Is the speaker quality of the 20s any better than the 10s?
I think they use the same speakers.Is the speaker quality of the 20s any better than the 10s?
What ear buds are you using?The sound quality from ear buds is waaaaay better than helmet speakers.
Klipsch Image S4 II. I put on Comply Hear More Isolation (T100) tips which are very comfortable.What ear buds are you using?
The sound quality of helmet speakers isn't that great in general, although the speakers that came with my 20S are better than one set I bought on eBay previously and one set (Midland) that I tested for Rider. That said, the 20S gives you the option of plugging your own earbuds into the audio-out jack on the mount. That's how I've used my 20S for a couple years. I have ear buds that fit into my ear canal and I put sound attenuating foam tips on them so they function much like ear plugs. The sound quality from ear buds is waaaaay better than helmet speakers.
I used these s-plugs (http://www.plugup.com/the_S_plug_stereo_earbuds_s/67.htm) on my recent trip to big bend and they worked great. The only issue is you have to buy a narrow adapter to plug into the sena as it won't allow the s-plug to seat fully... but, there are a lot of adapters that work... I tried a 90 degree one first but it moved too much so I'm going with these for now:I'm interested in using ear buds with my 20S, but I don't know how to keep the ear buds in my ear while I put the helmet on. Invariably, they get loose or fall out because the helmet drags the cable. Do the better ear buds (such as your Klipsch Image S4 II) stay in your ear any better than a pair of iPhone ear buds?
I use NR33 ear plugs every time I ride, and that helps cut down the wind noise, but it also means that I have to crank up the 20S volume to 100% in order to enjoy my music. The volume sounds normal through the ear plugs this way, but, it's slightly too soft at 40MPH or so. I was thinking that a good pair of noise cancelling ear buds would be great, but I didn't want to invest in those if I can't keep them in my ear.
Joel
The 20s speakers are an upgrade from the 10s. I made the change and enjoyed an oncrease in low end response. Those speakers with some custom made ear plugs from Sams (about $100 paid with FSA money) worked for a few years.
But now I switched to Westone ES60. Wow! It's a whole nother level of upgrade. I ordered the bluetooth module so I can enjoy them on the bicycle and at the gym too.
Custom fit is the way to go. They'll stay in while others fall out. I was never able to enjoy standard ear bud's, they hurt or fell out.
+1 My singular concern for bike audio is moderate fidelity and major intelligibility. I've been using some inexpensive 'buds but they don't isolate well. My experience with custom molded ear plugs is the same as yours— disappointing. So I'll go with foam plugs and speakers. Cutting the wind noise and giving the audio a little boost should prevent any later discomfort.Let's face it - there is too much wind noise on an ST1300 to really be too worried about fidelity
Joel, the way to keep ear buds in is to use "in-ear speakers" that fit into your ear canal. My Klipsch earbuds came with silicone rubber tips that work pretty well but I bought a set of aftermarket COMPLY tips that are made of sound isolation foam for just this purpose. With those tips, the earbuds fit in my ear canals and function much like regular earplugs in terms of sound attenuation. And when I want to hear tunes or GPS prompts, there's sound too.I'm interested in using ear buds with my 20S, but I don't know how to keep the ear buds in my ear while I put the helmet on. Invariably, they get loose or fall out because the helmet drags the cable. Do the better ear buds (such as your Klipsch Image S4 II) stay in your ear any better than a pair of iPhone ear buds?
I use NR33 ear plugs every time I ride, and that helps cut down the wind noise, but it also means that I have to crank up the 20S volume to 100% in order to enjoy my music. The volume sounds normal through the ear plugs this way, but, it's slightly too soft at 40MPH or so. I was thinking that a good pair of noise cancelling ear buds would be great, but I didn't want to invest in those if I can't keep them in my ear.
Joel
I sold an old turntable and cassette deck that I haven't used in the better part of two decades, figured I should recycle the money into something audible I could use. It was between the Westone and JH. The Westone won when I found you could get a blue-tooth cord to use the earphones off the bike too and link it to other devices. Hmm.. if someone didn't want the bike to bike communication intercom... that could be the whole solution.Sorry, the WeSTones at $1299 list is out of my budget. Especially as wearing in both ears at the same time is technically illegal in Kalifornia (gotta save money for the ticket).
I got some custom made earplugs many years ago, and found they didn't fit tightly enough. I'm not sure whether it was an issue with the molds, and I should have gotten new impressions or what.
If your custom plugs didn't fit then you should have gone back. Both times I have had to have work re-done. My first ear-plugs were painful, and my Westone molds didn't have enough of my outer ear to hold onto, guess my ear canals aren't curvy as much as they want. The problem with generic plugs and speakers is uneven frequency response, the foam sucks up a lot more highs then mids, but it is better then not using any protection, so I applaud you for a good choice.My experience with custom molded ear plugs is the same as yours— disappointing. So I'll go with foam plugs and speakers.
Ordered a dual 20s, arrived yesterday, 1 unit doa! Shipping back to try again, guess all the quality control issues are not quite fixed.
I got a dual pack a couple years ago and about 1 year into it the usb port was dead, they replaced quickly and they've been good ever since. So, seems to be a relatively rare issue.How many years has the 20S been out now? Makes me very reluctant to try the 30S when it arrives. At least not for the first year or two.
But then all I really need is a set of earbuds to listen to my 2730 GPS - and so far I don't mind wired. I don't do a passenger often enough to spend $500 on a BT Intercom - especially when my wife will have a hard time working her half.