[rebobd]

all

wife bought me the src system for my schuberth helmet. very expensive and i was thoroughly disappointed with the sound quality when i wanted to listen to music through bluetooth connection to my iphone. to be fair, i'm a real audiophile, and have bought many in ear headphones to get the best sound when i work out, travel, etc. so i may not be the best source for an objective view. right now i use shure buds or monster/Miles Davis, or sometimes Beats over the ear (amazing by the way but heavy and bulky). that being said, if the SRC system is the most expensive one out there and the sound is what i am hearing, that's sad.

i know alot of people use in ear headphones when they ride and i'm open to that but noise cancelling on a motorcycle does concern me a bit. we ride with our eyes more than anything but it's nice to hear a horn too .

as i said above i have a pair of Beats over the ear and they are amazing but you can still hear the outside world a bit and that's kind of what i'd like to find in a helmet sound; great sound but some ambient noise too. thoughts? suggestions?

 

[Fudge]

Only one thought: if you are an audiophile, there is absolutely no way to get desirable results under the helmet at speed.

I disagree, i ride with Etymotic's which are very nice. They isolate the wind noise very well, but you can still clearly hear sirens or horns similar to when you use ear plugs (if you keep the volume at a reasonable level). There are lots of discussions on the topic on various riding websites regarding the best ear buds, and you'll see the Etyomotic's are generally well regarded by audiophiles.

Etymotic Research, Inc. - mc5? earphones

 

[Hoshiko]

I feel the same way with my scala rider G4, great for phone calls and GPS directions but that is about it, music is horrible so I don't even listen to it.

 

[las]

I ride with a scala. I have found that moving the speakers inside my helmet to just the right place makes a world of difference. Still, once you get into the 80+mph range, there is no quality to the sound.

 

[Dj10022]

Is it even safe to listen to music while riding? i personally feel like i need to have all my senses at 100%. Maybe I'm a wimp...

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I disagree, i ride with Etymotic's which are very nice. They isolate the wind noise very well, but you can still clearly hear sirens or horns similar to when you use ear plugs (if you keep the volume at a reasonable level). There are lots of discussions on the topic on various riding websites regarding the best ear buds, and you'll see the Etyomotic's are generally well regarded by audiophiles.

Etymotic Research, Inc. - mc5? earphones

+1 on Etymotics. I do not expect audiophile quality, but their sound is very adequate. I have the ET6i model that now looks replaced by the MC5 (???). I modified the ear buds to use the soft orange foam ear plugs called MAX from Howard Leight. They are sold in drug stores and given away where MRIs are performed. They seal better than anything else, and are comfortable. I can still hear the important noises of traffic but they remove the distracting noises. They have SNR of 34 and NRR of 33-whatever that means.
Despite their flimsy look I have only used two Etymotic units since 2005.
Re safety...I do not think having music or talk--have XM also--distracts from safe riding. At least not for me. I do not have it so loud that I cannot assess my environment, or that I am in an acoustic bubble. Sometimes I turn the sound off and I do not feel that I am riding any safer in those times. I admit to turning the noise off if I am in a hectic ride, just as I would in the car, or at home. IOW I find it starightforward to know when to turn it off.

 

[yonderbob]

Is it even safe to listen to music while riding? i personally feel like i need to have all my senses at 100%. Maybe I'm a wimp...

Me too. my advice. Don't! I like the song of the road.

 

[las]

+1. I immune 40 miles each way, every day except when there is ice or snow on the roads. Most if my ride is open road- 3 lane slab. Some is stop and go highway in NYC. I don't find music to be a distraction. I don't play music when in out for a joy ride or touring. Then, I want to absorb the scenery, the spirit and the road. I do find talking on the phone to be some distraction; more or less depending on who is on the other end- I keep conversation to a minimum-"I'm doing 90 on my motorcycle. I'll call you back when I get where I'm going" etc.

 

[Dave]

Cug, sorry to hear you crashed, but you're right s**t happens and there's not a lot you can do about it. :angry:

I I had some silicon earplugs made with a wired speaker in one. I hook up to my Garmin Zumo to listen to directions and listen to music BUT when I get to the twisties I turn the music off. I only have audio in one ear so I'm still aware of what's going on around me.

 

[Hoshiko]

I hit a deer yesterday, crashed my bike, broke my wrist, all without the help of distracting music. Wouldn't have much difference with music either ... riding is dangerous. Does music make it more so? I think yes, but it depends on where you ride - straight boring freeway, sure why no? Engaging backroad? Maybe not so much ...

Did you really? I really hope it was only a created scenario to prove a point

 

[rebobd]

thanks all for the replies. i agree that a part of the riding experience is lost when you ride with music; and i also love to ride with just the sounds of the road and my motor. but lately i've enjoyed at least having the option of music when i ride for long distances or less challenging roads. as for "in ear" buds, i think they for the most part cancel out any noise and for that reason there is greater risk involved. it's a personal choice of course and alot of it depends on your level of skill and experience in general, but it would be nice if someone made speakers that did not have to go in your ear canal that had adequate sound in your helmet.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Obviously everyone should ride their own ride, but even if music is not on I want ear protection and that means soft foam earplugs--as I modified them to fit my etymotics. Wind noise can and will damage your hearing...permanently.

To paraphrase Sweet Brown," Ain't nobody got time for hearing damage!"

With the soft foam plugs I find that all essential road noise is heard, but wind noise and noise that adds nothing to the ride is mostly eliminated. The noise that is removed is distracting to my focus and takes up some amount of my consciousness in a very negative way. So, for me, removing it allows me to be MORE in tune with my ride. Adding music or XM (not cell phone) does not lessen my focus, usually, or detract from the scenery. If it does, I turn it off.

YMMV

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

"First, the heart surgery"?

Yeowww.

Glad you're mostly ok. Mend well, cug.

John

 

[drDave]

Wow. . .it's gotta get better, right? Feel better! Look up the Motoport website for their all-kevlar armored mesh jackets. Air Mesh Kevlar Jacket | Mesh Kevlar Jackets | Motoport | 102.300

A new helmet as well, since they say you can't safely reuse a crashed helmet. . .If you're stiff and have trouble turning your head, look at Reevu's helmets, which have a built in rear view mirror above the visor.

 

[drDave]

Cug, best of luck for you and your entire family. The Motoport people custom make the jackets, so they can probably reroute the zipper handles anywhere you need. I can tell you that the jacket is so heavily armored that it's unlikely a zipper handle would poke into anything. I've got the Hong Kong police jacket version with Quad Armor; people definitely see me, especially with the hi viz and 3M reflectors sewn into the jacket. They show pics of conventional jackets that have melted when skidded on the highway, as well as their jackets. . .which look just fine after accidents. Again, best wishes for a good safe year!

 

[Hoshiko]

O nooo,
It was real....

Cug, sorry to hear, hope you feel better soon.

Hope your bike has a fix but if not, good way to use the insurance money for a down payment on your R1200R

 

[las]

As I was nearly finished farkling, it would be a bummer if it was totaled. Nothing that kills me, just would annoy me quite a bit.

Sorry about your crash. Hopefully you will be rubber side down before spring riding is here. As for the bike, if you were finished farkling it, it is time for a new ride anyway!

 

[parkec]

Full Remus Exhaust
+
Iphone
+
Bluetooth
+
Cardo Scala *
+
Sony Earbuds

Remus Rules!

The Cardo helmet speaker + Shoei + my ears.... HURT!


With all thanks to Cardo's help ( you will void your warranty, you will void your warranty, you will...) i cut the painful and useless speakers out and soldered up a set of ear buds.

Hey Cardo thanks for your help in replacing your pos speakers with something that works. Oh yea your microhone sock also scks both in durability and performance. Sam Ash helps..$6.99

 

[las]

Rather than cutting off the speakers, you can open up the scala rider and solder a female jack for earbuds to the speaker terminals inside. You can leave the speaker wires connected as, with the earbuds in your ears, you won't hear them. Reassemble the scala, glue the jack to the bottom of the scala and you're all set.

 

[Hoshiko]

I found the solution.