Good earbuds for riding

[senpai71]

Hey all, looking for some advice on good earbuds for in-helmet use...

In my Schuberth modular helmet, I currently use Etymotic MK5 earbuds when riding, which plug into the 3.5mm headphone jack in my Sena 20S Bluetooth communicator:

I love them, as they block high-frequency noise and very importantly are long and narrow enough to fit well fairly deep into my ear canal, unlike all the ones that have 'bulbous' squishy rubber tips (here's a random example from Amazon of what I mean by those):

Even though the Etymotics have quite a long 'back' to them, I can 'flex' the helmet a bit when putting it on to avoid them getting dislodged. However, I just got a new Kali non-modular helmet as a secondary and it obviously won't flex, so they are getting dislodged every time I put the helmet on

Anyone got any recommendations for good earbuds which have the narrow thin ear-canal design of the Etymotics but which don't stick out as far? Active noise-canceling would be nice, but so would a lower price-point - ideally looking for sub-$100 or so...

Note that I'm looking for actual earbuds, not just noise-blocking earplugs, in case it wasn't clear. Don't want to turn this into a holy war about earbuds vs. earplugs. I have my Howard Leight earplugs if I need them.

 

[U26A1]

The difficulty of answering this problem is just bonkers. I've tried, and found varying success with (to your point, depending on the helmet):

Etymotics MC5
Etymotics HF5
Etymotics Etykids
Klipsch S4
Klipsch R6

There is definitely an extreme difficulty finding a product designed for this usecase of being narrow/short enough to be able to put on a helmet and not yank them out or etc.

A few years ago I backed an Indiegogo project called Riderbuds trying to solve this specific problem, they're pretty good but sadly I think the people who did the project ran into so many fulfillment issues I think they just stopped doing it.

There are also various custom solutions specifically designed for motorcycle helmets out there you might try.

(In the end, after many years of trying various earbuds I literally gave up and just went to foam earplugs and helmet speakers. No regrets.)

 

[senpai71]

The difficulty of answering this problem is just bonkers. I've tried, and found varying success with (to your point, depending on the helmet):

Etymotics MC5
Etymotics HF5
Etymotics Etykids
Klipsch S4
Klipsch R6

There is definitely an extreme difficulty finding a product designed for this usecase of being narrow/short enough to be able to put on a helmet and not yank them out or etc.

A few years ago I backed an Indiegogo project called Riderbuds trying to solve this specific problem, they're pretty good but sadly I think the people who did the project ran into so many fulfillment issues I think they just stopped doing it.

There are also various custom solutions specifically designed for motorcycle helmets out there you might try.

(In the end, after many years of trying various earbuds I literally gave up and just went to foam earplugs and helmet speakers. No regrets.)

Thanks for the advice!

I actually tried the ETY Kids before - the size was better, but they have a pretty low volume cutoff. They're probably what I'll use temporarily if I can find out where I put them...

The foam-earplugs-plus-helmet-speakers option is always there, but the sound quality is never great - not a huge deal since I'm riding a bike )), but sometimes I like to listen to podcasts if I'm out in the middle of nowhere (Tonopah, NV here I come again!) and voices can be muffled enough to be inaudible.

I'll check out the Klipsch ones..

 

[Tally Whacker]

I have been using the Jlab J6 minis as a replacement for my long-lamented Etymotic er6i buds.

I would recommend the Jlabs, but looking at their site, they seem to be discontinued as well.

 

[greenmonster]

I never could hear my helmet speakers (Cardo) when they were in the hollow areas of the helmet where the instructions say to put them. Since I work from home and had a slow day a few months back I started playing around with speaker placement and found that the ear hollows in my helmet were too high meaning that the speakers were way above my ears. Creating some slack in the speaker wires I pulled the speakers downwards until they rested right against my ears. I used double sided velcro to fasten them in place inside the helmet. This made a difference although not to the point where they sound like over the ear headphones which is what I was hoping for.
Anyway, you might get some helmet speakers and try this technique.

 

[ocoas]

(In the end, after many years of trying various earbuds I literally gave up and just went to foam earplugs and helmet speakers. No regrets.)

This was what I ended up doing.

And as. Greenmoster said placement of where the speakers are located in relationship to you ear canal ever a 1/4” up/down-left/right will make a world of difference.

I spent probably 2 hours one evening messing with placement and it works good but no it’s still not prefect just good.

 

[thepretender]

Try a skull cap or bandana that fits over your ears helps alot keeping the earbuds in place.

 

[budman]

(In the end, after many years of trying various earbuds I literally gave up and just went to foam earplugs and helmet speakers. No regrets.)

That did not work for me at all. Can't hear shit except a mumble.

I am interested in good sound and great noise cancelling. Such a thing??

 

[Lonster]

I use Shure ear buds. Most are way more than $100, but the sound quality is fantastic. In addition, I don't use any of the plastic or rubber inner ear pieces. I use the same type of expandable foam pieces that squeeze down when you roll them between your fingers, then expand once inserted. They mute the outside noise by more than 28 decibels, so I can listen to high quality music at normal listening levels without ear strain.

 

[budman]

So wind noise at 140 is bearable??

 

[Busy Little Shop]

I went with custom molded ear plugs with tiny Sony digital
speakers... they cut 30db of wind noise and allow every note of the
music through even at low volumes... perfect...

I added a light weight Xact Sirius satellite receiver... Moozic non stop...

I tested 3 sets of the custom molded ear plugs that are on the market
and the ones made by Marylin Navia at Now Hear This are the most
comfortable and the quietest not to mention they do not move out of
place putting the skid lid on...

http://plugup.com/cart/index.php

And finally I interfaced Mr.RC45's Oh Shit Detector...

 

[Lonster]

So wind noise at 140 is bearable??

At 140 I'm tucked behind the screen, so Yes.

 

[budman]

Linky no worky Larry.

Lonster.

What about 120 just cruising?

 

[Lonster]

Same as good quality expandable ear plugs. But with music, if you want music.

 

[Tally Whacker]

I use Shure ear buds. Most are way more than $100, but the sound quality is fantastic. In addition, I don't use any of the plastic or rubber inner ear pieces. I use the same type of expandable foam pieces that squeeze down when you roll them between your fingers, then expand once inserted. They mute the outside noise by more than 28 decibels, so I can listen to high quality music at normal listening levels without ear strain.

A company called Comply makes those foamies for most popular earbuds.

 

[mayorofnow]

It looks like this is the link Larry meant to share.

Interesting topic. I've been riding with -25dB plugs and helmet speakers, but I'm definitely interested in better audio quality + more wind protection. I've thought about getting Snugs Moto, but haven't gotten around to ordering a set. (I did ask if I could just put their drivers in my Starkey Earmolds, but even though the filters look the same in the photos, I guess they wouldn't install properly.)

Miguel over at Modern Vespa has had really good results with the AirPods Pro II. Apparently the noise cancellation is excellent, and you can get tips that fit them like custom plugs (to seal the outside noise out).

 

[moto-rama]

Linky no worky Larry.

Lonster.

What about 120 just cruising?

Linky fixed-y.... http://www.plugup.com/Default.asp

BTW A lot of new mobile phones have no 3.5mm jack (headphone jack) and rely on bluetooth technology for a connection. The last couple of phones I've purchased were based on these criterion.

1. headphone jack
2. expandable storage (micro sd-card slot)
3. Battery life

As much as liked my Samsung S7, when it died, I ended up getting a Motorola G7 Power, and it's one of the cheapesst phones out there. The camera is rubbish, though.

 

[Slow Goat]

The Shure 215 model fits flush into your ear and is a wired Bluetooth system. Excellent sound and volume.

 

[Tally Whacker]

The Shure 215 model fits flush into your ear and is a wired Bluetooth system. Excellent sound and volume.

The bummer with bluetooth for me is that I often spend 10+ hours in the saddle on a good day, and that's longer than most bluetooth earbud batteries will last.

 

[senpai71]

As I noted originally, I want something wired, since it will plug into the 3.5mm jack in my Sena (which itself connects via Bluetooth to my phone). So at least for me, I explicitly don't want BT earbuds...