Tunes and a helmet question

[STrider]

I've been a long-time proponent of the "I don't listen to music on the ride because I don't want to be distracted, etc" theory. The truth is, I've just never had the means to have tunes on the road.

But, thanks to a new phone w/ MP3 player for my birthday, I can do it. It IS cool to have some tunes going, particularly for the not too exciting commute at 15 MPH down 290, then the HOV. I can just hear the music over/ through the wind noise. I could stand to have it a bit louder at some points, but I think that would drown out too much "ambient" noise for safety.

Now, the question -

For now I'm using the "stock" ear buds that came with the music kit, and they fit decent, but it took not a small amount of finagling to get the helmet on this morning without either knocking the earbuds out completely, or turning them sideways, or otherwise dislodging them in various uncomfortable ways.

Upon examining the helmet this morning, I discovered there are removable ear pads. Taking these out yields plenty of room for the earbuds. (Yes, I did just try my helmet on in my office.) The ear pads cover just my ears, and there is no discernable change in how the helmet fits without them.

So now, really the question:

Would I be committing some heinous safety crime by wearing the helmet without the ear pads? Or are the pads removable just for this (or similar) reason?

Its a KBC VR-1 for whatever difference that makes.

[DFW_Warrior]

I'd just remove the ear pads. I had mine removed on my HJC for all two years I owned it. But then again, I never went down it it so who knows. I may have been taking my life into my hands as well. But I'd still do it again.

[bluedogok]

My Shoei has a pocket where the ears are so I didn't have to remove pads, removing them probably would not be a violation. I went through a bunch of different attempts that ended up costing more than the Etymotic ER-6i ear speakers (http://www.buy.com/prod/Etymotic_ER6_Isolator_Earphones_White_Clamshell/q/loc/101/202025917.html) that I bought. I use the foam tips and they are great.

[east_on_20]

If I understand which pads you're removing, it's definitely a safety issue if you don't replace the cheekpads. You can purchase earphones that are made to fit inside your helmet behind the pads. The only brands I can think of are Motorola and Chatterbox. I know there are more brands out there. The idea is to not have anything inside your ear rather in your helmet.

[STrider]

I thought that might cause some confusion. The earpads are entirely independent of the the cheek/jaw pads.

[bushwhacker]

I would go with helmet speakers -

http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=4987

and for a very cool MP3 Player -

http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=5507

-

[east_on_20]

Understood. The helmet speakers are supposed to be great. It has to beat fighting with a little earphone that won't stay lodged.

[Manfred]

It's better to find an in-ear speaker rather than a helmet mounted speaker. The in-ear speaker (there are several options, from cheap to outrageous) blocks off some road and wind noise, reducing the volume needed to hear your music at highway speeds. Helmet speakers have to be loud enough to overcome the road and wind noise, causing more potential harm to your ears.

[bluedogok]

I tired helmet speakers at first, they work great sitting in your living room trying them out but at speed the wind noise drowns out what you are trying to hear and if you still use ear plugs then you have to overdrive them. That is why I switched to the foam tip ER-6's, that way the foam (or silicone tips which I did not like) act like ear plugs that you normally wear and you can listen to the player at a much lower volume which still allows you to hear horns, sirens and such.

[Tx Rider]

I use custom molded earbuds from EAR Inc.

http://www.earinc.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=31&products_id=81

I have had the left side quit twice now in two years, but their customer service is pretty great.

There are many like these out there, and after trying several earbuds these are definately the best. They fit up inside your ear perfectly as they are molded for you, don't come out when you take your helmet off/on and block noise like earplugs.

I rarely wear em commuting as my commute is only about 2 songs long, and turn it down when I really need to concentrate, but having music sure makes long rides from DFW down to Houston or Austin seem a whole lot shorter. And having a soundtrack to your ride can be nice.

[mlinkibikr]

BMW North Houston is advertizing that they can fit you with custom molded ear plugs. I've never tried riding with ear plugs yet but from what I've read either a custom molded deal, or the in ear Etymotic ER-6i seem to be the big favorites.

Dave.

[4734]

I also use the Etymotic ER-6i with the silicon ear phones and full face Arai. These ear phones fit deep into the ear but you can still hear most of the outside noise. You don't have to turn the music up very loud to over power the outside niose and the sound quality is excellant.

I have not needed to remove any parts from the helmet, in fact I replaced the cheek pads with slightly thicker ones to help seal out the wind noise.

I don't wear them for in town errends or short trips, but they sure are nice on longer rides.

I also use then when washing cars, mowing or just don't want outside dirty noise with my music.

[mjacks]

I think those ear pads are meant to be removed when you add a comm/sound system in your helmet. They shouldn't affect the safety of the helmet.

[Squeaky]

I have a KBC, and the ear pads are made to be removed for this. Without them, you get more wind noise near your ears but you can only tell if you don't use the music.

I have in-ear buds that stay put almost as well as a pair of earplugs, and I rarely have to go to the highest volume on my MP3 player. Depends on your ears, though - some have tried mine and couldn't get them to stay. *Let me know if I should clean 'em up for you to try*.

http://www.turntablelab.com/images/content/6/4/6456.jpg

When I've used helmet speakers, I do it with earplugs and the volume up. Just too noisy to hear the music otherwise.

[Gixxer Geezer]

I use some RCA buds with the ear straps on top.. the harder you pull your helmet down.. the more the buds are pushed on the ears.. they cant come out or off.. my only trouble is.. now I have to put my glasses on to see. thats the real test. but it works out ok..

[leekellerking]

Have you considered wearing a head liner (coif)?


Years ago when I was still fighting heavy weapons in the SCA, a friend of mine had earphones in his helmet to listen to the soundtrack from Raiders of the Lost Ark. (It got his juices flowing; what can I say?). His coif (head liner) kept his helmet from pulling his phones out when he armored up.

Keeps the inside of your helmet cleaner, too. (You should smell the inside of a figher's helm after a couple of months of hard use!)


Lee

[STrider]

Thanks all for the help. A quick lunchtime test revealed:

1. It's not worth the effort for a quick lunchtime test.
2. Much more comfortable without the earpads, but regardless of the earpads, the stock earbuds are not a good fit.
3. Still takes some finagling to not pull the earbuds out with the cheekpads when putting on the helmet.
4. I gotta get some more songs

I think the "in the ear" type or with earstrap will work great. Thanks for the suggestions.

[sharkey]

The in the ear type w/ different sizes is the way to go. Fry's had some neat ones called Vmoda for $39. I wear a brand called Rivet simply because they are a lanyard as well and I got them cheap at CompUSA. My wife wears the Sony's I used for a long time and won't return them.

I almost always ride w/ tunes now. When I forget the MP3, I'm forced to sing to myself.

[Squeaky]

The in the ear type w/ different sizes is the way to go.

Almost forgot about that - mine came with 3 sets of rubber flange-thingys (sm, smaller, smallest) so you could see which fit in your ear best. I have lost one or two in the year that I've used them, so I just use whatever size I have left now.

[Jack Giesecke]

I bought an RCA MP3 player a while back at wallyworld. It even has a FM radio in it and the ear buds it came with are FANTASTIC under a helmet.:clap: I haven't had a chance to use it much, no trips lately. But, I'm looking forward to it. Only thing I don't like about it is it seems to eat batteries, only uses one AAA, but they only last about one complete play through of your listed music. It's quite easy to download and change up your play list, though. I do like it. I'm going to get a couple of rechargables for it for use close to home and just buy bulk pack batteries for trips. This thing will be awesome out in west Texas where there's nothing to listen to, but Tejano and Redneck. :trust: :lol2:

[Ghost Rider]

Going with in-ear buds are the best choice. I use eshure ear buds. I have flown all over Iraq with them and had no problem. The wire for the ear bud goes over the top and then behind the ear instead of dangling down the front. That small nuance of going over the ear helps to prevent your motorcycle helmet from dislodging them when you take it on and off.

[Squeaky]

Only thing I don't like about it is it seems to eat batteries, only uses one AAA, but they only last about one complete play through of your listed music.

Mine works on one AA, and it has a 40-hour battery life on MP3. Longer on FM radio, but it all averages out in the long run with the backlit display.

I actually used battery life and the fact that it takes a standard battery (vs. recharging from the wall) in the decision to get the one I have. I knew it would be used mostly on the bike and on trips, so I was willing to pay for batteries along the way if I had to as long as it wasn't every day and I wouldn't have to scrounge power from restaurants when I stopped.

[chiricahua]

ChatterBox with internal speakers. Then hook your Ipod up to the ChaterBox and talk to your friends and listen to the radio or Mp3’s.

I happen to have a spare ChatterBox for sale.:mrgreen:

Oh Yeah, the ChaterBox comes with a remote radio so you girly friend can talk to you at a track or something like that. You know, tell you that you're in last place.:doh: Or first place.:rider:

[rocketbunny]

I use helmet speakers with regular foam ear plugs. The speakers are driven by a Starcom communications system, so the volume is set fairly loud by the Starcom with fine adjustment on my xm radio.

I tried to use in-ear speakers, but found that they irritated my ear cartilage during long days in the saddle.

Furthermore, the helmet speakers involve far less fiddling. Once installed, they can be ignored, and are ready to go 100% of the time. Earbuds almost always required several on/offs of the helmet before they were seated right. That's a real pain when you are on a group ride and trying to gear up quickly.

[Mitchel]

+1 on the ER-6s. They work very well. The ER-6i have better base, which I would prefer, but don't have. :-(

[Tx Rider]

I bought an RCA MP3 player a while back at wallyworld. It even has a FM radio in it and the ear buds it came with are FANTASTIC under a helmet.:clap: I haven't had a chance to use it much, no trips lately. But, I'm looking forward to it. Only thing I don't like about it is it seems to eat batteries, only uses one AAA, but they only last about one complete play through of your listed music. It's quite easy to download and change up your play list, though. I do like it. I'm going to get a couple of rechargables for it for use close to home and just buy bulk pack batteries for trips. This thing will be awesome out in west Texas where there's nothing to listen to, but Tejano and Redneck. :trust: :lol2:

I bought a little Rio Forge player, I dunno if they even make em any more as I had a little bit of a hard time when I decided I better buy a second one in case my first one ever dies.

It's a great little player that uses 1 AA that lasts all day long, has a nice equalizer, is only about 2 1/2" diameter and clips on my jacket pocket (no wires connected from me to bike to jerk when I get off) and it also takes SD cards for expanded memory. I use a 1MB SD in mine usually, and you could carry extra SD cards for different music types.

Mines been on my jacket for probably 30k miles on the street and half that much in the dirt in Big bend/colorado/oklahoma/arkansas etc. and still goes fine. The controls are -just- bumpy enough I can flip between songs etc. with leather gloves on without looking at it.

That's my MP3 player list of must haves, AA that lasts a whole day at least, expandable memory, controls I can use with gloves without looking at them, no tie-ins with any of the "song service" setups that limit where you can get songs or what it will play and Mp3 and Wma file compatability.

The Rio does all that, haven't found a better one that does yet, but I'll buy it if I find one.

Forge on amazon (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002UB2PU.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002UB2PU%3Fvi%3Daccessories&h=500&w=500&sz=42&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=PxRjfK0BeFaKPM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drio%2Bforge%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26 lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN)

[1TallTXn]

+1 on the Starcom :clap:

I've tried the ear bud things and the proper ER6 type phones may work well, but i'm too cheap.

If you want a cheap pair of speakers, Aerostitch (http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Earspeakers-p-1-c-337.html) has several that run <$25

I got a pair of speakers for my brother at the IMS show. he says they sound fine, just need a little more volume.

[bluedogok]

The helmet speakers is what I tried at first, then to overcome road noise I got a Boosteroo and then they distorted. I like the way they work in theory, it was just in practical application that they failed. I spent more on trying "cheap" alternatives than if I would have just bought the ER6i's to start off with.

[STill Fiddlin]

I know I'm probably repeating myself, but I found the Shure E2c replacement foam (http://www.amazon.com/Shure-Replacement-Foams-E2c-Earphones/dp/B00029U0XQ/sr=8-3/qid=1166052727/ref=sr_1_3/105-8941748-6988444?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments) fits my Sony in-ear buds and are much more comfortable than the silicone rubber gizmos that came with them. They also block the sound better for me. I worry about the need to drive helmet speakers to a level to defeat the already loud wind and road noise being damaging to what hearing I have left (nobody thought about earplugs during all those years of rock & roll playing in bars...). I've heard good things about the ER6's but not tried them - probably get a set if the Sony's ever crap out.

[Hairsmith]

I use helmet speakers. Ear buds become uncomfortable after a few hours. the speakers stay in my helmet all the time even when not using, If there not plugged in you never know there there. The ones I use are IMC, IMC-HS-200 is only $35.00 not that expensive.
http://www.sierra-mc.com/proddetail.asp?prod=IMC%2DHS%2D200
http://www.sierra-mc.com/prodimages/imc-hs-200_lg.jpg

[punk_emo_tx]

Times change. Attitudes change.

If a question about listening to music (while riding) would have been posted a year ago you would have been scorn. I don't think there was a single post saying it is dangerous.

I've found that keeping your ear buds and ears very clean helps to keep them in( after your helmet is on). I carry a little cleaning kit with me on long or multi day rides.

[texasyankee]

I could never find ear phones that fit, would stay in and were comfortable. At the Houston motorcycle show I ordered custom made ear phones from Big Ear (http://www.bigearinc.com). I got them in the mail yesterday and tried them for the first time today on a bicycle ride. They seemed very comfortable and had great sound. I also could still hear approaching cars which I depend on when on my bicycle. I' ll try them this weekend on the motorcycle and let you know. They are expensive, about $300.

[Squeaky]

I carry a little cleaning kit with me on long or multi day rides.

...as opposed to a Q-tip? :rofl:

[mff]

I use custom molded earbuds from EAR Inc.

http://www.earinc.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=31&products_id=81

I have had the left side quit twice now in two years, but their customer service is pretty great.

There are many like these out there, and after trying several earbuds these are definately the best. They fit up inside your ear perfectly as they are molded for you, don't come out when you take your helmet off/on and block noise like earplugs.

I rarely wear em commuting as my commute is only about 2 songs long, and turn it down when I really need to concentrate, but having music sure makes long rides from DFW down to Houston or Austin seem a whole lot shorter. And having a soundtrack to your ride can be nice.


I have had the same results- left ear replaced twice- good service but worries me when the warranty runs out! When working -It is one of the best performing products that I have purchased for riding.
MFF

[Tx Rider]

I have had the same results- left ear replaced twice- good service but worries me when the warranty runs out! When working -It is one of the best performing products that I have purchased for riding.
MFF

Well mine came with a bad left transducer, that was #1, replaced easily with no issues by them.

#2 was when I yanked the left one really hard a couple times by accident and messed up the wiring connection inside, my fault not theirs.

Now I have #3, left side sounds weak, dunno if I got wax up in it or something else, gues I'll know when I send it in.

I have yet to use a better earplug, or earbud, for under a helmet though I have heard a couple that sounded a tad better and wouldn't go under a helmet.

If you have room the Koss earbud sound great, I think "the plug" or something is the name, Radio shack sells em rebranded for like $10.00. They use a regular foamy earplug like thing, but you have to have more room under your helmet.

[punk_emo_tx]

...as opposed to a Q-tip? :rofl:


yes

[jbh]

I just tried out my er6 i's today and I found them to be very comfortable and blocked as much noise as my custom molded ear plugs. I never had a problem pulling the helmet on and off several times today, they never dislodged or lost their "seal" in my ear. Its not as nice as my Bose radio while riding in the car but it beats singing to myself.

[punk_emo_tx]

The er6i's are the bomb. The funny thing is, no matter how glowing of a review you and the 100's of people post, some will keep wasting time and money with other earphones.:shrug:

[sherob]

I have the er6i's and also used in helmet Autocom... J&M helmet speakers now on the wing (or just wing speakers :trust:). When doing multi high mileage days, the er6i's just hurt after a while. In helmet speakers with foam plugs work great for that.

You just have to find what works for you... and adjust to your ride ;-)

[1TallTXn]

I've gotta get me a pair of the ER6i's...

after all BMW-K says they're the bomb :lol2: