best earbuds for under helmet??

Just got back from 11 days on the road with my gfriend and our bikes. In that time I tried several times to enjoy a set of JBL ear buds.
Royal pain in the butt to get them in my ears and then get the helmet on without the helmet liner dragging over them and knocking them loose. Almost never worked.
Do the "over the ears" ones work any better? The ones that have a frame of sorts.

I'd think the frames would cause soreness quick on your ears.

I just tried the Radian custom molds. No go for me. We're ok for about 2 hours but after that my ears got super sore. Crossing my fingers that the Splugs will work.

Anyone know where you could find the Howard Leight earplugs locally? I know you can buy them online but who would carry something like that in stock?

I use Splugs so that is not much of a problem. However, the problem can be solved by simply using a helmet liner.

You'll just look like a dork between the moment you put the liner on your head and when you slip the helmet on.

Did you try looping the cables over your ears? It acts like a strain relief while you pull the helmet on. Works for me.

Ear buds (the ones that sit on the outside of the ear canal) are not suitable for MC use because they don't have any noise attenuation. You need IEM's (In Ear Monitors) and you insert them just like ear plugs - squish the foam (if they are foamy) pull up on the top of the ear and push them as far in as possible before releasing the ear. A good pair should pretty much be invisible inside the ear if you look in a mirror.





+1 on the frames will be painful after a short time and they sit outside the ear.

The Splugs work great under the helmet. As long as you don't catch the wire on the helmet straps or something, the helmet is easy on and off without upsetting the Splugs.

The only problem with looping the cord over the ear is the interference with sunglasses. Makes for hot spots between the ear and your head.

Same answer as before: Shure215.

Just got some X360 earbuds , better sound and fit over the skull candy and JT earbuds Ive had .

I use plugs + B4 bluetooth with my Nolan helmet but results are so-so. Music is not loud enough. Ok for gps instructions.


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No, they're not the Bose noise-cancelling version at COSTCO.

Been using the Bose QuietComfort® 20i Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones for about a year.
Much quieter than with just earplugs.

I've tried a couple of versions of Etymotics in the past, with so-so results.

I have been running Splugs for about a year and a half and am very happy with them.

I prefer bluetooth. I have LG HBS-750

I second the Shure earphones. I have used these in helmets for at least 5 years. The sound quality is amazing for the size and they work perfect under a helmet. I've found that I end up turning up the volume on cheap earphones too much just to hear them. These are very clear and can be heard at low volume. The model I have doesn't have electronic noise cancellation but cancel noise almost as good as my big bose headphones because they fit in my ears so well. They fit perfectly in the recessed space in your ear and are designed to run the wire over the top of your ears and down the back side. This keeps them nice and tight when putting on your helmet and if the cord gets yanked a little they won't pop out of your ears. It drives me nuts when I have one earphone pop out while riding. The actual earpiece can also separate from the cord for replacement of just the wire if it gets damaged to keep you from having to buy a new set of earphones bc the wire got cut or damaged. I also use them on a mountain bike and have never had an issue with the quality even after pretty hard abuse.

They are expensive but I think are well worth the money. I've had the expensive custom molded earphones made twice before getting these and the Shure's sound much better, fit better, and haven't broken. I had issues with the cable pulling out of the custom ones I had.
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/earphones-headphones/se-earphones

I have rewired my Etymotic Er6i a few times and they still are working fine, but I decided I needed a back up pair.

I heard good things about these and for the price I figured I had nothing to lose. http://www.meelec.com/Sport_Fi_M6_Memory_Wire_In_Ear_Earphones_White_p/earphone-m6-wt-mee.htm

I paired them up with the Comply TX200 isolation tips, 3 pair are as much as the earbuds and believe it or not, my ER6i,s are now the back ups, the tips up the comfort/isolation factor a bunch. The over the ear works great to keep them in place, I wear sunglasses or clear safety glasses 90% of the time and have never had a issue with the over ear wire causing any issues, they just work.

Im no audiophile but the sound is fine for my ears, I never seem to have to go much over 1/2 volume on a ipod nano. Yup Id recommend them, and for 20 bucks how can you loose

Oh ya, I match the ipods (I keep 2 older nanos on the bike) with this remote, it works great and has been on the bike for over 2 years, rain, cold, etc. and has never skipped a beat and still on original battery.
http://www.buyijet.com/ijet-inav-boss-v2-wireless-remote-with-belt-clip.html


Cheers, Todd

For $99 I'm 'gonna give the Shure 215's a try. There's a Guitar Center nearby that has them. I use Splugs and really like them and recommend them but I've damaged the cord on both sets I have and have not made the time to fix them. Shipping them for repair would be cost prohibitive, I suspect.

The Shure 215's are awesome, especially with the triple flange sleeves to block out road noise. Sound amazing, can wear them all day under my helmet with no issue.

http://smile.amazon.com/Shure-SE215...UTF8&qid=1434516669&sr=8-5&keywords=shure+215

They'll fit in the smallest Priority Mail box, shouldn't cost much at all to ship.

Can you get a short cord for them for plugging into a helmet mounted comm system? I looked on their site and only saw the standard length cord.

So I bought me some SPlugs and I would say they are 5-6hr comfortable. I have a 6hr commute and by the time I get to work I'm wanting them out of my ears. They don't isolate the noise like mynetymotic ER6i's did but are not bad. Sound quality is decent. I can keep the volume way down with no issues. I've only used them on 1 ride so far so maybe they will get better. Are they with $150. Not sure about that one. Only time will tell.

Wait. You drive six hours. To work. Then six hours home.

You work, I assume, one day a week or something. Otherwise, if you work eight hour days, and drive twelve hours, and sleep four hours, you are a danger to yourself and others.

Or, you are a rancher in southern Utah.