Sena 20S / Speakers or ear buds?

After grabbing myself a new Kabuto Ibuki helmet, I just HAD to get a new bluetooth com/stereo unit. I ride almost exclusively solo and I love to get lost in my music. I can tell you that this is one great BT unit. I found the stereo sound to be exceptional compared to others I've used. In my Nolan helmet I used their custom fit B4 unit. I thought that was nice, but I now say "it's OK." With my Bell 3/4 helmet I use an LG BT earbud set. It sounds great, but the control buttons are clearly not made for gloved fingers. The Sena 20S is amazing (IMHO). I'm using the included ear speakers and the sound isn't too bad (I consider myself an audiophile, yet understand the limitations of an in helmet sound system).

I know that others use in ear buds jacked into the Sena instead of speakers. Does anyone have an opinion for or against? I imagine the sound quality will be orders of magnitude higher. How much extra hassle is that when gearing up? Do buds block out so much external sound to be a safety concern?

As always, thanx to all for your opinions.

I could never get ear buds to stay in place well. I'd use your BT helmet or the Sena speakers. I like the Sena speakers a lot that are mounted in my RF-1200, of course no BT.

Take a look at plugfones for $25 I think there great. I've bought several pair for the bike, home and work.
I don't consider myself an audiophile so if you pick some up give some feedback on the sound quality.

Jeff

Trike flyer said:

Take a look at plugfones for $25 I think there great. I've bought several pair for the bike, home and work.
I don't consider myself an audiophile so if you pick some up give some feedback on the sound quality.

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I may have to try those. I've been limping along with my old obsolete pair of Etymotics, but the foam is giving out.

I use moulded earplugs with speaker tubes, plugged into SMH10. The plugs cut out the background/wind noise, but still let you hear the important stufflike sirens and horns. You are more likely to be totally imersed in your music, wich may not be a good thing. I dont usually listen to music.

I use a 20S with Klipsch ear buds. Sounds way better than the supplied helmet speakers (which sound better than other BT helmet speakers I've tested). Also, ear buds extend battery life by hours over helmet speakers...smaller drivers, I presume. I like riding with ear plugs so ear buds work for me.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

For those using earbuds with a Sena, did you buy the Sena earbud adapter?

paulcb said:

For those using earbuds with a Sena, did you buy the Sena earbud adapter?

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20's do not need an adapter. The input and output of the headset unit is plugs.

I love to listen to music while riding, and tried in vain for years to find a good setup- if it was loud enough to overcome wind noise, I was probably playing it loud enough to harm my hearing.
I finally found some earbuds I really liked at a decent price ( Jbuds J2's), and then I saw Comply Foam Tips. Having worn earplugs for a goodly portion of my life, I liked the idea immediately. I have found them to stay in well, and if properly inserted, comfy , and they DO attenuate most extraneous noise , without losing the ability to hear sirens, horns, etc. They are made for many different earbuds, and come in packs of 3 pair. I get about 6 months use out of a pair. They DO wear out, but in the meantime, they work VERY well. I love the idea of not having to insert them every time, but I just don't see speakers being a viable alternative. To overcome the exterior noise, they'd have to be VERY louud...I'd be afraid for my hearing.

I have the SMH10 and have used both I like the speakers with ear plugs just less hassle but the ear buds do sound better. I may try the plugfones they have ine for motorsports.

Bville-Bud said:

I could never get ear buds to stay in place well. I'd use your BT helmet or the Sena speakers. I like the Sena speakers a lot that are mounted in my RF-1200, of course no BT.

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I use the Bose QC20i noise cancelling earbuds. And one of those skull caps under my helmet to keep the liner clean. The cap fits down just over my ears and helps hold the ear buds in until the helmet is on my head (without it, donning my hat is a frustrating scene - pull it on, earbuds get brushed out, take it off and repeat). The Bose eb's connect to my iPhone for music and do not cancel out things like sirens.

Having said that, I read in a review by David Pogue that there is a little bump in the outer ear with some fancy name that holds ear buds in. Some people lack said bump and ear buds will just fall out of their ears.

I use the 20s with Sure earbuds. Just plug them in after putting on my Shoei Neotech. Very superior sound.

I have been using Etymotic mc5 for years and I can't say enough good about them. They are rated 32+db sound blocking but I still hear the important stuff. They have 4 different tips to chose from so fit and comfort is not a problem. 2 year warranty and a $35 exchange for out of warranty sets. They sound great with my 20s also.
http://www.etymotic.com/mk5.html

T_C said:

20's do not need an adapter. The input and output of the headset unit is plugs.

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Thanks for the info, that's a nice feature of the 20. I've been tempted to buy the earphone adapter for my SMH10 but haven't yet.

paulcb said:

Thanks for the info, that's a nice feature of the 20. I've been tempted to buy the earphone adapter for my SMH10 but haven't yet.

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Yeah, I wasn't expecting it and kind of surprised when I was installing it on the gf's N104 Evo. Had one of those, cool, why didn't I get this? moment.