Earplugs and headphones - what's the story?

[Gremlin]

I use a noise-isolating earphone to keep the external noise to a minimum, enabling me to maintain a fairly low and reasonable volume of the music to avoid hearing damage.

Non-isolating earphones would be a bad idea. Wind noise + volume required to overcome that noise means hearing damage.

Wot e sed. Worth noting, the wind noise at 100kph is sufficient to give permanent hearing loss, over time.

Around town, working etc, I use custom ear plugs while riding, when in the country and riding for leisure, I use the same plugs, but the helmet has comms and audio gear, so speakers in the helmet. Sound is up quite loud, but only to counter the big blocking effect of the custom plugs. I've made the mistake of jumping on the bike to go around the corner without plugs, forgetting the sound levels more than once...

[NZsarge]

Around town, working etc, I use custom ear plugs while riding, when in the country and riding for leisure, I use the same plugs, but the helmet has comms and audio gear, so speakers in the helmet. Sound is up quite loud, but only to counter the big blocking effect of the custom plugs.

With the audio going and plugs in does it sound like someone mumbling down a long tunnel or is it not too bad quality wise?

[bluninja]

For music, when you're at bunnings grab a length of thin clear tubing and a couple of NETA right angle watering fittings from the gardening section. Heat up a nail good and hot and stick it through the middle of a pair of 3M plugs, right angle piece goes into hole, other end of right angle piece goes in tubing, then attach other end of tubing over/to a cheap pair of in-ear headphones. End result, an airline-style acoustic pipe, very thin and comfortable, for a couple of bucks and 5 minutes work. I wrote a thread here with pictures a year or two back.

I used to have an acoustic 'intercom', really clear sound so you can hear when the pillion screams. Doesn't quite work bike to bike with a longer tube

[The Singing Chef]

I always ride with music, I have in-ear earphones which means I can have the volume at an acceptable level so I can still hear everything. Only time I turn it right up is when comfortably numb comes on. Only gets annoying when trying to have a convo with someone.

[rossirep]

ear plugs for me if im out on the open road, round town its to much hassle taking them in and out every time i stop, i use to listen to music when riding but it didnt work to well for me, id raher be able to hear the bike over some music, but each to their own..

[Blackshear]

Foam earplugs for longer trips, definitely.
Canalphones up enough to arise from the white noise depths on smaller jaunts.
Dunno about earphones, they're different to canalphones.

[Grasshopperus]

Like many others I use custom ear plugs made by 'plugs 4 lugs'. They're really, really good and you will need to use some sort of earplug to avoid becoming deaf.

If you need some music then just start singing; nothing better than belting out some Pavarotti while travelling at 300km/h.

[KoroJ]

I'm too boring for me and have to have music to break the monotony of my own company! Use to use an MP3 with earbuds, but the long rides (ie 5 to 20 hours on end) of wind roar and music did start to affect the hearing with a bit of tinatus.

Got Custom Made Audio Plugs from KiwiPlugs (they have a tube through them which is connected to the earbuds) and can listen to the music now with it set at a normal listening level and can hear that all the way to 130......(or I'm sure I would hear it if I ever went that fast!!)

I now have the tunes fed from the GPS and that's much better than the MP3 as it's easy to adjust the volume or turn off.

As for distraction....those that ride with me usually note a bit of bobbing and tapping going on, but I never hear a thing when I'm in the zone and carving through a sweet piece of curvy macadam. It often takes 10 or 15minutes to even notice that I've lost the sounds or haven't turned them back on after a stop.

[Interceptor]

I regularly listen to music while riding, particularly on long trips.
I use a noise-isolating earphone to keep the external noise to a minimum, enabling me to maintain a fairly low and reasonable volume of the music to avoid hearing damage.

How well does the noise-isolating earphones work with chopping out wind noise? I have been trying to work out whether noise-isolating would work well enough or not - some threads elsewhere seem to give the impression that the noise-isolating actually enhances the wind background noise thereby making it worse. Thanks.

[SMOKEU]

I use these ones here http://www.trademe.co.nz/jewellery-w...-420112051.htm and they're pretty damn good.

[onearmedbandit]

I always ride with ear plugs, even with my intercom. Wind noise will, as pointed out, kill your hearing over time.

[gatch]

Given I can only think on one thing at a time, I never listen to music, other than the ballad of the v4.

Foam plugs however are a lifesaver. Plus I just pinch handfuls of them from work..