sounds in your helmet?

[R6_kid]

Who rides with headphones or has speakers in their helmet?

I wanna get some decent headphones and set them into the ear-hole-things of my helmet so i can get some good quality sounds playing without getting sore and red ears from ear-plug type earphones.

[Waylander]

Been thinking about doing that for a while only I wanna have it so they are in there permanently with a headphone jack (like what you normally plug you headsets into) on the bottom side of it so that I dont always have the wires hangin out of it even when not using them. I can see how it would be done but don't have the curage to mess up my only full size helmet and good headphones if I stuff it up.

[Ramius]

I wouldn't recommend it. I would recommend some very good ear plugs. Having music playing in the helmet is a.) a distraction b.) bad for the ears. Trust me on that, having music play through my helmet for just two months has given me tinnitus worse than what I had, yes people, the ear thing and not the foot thing. Besides, wouldn't you just like to listen to the roar of your engine (of course through the ear plugs) or the screach of your nifty 50, whichever you have, or were unlucky enough to get a loan off.

[Waylander]

Lol Mate I've been listening to load as music since I was 8 and my ears are fine and I can hear my engine over the headset when it's blaring pantera at full blast.

I agree with the distraction bit in part though. For a new rider yea it could prove to be but for someone who has ridden for more than a few years it should be ok.

[Ramius]

Lol Mate I've been listening to load as music since I was 8 and my ears are fine and I can hear my engine over the headset when it's blaring pantera at full blast.

I agree with the distraction bit in part though. For a new rider yea it could prove to be but for someone who has ridden for more than a few years it should be ok.


What was that sonny? I can't hear you over that damn ringing in my ear! Yeah, and a smoker at 35 will say they have been smoking since they were 15 and have no problems until the very next year they contract lung cancer and die a horrible, miserable death.

[Waylander]

What was that sonny? Yeah, and a smoker at 35 will say they have been smoking since they were 15 and have no problems until the very next year they contract lung cancer and die a horrible, miserable death.

Never said it couldn't happen old timer.:niceone:

[MrMelon]

I've been using some little earbud headphones under my helmet for a couple of months now and they're really good, cuts all the outside wind noise and stuff out and they're comfortable sitting in your ears under the helmet for hours.

They're sony mdr-ex71's (http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews71993.html) and not the cheapest but I'm yet to see a bad review of them.

http://images1.reviewcentre.com/sent-in/item71993.jpg

[John]

I've been using some little earbud headphones under my helmet for a couple of months now and they're really good, cuts all the outside wind noise and stuff out and they're comfortable sitting in your ears under the helmet for hours.

They're sony mdr-ex71's (http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews71993.html) and not the cheapest but I'm yet to see a bad review of them.

http://images1.reviewcentre.com/sent-in/item71993.jpg
I'll second that, I have them in my Iaudio and they are bloody awsome for music on the bike, you can actually hear the music without it being obnoxiously loud!

[MrMelon]

Yeah they're hooked up to my iaudio too :D

[John]

Yeah they're hooked up to my iaudio too :D
God we are the coolest people around!

[Zed]

Who rides with headphones or has speakers in their helmet?

I wanna get some decent headphones and set them into the ear-hole-things of my helmet so i can get some good quality sounds playing without getting sore and red ears from ear-plug type earphones.I 'used' to ride listening to music. Bought an expensive pair of headphones ($120) where the round speaker head detatched off and basically I velcroed them into the sides of my helmet. I too wanted to avoid the earplug type. Worked well. Nowadays I utilise ALL my senses for riding so there's no room for music anymore - too distracting!

Ride to survive. :niceone:

[R6_kid]

wtf is iaudio? ipod rip?

i was thinking of getting some $20 transonic sterio headphones from the warehouse (cheap + good qual.), chopping off all the plastic and laying them into the helmet but i dnt wanna go cutting into the polystyrene in my helmet incase i screw it up. I would but velcro or sumthin on them so they are semi-permanent.

how much are those ear bud ones worth?

[John]

wtf is iaudio? ipod rip?

i was thinking of getting some $20 transonic sterio headphones from the warehouse (cheap + good qual.), chopping off all the plastic and laying them into the helmet but i dnt wanna go cutting into the polystyrene in my helmet incase i screw it up. I would but velcro or sumthin on them so they are semi-permanent.

how much are those ear bud ones worth?
Those transonics will distort at the level of volume that you need to hear it over the air noise.

The sony buds (lol) will set you back around 120$ - bloody good stuff! Although I never listen to music when commuting only when I'm on open road, otherwise its just to dangerous.

www.iaudio.com (http://www.iaudio.com) (I have the M3L, these are so much better than Ipod its not funny)


edit: DONT CUT OR MODIFY YOUR HELMET UNLESS ITS THE FOAM PADDING, OR ELSE ITS WAY TO DANGEROUS TO THE CONSISTENCY OF THE HELMET :no:

[R6_kid]

DONT CUT OR MODIFY YOUR HELMET UNLESS ITS THE FOAM PADDING, OR ELSE ITS WAY TO DANGEROUS TO THE CONSISTENCY OF THE HELMET :no:

thats what i was thinking. spose its a no go til i find $120 for headphones :wait:

[MrMelon]

The sony buds are $100 down here. But they're good. The cord that goes around the back of your neck disintegrated on mine after a month so I got a warranty replacement, but the rubber on the new cord is starting to get sticky again. Hopefully these won't fall apart like the last ones though.

[John]

No there are heaps of ways to get around it but I dont know them....

Someone else will, I still dont recommend it but hey I'm abit mental.

[FEINT]

I listen to my MP3 player. I find the ear phones hurt my ears when removing the helmet. However wearing a balaclava helps, stops the helmet pulling the earphones when taking it off.

I just use normal round earphones, hear wind noise and music, need some better ones.. Looking at those sony's.. going for about $30USD on Ebay..

[Ghost Lemur]

Can't say I'd ever want to listen to music when riding.

To me, at least, it'd detract from the experience. You might as well add a couple of wheels, a roof and start texting while you ride.

Again to me at least, riding is an almost spiritual experience where I'm totally focused. Man, machine and enviroment. It's almost like meditation. Everything else gets pushed out.


Having said that if listening to something is your thing, and you have some money to spend I'd suggest looking at the Bahr (sp?) Silencer helmet. Heard nothing but good things for the quietness of this helmet, it's got built in headphone (and a mic I think) and looks pretty good too.

[danb]

When driving the cage I can’t go without music - settles you down a little bit with the shitty drivers in Auckland. I find music by it self is much better than the radio where they have news etc which you can get to distracted by.

When I was learning to drive the cage I couldn’t stand music in the car but now im the opposite. Only time will tell and finding the right sort of headphones, earplugs for me and seeing if riding and listening to music at the same time works. :whistle: :whistle:

I got my self a Mini Disk player while I was in Canada last September and has been the best thing I have ever brought. Least I know I can use it in any environment and not worry about a Hard Drive in the IPod screwing up on bumpy roads. An standard mp3 player would be just as ideal as well (No spinning parts at all).

[dart1202]

hear music when going up bike very dangerous but never mind when we remain to concentration. I also listen mp3 when my touring use type helmet of Nolan that Flip-Up very compatible when us use earphone.

[pyrocam]

I used to use $12 dick smith earbud types.

worked really well only quite hard to get onto ear or helmet on with them in. but the main reason I stopped doing it is I was doing stupid stuff.

Like, I would be listening to some fast paced techno in a line of traffic and then get all excited and do silly things like insane weaving etc.

apart from that (I might start again when Im a more experienced rider) its hella fun listening to music while riding.

[zeRax]

wtf.. did he use some sort of terrible translation program? if not ,thats a pretty good effort, i had to read it multiple times just to get an idea of what he was trying to say >_< hehe _b

[Wolf]

I sing - loudly, and usually off-key.

I like listening to music when I'm driving a car. Have experimented with getting music into my helmet but when you're deaf in one ear, the logistics get messy - like where can you buy a CD player with Mono output? You can't, so far as I'm aware, so you either have to figure out some kind of stereo-to-mono conversion for a single earpiece or mount two headphone speakers in the same ear cavity on the helmet. Neither option is ideal but the only other option is to wear normal stereo earpieces and only hear half the music because the entire left channel is inaudible.

[N4CR]

I sing - loudly, and usually off-key.

I like listening to music when I'm driving a car. Have experimented with getting music into my helmet but when you're deaf in one ear, the logistics get messy - like where can you buy a CD player with Mono output? You can't, so far as I'm aware, so you either have to figure out some kind of stereo-to-mono conversion for a single earpiece or mount two headphone speakers in the same ear cavity on the helmet. Neither option is ideal but the only other option is to wear normal stereo earpieces and only hear half the music because the entire left channel is inaudible.


Im sure you can just rungi it out and chop some cords and combine the two positive left and right channels into one, giving you one channel of 'stereo' sound that aint stereo no more.. I cant remember if this has worked in all my messing with my stereo system.. but worth a try if you have some cheap earphones to bust up.

Well I suppose if it dont work you can simply re-wire it and eletricaltape/solder/heatshrink it back up.

[mikey]

i use normal ipod speakers, dont get sore ears ................. unless its up REAL LOUD

[pritch]

There are earphones made specifically made to shut out other noise but any that are remotely likely to be any good ain't gonna come cheap. Bose do a set of headphones, small and light, originally designed for use in 'planes.

Also recently read of a set of plugs specifically designed for use with high background noise levels. These weren't cheap either but I have to check my magazine pile to see what and how much...

Oh! and don't ignore the tinitus warnings. When I'm travelling down the road on my bike with ear plugs in, the loudest noise I can hear is the built in buzz.

[Biff]

iPod or MP3 player (depends if Ms Biff has knicked the Pod) hooked into an Autocom unit, along with radar detector and mobile phone. Although I only ever hook these up if I'm communting to work, never if I'm out for a 'proper' ride. It takes the fun away.

[gamgee]

Punctuation, the difference between
Can't say, I'd ever want to listen to music when riding!
and

Can't say I'd ever want to listen to music when riding!

[Lou Girardin]

I upgraded my wifes music set-up with a pair of JVC earphones, the type that have retainers around your ear. Didn't use the retainers just velcroed them in the helmet. But we had to make an amp to get sufficient volume when she has earplugs in.
The Sony earbuds look great, but not at that price.
This just reminded me of travelling south of Franz Joseph into the twisty bits last Feb, as we were going slow the wind and exhaust noise had dropped. From time to time I heard this high pitched keening sound that was really starting to freak me out. Didn't sound bike related, then I clicked. It was my loved one singing at the top of her voice.

PS Some helmets are real buggers to fit speakers in. Nolan and HJC are easy to do.

[Big Dave]

I only paid $90 for those phones in the Sony shop in Newmarket.
I use them with my ipod quite often, in all types of riding.

Distract from the experience? - Guns n roses 'you cold be mine' at max volume and a fast section of challenging road. Gets me where I live. That Ol' Arnie's got NADA baby.

[Blakamin]

had the headphones thing mounted in helmet... mp3 player in jacket...
Used to get tangled and hated having to plug my helmet in all the time...
then it annoyed the shit outta me coz it wasn't loud enuff when I bought the Duc... so I sold the mp3 player.... I just listen to the sweet, sweet sounds of a twin now..... :love:

[gamgee]

listen to my ipod through these:
http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/images/models/rp-dj100.jpg
huge bass but i wouldn't tear them apart for use in a helmet, in all honesty i'd be fine with concentrating on both, but i just love riding so much that i'd rather concentrate on that than listen to music as well

[Ramius]

Oh! and don't ignore the tinitus warnings. When I'm travelling down the road on my bike with ear plugs in, the loudest noise I can hear is the built in buzz.

Amen to that! It is the loudest thing I hear, the only thing I hear over everything else! Especially irritating while trying to sleep!

[badlieutenant]

I've been using some little earbud headphones under my helmet for a couple of months now and they're really good, cuts all the outside wind noise and stuff out and they're comfortable sitting in your ears under the helmet for hours.

They're sony mdr-ex71's (http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews71993.html) and not the cheapest but I'm yet to see a bad review of them.

http://images1.reviewcentre.com/sent-in/item71993.jpg
tested on private roads you can stil hear music at 180km/hr. best part is you get a muffled sound of the engine which i like to hear.

[pritch]

OK I found the magazine article I was looking for. This is of interest only to those who have already fitted every possible mod to their bike, or those with unlimited income. But then you do tend to get what you pay for...

ER-6 Isolator Earphones from Etymotic Research are available from the Aerostitch RiderWearHouse (do yer own Google searches, and do note the way it's spelt).

These are said to provide "superior resonse accuracy" while reducing engine and wind noise by 20db

At US$137 these ain't cheap but then there are the ER-4s at only US$330.
It could be worse.

I've only tried my iPod on the bike once and it didn't cut it with the standard plugs, (excellent though they may be in other respects).

[Madguitarist!]

I use the Shure E3 in-ear monitors, they cost abt $250. They are basically used by musos for live performances. Really locks out the surrounding noise and delivers clear sounds. Not cheap but real good. The replaceable foam ear inserts really work and are quite comfy too.

I plug this into a boomgear mp3 player.......and RIDE ON!!! :ride:

[Timber020]

The Music while concentrating thing has been greatly debated in my industry, they have found it does up productivity and people nodding on repetitive tasks. I personally do have a radio in my work helmet (which is on my head at least 40 hours a week) but only supplying one ear so I can still be fully aware of whats happening around me.
If Im working in high danger exposure situations I have noticed Im not as quick with the music on, reactions are just a little slower and my concentration on task sometimes "weaves" around a little.
Had workmate comment they could tell if I had the radio on or not by the way I worked, so now if its something serious that Im doing, I keep it off as I does make a difference.

If I was on a open road cruise, I would have the music on, if I was on a mission, Id keep my ears and mind on the bike.

[Keeper]

can anyone provide a link or contact for a mob who put headphones in helmets?

i need some bad so i can listen to mp3s, cell phones, police scanners and radar detectors all at once....

bring on the dirtraction...

seriously tho if anyone has had them put in where did you get it done?

[johnsf1980]

I was thinking the other day it would be cool if two way radios could be put in helmets.... would be great for communication on group rides, etc :mobile:

[Keeper]

I was thinking the other day it would be cool if two way radios could be put in helmets.... would be great for communication on group rides, etc :mobile:

i have seen these before... in most bike mags there should be at least one add

[FEINT]

you can get walkie talkies that come with a in ear attachment for listening to in your helmet, comes with a throat attachment for you to speak.

Cheap too $22.00 to attach to the walkie talkie which is about $50.00+

have a look here! (http://www1.jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=DC1013&CATID=47&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=763)

I have also seen a wireless device that is installed in the helmet and has a ear phone built in. Wireless device connects to a wireless access point on the bike which is connected to the RADAR.. So that you can hear your radar when it goes off. I heard about $400NZD.

[pritch]

Interesting article. I was surprised to see the Kiwi reference..

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/baehr/baehr-intercoms.htm