Is the speaker quality of the 20s any better than the 10s?
Sena 20s VS 10s
- Thread starter txdivecon
- Start date
I think they use the same speakers.
Bones
Your Humble Scribe
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.
ST_Jim
In the Hotel California...
What ear buds are you using?
I've got a set of Etymotic ER-6i's that I need to order some new foam tips for. ER-6i's are somewhat lacking in bass, and are now obsolete anyway - so their days are numbered. But they are very low profile, so they don't rub the inside of a helmet.
Bones
Your Humble Scribe
Klipsch Image S4 II. I put on Comply Hear More Isolation (T100) tips which are very comfortable.
I have the Sena 10, the sound quality is OK. I will say that you have to make sure the speaker is in the optimum spot in the helmet. You would think that's a "Duh" kinda thing, but, the speaker is on velcro and it does come loose and sometimes you don't always get it back in the perfect spot so sometimes I'm too lazy to take my helmet off and re-position them trying to slide my fingers between my face and helmet and that just doesn't always help and can make it worse. When they are in the correct location I'm extremely satisfied with the sound. YMMV
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 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 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:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WKS8QG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
ST Gui
240Robert
Unfortunately with one exception none of the Apple EarPods isolate music from outside noise. I have their $80 'buds but haven't found compatible tips that keep them in place. The only Comply tips that fit them are the round/spherical type and they don't work for me.
Memory foam tips like those from Shure work perfectly for me. I just need some low profile 'buds that fit them. Until then I'll probably go with earplugs and speakers maybe the iASUS speakers as well.
Memory foam tips like those from Shure work perfectly for me. I just need some low profile 'buds that fit them. Until then I'll probably go with earplugs and speakers maybe the iASUS speakers as well.
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.
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.
I use some pretty reasonable Jbud J2's, and Comply foam buds for them. They stay in pretty well, I have to reseat them now and again while putting helmet on. Once in properly, and helmet is on, they are very good at cutting sound down, and allowing pleasant music listening.
I will soon be trying a "proof of concept" before ordering Quiet Ride Earmuffs. I ordered up a pair of replacement headphone pads, and some replacement headphone speakers, and will be trial mounting them in my Shoei Neotec. I'd like to see if they will fit, for one, without TOO much mod to an expensive helmet, and if they reduce the noise as much as the ad claims. It'd be great to just toss the helmet on and plug it in for sound , rather than having to fool around with the plughs, then the wires, etc........
I will soon be trying a "proof of concept" before ordering Quiet Ride Earmuffs. I ordered up a pair of replacement headphone pads, and some replacement headphone speakers, and will be trial mounting them in my Shoei Neotec. I'd like to see if they will fit, for one, without TOO much mod to an expensive helmet, and if they reduce the noise as much as the ad claims. It'd be great to just toss the helmet on and plug it in for sound , rather than having to fool around with the plughs, then the wires, etc........
ST_Jim
In the Hotel California...
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. I went back to the various types of foam earplugs. The foam swells up to fit your ear canal *that day*, and is kind of hard to beat as far as isolation goes.
Similarly, with my Etymotics I preferred the foam tips rather than the flanges. While the ER-6i's are somewhat lacking in bass, I found they did what I was asking for on the bike. Good isolation, non-intrusive size, comfort, good fidelity. Pity they're discontinued. I've been looking for that same combo of low-profile and foam tips for a future replacement.
Let's face it - there is too much wind noise on an ST1300 to really be too worried about fidelity, unless you plan on using them off the bike also (where I usually switch to something more bassy). If I have music volume cranked high enough to overcome the wind, I'll be regretting it a few hours later. GPS commands I just crank it.
ST Gui
240Robert
+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.
Bones
Your Humble Scribe
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.
You might try working backwards by looking at the COMPLY compatability chart (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NUSMC8/ref=psdc_12097478011_t1_B002OOWBWK ...scroll down down down) and finding a brand of earbuds you like and then finding the right model of COMPLY tips that fit.
My Klipsch earbuds take model T100 and I like the HEAR MORE variant with no wax guard. My experience is the HEAR MORE series have the best sound isolation, are comfortable and stay put. I did not like the ones with Ear Wax Guard (adds letter X to the model number) as that extra little screen is not squishy like foam and irritated my ears. One more thing to consider. I have a Schuberth modular helmet which I put on and take off with the face panel up. That allows me a little extra space so the ear buds don't get yanked out as the helmet goes on or off.
Does that help?
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Thanks, Bones. I imagine that your modular helmet is a helpful accessory in that regard. I am using a Shoei RF-1200 which does not give me space to reach my ears easily once the helmet is in place. I imagine that if I switched to a modular, I might have an easier time keeping the ear buds in place. I'll have to experiment with what I have (and these COMPLY adapters) to see if I can get the process down with the helmet I have. If not, I'll keep a modular in mind for my next helmet purchase.
Joel
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.
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.
Just bought a set of the Skull-Candy XT bluetooth buds for the girl. They seal in the ear pretty good, wonder how they would work if just paired to your phone and used on the bike??
What Bones said is right, you want in ear monitors. Maybe look up a local audiologist and schedule an appointment to see what they offer.
Ordered a dual 20s, arrived yesterday, 1 unit doa! Shipping back to try again, guess all the quality control issues are not quite fixed.
ST_Jim
In the Hotel California...
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.
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.