal. Even when there's no music playing, they block out a fair bit of the wind noise. Not as good as regular ear plugs, of course, but it's better than nothing. I try not to turn the music up super-loud because that would just defeat the purpose of blocking out wind noise.

It's also a good idea to prune your playlists so you're not tempted to screw with the music while you're riding.

Lots of good info HERE.

i wear Howard Leight Orange ones, they are the highest grade ones 33dB. but they are fairly large. To note, not everyone gets the full dB reduction due to differences in ear canals. They might not even fit you, in that case you are better off wit ha smaller 28dB plug due to fitment.

On my last trip i ran skullcandys with comply foam tips. they require to warming up to body temp to work, but they make my ear canal sweat and they go bad very quickly in comparision to earplugs. They also feel like shit cause they are not comfortable inside the helmet. but they do block much more noise than the plastic squeegy thingy.

I've used headphones, but like buckethead suggested, you should use the ones that go into your ear canal. If you use those that go over your ear, you would have to raise the volume to compensate for the wind noise.

I have been using these cheap JVC ear phones and love them. I saw a review somewhere that pointed out that the tips are foam and that they are very good a blocking outside noise. I have to agree I did a couple trips where I was on big highways like the jersey turnpike for hours with cored pipes and a open airbox. I never had to raise the volume to hear my music.

Best part was they cost under 20 bucks and have lasted a couple months at this point.

http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/jvc-marshmallow-headphones-red/4505-7877_7-33705422.html

FWIW, in many/most states it's illegal to wear stereo (two) in/over ear headphones while operating a motor vehicle. Some states like MD even have it written so it applies to ear plugs

Discussion here:
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=44363.0

But mostly it applies to noise makers. So be aware that using headphones could net you a ticket.

But, you are allowed to use speakers. There's lots of sets of speakers made to be used inside a helmet. So if you want sound and no tickets, you might look that way

Quote from: Sad Panda on June 09, 2011, 10:48:34 AM
FWIW, in many/most states it's illegal to wear stereo (two) in/over ear headphones while operating a motor vehicle. Some states like MD even have it written so it applies to ear plugs

I just take my chances with earplugs and quickly pull them into my jacket if I ever get pulled over, or drop them in my helmet.  Anyways, I hear traffic noise (horns, cars coming up beside me, etc...) pretty well with them in because the "ambient" wind noise is reduced.

The only downside I have with headphones is the volume on some tracks is significantly louder/quieter than others, and it makes me want to play with the ipod while riding. That's not safe. Good playlist management is an absolute must if you're going to run headphones.

I use these Bose headphones.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A4096635&~ck=baynoteSearch&baynote_bnrank=0&baynote_irrank=0

They are by far the most comfortable headphones. Especially under the helmet. The ones that stick in your ear canal bother me, and these feel like there isnt anything there. Not that great at noise blocking, but I like to hear the car coming at me anyway. For very long rides, I use ear plugs.

I got a set of the EarFuze Custom Headphones.  I plug them into a cheapo MP3 player anytime I'm going to be on the highway for long stretches.  They were very easy to mold and stay seated when I slide the helmet on, which was my main issue with typical off-the-shelf earbuds.  They do a decent job of killing wind howl when the MP3 isn't playing, but I don't know the db reduction range when they are not playing music.  The longest I've had them in at one stretch was about two and a half hours, and they weren't any less comfortable than regular foam earplugs.  I'm pretty happy with them.

I think I spent about $25, and i've gotten a ton of use out of them.  I use them when I run the lawn mower or weed whacker under a set of Lowe's Mickey Mouse-style earmuff hearing protection.  I can hear the music, but not the mower or trimmer.  Or wife.

ive been using skullcandy ear buds w/mic for about 2 years  now. my 848 has cored pipes and is pretty loud. ive tried about 8 different brands and types of ear phones and the buds always seem to fit the best under the helmet and stay there even after a 2 hour ride. also i use my android phone rather then the mp3 play last time i was pulled over i told the cop the earbuds reduce wind and road noise
and and when i get a phone call they work for my hands free app as well. he said as long as im not listening to music its ok... not sure the difference but no ticket is no ticket.

I did this, they work pretty good.  They block a good amount of noise and stay put for hours.

http://makeprojects.com/Project/Custom-Fit-Earbuds/199/1