noise cancelling for in ear speakers

[ian]

I have a set of WesTone in ear speakers. The last couple of trips I have had trouble hearing my MP3 tunes at Interstate speeds above 75mph. Is there an active noise cancellation system that either has custom molded ear plugs or can be married to my existing wesTones? Yes I did the search. TIA Ian, Iowa

 

[paulie]

I'm not sure what (who?) Wes can marry but the E6isolators from Etymotic Research are better than any noise cancelling system plus they are great speakers to boot. Check them out. https://www.etymotic.com/

 

[Big-D]

I have a pair of Sony Mdr-Ex75/Slv Ex Earbuds I paid less than $40 for and a Icon Domain2 Mechanica Chrome Helmet. I play my mp3's through my Garmin GPS whereas I have no problem hearing my tunes at any speed, even into the triple digit speeds. Being 6'4", I raise my OEM Touring windshield about 4 inches from bottom and the wind noise all but disappears. The volume on the GPS is set at about the half way point.

 

[Capt. Bob]

Not sure what model you have but did they work at speed before?

I visited the Westone site and I see the multi flange tips (universal fit) similar to the ones that I have on my ER6's.

That style tip seals very well and blocks out wind roar. Some find discomfort with this type of ear piece.

If your Westones have lost some of their punch, maybe the filters are starting to clog.

Good luck.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Big Ear custom stereo ear molds. More comfortable than the er-6's and better sound. jmho

 

[Hit the Road Jack]

Bose makes active noise cancelling earbuds, for a price here.

Sony too, same price here.

Doubtful that they'll fit beneath a helmet, but check it out.

 

[RsvlFeej]

Active noise canceling - DON'T BOTHER! The pitch that is cancelled is exactly wrong for blocking wind noise, but does hide some motor sound.

I tried 6 or 7 types of earbuds, including 2 with active noise canceling and found that noise ISOLATION is the way to go.

Shure packaging propaganda says their buds can block 93% of ambient noise, which is probably true but roughly $100. I did keep these buds for long trips. They seal so well I tend to purposely leave one a little bit loose so I can hear sirens, thus negating their primary function.

You can almost match Shure's sound blocking with $10 Skullcandy buds, which I use for shorter rides and for my daily commute. Another forum member recommends the $45 Skullcandy buds for better speaker quality (I haven't picked any up yet, but when my current set erodes or I zip the speaker wire in half those will be the next buds I buy).

 

[wingshot]

I picked up the Skull Candy - Titan ear buds with foam tips and have to say that they a great job of quieting the external road/wind/bike noise. Plus, they sound fantastic. Best Buy had them for $27 something, $31 something after tax. Worth the $$ IMHO

 

[kiteman11]

Also check out a Boostaroo amplifier. Takes 2 AA batteries and boosts the signal of your portable device. Works excellent with the ER6i earbuds.

 

[MojaveFJR]

The bose earbuds are crap for this application. They don't stay in and they don't cancel the noise.

Got some Koss's that have a foamy extension on them. You squish that down, insert it into your ear and presto, wind noise cancelled and good tuneage. Cost 14-17 dollars.

Right now I bluetooth my iPod though the chatterbox with earplugs in. Works awesome. I don't like the wind noise.

Good luck in your solution.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Active noise canceling - DON'T BOTHER! The pitch that is cancelled is exactly wrong for blocking wind noise, but does hide some motor sound.
I tried 6 or 7 types of earbuds, including 2 with active noise canceling and found that noise ISOLATION is the way to go.

Agreed on both not bothering with noise canceling and having tried both styles. Having teenagers around is great for being able to try all sorts of earphones from their friends. After cleaning them. :blink: You really have to try them, though. One of the sets that I really liked when off the bike that were horrible on the bike were from Bose. Looking closer, they have a little speaker that is on the outside of the bud and in a helmet it just didn't work. (Obviously YMMV) To me, the Shures sounded great but the part sticking out of my ears caught in my old Shoei RF1000.

You can almost match Shure's sound blocking with $10 Skullcandy buds, which I use for shorter rides and for my daily commute. Another forum member recommends the $45 Skullcandy buds for better speaker quality (I haven't picked any up yet, but when my current set erodes or I zip the speaker wire in half those will be the next buds I buy).

I think that was me writing about the Skullcandy, but the $45 was on sale, as they original price was something like $59 or $65. They really do block noise well and have good sound, even with a stock summer windshield. I was riding in to work this morning listening (XM) to that woman on BBC who doesn't have much voice to begin with and understanding her was no problem. BTW, there IS a difference in getting your music in stereo! To me anyway, there is a real audible difference between the Skullcandy cheapies and their better earphones. The other thing that I really like is that the Skullcandy wires are a bit thicker as some of the others, making them not as fragile and they tend not to tangle as easily as the thin wires do.

Bob

 

[ian]

Got some Koss's that have a foamy extension on them. You squish that down, insert it into your ear and presto, wind noise cancelled and good tuneage. Cost 14-17 dollars.
Right now I bluetooth my iPod though the chatterbox with earplugs in. Works awesome. I don't like the wind noise.

I was a stupid as a teenage wrestler and was too macho to wear a headset. As a result, my right ear canal is mostly ossified cartilage. The Koss ear sets that I tried killed may ear-the round thingy was rather large. Didn't know about a different foam extensions, my set has a short (1/2"-3/4") tubes in the foam. I'll check.

I've been waiting for Bluetooth that did stereo with good sound, what brand do you use and how's the sound quality? Thanks for all the replies. Ian, Iowa

 

[zenwhipper]

I've got the Etymotic ER-6 Isolator Ear Buds. They work like a charm. I think I got them for $60 bucks on Amazon. They come with foam and rubber inserts. They fit well and seal nicely and isolate enough ambient noise that I can ride all day and even with my Ipod down low I can here the music very well.

And oh yah - I think you can always 'crank it up' any system and speakers to be able to hear the music, but if you do you got be aware that your hearing is a precious commodity. Its a bit of a balancing act - loed enough to hear, but not too loud you damage your hearing over the long term.

Scott

 

[BrettB]

Which Westone product do you have? I have the UM2s, and they are by far the best in-ear-monitor I've tested, and I tested several including the Etymotic ER-6, Ulimate Ears, several Shure models, Bose noise cancelling, etc. I use mine with an old iPod mini while riding and can hear it great. iPod way below 1/2 volume as the resistance on the UM2s make them quite sensitive and loud. If you have these and are having trouble hearing, they must be clogged. They come with an ear wax loop. Take whichever flange or foam you are using off the plastic housing and look down the little tube and clean out any obstructions...

Not directly what you were asking, but if you are looking for a multiple audio solution, you can get leads for the Autocomm products that will let you use your in-ear speakers...

Hope this helps

-Brett

 

[fhaze]

Westone CR-1's here w/ autocom adapter, best investment in wind noise and hifi sound Ive ever made. I don't ride without them. iPod sits at 40%-50% volume, with the 'loudness" eq set I'm in audio heaven.

 

[ian]

I use a set of custom fit ear pieces from Westone. I run an MP3, a Passport RD and a Garmin 2730 through a MixIt 2. Great setup, I bought it from Keith in Tulsa, OK

I read that some coat the outer part of the ear pieces with a “water soluble silicon gel” for a better seal. I tried several pharmacies and when I describe the product, they never heard of it. Thanks for the replies. Ian, Iowa

 

[ibleedgreen]

Big Ear custom stereo ear molds. More comfortable than the er-6's and better sound. jmho

Yeap I had the ER6i for 3 years. Got the Big Ear molds this year. Spent $300 on them, they are worth it. Way better sound and alot more comfy.

 

[johnny80s]

If you get the custom molded earphones you don't need noise canceling added to them since they are essentially earplugs.

I used the some noise canceling earplugs for a while and I found they had a few draw backs.

1. Batteries - had to always keep some on hand to run the noise canceling part of the headphones.

2. Popping out - mine would pop out of my ears when I put m helmet on or after riding a while they would work themselves loose.

3. Pressure - They hurt my ears because of the helmet putting pressure on them.

I like the custom molded earphones because when the batteries die in your music player they still keep out the noise. I don't carry batteries and don't have to stop during a ride to change them. The final benefit is that if you fly they keep out all noise on a plane. I love them for that alone.

I was worried about paying $150 and not being satisfied but I talked with different companies found one I liked and I have been happy ever since.

I used these guys clicky.

Good luck with your choice.

John

 

[dcarver]

huh?

LOL

I use Er6 earbuds, as the impedance matches my StarCom Advance better than the ER6i's. Better freq response and tone too.