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Headphones / Earplugs? Headphones / Earplugs?
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Photo by George Guille, It's going to be a long 300km... Bolivian Amazon

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Photo by George Guille
It's going to be a long 300km...
Bolivian Amazon



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  #1  
Old 9 Nov 2008
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Question Headphones / Earplugs?
I need some in-ear headphones for use with my helmet. I find regular in-ear doodads really uncomfortable but I've heard that you can get soft roll up earplugs with a small headphone built in. I've had a look at Koss Earbuds, but they don't seem soft enough all the way - they have a solid plastic end.

Apparantly Ewan used something similar on LWR/LWD but I haven't been able to find anything like them. Any ideas?
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Old 9 Nov 2008
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They're not in-ear as such, but I can wholeheartedly recommend the headphones I have - which unfortunately are a no-name cheepo supermarket deal. The thing about them is is that they don't go in your ear but rather sit over the earhole, with little over the ear hooks like a hearing aid.

I found that in-ear ones would always pull out as I put my helmet on, but these don't at all, I just give myself a little slack on the wires as I pop the lid on, and they sit nicely. And you can wear ear-plugs underneath too.
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Old 9 Nov 2008
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I use these earplugs, come with or without speakers.
ultimate ear protection | Hearing Protection | Ear Plugs | Hearing and Ear Protection Manufacturers London UK | Best Ear Plugs

There are also some speakers I have in a lid they are comms headsets but just plug into whatever.
Motorcycle Headsets & Packs | THUNDERPOLE
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Old 10 Nov 2008
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Etymotic ER6i earphones are awesome. Takes a little while to get used to put them in properly, but once you do they really cut down on wind noise and allow you to hear music well even at low volumes. in the us cost about $75 on amazon. as long as they are inserted properly, I can wear them all day long without discomfort.

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Old 11 Nov 2008
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The Etymotics look like the best, but they're way too pricey for me. The Koss earbuds are on Amazon for under £10 so I'll get those and hope for the best.

Thanks for the info.
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Old 19 Jan 2009
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I bought my Etymotics ER6i's new from Ebay US and paid around $80 shipped to Europe.

The quality is fantastic and far above any of the other in-ears I had previously (also the silicone plug type from Sony and Philips). They are much better at blocking out noise, and I actually prefer them over ear plugs even without music. For inner city riding in traffic a bit too much even, but perfect for higher speed riding where wind noise becomes a factor.

They hide really well in the ear canal and generally stay in place when I put on the helmet.
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Old 21 Jan 2009
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This has been a big issue for me over the years, and I have tried various different designs and brands.

I prefer ear buds with silicone grommets, but find Sony's are really poor quality these days even when I have paid $75 for a pair, they tend to fall to bits very quickly.

The best that I have found have been microlab, I paid $16 for them in Cambodia, so its probably more than they cost else where. They are durable and the sound quality is great, has a nice low end response which means I don't just hear treble whilst riding.

I have also found most earbuds work their way out after an hour of riding. I fix them in with denture adhesive which helps with the seal too. If you wet the ear passage and bud with some saliva before applying it helps activate the adhesive. Remember not to apply too much or you will be picking hardened glue out of your ears for ages.... its inert so completely safe. remember to pack some q-tips and wet wipes too...
Last edited by steamerstimpson; 22 Jan 2009 at 02:20. Reason: inaccurate fact
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Old 21 Jan 2009
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I checked out the etymotic isolators. They have quite a poor frequency respons: 50 Hz to 16 kHz. Audible range is 20hz to 20khz

I once tried dentists rubber impression material to seal earphones which worked really well, and i believe that that the sound on the etymotics is part due to the great airseal.I am not suggesting that their mid range performance is poor, but their ffigures suggest bass and hi frequency response is not great. Not for a $149 earphone
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Old 30 Jan 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steamerstimpson View Post
I checked out the etymotic isolators. They have quite a poor frequency respons: 50 Hz to 16 kHz. Audible range is 20hz to 20khz
As a sound engineer who works at the pro audio end of the live music market, I can promise you that your average 10 year old will not have that sort of audible range let alone someone who rides a motorbike. And whats more the human ear does not hear anything below about 50hz you just feel it. Your average adult will have a frequency range of about 50hz to anything between 12khz and 16 khz.

my final comment on this though is if they sound good buy them if they don't don't.

All the best Tom
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