noise-cancelling earbuds review

[Nails]

I have trouble using ordinary earplugs, probably because I lived in them for too long (running a chainsaw). I've been looking for an alternative, first trying Quiet Ride inserts (viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11708). This was a total bust, including cutting up my (cheap, old) helmet.

Next, noise-cancelling earphones. I bought Bose QuietComfort 20 pups (https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/hea ... pple_black. The short: they didn't really work on the bike. (I'll take SgtSlag's advice and look into custom-fit earplugs.)

The long: They do a great job of cancelling noise most of the time. Even at the dinner table, when they kick in the utter silence is shocking. With a $20 MP3 player, I get all day music on a single charge, and it sounds good.

On the bike (when I could get them to work), the silence was a bit disorienting -- it's that complete. They even cancel (mostly) a lot of sound I expected to get through, like people talking (perhaps a good thing) and car horns (the disorienting part).

The bigger problems crop up under the helmet. First, they fit on your ear rather than in it. The earbuds have a soft plastic cam-thing that you twist toward the back of your head that locks into some flap on your ear. This plastic thing includes a very soft gasket that needs to seal against your ear canal. Very comfortable, but hard to get right under your helmet. When you twist it into your ear, the wire ends up sticking forward toward your eye. Any downward tug untwists it, and I had trouble keeping the earbuds in right. (They make a wireless Bluetooth version, but I doubt that would really help.) After a few miles, they'd usually fall out. (Yes, I tried all three sizes they come with.)

Second, these earbuds get pops under the helmet -- I saw other comments about this in webistan. It's a fairly quiet and irregular pop, but several times a minute. At first, I thought it was subtle pressure causing the gasket thing to release air into or out of my ear. But they don't pop when the noise cancelling is off, so I think it has something to do with that. Dunno. Doesn't happen without the helmet, though.

Third, they don't tolerate high wind. The earbuds have speakers <edit: microphones, not speakers. This is the sound source they cancel> on the outside, but they're prone to loud swishing noises in high wind environments like under my helmet. (Might not be a problem with a tall windscreen.) At first I thought the earbuds were just falling out, but I had the same problem in my old pickup, windows rolled down, when I know they were twisted in right.

I'll have use for these elsewhere, but I can't really use them on my bike.

[Barry]

Thanks for the info. I'd love to have noise cancelling in my helmet. They work great on aircraft headsets. Don't know why there isn't anything other than earplugs for motorcyclists. I really don't like anything stuck in my ears. I've tried custom earplugs for a few years. They didn't work any better than off the shelf earplugs. I will use earplugs when riding more than an hour.

[cbrfxr67]

Good info,....!

[Nails]

I'd love to have noise cancelling in my helmet. They work great on aircraft headsets. Don't know why there isn't anything other than earplugs for motorcyclists.

For noise cancelling to work, there can't be any noise leaks. These Bose earbuds do a good job sealing my ear canal, as long as they aren't getting knocked around by the helmet.

After the QuietRide debacle, I'm skeptical that you can get a proper headset seal and a brain bucket at the same time. The helmet transmits noise to the ear cup. Sena tried: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/sena ... et-review/ and https://motorbikewriter.com/noise-cancelling-helmet/ (note the ear cups). I'll take a close look at military headsets next time I'm at a museum like that.

This quick slide show is interesting: https://www.rideapart.com/articles/2547 ... e-helmets/. I may be done with cheap helmets.

[cranky]

... I went the other way... 1Storm Motorcycle Modular Full Face Helmet on Amazon, 60 $
and think I saw it for 50... it IS DOT!!! I hafta say its noisier, really cheaply built... BUT
it works and fits!!!!! Has 2 shields, feels good... Haven't spent many hours with it yet...
but I think it's a winner.... AND it polycarbonate, IIRC, and about 2 lbs lighter than
my old Nolan and MUCH appreciated!!!

[Nails]

Read what that first Sena link had to say about DOT ratings.
I've never had a nice helmet. Hope I'm not disappointed.
I'm gearing up for dual-sport touring (TAT and BDR -- different bike obviously), so I'm in the market for an AT helmet, too. I'll probably get that first, to see whether it works with my short windshield. I don't think MX with goggles will cut it, but still undecided. Do like the sun bill.

[Nails]

Interesting article (apologies to folks already getting this newsletter): https://advrider.com/windscreens-and-ot ... 09_18_2019:

In this article, I take a deep dive, through science and experiences, into what exactly causes the noise and how it can be reduced by modifications to your motorcycle, your gear and hearing protection.
...
Conclusion
All the above factors can make a lot of difference in reducing helmet noise. The windscreen on your motorcycle is by far the biggest factor in this. So, start there (and remember… go tiny or go huge) and once you find the best setup for you and are still experiencing excessive helmet noise, start looking at your helmet. Get a good, quality build helmet, with a good visor seal, a well designed aerodynamic shell and well-designed vent holes. And, if you’re riding in a colder climate, add a scarf, a thick balaclava or a helmet skirt. If that is still not enough start looking at air coming up from below and from the sides of your frame/fairing and see if that can be resolved with air deflectors.
Last, but certainly not least, wear earplugs! Even if you achieve the most ideal setup for you, earplugs are a necessity if you ride motorcycle. There are many kinds, from those cheap orange disposable earplugs, to special motorcycle earplugs filtering out only certain frequencies, to top of the line custom molded earplugs that fit your ear perfectly. It depends on your budget and what you’re comfortable with, but just ware something. Especially on those long stretches of highway.