Ear plugs.....

[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...

Who's Jim?

Another no body...wrong info..see my edited post.

[Gweiloman]

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.

I can highly recommend the Scala Cardio set but they are a bit pricey.

I recently bought a pair of this for a friend

http://gtautobike.com/product.detail_939087_th_5967878

Not sure how good they are for at that price, you can always dump them if they're rubbish.

[dave_boo]

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.

5555...you're lecturing me about what a good headphone is? I have headphones (notice the plural) that cost more than your helmet. Trust me, I know what good headphones are! And Bose aren't. If you think that IEM can not have good sound, you've never listened to good ones.

And the reason I gave you those stock Cardo 'pancake' headphones brand new is because I knew they were not good quality and refuse to use them. Was hoping they were good enough for you, but am not miffed they weren't...because as I said I thought they were crap and mentioned it before I gave them to you.

[Gweiloman]

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..

Yes, earplugs are unimportant if one is merely riding a Nuovo round the mooban without helmet and wearing flip flops, boxer shorts and a singlet. Equally so with trail braking.

For faster riders however, ear plugs are an essential piece of kit. I can still hear my surroundings very well when wearing ear plugs as does all others I know that wears ear plugs. Could be because their hearing has not been damaged yet.

[RubberSideDown]

I use the Sena SMH10-11 and I love it (my GT-Air helmet was built specifically to accommodate it), and it has a mini-plug if you want to use earbuds instead of their supplied external speakers- their newer S20 is more oriented toward sport riding (the external control unit is more streamlined, but at the cost of battery life). Like with Shoei, I don't think I'll be using anything but Sena from now on.

Edited February 24, 2015 by RubberSideDown

[Shurup]

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.

Right the NC works west with noises like the engine noise, A/C noise, etc.. However I found QC15 quite responsive, I use them all the time during flights and being able to mute those annoying cry babies and blabbering Chinese, on top of jet engine noise, makes me quite happy.

**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.

No offence taken. I've been here for a while and know it's just your style. (It rhymes!)

I know a prick when I talk to one, you're not one of them.

[dave_boo]

I use the Sena SMH10-11 and I love it (my GT-Air helmet was built specifically to accommodate it), and it has a mini-plug if you want to use earbuds instead of their supplied external speakers- their newer S20 is more oriented toward sport riding (the external control unit is more streamlined, but at the cost of battery life). Like with Shoei, I don't think I'll be using anything but Sena from now on.

You bring up a good point. Those who can use IEM should make sure that there is an output on the bluetooth headset. My first Cardo didn't have one, but it did have an auxiliary input that you could rewire to act as an output.

The other good thing about Sena is that they allow connections to other manufacturers' bluetooth headsets for intercom features. I don't know if those connections are as advanced as say Cardo allows between their headsets, but that feature is super helpful if you have a group ride.

[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.

5555...you're lecturing me about what a good headphone is? I have headphones (notice the plural) that cost more than your helmet. Trust me, I know what good headphones are! And Bose aren't. If you think that IEM can not have good sound, you've never listened to good ones.

And the reason I gave you those stock Cardo 'pancake' headphones brand new is because I knew they were not good quality and refuse to use them. Was hoping they were good enough for you, but am not miffed they weren't...because as I said I thought they were crap and mentioned it before I gave them to you.

Why not man? Are you hollier than tho? Do you know everything on earth? Why can't lecture you? You sound like a semi god sometime Dave:)

It is strange to say like your headphones cost more than my helmet.

Then I have speakers more than the value of your bike and my sound system back home was quite expensive too. Possibly more expensive than your future bike triumph. All my major family members were audiophiles and also i mix electronic music if I find time which I can't for long time.

Know quiet a bit about sound possibly more than you. So please never think you know everything better than the others.

Maybe you know the prices of the headphones and what is good in the market the best.

Edited February 24, 2015 by ll2

[Shurup]

And I've got an 18" member.

[Gweiloman]

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.

5555...you're lecturing me about what a good headphone is? I have headphones (notice the plural) that cost more than your helmet. Trust me, I know what good headphones are! And Bose aren't. If you think that IEM can not have good sound, you've never listened to good ones.

And the reason I gave you those stock Cardo 'pancake' headphones brand new is because I knew they were not good quality and refuse to use them. Was hoping they were good enough for you, but am not miffed they weren't...because as I said I thought they were crap and mentioned it before I gave them to you.

Why not man? Are you hollier than tho? Do you know everything on earth? Why can't lecture you? You sound like a semi god sometime Dave:)

It is strange to say like your headphones cost more than my helmet.

Then I have speakers more than the value of your bike and my sound system back home was quite expensive too. Possibly more expensive than your future bike triumph. All my major family members were audiophiles and also i mix electronic music if I find time which I can't for long time.

Know quiet a bit about sound possibly more than you. So please never think you know everything better than the others.

Maybe you know the prices of the headphones and what is good in the market the best.

Now now boys, calm down, 5555

My ear plugs cost 99 baht from HomePro. Couple that with the pancake speakers from Scala, I can listen happily to everything from Bach to the Cheeky Girls (from Romania?) when touring. Do I need proper stereo separation? Just imagine if a track has a car or train panning from left to right or vv. This could indeed be distracting when riding and listening to such tracks, not knowing if it's the music or a real vehicle on the roads.

[Gweiloman]

And I've got an 18" member.

You mean your Diavel has 18" wide rear tyres? 55, just joking

[ll2]

And I've got an 18" member.

Haha. Nice to hear this from a diavel owner:)

[dave_boo]

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.

5555...you're lecturing me about what a good headphone is? I have headphones (notice the plural) that cost more than your helmet. Trust me, I know what good headphones are! And Bose aren't. If you think that IEM can not have good sound, you've never listened to good ones.

And the reason I gave you those stock Cardo 'pancake' headphones brand new is because I knew they were not good quality and refuse to use them. Was hoping they were good enough for you, but am not miffed they weren't...because as I said I thought they were crap and mentioned it before I gave them to you.

Why not man? Are you hollier than though? Do you know everything on earth? Why can't lecture you? You sound like a semi god sometime Dave:)

It is strange to say like your headphones cost more than my helmet.

Then I have speakers more than the value of your bike and my sound system back home was quite expensive too. Possibly more expensive than your future bike triumph. All my major family members were audiophiles and also i mix electronic music if I find time which I can't for long time.

Know quiet a bit about sound possibly more than you. So please never think you know everything better than the others.

Nope, don't know everything on earth. That's why I ask questions on this forum. And I make no assumptions on what others can teach me. And I don't mind people lecturing me when I am wrong. And I'm not a semi god...just Dave (although I can understand why you'd get me confused with a Chinese Buddha). Just do me a favour and read the first line in your response; then read the rest; then think if the post could apply to you as well....

I merely brought out the comment about the cost of your helmet as a reference point; you sure do love to talk about how much you paid for it so the reference was an easy data point for people to understand.

I'm glad you've got decent loudspeaker gear. It's easy to get into a d!ck waving contest, but we both agree that headphones scale at a better rate than speakers. Sure, one can drop crazy money on Mangear, Magico, Isophon, Focal, Kef, etc...and then only listen at home. For 1/10th the price you can replicate everything except the soundstage as nothing replaces having speakers positioned properly. And that's not getting into the source/amplification costs.

I question "Know quiet a bit about sound possibly more than you" when you previously said "and bass response too" which is a Beats fan's favourite. But if you're happy, stick to it.

[H1w4yR1da]

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..

Imput on 'important issues' tends to lead to threatening posts like this-

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/799889-noob-questions-about-riding-manual/page-5#entry9087805

And to be honest, I can't be bothered anymore with the BS.

Anyway, back on thread. Earplugs still allow one to hear the 'surroundings' albeit at a quieter volume. They just deaden the white noise of wind rushing past.

Decent article here- http://www.visordown.com/learners/learn-to-ride-with-visordown-earplugs/1450.html

Edited February 24, 2015 by H1w4yR1da

[Shurup]

I had a set of custom molded earplugs for work that I really liked, but they got lost a while back so I've been using the disposable expanding foam type for many years.

That got me thinking if there's a way to do the molds yourself.

Googled DIY molded earplugs which showed a lot of info as well some DIY pages of how to embed the earbuds into the mold.

I'm gonna get myself some of this:

http://www.amazon.ca/Radians-Cep002-B-Custom-Molded-Earplugs/dp/B001P8F7SG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424758422&sr=8-1&keywords=Radians+Custom+Molded+Earplugs

Not sure if I want to embed any earbud type phones in it, but I will make a set of earplugs.

[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.

5555...you're lecturing me about what a good headphone is? I have headphones (notice the plural) that cost more than your helmet. Trust me, I know what good headphones are! And Bose aren't. If you think that IEM can not have good sound, you've never listened to good ones.

And the reason I gave you those stock Cardo 'pancake' headphones brand new is because I knew they were not good quality and refuse to use them. Was hoping they were good enough for you, but am not miffed they weren't...because as I said I thought they were crap and mentioned it before I gave them to you.

Why not man? Are you hollier than though? Do you know everything on earth? Why can't lecture you? You sound like a semi god sometime Dave:)

It is strange to say like your headphones cost more than my helmet.

Then I have speakers more than the value of your bike and my sound system back home was quite expensive too. Possibly more expensive than your future bike triumph. All my major family members were audiophiles and also i mix electronic music if I find time which I can't for long time.

Know quiet a bit about sound possibly more than you. So please never think you know everything better than the others.

Nope, don't know everything on earth. That's why I ask questions on this forum. And I make no assumptions on what others can teach me. And I don't mind people lecturing me when I am wrong. And I'm not a semi god...just Dave (although I can understand why you'd get me confused with a Chinese Buddha). Just do me a favour and read the first line in your response; then read the rest; then think if the post could apply to you as well....

I merely brought out the comment about the cost of your helmet as a reference point; you sure do love to talk about how much you paid for it so the reference was an easy data point for people to understand.

I'm glad you've got decent loudspeaker gear. It's easy to get into a d!ck waving contest, but we both agree that headphones scale at a better rate than speakers. Sure, one can drop crazy money on Mangear, Magico, Isophon, Focal, Kef, etc...and then only listen at home. For 1/10th the price you can replicate everything except the soundstage as nothing replaces having speakers positioned properly. And that's not getting into the source/amplification costs.

I question "Know quiet a bit about sound possibly more than you" when you previously said "and bass response too" which is a Beats fan's favourite. But if you're happy, stick to it.

sorry Man, as you started like are you lecturing me about headphones, 555s and plural single etc bs, i though that you feel like you know everything.

maybe i was wrong sorry.

i dont like to use headphones apart from mixing. They are always limited, never gives the sound quality of a Hifi speaker and also tiring way of listening to music plus i feel claustrophobic. they are great of course as you can carry them everywhere but that is it.

[H1w4yR1da]

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

Who's Jim?

Another no body...wrong info..see my edited post.

Let's all start referring to Gweilo as 'Jim'. Kind of like Trigger calling Rodney "Dave" in Only Fools and Horses.

Edited February 24, 2015 by H1w4yR1da

[dave_boo]

I had a set of custom molded earplugs for work that I really liked, but they got lost a while back so I've been using the disposable expanding foam type for many years.

That got me thinking if there's a way to do the molds yourself.

Googled DIY molded earplugs which showed a lot of info as well some DIY pages of how to embed the earbuds into the mold.

I'm gonna get myself some of this:

http://www.amazon.ca/Radians-Cep002-B-Custom-Molded-Earplugs/dp/B001P8F7SG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424758422&sr=8-1&keywords=Radians+Custom+Molded+Earplugs

Not sure if I want to embed any earbud type phones in it, but I will make a set of earplugs.

For a while the rage on Head-fi was to use Blu-Tack around your IEM to make a customised fit. Never had the balls to do it though.

[Gweiloman]

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..

Imput on 'important issues' tends to lead to threatening posts like this-

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/799889-noob-questions-about-riding-manual/page-5#entry9087805

And to be honest, I can't be bothered anymore with the BS.

Anyway, back on thread. Earplugs still allow one to hear the 'surroundings' albeit at a quieter volume. They just deaden the white noise of wind rushing past.

Decent article here- http://www.visordown.com/learners/learn-to-ride-with-visordown-earplugs/1450.html

Yes, seems like that nasty piece of excrement got taught a lesson and is on a posting holiday. Can't understand some of these posters. Join a forum newly and before establishing themselves and understand what's going on, mindlessly jump in with both feet.

[DualSportBiker]

I pay 10 Baht a pair from Pangolin. I wear them for 8 to 12 hours a day when on-site and they are comfortable. My trick is to slide 'em in deep and then pull out 1 or 2 mm. Depends on your ear-hole size, but I need to squeeze them as much as possible and pull my ears back to get them in, but once in properly I can't feel them. They last a day or two before they won't compress long enough to stuff 'em in...

I've never even considered listening to music while riding - too easy to lose concentration for that all-important split second...

Now now boys, calm down, 5555

My ear plugs cost 99 baht from HomePro. Couple that with the pancake speakers from Scala, I can listen happily to everything from Bach to the Cheeky Girls (from Romania?) when touring. Do I need proper stereo separation? Just imagine if a track has a car or train panning from left to right or vv. This could indeed be distracting when riding and listening to such tracks, not knowing if it's the music or a real vehicle on the roads.

Edited February 25, 2015 by DualSportBiker

[dave_boo]

I pay 10 Baht a pair from Pangolin. I wear them for 8 to 12 hours a day when on-site and they are comfortable. My trick is to slide 'em in deep and then pull out 1 or 2 mm. Depends on your ear-hole size, but I need to squeeze them as much as possible and pull my ears back to get them in, but once in properly I can't feel them. They last a day or two before they won't compress long enough to stuff 'em in...

I've never even considered listening to music while riding - too easy to lose concentration for that all-important split second...

I don't see it that way. After all there's the speedo, tach, GPS, etc that are all going on and one can operate safely. Most of the time I set it for background noise. Especially if Ms. dave_boo is along I'll play something nice and slow so that I don't ride too fast. If I'm out solo and want to feel like a hero I'll put some Buckcherry or something on so that I get pumped up.

[Gweiloman]

I pay 10 Baht a pair from Pangolin. I wear them for 8 to 12 hours a day when on-site and they are comfortable. My trick is to slide 'em in deep and then pull out 1 or 2 mm. Depends on your ear-hole size, but I need to squeeze them as much as possible and pull my ears back to get them in, but once in properly I can't feel them. They last a day or two before they won't compress long enough to stuff 'em in...

I've never even considered listening to music while riding - too easy to lose concentration for that all-important split second...

I don't see it that way. After all there's the speedo, tach, GPS, etc that are all going on and one can operate safely. Most of the time I set it for background noise. Especially if Ms. dave_boo is along I'll play something nice and slow so that I don't ride too fast. If I'm out solo and want to feel like a hero I'll put some Buckcherry or something on so that I get pumped up.

I find that music keeps me from getting bored, especially on straight highway stretches. Being bored is also dangerous as your reactions will slow down. On twisties, and if I'm lucky enough to have the right music, I find that I can get into a zone and you seem to glide effortlessly from one turn to the next.

[RubberSideDown]

I've got a playlist entitled 'Bike' populated with songs that are conducive to twisting the throttle (mostly car stuff like 'I Can't Drive 55', 'Red Barchetta', 'Radar Love', etc- I think 'Bat Out of Hell' is the only bike themed song, and it ends in a deadly crash- oh, well;)))- I love my tunes while I ride.

[BKKdreaming]

I've got a playlist entitled 'Bike' populated with songs that are conducive to twisting the throttle (mostly car stuff like 'I Can't Drive 55', 'Red Barchetta', 'Radar Love', etc- I think 'Bat Out of Hell' is the only bike themed song, and it ends in a deadly crash- oh, well;)))- I love my tunes while I ride.

Playlist please

[drift]

I've got a playlist entitled 'Bike' populated with songs that are conducive to twisting the throttle (mostly car stuff like 'I Can't Drive 55', 'Red Barchetta', 'Radar Love', etc- I think 'Bat Out of Hell' is the only bike themed song, and it ends in a deadly crash- oh, well;)))- I love my tunes while I ride.

Here's a motorcycle tune you might want to add. Unfortunately it ends in death too. Oh well.

<iframe width="854" height="510" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VYZfwS5ZkGk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[H1w4yR1da]

I've got a playlist entitled 'Bike' populated with songs that are conducive to twisting the throttle (mostly car stuff like 'I Can't Drive 55', 'Red Barchetta', 'Radar Love', etc- I think 'Bat Out of Hell' is the only bike themed song, and it ends in a deadly crash- oh, well;)))- I love my tunes while I ride.

That's some seriously good music.

[cornishcarlos]

And I've got an 18" member.

But it's not as rusty as mine

[RubberSideDown]

^

It's great riding music, IMHO (though perhaps not 'great' music in its own right;))- some others I like are:

Whole Lotta Rosie

Hair of the Dog

Snortin' Whiskey

Communication Breakdown

Heavy Metal

Lit Up

Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo (Rick Derringer version)

Sedated

She Sells Sanctuary

DOA

Kickstart My Heart

and a few others...

[dave_boo]

^

It's great riding music, IMHO (though perhaps not 'great' music in its own right;))- some others I like are:

Whole Lotta Rosie

Hair of the Dog

Snortin' Whiskey

Communication Breakdown

Heavy Metal

Lit Up

Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo (Rick Derringer version)

Sedated

She Sells Sanctuary

DOA

Kickstart My Heart

and a few others...

Wow, your play list has a really wide range of bpm. I like to start off with Dave Matthews Band "Ants Marching" (113 bpm) and build up to Rammstein's "Ich Tu Dir Weh" (164 bpm) and then work my way back down to Robbie Williams "Rock DJ" (103 bpm) as a "cooling off" system. It's just over an hour 15 which is a good time for a break anyways.

And you shouldn't even have to ask if they are arranged perfectly balanced in a wave pattern based on the bpm.

[RubberSideDown]

^

I play everything in random order (though I always start with 'Whole Lotta Rosie'- not for any particular reason other than its at the top of the list).