Ear plugs.....

[Gweiloman]

or as I like to call them, the cheapest mod to go faster. Why? Can't hear the wind so the perception of speed is not so great ie makes you think you are going slower than you actually are.

Who wears / don't wear ear plugs?

[DualSportBiker]

Have to; my Nolan helmet is unwearable without them - way too noisy... I wear them for work too so my ears are used to them...

[RubberSideDown]

I wear them on longer rides- hearing loss from wind noise is a real issue for motorcyclists, even with quieter helmets. Good earplugs don't filter out ambient noise and will still work with Bluetooth headsets.

[JonnyF]

I also wear them for rides out of Bangkok due to wind noise. Don't use them in and around Bangkok as speeds are slower and wind noise isn't an issue.

I plan to get some decent ones, but currently just use cheap Boots ones or some mouldable "playdough" type ones I got from the UK.

[Gweiloman]

I have a Shoei mutitec which is supposed to be fairly quiet it's still noisy - can't hear my intercom even. With ear plugs, I can hear the GPS directions clearly as well as my music, which I like to play while riding.

I use the 3M reusable plugs. They are the most comfortable ones that I've found. Foam ones don't cut out sufficient wind noise for me.

Edited February 23, 2015 by Gweiloman

[AllanB]

I have a barking dog next door and have thought about using them any ideas which ones and where to get them? It has to be easier than murdering the owner.

[ll2]

if i dont forget i wear one for long trips. definitely good for less fatigue.

prefer to listen to some music though with some good noise cancelling headphones.

[drift]

I always wear earplugs. If I don't the sound comes up and rattles around in my full face helmet. Instant headache and ringing ears. I find it much less fatiguing and I can concentrate. I use the classic yellow foam ear plugs. For me they work the best. I've tried quite a few different styles. Maybe Global or Homepro carries them here. I'm not sure.

Edited February 23, 2015 by drift

[dave_boo]

Shure SE535 (using the Sure olives) plugged into my intercom. Bliss.

I've tried the Surefire ear plugs below, but personally feel it's better to have some tunes whilst riding.

[Gonsalviz]

Shure SE535 (using the Sure olives) plugged into my intercom. Bliss.

I've tried the Surefire ear plugs below, but personally feel it's better to have some tunes whilst riding.

Me too but I play the music too loud.

People tell me I can't hear the traffic. My response is "they make me wear a helmet, I can't hear anything any way".

[dave_boo]

Me too but I play the music too loud.

People tell me I can't hear the traffic. My response is "they make me wear a helmet, I can't hear anything any way".

It's not the helmet. Anything more than 65 km/h and the windnoise drowns everything else out. I don't care how good your hearing is (and mine is excellent), you can't get away from the physics. Schubert claims a reduction of 85 dBA (which is the same level as a diesel garbage truck going by!) at 96 km/h with their helmet, to give you an idea of the amount of windnoise there actually is.

[Shurup]

Thanks for the reminder. I only remember about buying some when I'm on the bike already an then it's too late.

I'm already half deaf, don't want it to get worse.

[dave_boo]

Thanks for the reminder. I only remember about buying some when I'm on the bike already an then it's too late.

I'm already half deaf, don't want it to get worse.

Hunh?

Ok, bad joke.

If you ride with friends, than the IEM is a bad choice as it does an excellent job of blocking out the comments they have at intersections/red lights, Of course if everyone is on an intercom it doesn't matter.

Also, if you're like me and forget things all the time, having the disposable ear plugs can save you frustration as they are much cheaper. You can keep a few sets in your tank bag or even your jacket. That way if you set them down some place and they're left behind no problem. They can also be changed out quickly (you'd be surprised the amount of ear wax that builds up in Thailand) when yucky.

If you're not the forgetful type, get the ones with the cables as in my previous picture. They get popped out of your ears and hang around your neck. Easy peasy, but they cost more. A lot more.

[Shurup]

I think any type I can get will be better than nothing. The problem is, I only remember that I need to buy some ear plugs is when I already need them.

Should stick a note on my forehead.

Where did you buy those? Would be nice to have some tunes playing while I'm riding.

[dave_boo]

I think any type I can get will be better than nothing. The problem is, I only remember that I need to buy some ear plugs is when I already need them.

Should stick a note on my forehead.

Where did you buy those? Would be nice to have some tunes playing while I'm riding.

You can get them from Amazon. Or if you're in BKK you can go to Jet Live Audio and try out different ones though. Shure has 6 different models. The 112 are the base model (2K baht). I'd stay away from them as they don't have detachable cables and the old pre SE-* models were pretty notorious for having cable breakage right where they joined the shell (I had 2 go out on me...first was replaced under warranty). Next up is the SE215 (4K bath) which uses a single dynamic driver and is more 'consumer' oriented in sound. I.E. more bassy. The 315 (6.3K baht) uses a single balanced armature and is more neutral than the little brother. The SE425 (9k baht) use dual b.a. drivers and is a really nice sounding kit for vocals and midrange sounds. The SE535 (16K baht...17K for the special edition) has 3 b.a. drivers and still have the good midrange but bump up the bass in a good way. Me likey. The SE846 (34K baht) has 4 b.a. drivers and a waveguide that supposedly bumps up the bass while maintaining good response. I'm still debating whether to check them out as I'm actually looking to expand my Audio Technica woody line and that would be a hard purchase to justify when I've brought home a couple of full headphones.

Westone also has some good IEM, Shure was too big so Mrs. dave_boo ended up with their UM Pro 10 as they fit her little mouse ears. They sound ok to me, but not at the same level as I'm used to.

[Shurup]

34K THB for the earplugs with speakers?

I'd chop up my BOSE QC15 and mount them in my helmet for 1/3 the price, probably better noise canceling and definitely better sound. Hmm... that's actually something to think about...

[dave_boo]

34K THB for the earplugs with speakers?

I'd chop up my BOSE QC15 and mount them in my helmet for 1/3 the price, probably better noise canceling and definitely better sound. Hmm... that's actually something to think about...

If you're happy with your Bose, stick with them. They and Beats have a wonderful marketing campaign that has served them well.

If you want to know about Bose, do the same as you would when researching a motorcycle. Look at the specs. The frequency response graphs, etc.

OH WAIT.....Bose doesn't publish those even though most other serious manufacturers do. Luckily there are websites that test it.

Bose Quietcomfort 15

Shure SE846.

Notice how the QC15 have that ugly +10dB peak to make them overly bassy. Look at that crazy channel imbalance! The nasty spike around about 6.5K.

Yes you will pay more for the SE846 (or any quality headphone). And no, the price doesn't scale linearly with performance just like it doesn't with motorcycles.

The last thing you need to consider is that you're talking about adding active noise cancellation. Meaning the louder the outside noise, the louder the headphone pumps out the inverse. Meaning that sound waves are still hitting your ear drums very loudly. Not exactly the best way to keep your hearing. And if it's actively noise cancelling...what frequencies are you missing out of on your music?

[Gweiloman]

I have a Scala Cardio intercom set, costs about Eur 200 or so. Bluetooth connection to my smartphone, gets my GPS instructions, listen to radio and mp3, phone calls etc. I'm happily bopping down the road when I'm touring.

[dave_boo]

As an aside, the QC15 compared to my SE535 or even the 846 has pretty bad noise reduction. Below is a graph; the lower the number the more the reduction. Note that the QC15 can only outperform the Shure in 300 hz (out of the 10,000+ measured).

[Shurup]

If you're happy with your Bose, stick with them. They and Beats have a wonderful marketing campaign that has served them well.

If you want to know about Bose, do the same as you would when researching a motorcycle. Look at the specs. The frequency response graphs, etc.

OH WAIT.....Bose doesn't publish those even though most other serious manufacturers do. Luckily there are websites that test it.

...

Most hearing losses are in the mid and high range, I hear the low frequencies better. That probably explains why I like Bose, mid and high I don't hear well.

I "think" you might be wrong regarding noise canceling. The inverse wave neutralizes the sound wave so no waves are hitting your ears, that's why you don't hear any noise. Louder noise (higher amplitude) will equally get cancelled by a higher amplitude inverse wave. A good visual demonstration are the waves on water surface - drop 2 similar size rocks into the water a little distance from each other and when the waves meet, they'll cancel each other out.

Now listening to the music with noise cancellation ON may be another matter, but I'm sure if speakers continue pumping out the inverse NC wave in addition to the music, music "should" make it into your ears with not many losses, the sine wave coming out of the speakers will look a little more complex than the nose sine wave coming into the NC microphones.

But you brought a good point, the earplugs with a good quality speakers should provide a better noise control and a better sound quality, unfortunately most of these types of earplugs give me an earache if I use them for too long.

[dave_boo]

If you're happy with your Bose, stick with them. They and Beats have a wonderful marketing campaign that has served them well.

If you want to know about Bose, do the same as you would when researching a motorcycle. Look at the specs. The frequency response graphs, etc.

OH WAIT.....Bose doesn't publish those even though most other serious manufacturers do. Luckily there are websites that test it.

...

Most hearing losses are in the mid and high range, I hear the low frequencies better. That probably explains why I like Bose, mid and high I don't hear well.

I "think" you might be wrong regarding noise canceling. The inverse wave neutralizes the sound wave so no waves are hitting your ears, that's why you don't hear any noise. Louder noise (higher amplitude) will equally get cancelled by a higher amplitude inverse wave. A good visual demonstration are the waves on water surface - drop 2 similar size rocks into the water a little distance from each other and when the waves meet, they'll cancel each other out.

Now listening to the music with noise cancellation ON may be another matter, but I'm sure if speakers continue pumping out the inverse NC wave in addition to the music, music "should" make it into your ears with not many losses, the sine wave coming out of the speakers will look a little more complex than the nose sine wave coming into the NC microphones.

But you brought a good point, the earplugs with a good quality speakers should provide a better noise control and a better sound quality, unfortunately most of these types of earplugs give me an earache if I use them for too long.

My understanding is that active noise cancellation works best with those droning noises like engine noise...right? Something the dsp can analyse and continuously counter. So if it's responding to momentary noise, it's going to happen a bit after the noise...meaning the inverse waves are doing what? I also question how much of the waves make it through the primary noise without interaction and strike one's ear drums. Could that be why the QC15 score so poorly on the isolation tests?

**edit**

I don't want to come across as a prick, and I've been a bit abrupt in my replies (I blame my emotional state on the noob braking thread). Apologies.

Also, the higher end IEM come with multiple tips that you can switch out to customise the fit to your ears. My SE535 are actually below the edge of my ears (although I do have Dumbo sized ones) and I can sleep with them in. The best thing to do though is go to a store and try out various ones. First find the models that fit and then the ones that have the sound you like in the price range you are willing to cough up. Another note; the bass is the first thing to go out when moving...consider that when you are looking.

Edited February 23, 2015 by dave_boo

[BKKdreaming]

I use the foam earplugs with a cord between them , easy to take in and out and you can find them !

also if you have someone trying to talk with you maybe they will see the cord and notice you have earplugs in and am not just ignoring them !

but 32db seems to be the limit for foam earplugs , and you still get lots of noise through your head and ear "flaps"

I use these earplugs on the airplane and also in my hotel at night.....

Now a question , are there cheap earplugs with a speaker inside that you can roll up in your fingers and insert in your ear ,

I would love to use those on the plane to listen to the movie and cut down the outside noise , but $25 even seems like a lot of money,

maybe an generic off brand from China ?

[dave_boo]

I use the foam earplugs with a cord between them , easy to take in and out and you can find them !

also if you have someone trying to talk with you maybe they will see the cord and notice you have earplugs in and am not just ignoring them !

but 32db seems to be the limit for foam earplugs , and you still get lots of noise through your head and ear "flaps"

I use these earplugs on the airplane and also in my hotel at night.....

Now a question , are there cheap earplugs with a speaker inside that you can roll up in your fingers and insert in your ear ,

I would love to use those on the plane to listen to the movie and cut down the outside noise , but $25 even seems like a lot of money,

maybe an generic off brand from China ?

Find the IEM you like and then look at this fit chart for Comply Foam tips to use.

[papa al]

In my dotage, I often forget to bring my ear plugs.

Then balled up tissue paper is better than nuttin'.

[H1w4yR1da]

I have a Shoei mutitec which is supposed to be fairly quiet it's still noisy - can't hear my intercom even. With ear plugs, I can hear the GPS directions clearly as well as my music, which I like to play while riding.

I use the 3M reusable plugs. They are the most comfortable ones that I've found. Foam ones don't cut out sufficient wind noise for me.

earplugs.jpg

Yeah, I wear these. From HomePro. Inserting them so they don't become uncomfortable on long rides takes a bit of practice.though. Don't push them in too far.

On a similar note, who wears a balaclava while riding? I expect some will think it gets too hot in this climate but surprisingly it doesn't. It protects your helmet lining as well.

And Gweiloman. Glad to see you're still with us and haven't been recently waylaid by some nefarious character taking disagreements 'to the real world'.

Edited February 24, 2015 by H1w4yR1da

[dave_boo]

I have a Shoei mutitec which is supposed to be fairly quiet it's still noisy - can't hear my intercom even. With ear plugs, I can hear the GPS directions clearly as well as my music, which I like to play while riding.

I use the 3M reusable plugs. They are the most comfortable ones that I've found. Foam ones don't cut out sufficient wind noise for me.

earplugs.jpg

Yeah, I wear these. From HomePro. Inserting them so they don't become uncomfortable on long rides takes a bit of practice.though. Don't push them in too far.

On a similar note, who wears a balaclava while riding? I expect some will think it gets too hot in this climate but surprisingly it doesn't. It protects your helmet lining as well.

And Gweiloman. Glad to see you're still with us and haven't been recently waylaid by some nefarious character taking disagreements 'to the real world'.

I wear one. They also work good to prevent your ears (did I mention I have big ol' Dumbo ears?) from being folded down when you put your helmet on. Also helps prevent your earbuds from being disturbed out of the optimum placement.

[andreandre]

I have a Shoei mutitec which is supposed to be fairly quiet it's still noisy - can't hear my intercom even. With ear plugs, I can hear the GPS directions clearly as well as my music, which I like to play while riding.

I use the 3M reusable plugs. They are the most comfortable ones that I've found. Foam ones don't cut out sufficient wind noise for me.

earplugs.jpg

Yeah, I wear these. From HomePro. Inserting them so they don't become uncomfortable on long rides takes a bit of practice.though. Don't push them in too far.

On a similar note, who wears a balaclava while riding? I expect some will think it gets too hot in this climate but surprisingly it doesn't. It protects your helmet lining as well.

And Gweiloman. Glad to see you're still with us and haven't been recently waylaid by some nefarious character taking disagreements 'to the real world'.

Great to see you are still around also..at least you and Jim can understand earplugs... not much input from you on more important issues

EDit..my bad was thinking of another member..I meant Gweilo..

And yes i do sometimes where ear plugs...not often though as i prefer to hear my surroundings when riding..each to their own , of course..

Edited February 24, 2015 by andreandre

[Gweiloman]

I have a Shoei mutitec which is supposed to be fairly quiet it's still noisy - can't hear my intercom even. With ear plugs, I can hear the GPS directions clearly as well as my music, which I like to play while riding.

I use the 3M reusable plugs. They are the most comfortable ones that I've found. Foam ones don't cut out sufficient wind noise for me.

earplugs.jpg

Yeah, I wear these. From HomePro. Inserting them so they don't become uncomfortable on long rides takes a bit of practice.though. Don't push them in too far.

On a similar note, who wears a balaclava while riding? I expect some will think it gets too hot in this climate but surprisingly it doesn't. It protects your helmet lining as well.

And Gweiloman. Glad to see you're still with us and haven't been recently waylaid by some nefarious character taking disagreements 'to the real world'.

I wear a balaclava as well as it cuts out further wind noise and allows my helmet to fit more snugly. Also helps to soak up the perspiration on really hot days.

It takes a lot more than a nefarious keyboard warrior shooting bits of binary data to get rid of me. For starters, my PCX will out accelerate most 110cc step throughs, haha.

[Gweiloman]

I have a Shoei mutitec which is supposed to be fairly quiet it's still noisy - can't hear my intercom even. With ear plugs, I can hear the GPS directions clearly as well as my music, which I like to play while riding.

I use the 3M reusable plugs. They are the most comfortable ones that I've found. Foam ones don't cut out sufficient wind noise for me.

earplugs.jpg

Yeah, I wear these. From HomePro. Inserting them so they don't become uncomfortable on long rides takes a bit of practice.though. Don't push them in too far.

On a similar note, who wears a balaclava while riding? I expect some will think it gets too hot in this climate but surprisingly it doesn't. It protects your helmet lining as well.

And Gweiloman. Glad to see you're still with us and haven't been recently waylaid by some nefarious character taking disagreements 'to the real world'.

Great to see you are still around also..at least you and Jim can understand earplugs...

Who's Jim?

[ll2]

anyone can recommend a good bluetooth headphone from a respectable brand for helmet use?

dave, most important thing to check in a headphone is frequency response and sound isolation IMO.

and bass response too. personally dont find earplugs good quality on sound as their drivers are small. so best is a conventional headphones.

like the ones you gave me before but better quality ones.

Edited February 24, 2015 by ll2