Noise cancelling earphones

[Gizzit]

I have been checking around for stereo noise cancelling earplugs/earphones.

Someone has mentioned Skull Candy "Smokin Buds" as being good. I have also been told that another couple of Skull Candy models are quite good, "Full Metal Jacket", and "Titan". From what I have been told, the FMJ's and the Titans have a memory gel plugs to improve the fit in the ear canal, and provide better noise cancelling properties.

Has anyone used any of these earphones ? I want good noise cancelling models so that I can listen to music/my GPS, etc.

Any other recommendations ??

I have a pair of Plugz 4 Lugz earphones, but unfortunately ..... they are now uncomfortable to wear for any length of time. (maybe my ear canals have shrunk ... ??)

I'm keen to protect my hearing .... but need to be able to listen to my GPS.

[st00ji]

i have had a couple of sets of smokin buds now, and they are pretty fantastic in terms of noise cancelling. pretty decent sound reproduction too for what its worth.

they come with three sets of rubber grommet thingees, so you can choose the set that suits your ears the best. no doubt the more expensive ones are even better, but the smokin buds provide near sensory deprivation - i used to wear them while driving my noisy interior-less AE86, and could only tell what was going on with the car by the vibrations i was getting through the pedals etc when i had music playing.

[Gizzit]

i have had a couple of sets of smokin buds now, and they are pretty fantastic in terms of noise cancelling. pretty decent sound reproduction too for what its worth.

they come with three sets of rubber grommet thingees, so you can choose the set that suits your ears the best. no doubt the more expensive ones are even better, but the smokin buds provide near sensory deprivation - i used to wear them while driving my noisy interior-less AE86, and could only tell what was going on with the car by the vibrations i was getting through the pedals etc when i had music playing.

Thanks for that. Yeah there is another guy on here that also recommends them. Cheers.

[Trudes]

I have a set of Shure noise cancelling earphones/plugs and I find them comfortable for long periods in my helmet and they really do cancel out the wind noise etc.

[Chooky]

I've tried a few,never found one that works well in a noisey environment.They have to be perfectly sealed round your ear to work properly.
The one I've got is David Clark, Pussy has got Gentex and swears by it.
I'd rather use soft plugs...
Others may dissagree................:cool:

[Chrislost]

I have been checking around for stereo noise cancelling earplugs/earphones.

Someone has mentioned Skull Candy "Smokin Buds" as being good. I have also been told that another couple of Skull Candy models are quite good, "Full Metal Jacket", and "Titan". From what I have been told, the FMJ's and the Titans have a memory gel plugs to improve the fit in the ear canal, and provide better noise cancelling properties.

Has anyone used any of these earphones ? I want good noise cancelling models so that I can listen to music/my GPS, etc.

Any other recommendations ??

I have a pair of Plugz 4 Lugz earphones, but unfortunately ..... they are now uncomfortable to wear for any length of time. (maybe my ear canals have shrunk ... ??)

I'm keen to protect my hearing .... but need to be able to listen to my GPS.

hOW DO THEY WORK? I MEAN, IF THEY CANCEL THE NOISE BY MAKING A SOUND THAT CANCELS IT OUT DOES THAT NOT MEAN YOU HAVE 2X THE NOISE IN YOUR EAR?

[st00ji]

if you are asking how the smoking buds work, they dont make a noise - just have a soft rubber sleeve that squishes into your ear, kinda like ear plugs

but ear plugs that can play music

[Pussy]

I've tried a few,never found one that works well in a noisey environment.They have to be perfectly sealed round your ear to work properly.
The one I've got is David Clark, Pussy has got Gentex and swears by it.
I'd rather use soft plugs...
Others may dissagree................:cool:

Pussy now got Gallet helmet!
Yep... the ANR I have is pretty good, but as Chooky said, got to be sealed well.
Years of excessive noise are taking their toll on me a bit... might start wearing earplugs as well as the ANR

[sAsLEX]

Not sure how well the FMJs would work under a helmet as they seem to stick out a bit! I have found in the past that if anything touches your helmet it leads to rather sore ears!

[Chooky]

How do they work.....?
Well without getting to technical, they have a microphone that records the noise, then inverts that noise and plays it back.
In theory, the inverted noise cancells the real noise.
It was invented by the pommie air force and refined but not perfected yet by the yanks.. but I could be wrong, I'm sure someone else will chip in...

[sAsLEX]

How do they work.....?
Well without getting to technical, they have a microphone that records the noise, then inverts that noise and plays it back.
In theory, the inverted noise cancells the real noise.
It was invented by the pommie air force and refined but not perfected yet by the yanks.. but I could be wrong, I'm sure someone else will chip in...

close enough, of note none of the models mentioned above use active noise cancelling, they just seal the ear canal like a normal ear plug.

[Pussy]

close enough, of note none of the models you mention use active noise cancelling, they just seal the ear canal like a normal ear plug.

Wrong!
Both my last SPH 5, and now my MSA Gallett helmet have ANR in them

[mossy1200]

Do these work on wives or is that a noise that can never be muffled?

[sAsLEX]

Wrong!
Both my last SPH 5, and now my MSA Gallett helmet have ANR in them

I meant to refer to the Skullcandy models.

[Trudes]

Do these work on wives or is that a noise that can never be muffled?

Mine effectively drowned out the noise of a large family of Tongans that were in the curtained cubicle next to mine when I was in hosital, so a wife will be easy.

[sAsLEX]

Do these work on wives or is that a noise that can never be muffled?

Motorcycling and in particular wind noise kills your ability to hear higher registers ........ so long as your wife is not a tenor or a baritone just stop wearing ear plugs all together....

[Pussy]

I meant to refer to the Skullcandy models.

I see! It would work in a m/c helmet if there was enough room for the cups... and a 9v power supply.
A large percentage of the noise in a Fletcher cockpit is wind noise... same as an m/c

[mossy1200]

Mine effectively drowned out the noise of a large family of Tongans that were in the curtained cubicle next to mine when I was in hosital, so a wife will be easy.

One .My wife is easy and often so thats an existing problem unrelated.
Two .Im going for muffled as I still need to hear her coming or I run in to problems with issue one.I can outrun her but im stuffed if she can sneak up on me.
I just want a whine volume adjustment.

[Trudes]

One .My wife is easy and often so thats an existing problem unrelated.
Two .Im going for muffled as I still need to hear her coming or I run in to problems with issue one.I can outrun her but im stuffed if she can sneak up on me.
I just want a whine volume adjustment.

I can't bling you, but that's so funny, whine volume, you should hope she doesn't read that!!!

[mossy1200]

I can't bling you, but that's so funny, whine volume, you should hope she doesn't read that!!!

I used to get spanked when I was naughty and it took her 7years to work out thats why I was so naughty.Im safe as long as Skippy doesnt tell her.

[Gizzit]

SO ....... That's a NO then .... ?????? Nobody has got experience with these Skull Candy plugs ... ????!!!! :blink: :shit: :D

Point taken about FMJ sticking out a bit far though. I thought they might too, just looking at pictures of them .... Cheers. :)

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

Try Sennheiser ear plugs. Pretty expensive (but the skullcandy ones aren't cheap either).
I got the CX300-II silver precision ones for $88 from JB HI-FI. The also do a gold and bronze standard. Mine came with three types of rubber ear canal sleeves - to suit all ear types.

The sennheiser ones fit fully into your ear. Pretty much act as earplugs but have a tiny speaker within the rubber sleeve (which goes into your ear canal). Best set I have found yet and definately block a lot of exterior noise.

The point someone made about sore ears is very true. With my old phillips ones they used to dig into my ears when removing or putting on my helmet which hurt like a b1tch sometimes. The seinhauser ones are very flat to your ear as the speaker is in the rubber ear canal sleeve so this is not a problem.

[Hiflyer]

I use a pair of smokin buds, the rubber sleves that plug your ear take out quite a bit of noise, maybe 80-90% for me, can still hear my engine and its not too loud, it can be a bit uncumfy and a wee bit difficult to get on with the helmet (Maybe 2 or 3 times to get it right at the MOST) but that's all, I find them excellent.

[Gizzit]

Try Sennheiser ear plugs. Pretty expensive (but the skullcandy ones aren't cheap either).
I got the CX300-II silver precision ones for $88 from JB HI-FI. The also do a gold and bronze standard. Mine came with three types of rubber ear canal sleeves - to suit all ear types.

The sennheiser ones fit fully into your ear. Pretty much act as earplugs but have a tiny speaker within the rubber sleeve (which goes into your ear canal). Best set I have found yet and definately block a lot of exterior noise.

The point someone made about sore ears is very true. With my old phillips ones they used to dig into my ears when removing or putting on my helmet which hurt like a b1tch sometimes. The seinhauser ones are very flat to your ear as the speaker is in the rubber ear canal sleeve so this is not a problem.

Thanks for that. I'll keep an eye out for them. Not too sure who has Sennheiser here in Whangarei, but am sure someone will. Cheers :niceone:

[Gizzit]

I use a pair of smokin buds, the rubber sleves that plug your ear take out quite a bit of noise, maybe 80-90% for me, can still hear my engine and its not too loud, it can be a bit uncumfy and a wee bit difficult to get on with the helmet (Maybe 2 or 3 times to get it right at the MOST) but that's all, I find them excellent.

Thanks for that. Probably most of the stereo in-ear buds will cause a bit of discomfort with getting a helmet on and off, and will be pretty tricky to manage. But I guess it's how they feel during a ride, and if they are uncomfortable then. That would put me off using any of them.
Thanks for your comments. :niceone:

[ZephyrMark2]

Thanks for that. Probably most of the stereo in-ear buds will cause a bit of discomfort with getting a helmet on and off, and will be pretty tricky to manage. But I guess it's how they feel during a ride, and if they are uncomfortable then. That would put me off using any of them.
Thanks for your comments. :niceone:

Hi there..

thought I'd jump in. The difference between the earphones is noise cancelling has the high frequency sound part that someone mentioned, 'noise isolating' earphones are like the smoking bud design.

I currently use sony noise isolating earphones and agree with the getting them just right in the helmet part, but once they're in, they're fantastic. You can lower the volume of your sounds, and you don't have to worry about the high pitch wind noise.

Definately recommend a pair!

Mark

[325rocket]

Someone has mentioned Skull Candy "Smokin Buds" as being good.

they work pretty good but are bloody hard to get on under a helmet du to the shape.

[Dcati]

I have a pair of Shure plugs and they are the ultimate in terms of sound quality and they do a great job of cutting out noise due to the excellent in ear fit.

Got mine on Trade Me and saved a bit off the retail price. If you can afford them, they are great and totally transform an Ipod.

[Gizzit]

Hi there..

thought I'd jump in. The difference between the earphones is noise cancelling has the high frequency sound part that someone mentioned, 'noise isolating' earphones are like the smoking bud design.

I currently use sony noise isolating earphones and agree with the getting them just right in the helmet part, but once they're in, they're fantastic. You can lower the volume of your sounds, and you don't have to worry about the high pitch wind noise.

Definately recommend a pair!

Mark

Yeah ..... I meant noise isolating/reducing .... rather than any kind of active cancelling. Just the type that seal in the ear canal, to act like ear plugs, but as you said .... you can listen to your music ... or whatever :)
Sony are good quality too. Cheers Mark

[Gizzit]

I have a pair of Shure plugs and they are the ultimate in terms of sound quality and they do a great job of cutting out noise due to the excellent in ear fit.

Got mine on Trade Me and saved a bit off the retail price. If you can afford them, they are great and totally transform an Ipod.

Thanks. I'll check them out. Others have mentioned Shure, and I know they make good quality sound gear. Cheers.

[breakaway]

You don't need any fancy active noise cancelling headphones. What you need is good quality canalphones. You can get ones ranging from $400 (custom made to fit your ears - up to 30 dB noise reduction which is heaps) or ones from the shop.

Either way, it's significantly better than riding without plugs or riding with other type of headphones.

The trick is to try several different brands / shapes and find one that fits best for your ear shape / helmet shape.

[hayd3n]

+1 for the shures

[extGamer]

I use the Skull Candy earbuds, it justs just cool...

for the head phones, Bose QuietComfort 3 , its just like magic and crystal :D

[xtskinz]

Not sure if they've been mentioned or not (have only had a quick scan of the thread!) but check out the Blackbox C14's - I've got a set of the M14 headphones and they're great on a plane. Have read some good things about the c14's.

[davebullet]

Mine effectively drowned out the noise of a large family of Tongans that were in the curtained cubicle next to mine when I was in hosital, so a wife will be easy.

Not if said wife has worked up a head of steam first!

[vifferman]

A mate of mine in Mrka made his own by getting some brand of earphones (I'm pretty sure they were Shure), then dismantling them, used a hot wire to ream out an appropriate sized canal thrugh some good earplugs, and inserted the earphones into them. Hard to describe, but I'll see if I can find a link somewhere. Basically, whatever earphones he was using had good sound, but not good fit, so he created a hybrid with good fitting plugs and good sounding speakers.

[Hidalgo]

I am using Sonic Sound Isolation Earbuds. they are real value for money. U won't regret on this price. I have recomended to few more mates and they all are bloody happy with the resuults.
http://www.elive.co.nz/soundisolationearbuds-hseb100-cd0159.php

[Gizzit]

A mate of mine in Mrka made his own by getting some brand of earphones (I'm pretty sure they were Shure), then dismantling them, used a hot wire to ream out an appropriate sized canal thrugh some good earplugs, and inserted the earphones into them. Hard to describe, but I'll see if I can find a link somewhere. Basically, whatever earphones he was using had good sound, but not good fit, so he created a hybrid with good fitting plugs and good sounding speakers.

Thanks for that. I had a similar idea ..... using the speaker tubes from my Plugz 4 Lugz stereo ear plugs, and doing just as you suggest. I will try that out ..... amongst other trials! Cheers.


I am using Sonic Sound Isolation Earbuds. they are real value for money. U won't regret on this price. I have recomended to few more mates and they all are bloody happy with the resuults.
http://www.elive.co.nz/soundisolationearbuds-hseb100-cd0159.php

Thanks for that idea ... and site. That's bloody cheap, and certainly worth a try. Cheers :niceone: Thanks guys.

[st00ji]

i ended up buying a pair of metro FI ear buds the other day, the noise cancelling is not as pronounced as the skull candys but they are slightly slimmer so fit under helmet better. its also nice to be able to hear a bit of the bike too :D

[breakaway]

Metro.Fi 100 earbuds are great. Got em for $49.99 from Harvey Norman.

As far as sound quality goes they're pretty poor, but the noise isolation is great, and the cord design is very well suited to rugged use.

[Hiflyer]

Did nearly 300kms on Friday with my skull candy smokin buds. I only use them in one ear just cos . . . I dunno why actually... Anyway, :whocares:

my point is, after about 170-180kms they were getting a bit uncomfy and I pulled over for a stop, I was in need of a stop anyway so it worked out good. had a 10min rest, let my ears recover and was good to go :scooter:.
The only issue I had was putting them on, u gotta move your helmet around a bit when you first get on your bike but other than that they stayed in perfect, felt comfy the majority of the time and kept alot of the wind noise out which was great. So yea, no gripes frrom me about them! :wari:

[ukusa]

to be honest I prefer the sweet sound of my bike when riding.
Noise cancelling earphones are fantastic on the plane though, quietens that droning jet engine noise. My panasonic buds seem to work fine, were about $90 I think.

[Runera]

I have a set of Shure noise cancelling earphones/plugs and I find them comfortable for long periods in my helmet and they really do cancel out the wind noise etc.


I also have Shures... Best investment in personal audio i have ever made. I picked up a pair of the SE530's and have never looked back. Drowns out the loudest of noises and would be one of the best sounding in-ear phones on the market!

[morayfm]

Like others I reckon the SHURE earphones are the best. You have to make sure you follow the instructions on how to fit them to get the best results.

[nowsound.co.nz]

Hi My name is Carl from Nowsound LTD we are the shure earphone agents for New Zealand. We can offer a discount to any Kiwi bikers on the Shure range. Comments about these for Motorbikes has been great as they sit well inside your ear making it easy to get you helmet on and off. These were originally made for in-ear monitoring for performers on stage so the sound quality is awesome and they are very comfortable over a long period of time. Anyways if you would like to demo some of these or enquire about a kiwibiker discount please get in touch with me.

Cheers
Carl

cwin@nowsound.co.nz

or visit these websites

www.nowsound.co.nz
or
www.4shure.co.nz

[breakaway]

Which model of IEMs do you recommend Carl? Something that's not TOO expensive I suppose