For anything more than tooling around town, I've gotten very used to wearing ear plugs to reduce the wind noise. But on the longer rides, I'd also like to try listening to some music, and even having the option of hearing my phone based GPS. Does anyone use noise isolating earphones to cut the wind noise and still let you listen to music?
Noise isolating earphones?
- Thread starter Cerebus
- Start date
This topic has been brought up many, many, many, many, many times before. Try using the search feature and you'll find the many, many, many, many, many threads that have discussed it ad nauseum.
priotiynapkin
New Member
I haven't tried earphones but an old coworker I knew did that exactly. Listened to music and blocked out the wind with noise isolating headphones. Guessing pulling the helmet on might dislodge them occasionally though. that could be a pita.
What I do is put in regular earplugs to block the wind, and then I have one of those hbc 200 uclear bluetooth things in my helmet so I have music and gps directions going from my phone to that. earplugs take away the wind noise and make the speakers in hemet sound great. good for phone calls too.
What I do is put in regular earplugs to block the wind, and then I have one of those hbc 200 uclear bluetooth things in my helmet so I have music and gps directions going from my phone to that. earplugs take away the wind noise and make the speakers in hemet sound great. good for phone calls too.
I'll help you out a little, don't do it...
noise canceling ear phones are actually illegal in most states and for good reason.
Your best bet is to get some EP4s
Amazon: Surefire EP4 Sonic Defender Ear Protection
I use them and they are great and you can put some music to them with some simple audio tubes. That's what I use at least.
Also a better helmet would be the best choice, chances are your helmet is a size too big or just a bad shape.
noise canceling ear phones are actually illegal in most states and for good reason.
Your best bet is to get some EP4s
Amazon: Surefire EP4 Sonic Defender Ear Protection
I use them and they are great and you can put some music to them with some simple audio tubes. That's what I use at least.
Also a better helmet would be the best choice, chances are your helmet is a size too big or just a bad shape.
I did search, using "isolating" and "isolation" and got nothing. Searching on "noise" got me tons of threads about chains and odd noises, nothing on using noise isolating earphones. Thanks.
Not noise cancelling, like the Bose QC or anything, just isolating to cut down on outside noise ...just like a set of earplugs would do.. My helmet was fitted for me, so I know it's the right size.
The Surefires are what I use for shooting. They're great for what they are, but don't help with the music/GPS.
Well, you can do whatever you like and that's cool but if you get a ticket for it then don't come to us to complain that you got nailed because you couldn't hear any of what's going on around you.
As for fitting your helmet and all, just because someone helped you out doesn't mean they knew exactly what they were doing... I've run into that situation a few times with friends. They go to a place and one of their "experts" helps them out and they end up with a helmet that is only mediocre at best, just sayin....
The surefires allow me to hear what I need to and block the stuff I don't need on the interstate and local roads.
Get a cheap set of headphones that put out a nice volume of music and take the speakers out and mount them in your helmet, problem solved.. you will still be able to hear what's going on around you while getting the music you want. It just takes a little ingenuity.
Also you don't have to worry about them coming out of your ears when you put your helmet on.
I used a pair of headphones that cost about 25 bucks and they put out plenty of volume for me to hear up until about 70mph.
Deathdiesel
New Member
Take it from someone with tinitus, ringing ears, do not use IEMs or noise isolating earbuds while on a bike. IEMs actually can do more damage than good if you keep the sound up at even moderate volume for a length of time. They just simply can cause hearing damage so easily if not careful. You're best bet is what's been recommended, and what i do, ear plugs in you're ears, and earspeakers in you're helmet.
That's what I decided as well, just got a bluetooth system (only one speaker though). PA doesn't allow 2 speakers for headphones on a motorcycle. I can still listen to my tunes though and make and receive calls.
I didn't mention it but that's the other reason that I stay with ear plugs. I have tinnitus myself as a result of my time in service. It's a really annoying problem once you have it and there is no actual cure for it. At least not at this time...
Trust those that have the problem, you don't ever want to end up with it!
Since basically nobody has answered your question here I'll put in my 2 cents. Really it all depends on what you would like to spend, I own a pair of Bose SEI2I ($150) and love them. They have 3 different ear pieces to choose from that are designed for the actual outer shape of your ear rather than just focusing on the canal, so they don't block out a ton of sound, but enough to be able to enjoy your music and hear your gps. I also own a pair of beats that basically block out everything around you, to the point where you can't hear anything but music.
Shure SE series are great, excellent isolation and quality sound, the wire wraps around the ear, and the whole earbud tucks into the outer ear (foam tip in canal, of course). My player ran out of juice a couple of times, and the isolation of the Shures without music was nearly as good as earplugs, so you end up not having to blare the volume to hear it since outside noise is well controlled.
Concerning Tinitus, this is an issue we all face with excessive riding. I have found that plugs alone and quiet situations in general cause me to hear my tinitus much more, then I focus on it. Strangely one of the 'cures' of tinitus is white noise and even soft music, it keeps the mind off the ringing so you don't become obsessed with it. I am no tinitus expert, but I don't think loud noise is the only source of tinitus, I believe I have had a ringing since my teens and it is simply agitated by exposure to noise.
In my case, I feel the music during a ride keeps my mind off ringing, and post ride I have less ringing. I have tried plugs only and the ringing during and post ride is worse. But, this could be a trade off to general hearing loss, but I'd rather have that than ringing.
Concerning Tinitus, this is an issue we all face with excessive riding. I have found that plugs alone and quiet situations in general cause me to hear my tinitus much more, then I focus on it. Strangely one of the 'cures' of tinitus is white noise and even soft music, it keeps the mind off the ringing so you don't become obsessed with it. I am no tinitus expert, but I don't think loud noise is the only source of tinitus, I believe I have had a ringing since my teens and it is simply agitated by exposure to noise.
In my case, I feel the music during a ride keeps my mind off ringing, and post ride I have less ringing. I have tried plugs only and the ringing during and post ride is worse. But, this could be a trade off to general hearing loss, but I'd rather have that than ringing.
Tinnitus has 2 "n"s
Loud persistent noise is what causes tinnitus. Wind noise, machine noise, gun fire and more are all responsible for causing tinnitus in many people it all depends on your genetic predisposition. Any loud or loud noise can cause hearing loss and tinnitus. Clubs are a major cause of tinnitus cases in young people. The loud music for as little as 30 minutes can cause irreparable damage to your auditory nerve.
The key is to take steps to prevent the damage from occurring.
I have been in the medical field long enough to know the causes and have been on many of the committees responsible for helping to reduce the risk of others developing the issues. Sadly this came to late for me to benefit from it...
I can ensure that my family and friends will have a severely reduced risk of ending up with it as I'm constantly smacking them in the back of the head for not protecting their ears. When I work the clubs I wear ear plugs as I don't want my damage to get any worse.
As for listening to music to reduce the noticing of it. That's actually a very common suggestion from even doctors that I've worked with over the years. The key to keep it low enough to be heard decently to help take your mind off the ringing/hissing/buzzing/static that you have going on.
The auditory nerve is not capable of regeneration so once damage is done it can not be repaired.
I'm hoping that some day they will come up with a way to help those out that have the problem, there has been some promise with stem cell injections around the auditory nerve but I can't get the VA to help me get it done.
Tinnitus follow up:
I wanted to ammend my previous assertion that music can distract a focus from tinnitus, and perhaps lessen its effect. If the outside sound can be isolated enough, then perhaps this is a viable strategy, but you should set the volume on the ipod to a soft level prior to starting the ride. If you can't hear the music once under way, then perhaps straight plugs represent a better hearing protection option. Yes, I hear tinnitus more when plugged than when music is playing, but now I believe the damage post ride could be worse if using music during the ride.
I rode about 8hrs last week, with music playing, and noticed bad tinnitus for a few days. This week I went plugs only for a couple hour ride, and although I heard the ringing during the ride, post ride it did not seem as bad. Well, I just finished mowing the lawn with ipod, had to push the volume a bit to overcome the mower noise, and the ringing is back. So, now I am thinking heavy isolation may be the better strategy, unless low level music can be used. Luckily I am not full blow 24/7 tinnitus and may still have time to find an acceptable method to keep riding and listening to music. I also thought of giving up music all together, but have found that short sessions (off the bike), on very low volumes does not cause a tinnitus flare up.
I wanted to ammend my previous assertion that music can distract a focus from tinnitus, and perhaps lessen its effect. If the outside sound can be isolated enough, then perhaps this is a viable strategy, but you should set the volume on the ipod to a soft level prior to starting the ride. If you can't hear the music once under way, then perhaps straight plugs represent a better hearing protection option. Yes, I hear tinnitus more when plugged than when music is playing, but now I believe the damage post ride could be worse if using music during the ride.
I rode about 8hrs last week, with music playing, and noticed bad tinnitus for a few days. This week I went plugs only for a couple hour ride, and although I heard the ringing during the ride, post ride it did not seem as bad. Well, I just finished mowing the lawn with ipod, had to push the volume a bit to overcome the mower noise, and the ringing is back. So, now I am thinking heavy isolation may be the better strategy, unless low level music can be used. Luckily I am not full blow 24/7 tinnitus and may still have time to find an acceptable method to keep riding and listening to music. I also thought of giving up music all together, but have found that short sessions (off the bike), on very low volumes does not cause a tinnitus flare up.
you are one of the lucky ones. For me I never got to have that middle ground. I went straight from nothing to 24/7
And yes, the more you isolate your ears from the loud sounds the better off you will be. If you can incorporate a little music in there while still isolating then that would be the best bet for it all.