Hi everyone, trying to find a way to reduce the wind noise come in through the helmet and still be able to listen to music. I went through a couple helmets, the last one is the Shoei gt air 2. Even with that it’s very loud riding. I was trying to find somewhere where they have the noise canceling headphone earpieces that goes inside the helmet that I can connect to Music. Thanks in advance.
Wind noise
- Thread starter donald rhine
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Uncle Phil
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I just use earplugs - they used to be called Hearos - but now Howard Leight sells them as LASER LITE.
IIRC, they were originally designed for rock musicians to wear so they could hear but not go deaf.
Or else that is just another urban legend.
But they are comfortable all day and I can hear my music clearly in my helmet.
IIRC, they were originally designed for rock musicians to wear so they could hear but not go deaf.
Or else that is just another urban legend.
But they are comfortable all day and I can hear my music clearly in my helmet.
someone recommended these https://www.earfuze.com/
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I have worn cheap earplugs from Walgreens or CVS with my Bell and Schuberth C4 for years. Could hear my tunes and Google map just fine through my old and new Sena for the Schuberth. Actually sounds better than without.
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Earplugs reduce wind noise and still allow me to hear my music and comm just fine. I use Howard Leight Max Lights bought in a 200 ct box from a safety supply store for $20.
Yep earplugs filters out the wind noise plus keep the windshield all the way up.
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Bose makes noise cancelling ear buds. They work great. Most people have a little bump in their outer ear that has a fancy name and essentially holds ear buds in. I seem to be lacking that and my ear buds work their way loose over about half an hour. If I use these in my truck when driving for more than half an hour, I simply reach up and push them back in every 10 or 15 min - whenever the ambient noise increases. This is not possible in a helmet, so they don't work so well for me on a bike. The earbuds (or headphones) plug into my iphone (straight into my 6, w/ an adapter into my 8+) so I can listen to music or take calls. Presumably anything that bluetooth mates to the phone and uses the phone's speakers will be heard thru the earbuds too.
I bought mine at a Bose outlet store - they often have 'reconditioned' earbuds/headphones/etc. at a significant savings. I found it a bit ironic that they had a pair of their noise cancelling headphones on a display that you could try. The problem - it was so quiet in the store, there was no difference with or without the headphones. Mine were sold with a 30 day money back guarantee - try 'em to see if you like them or return them.
One more point. I found that LOUD noises - slamming a car door or the wind slap of some turbulence on the helmet overloaded (this is my seat of the pants diagnosis) the circuitry giving me a loud THUMP in the ear buds - akin to the thump in the speakers you get from some stereo systems when they are turned on. This was close to painful - and Bose might have remedied this in the last 4 or 5 years since I bought mine.
I bought mine at a Bose outlet store - they often have 'reconditioned' earbuds/headphones/etc. at a significant savings. I found it a bit ironic that they had a pair of their noise cancelling headphones on a display that you could try. The problem - it was so quiet in the store, there was no difference with or without the headphones. Mine were sold with a 30 day money back guarantee - try 'em to see if you like them or return them.
One more point. I found that LOUD noises - slamming a car door or the wind slap of some turbulence on the helmet overloaded (this is my seat of the pants diagnosis) the circuitry giving me a loud THUMP in the ear buds - akin to the thump in the speakers you get from some stereo systems when they are turned on. This was close to painful - and Bose might have remedied this in the last 4 or 5 years since I bought mine.
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Every time I read a thread/post about riding a motorcycle and complaint about wind or wind noise the very first thought that comes to mind is...
"did I miss something, it's a motorcycle, wind and wind noise is part of it! If that's not acceptable then maybe you really want to ride in a cage!"
But I digress. I totally agree with what is said here about using ear plugs. I hear music and radio and phone/GPS just fine... no... better than fine with ear plugs. All sound has less bass and is very, well, like an old portable transistor AM radio from the '60s without ear plugs but more like my boom box with the ear plugs (all without the need to turn my Sena up to full volume). I don't usually ride to listen to music and only use the FM radio around town. Usually it's just me and the motor and nature flowing by as I ride. And being able to answer the phone if my wife calls (that's important). I use Flents purple ear plugs on rides that last from 1/2 to 12 hours per day. Get a jar of 40 pair from Walmart.
"did I miss something, it's a motorcycle, wind and wind noise is part of it! If that's not acceptable then maybe you really want to ride in a cage!"
But I digress. I totally agree with what is said here about using ear plugs. I hear music and radio and phone/GPS just fine... no... better than fine with ear plugs. All sound has less bass and is very, well, like an old portable transistor AM radio from the '60s without ear plugs but more like my boom box with the ear plugs (all without the need to turn my Sena up to full volume). I don't usually ride to listen to music and only use the FM radio around town. Usually it's just me and the motor and nature flowing by as I ride. And being able to answer the phone if my wife calls (that's important). I use Flents purple ear plugs on rides that last from 1/2 to 12 hours per day. Get a jar of 40 pair from Walmart.
These are what I use(d). They make several varieties, for motorsports, shooting, equipment operation, etc. They are very comfortable and stay well in my ears, unlike the cheapo foam and other plastic varieties I tried. (And the different varieties seem to be color-coded: orange = motorsports, translucent green = shooting, translucent purple = power tools, etc.)
Their design features a central ceramic channel that permits some frequencies of sound to pass through while damping / abating other (presumably more harmful) frequencies. Presumably the shape of the ceramic gizmo differs depending on the intended application, since wind noise would be quite different from shooting or operating power tools. The ceramic thingy is contained in very comfortable silicone rubber plugs; my only beef is that they could make the "stems" a bit longer to facilitate easier removal but that's a very minor issue.
They're about $25/set IIRC, but they will last at least a full season and maybe more before said stem has been shortened to the point where it's really hard to extract them.
I want one just because they look so sharp. Anything else is gravy.jfheath said:
Thanks everyone for all the great ideas. I like listening to music when I ride but also cut out all of the wind noise because I can tell over the last couple years my hearing is getting worse. I never thought about wearing earplugs and installing speakers on my helmet, I’ll have to think about that one. i looked at the fuze earbuds, but the reviews were 50-50. I might have to give them a try. All the noise canceling earbuds I have tried, either keep falling out when I put my helmet on, or start feeling uncomfortable after about half an hour of riding from the helmet pushing them against my ear. But the noise canceling earbuds don’t cut out all of the noise. Which is good because I still want to be able to hear tires screeching in cages honking and sirens too.
You need to check the state you live in and plan on traveling to. In some states, ear buds are not legal but helmet speakers are.
When I had my ST, I used the custom ear plugs that you get at the motorcycle shows. They are formed for my ears. I am still using the same pair after 10 years. The foam ones will cause my ears to hurt on multi day rides when they were in my ears 10 hrs. a day. I used helmet speakers and had no problems hearing sirens and horns. The music sounds better with the plugs in than with none at all. I use this setup with my Wing now. I can hear my music and GPS clear as can be. No so much with the dash speakers.
With helmet speakers, depending on what helmet you get, you may need to cut out some of the inner foam to form a pocket for the speaker to fit into. Without doing this, it will just push on your ear like the ear buds are doing. I have done this with my last 4 helmets and they are as comfortable as can be.
When I had my ST, I used the custom ear plugs that you get at the motorcycle shows. They are formed for my ears. I am still using the same pair after 10 years. The foam ones will cause my ears to hurt on multi day rides when they were in my ears 10 hrs. a day. I used helmet speakers and had no problems hearing sirens and horns. The music sounds better with the plugs in than with none at all. I use this setup with my Wing now. I can hear my music and GPS clear as can be. No so much with the dash speakers.
With helmet speakers, depending on what helmet you get, you may need to cut out some of the inner foam to form a pocket for the speaker to fit into. Without doing this, it will just push on your ear like the ear buds are doing. I have done this with my last 4 helmets and they are as comfortable as can be.
larryg
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Earplugs worked fine to keep the noise out, but then I had to crank up my helmet speakers almost into distortion to hear the music - because the earplugs not only reduce the noise - they attenuate your music by the same amount. And, on top of that, I have a partial hearing loss already (at least, in part, from riding without hearing protection, when I was young and foolish). Saving what's left of my hearing is priority #1.
So I absolutely never ride without hearing protection, and the foam earplugs are best for that - but I wanted to hear music & phone, too, so......
This is what I finally settled on, and it works totally for me:
I bought these earbuds: https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/mk5.html
If you look at their specs, they attenuate outside noise the same as good foam earplugs. ( > 30db)
They set deep into your ear canal, and don't stick out, so they're comfortable under the helmet . And, since they put the music directly into my ear, I don't have to crank up the volume on my Sena at all, just a comfortable volume - that's not destroying my ears. Audio quality is decent, but not as good as some other (bigger) earbuds.
You can still hear outside sounds (traffic, etc) as well as with the earplugs - if you keep the music to a reasonable volume.
I also wear this helmet liner, which prevents the earbuds from snagging on the helmet - it goes on/off easily with it:
https://cyclecrafts.net/?product=silky-helmet-liner
John Heath, above, recommended the Laminar Lip ....
Absolutely ! - the best $100 I've spent on a farkle. Wouldn't ride without it.
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Right. Active noise cancelation only works on steady sounds like the drone of engines the din of traffic etc.donald rhine said:
Proper ear plugs reduce all noise. I wear a helmet liner so covering foam earbuds with it works well for me. But they also reduce music volume and mess with fidelity. Earbuds don't work well for me so that's a fairly hard pass.
I use s-plug ear buds, not cheap but well worth it and very comfortable.
smallest noise reducing stereo earbuds for active sports, several wire lengths available, 30 day free trial
The only flexible body earbud with tip that bends to conform to ear canal shape and will not fall out. Fits all in the ear canal for better comfort,seal,and noise reduction. Perfect for under helmet use and active sports.
www.plugup.com
Thanks. I was thinking of getting custom earbuds.
Thanks. I just bought these so I will see how they go. Shure SE215-CL Sound Isolating Earphones with Single Dynamic MicroDriver
That was going to be my next thing to try. I can definitely tell as the wind goes over my helmet, it makes the same noise as blowing into a beer bottle. lol. Thanks
larryg
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I also have the Shure earbuds. They stick out of the ear more than the Etymotics, so you'll definitely want to use a helmet liner, one that covers your ears.
Otherwise the earbuds will snag under the helmet, when you take it on and off.
The one I linked is great, I've also used a Buff - works well too, once you figure out how to do it.
Good luck....