Earplugs

redxxrdr · 03-29-2008, 9:46 AM

Full face Shoei here and disposable plugs. I keep a few packages under the seat.
I seem to hear road and traffic noise well with them in. And I hear conversations after the ride MUCH better.

SturgisNative · 03-29-2008, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdmanxx

I am wary of playing music while riding for various reasons - including concentration and legality.

Question: Do you listen to music when driving your car? I'd say you're more insulated from the noise of the world in a modern sedan/truck than you are in a helmet even with earplugs and headphones. Mind you, I don't blast my tunes, but they're enough to hear music over the noise.

Birdmanxx · 03-29-2008, 11:55 PM

Fair point, I do listen to music in a cage, but I have good control of the volume. I don't have gloves on.

I don't think it is even legal (in Australia) to have headphones on in the car while driving, please correct me if I'm wrong. Sorry, I'm sure that it is different in America.

I'm not suggesting you stop, I'm just saying that I am wary of setting that up for myself.

How do you control the volume? What type of player do you use?

TigreST · 03-30-2008, 1:01 AM

I'm trying out two remote controllers for the IPod Classic this season. Both are rf wireless remotes. One is the Monster Cable Inc. IEZClick at around $70.00 MSRP (I found a new one for $24.00 at ABC Warehouse)

Monster Cable -- Monster® iEZClick™ Remote Control for iPod®

The other unit is a IJet rf remote controller. About 39.00 MSRP ( found it for $33.00 at NewEnough.com )

iJet Wireless Remote With Bottom Dock

For in helmet sound I'll be trying out Sennheiser CX-300's or a set of CX-400's. The run about $100.00 depending on vendor. Be aware of those "to good to be true" prices on these types of items on e-bay...the market is rife with cheap clone knockoffs that do not perform over the long haul. Sennheiser can show you how to spot the clones at the web site.

For normal ear protection I use the rollumupstickuminyourear foam ear plugs made by E-A-R Inc. There the standard disposeable ear plug we use at the refinery. Guess where I get them from? Another brand is Deci-Damp Inc. Both very good and inexpensive.

Tony

dunedain · 03-30-2008, 1:10 AM

This is a good thread! Important!

We got a sound meter from Radio Shack and looked at the noise at speed with after market exhaust. We were amazed at our findings and I dont have them at hand but I can say that riding at highway speeds with a helmet will damage your hearing. Throw in after market pipes and going a little faster and you're into what OSHA would require hearing protection for.

I forget it all the time but I use them when I can. When I use the XM I use the reverse cup kind that blocked out noise from the outside.

I have seen a threshold shift in my hearing and it aint the guns so it must be the bikes as my wife cant yell that loud!!!!!

Birdmanxx · 03-30-2008, 3:11 AM

Tigrest, thanks for enlightening me. I had no idea and you have educated me. Thank you.

Great music control system. I enjoy Sennheiser at home. You've got me thinking and I'll be looking into it further. I much prefer the Monster option with the big play/pause button.

Frosty · 03-30-2008, 4:03 AM

Depends on what i'm doing...

Mild riding to work - No earplugs

Freeway - Disposable

Freeway with music - Custom made earphones. Something I have noticed about these is if the curly earphone tube is exposed to the wind at freeway speeds then you will still get lots of noise in your ears.

Steve

Banshee · 03-30-2008, 6:07 AM

I find that after 1/2 - 1 hr the foam earplugs give me a headache. (This is about my commute time.) I got some that have adjustable inserts with the triple mushroom silicon rubber, but they are a pain to get in right & the insert gets pushed aside by the helmet going on, or they just start to slip out after a few minutes. Or the hard insert gets jammed against my ear painfully.

The usual method I use to cut a few dB is just to pressurise or depressurise my ears. I don't need to hold my nose to do so, unlike many, so it works for me. (Unless I have a bad cold...)

Leftlaner · 03-30-2008, 6:40 AM

I use custum molded stereo earplugs from Ultimate Ear Protection (model UEP75): ultimate ear protection | Hearing Protection | Ear Plugs | Hearing and Ear Protection Manufacturers London UK | Best Ear Plugs

Pros:

- Very comfortable, hardly even noticable
- Will not vibrate/fall out of your ear whilst riding
- Seals the ear canal, providing amazing(!!) noise reduction
- Good sound quality

Cons:
- Somewhat pricey
- Reduces awareness to all ambient sounds (firetruck sirenes etc)

With these little babies, you don't need to turn up the music more than you would if you were sitting in your home or on the bus (or whereever you "normally" listen to music) due to the superior noise reduction compared with standard foam earplugs. Wind noise and engine noise are barely hearable at all..

Once you've tried it, there is no way you're going back to foam

EDIT: Oh, and by the way, the stereo plugs are wired into my Autocom system, meaning that I get music from my mp3 player, my digital radio, my walkie-talkie, my bluetooth phone, and of course my passenger. The Autocom SuperPro unit allows you to adjust relative volume settings and auto-mute (VOX) settings. No need to adjust volume settings whilst riding..

TigreST · 03-30-2008, 9:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdmanxx

Tigrest, thanks for enlightening me. I had no idea and you have educated me. Thank you.

Great music control system. I enjoy Sennheiser at home. You've got me thinking and I'll be looking into it further. I much prefer the Monster option with the big play/pause button.

Birdman,
The above is all untried technology at this point. Weather has not allowed for any test riding with the gear. The Monster Cable IEZClick was purchased for just the reasons you state,..large buttons. I've done a bit of reading on this system and find that there are both good and bad reviews related to the units robustness. I've read more then one review stating that the volume control fails to function for some reason after a period of time. The result is either no volume or full volume. This did make me hesitant to purchase it at first given the somewhat high MSRP...that was until I found it at ABC Warehouse Inc. for $24.00. At that cost it was worth the risk I thought. The Velcro strap will allow it to be mounted over top of the clutch master cylinder unit on the left handle bar.

The IJet unit does not carry any such tech trouble reviews that I've seen, and is offered up as an add-on option to some of the BMW machines for those the wish to take portable tunes on there Beamers. I'm forget now it that is full BMW endorsement or not. But it has the smaller rider interface unit and buttons which may not play well with thicker gloved hands.

The Sennheiser CX-300's work great around the house when I'm reading and listening to tunes and don't want to be bothered...or don't want to bother the rest of the family with my musical tastes. These are the entry level phones and do not include any "over the ear" attachment pieces so there will be little to nothing to snag on helmet interior surfaces. I like the sound and the ambient noise reduction they allow. Wind noise reduction, will again, be something I've yet to test on the road. Another rider uses them but did note that the wire used does transmit sound when it is rubbed up against anything. And I have found this to be true around the house. By that I mean the connective wire running to each ear piece will create sound in a fashion much like a stethoscope in the doctors office. The closer to the ear piece the wire contact the louder the secondary sonic boom is. If the wire is allowed to blow around in the air stream and rattle against your riding gear at the collar area I'd expect this to transmit unwanted noise to the ear pieces. Road testing to follow to check this out. The wires on the CX-300 are also asymmetric in design also...the left ear piece wire run is shorter then the right which I guess would mean that the left side IPod location on your body is the way to go. Some mention that this is a pain in the butt. I know that I don't mind it when around the house. The CX-400's offer up a symmetrical wire run of shorter length to the plug, but include an extension cord to extend the reach of the phones to your player,...you could keep the player in your tail bag or up on the handle bars if you like with this extended reach of the cord. There is also a cord clip included which will enable you to secure the wire run to a place on your gear to stop the wire from moving around to much. It also includes a storage purse for the phones which is a nice touch.

The placement of the ear pieces into the ear is critical to both the ambient noise reduction and the music playback quality...if the fit is not good nothing else will be. You get three sizes of ear seals to help get a good fit. As I wear foam plugs at work for extended periods of time I do not notice any discomfort with the in-ear nature of the Sennheiser fit..but this will not be to everyones liking.

Road testing will follow soon I hope, once the salt is washed off the roads....but that means I'm asking for ran

Regardless of a good or bad result with the phones on the road I've been a Sennheiser fan for a long time so do not think I've wasted my money.

Tony

SturgisNative · 03-30-2008, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdmanxx

Fair point, I do listen to music in a cage, but I have good control of the volume. I don't have gloves on.

I don't think it is even legal (in Australia) to have headphones on in the car while driving, please correct me if I'm wrong. Sorry, I'm sure that it is different in America.

I'm not suggesting you stop, I'm just saying that I am wary of setting that up for myself.

How do you control the volume? What type of player do you use?

And you may be right - it's illegal here in South Dakota as well to have headphones on in the car. Dunno about the 49 others.

For my volume control, I have an inline volume knob on my headphone cord, so I can adjust it. What I usually end up with is setting the volume so I can hear it at superslab speed, and then being able to "mute" it when I get into town.

I'm leaning towards one of the AutoCom systems, because I would really like having satellite radio and a bike-to-bike radio system. Might also plug the radar detector in too (I'm going to need one, I think...).

billypf · 04-02-2008, 12:12 PM

I have never rode till recently i was at the chicago motorcylce show and there were multiple vendors there selling the custom fit earplugs ( which a couple guys i ride with rave about) They all said that the noise created by riding can damage hearing and stresses the body significantly. The plugs are pricy, but so far they are the most comforatable that i have tried. Especially when wearing them for more than an hour. I havnt had a chance to ride with them yet, but as soon as i do i will post. You can also get them with speakers in them, but those were i think $350.

billypf · 04-08-2008, 12:15 AM

Well both my and my dad got the plugs. My dad rides without a helmet most of the time and he said that he would no longer ride without the new plugs. I wear mine with the helmet and really enjoyed them. They eliminate the wind noise, but i could still hear my blue flame exhaust and the others riding. Comfort wise, I havn't found anything better. I wore them for 300 miles on sat. and almost forgot that i was wearing them.

Thunga · 05-15-2008, 12:43 PM

I learned about the value of earplugs when I bought my new Husqvarna chainsaw. It was a lot louder than my old Stihl. Annoyingly so. Now I've moved from an Electra-Glide (where the full windshield/fairing blocked virtually all wind noise) to the XX and I can't stand the wind howl.
So I guess I'll do the earplug thing.
I'm also looking for a different helmet. I have a Nolan N-102 modular that I bought when I got the Honda a few months ago. It's now for sale on e-Bay. The thing pressed down on my forehead right above my eyes and gave me a headache. It was relatively quiet, but that wind noise seems unstoppable even by modern helmetry.

Growler67 · 05-16-2008, 3:04 PM

I wear the tripple flange indoor/outdoor ones I use when shooting. When shooting or even doing lawn work I always double up with a set of "muff" types as well. I take the ear plugs with me when I go to the movies as well as I like to enjoy the movie without leaving with my ears bleeding.

rustydog · 07-07-2008, 8:42 AM

What a great idea at work we use green foam ones been thinking of trying them for a while.After checking out the comments, not so much about noise but about wind or air preasure it make sense that it could damage my hearing so looks like I'll be trying some out.

steveb · 07-18-2008, 5:29 PM

Been riding bikes since I was 17, now I'm 45 but, have only been wearing earplugs for the last 15 years or so.

I started to wear them after free company health checks showed that from one year to the next my hearing was worsening even though I wasn't working in the factory area where it was noisy.

I accept that some damage has been done but, now I wear the soft ones you roll up, claim to cut something like 40db of the noise out and I know they're working well as I can't hear much "talking" when I'm wearing them.

One down side is that my current Arai has lots of vents and seems to create wind noise even when they're closed so I suppose the logical next step is a quieter helmet next time round.

Or maybe just travel a little slower?

Quieter helmet it is then!!

bullet · 07-18-2008, 6:47 PM

inspect your helmet visor's o-ring ...and make sure it is in mint condition...there are special silicon lubricants to keep the o-ring in decent condition..it is a critical part for helmet noise issues...to my taste ,arai's, were always noisey and more uncomfortable than other brands....

Leftlaner · 07-19-2008, 3:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nutter67

The way I have been taught to put my earplugs in (from an industrial/engineering background) means that, when correctly inserted, I cannot hear the softer noises at all, have trouble hearing medium noises and very loud noises come through at a "converstaion" level.

Putting earplugs in is something I have to do right. I cannot just put them in halfway to allow extra noise to come in. I see people wearing earplugs with half of the plug sticking out of their ear (I cant see the point in that). I use the longer disposable foam ear plugs and you would have to look in my ear to see that I am actually wearing them.

I understand what you are saying about the transfer of sound through the head itself. Maybe this is how I am actually hearing anything with the earplugs installed - or a mixture of both.

If I have my earplugs correctly inserted and my helmet on, I have to resort to a certain amount of lip reading to make sense of a conversation. When on the track and riding at 250kph+, I do not hear any wind noise. I can hear the engine, and that is about it

It is with this level of noise retardation that I find it very difficult to hear traffic noise.

On the plus side, having the earplugs that far in really sucks out huge chunks of ear wax when you remove the earplug

Nutter, I think you would benefit from testing my current setup. Custom molded earplugs with integrated speakers. The earplugs are hooked up to any device (such as an Autocom unit, or directly to a phone/mp3 player) through a 3.5mm stereo jack. Basicly these earplugs seal off your ear completely, which is very comfortable on the plus side. On the negative side, it makes you less aware in dense traffic (i.e. sirenes can't be heard until the firetruck is right behind you).

..enter the FILTER! Yes, they can place a filter in those earplugs with any dB rating you want. I had my earplugs serviced earlier this year (warranty), and asked them to insert a 3 dB filter while they were at it..

The result: Still very well dampened wind noise etc, still high fidelity stereo music (low/moderate volume), but with the filters you become more aware of ambient noises. If you have some hearing loss, you could consider a 5-6 dB filter in stead. Nutter, this is "the shit"!

They cost about 150 GBP (UK). The retailer I got them from was Ultimate Ear Protection. They have a product range specificly designed for motorcycle use. I believe the model I use is called UEP75. Check it out

Nutter67 · 07-19-2008, 8:21 AM

Is there any way to do something like this to suit bluetooth? I'll have to look around. The biggest downside to these earplugs is the price. With the exchange rate it would work out to be around $350-$400 Oz Dollars. might be a bit hard to talk the missus around that sort of outlay....

Thanks for the report on these, I'm sure others will look into these too.

Leftlaner · 07-19-2008, 10:55 AM

My phone is hooked up to Autocom through Bluetooth. As long as I keep the phone on me (or in the tank bag, whatever) and my earplugs connected to Autocom, I'm online. Since I got myself a Garmin Nuvi 500, I've hooked the phone to my GPS (Bluetooth connection) instead, so now I can even see who's calling on the GPS display before answering. And I can make outgoing calls easily through the GPS unit as well. Plus I have 4 gigs of mp3 in the GPS unit. And a digital radio wired to the Autocom when I get tired of my mp3's (it's nice to be able to hear the latest news on the way to work). Yes, this setup does cost a bit, but I think it's worth it.

Mind you though that this setup wouldn't be that good if I hadn't used those precious ear plugs. I had in-helmet speakers before, but I had to turn the volume up a whole lot to exceed the wind noise.. which is a dumb and uncomfortable solution that will cause hearing loss anyway

lois · 07-19-2008, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1100xxben

The ear buds I use are made by KOSS. I got them at a Meijer about 2 years ago. Can't remember the exact price, but not that expensive... maybe $10-$15. Plus, the best part is that since they seal off the ear, I can turn I only have to turn the volume up to about 10-14 at speed to hear the music well. Using ear buds that didn't seal in the ear, I would have to turn it up to at least 22-24 (out of 24) which runs down the battery considerably quicker and it sounds like crap b/c it's distorting the poor little headphones. I think Body Glove also makes some ear buds similar to these, but I don't know where to get them or how much they cost.

Same here.......+1 on the KOSS EAR BUDS....they rock.

Wait a minute, I don't have any ears...