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What bluetooth earbuds are you using wile riding?

Joined
Mar 16, 2005
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Location
The Woodlands,TX
I am trying to find some small earbuds to wear under my helmet. I have the Jabra Elites that I use when traveling/doing yard work, ect......They are OK under the helmet but just a tad large. I tried the Jlab Go Airs from Best Buy, but those were not the answer either. Can anyone comment on what they are using? I prefer the earbuds to the helmet speaker system.

Thanks in advance.
 
I've been pretty happy overall with the FiiO RC-BT connected to some Shure SE315s. I have since switched to TENHZ DT3 for my IEMs of choice, and they also have MMCX so that might be a good candidate if the SE315s are too expensive. I acctually think the DT3s sound better.
 
I've been pretty happy overall with the FiiO RC-BT connected to some Shure SE315s. I have since switched to TENHZ DT3 for my IEMs of choice, and they also have MMCX so that might be a good candidate if the SE315s are too expensive. I acctually think the DT3s sound better.

I have some Shure SE's but never thought about attaching to a BT receiver.
 
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I had some made with JBL drivers, they plug in to my Sena's.
Had the Dr sign off on them so I used my health FLEX Spending Account.
 
the Skully wireless earbuds from Walmart have always been my go to in the past. They are cheap, comfortable and reliable. Now i just link up to my Sena...
 
Going on yr #5 w/ my bose qc30 worn inside both my arai helmets- its active noise cancelling feature is a game changer. i use my bose every day, even when i'm not out riding.

i have two sena s20's comms , but still prefer to just grab my bose & my phone, off i go.
 
MEE M6 Pro IEMs with bluetooth connector. Pretty sweet sound and excellent noise isolation for not too much $. They still get a little out of sorts every now and then when putting helmet on but not too bad.
 
So I went with the Shure SE215 BT2's. Swapped out the 215's with my 425's. Sound and fit is OK, the Bluetooth cord hanging down is an issue, need to figure it out. Good value for $59.00. I would still prefer a wireless earbud, but this will work for now.
 
I recently switched to a built-in Sena unit for my helmet, but I used Samsung Galaxy buds (1st gen) for a couple of years with good results. They were the first wireless ear buds I've used and the only issue was being careful when I put on my helmet to make sure I didn't dislodge them when the pads slipped over my ears. Once the helmet was on, they stayed secure.
 
I've been pretty happy overall with the FiiO RC-BT connected to some Shure SE315s. I have since switched to TENHZ DT3 for my IEMs of choice, and they also have MMCX so that might be a good candidate if the SE315s are too expensive. I acctually think the DT3s sound better.
Stumbled across the FiiO products today, very interesting.
 
I would still prefer a wireless earbud, but this will work for now.

By "wireless earbud" you mean a so-called "true wireless" set of BT earphones, right? That is, whole thing contained within the earbud unit like AirPods? I'm pretty sure that will be unlikely to work under a helmet simply because they are so bulky they won't allow you to put on your helmet without disturbing the earphones. I mean, even with my SE315s often the earphones get knocked loose when I put on the helmet and I have to re-adjust them, and the 315s fit pretty flush in my ear.

I guess if your helmet is truly and rightly too big at the cheek pads then they might clear wireless earbuds without knocking them out, but you're better off with a properly fitting helmet and the wire hanging out. I never notice the wire. And I did one make a phone call (after a crash!) with my helmet on and the Fiio/Shure combo, worked fine, and was handy to not have the microphone buried in the helmet padding.
 
the Skully wireless earbuds from Walmart have always been my go to in the past. They are cheap, comfortable and reliable. Now i just link up to my Sena...
This works for me as well. Skullcandy Jib XT, under $20. I use these nearly all day everyday, and so riding with them is a natural extension. The wire helps me not lose them, and it is not an issue with the helmet for me. Sound is good, price is right, and they mostly survive my nonstop abuse - sweat, water, dropping / running over, etc. Like sunglasses, occasionally replacing is part of the program.

My helmet has a low end Sena, and the placement of the speakers has never been quite right, nor is the sound quality good.

When riding with others, I forego the music for the helmet intercom. I will likely upgrade the helmet and comms later this year.
 
My go-to earbuds for several years are Symphonized GLXY buds, purchased on Amazon for under $20 a pair. They're not Bluetooth, but I plug them into a tiny MPow Bluetooth converter, and they become wireless.

What I like about the Symphonized brand is as follows. First, they sound amazing. Nice, deep bass and otherwise well rounded sound; I've rarely used a better sounding bud. Second, they are noise blocking; they seal nicely in the ear, deadening motor and wind noise, and allowing me to listen to music - even classical music - at a moderate level while riding. Third, they stay in my ears well enough to wear for around-the-house chores such as lawn mowing. They don't stay in for jogging - no buds do - but they're find for walking and while performing moderate chores.

Symphonized has a few different models. I like the GLXY buds because they're quite small, and far easier than most quality sounding buds to fit comfortably under a helmet.
 
They don't stay in for jogging - no buds do

I do well with the above mentioned Bluetooth (wired between) skullcandy. The key is putting the wire over my head but under a hat. They don't move and the controls are available through the fabric. Suspended weight means no bounce, thus no pulling from ears. Game changer for me.

Sry for the detour, Back to moto Bluetooth discussion.
 
Kinda sliding off track, but I've become a fan of the buds with the little wings to keep them in while exercising, mowing the lawn, etc. I figured it might be a gimmick so I bought an el cheapo pair to try them out and really ended up liking it.
 
... Like sunglasses, occasionally replacing is part of the program.

This is a key observation.

Thing is, the main thing that breaks with earphones of any type is the cable, and most often the cable breaks at the point where it enters the body of the earbud within the strain relief. Using earphones with MMCX connectors to attach the cables almost completely eliminates this mode of failure, by not only making the cable alone replaceable, but also allowing the cable entry to rotate so it doesn't get broken by twisting.

With BT earphones, the next most common failure is the battery. In that case you just throw them away. Again, using high quality earphones with MMCX connectors and a replaceable BT module allows you to replace just the broken part and keep the earphones themselves, so if you have expensive or high quality earphones, they are not a loss.

I have had my SE315s for over a decade. Just like my Oakley Crosshairs (two pair!). So for me, I don't mind investing more in high quality stuff I won't have to replace every year, but that depends on my ability to keep from sitting on my sunglasses or stepping on my earphones, or losing either of them. When I go on a vacation to a third world country or on a business trip to Las Vegas (back in the day, eh?) I don't bring either of them because I don't want to drop my Oakleys off a cliff in Belize or leave my Shure earphones in a hotel room after I check out.

That said, the above FiiO RC-BT module costs about double what a pair of Skullcandy BT earbuds do, so when the battery goes south on the FiiO, it will cost more to replace. But IME the strain relief end of the cable will not break. I've had my FiiO now for about 1.5 years using daily, and I mean often, daily. They have outlasted other BT headsets probably three to one. But If I really was doing things that were abusive to BT earphones, I would buy a set of more disposable ones like Skullcandy to keep my more expensive rig from unnecessary risk.
 
I was using my apple airpods pro that have pretty good noise cancellation but have recently bought a Cardo Packtalk Bold and now use that deliver music into my helmet. On the longer rides and when using comms I use plugfones that go directly in my ear to help keeps the volumes lower but clearer. When I just use the speakers the Cardo came with I still use earplugs.
 
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