Earbuds That Fit!

[YellowFuzz]

Hi everyone! Well, I bought a some earbuds that stay on and in my ear while riding, have decent sound up to 80 mph, and we're only 39.99 at Best Buy. They're the Sony MDR-AS40EX model. They come with three different sizes of behind the ear clips and three different sizes of silicone rubber earbuds. It comes with a 2ft cord and another 2ft extension cord and a carrying case. The 2ft cord is ideal for jackets that have an inside wallet or phone pocket. I hooked them up to my iphone and only had to have the volume at about 2/3rds and the music was great. Plus the earbuds do a real good job of blocking most of the wind noise. Give them a try! :musik20:

[HispanicSlammer]

As much as I ride and like to listen to music, I took the plunge and invested in a set of custom ear speakers from BigEar.inc BE-1C which is there mid priced model for around $350 bucks. After having 2 sets of etymotic er6 earbuds I found the lack of low register to a trade off for the sound isolation from road noise and helmet noise worth the money. I was on a trip to Canada and accidently snapped one of the wires. So I decided to replace them with a custom set, and repair the er6 units myself for a backup. It took me a while to find the correct size silicon eartips for the er6 units and couldnt stand to wear them for more than a few hours - till I started wearing thier blue small tips and now I can wear them all day. Still no low register to speak of but with all the other noises the low bass response it would be drowned out anyway. I used to listen to an ipod all the time inside an otterbox attached to my left fairing so I could change the songs and shut it off or lower the volume at will. Worked great, but now I have a Zumo and the music is built right into my gps.

BigEar has its corp offices here in Colorado Springs so I went over and met a bunch of them and had a fitting done, 6 weeks for manufacture when I get my custom set.

[Leeworthy]

Very cool. I JUST bought a new pair of panasonic buds last night. Wore em this morning and the didnt fit properly. Came out as soon as I put the helmet on.. So when I got to work, i broke of the piece that sticks out of the bud. Now they fit firm in my ear, and block almost all road noise even when not listening to tunes. Best part of all.. The headphones cost me 18.88 at Walmart!

[Guest]

I just bought an Autocom 7 and put it on. The speakers in the helmet sound very good, but I don't think is gonna be loud enough going 80mph with the wind noise.

Haven't rode yet, is been raining since monday nite, but I can now tell that is just not gona be loud enough, may have to rig some earbuds instead.

[WERA910]

Another plug for Big Ear!!!!! I have thier custom ear plugs and I love them. The next step is the same as Miguel has and buy the full power rig.

WERA803 is a Big Ear rep and he's been hitting all the AMA races in the east. He'll be at Indy in a couple of weekends if anyone wants to hook up with him there. PM me for his phone number.

Michael

[RollinAgain]

I think that paying $250 is too much for a pair of headphones. I have tried several higher end brands of earbuds over the years and for the money I have been the most happy with the Shure E2C. The Shure E2C run about $60 on Amazon and have several different types of foam and plastic ear pieces. The great thing about the foam tips is that you just compress them and roll them between your fingers and then shove them in your ears. Once in your ear, the foam will start to slowly uncompress and it will expand and create a very good sound isolating seal. The cables are also very thick and heavy duty so that there is little chance that they will snap or tangle easily. I've been so happy with mine that I bought a total of 3 pairs over the last few years. Now I have a set for home and for work as well as an extra set that I use when cutting the grass.

Regards,

Rollin

[wera803]

Thanks Michael.

Yes, I've been trying to do all of the races and it's been pretty sucessful. In addition to vending, I've made it to the pits and dealt with the race teams. Last weekend at Road Atlanta I did some plugs for Bobby Fong. He actually came back later and wanted a second set. He said they were more comfortable and quieter than anything he had before which allowed him to concentrate more on riding. I also did impressions for ear pieces for the whole Police Safety First team (the crew chief ordered some BE-2N's from me a couple of months ago and loves them).

Five of the Red Bull Rookie Cup people ordered ear pieces including Kevin Schwantz. I should have them in hand by next Tuesday and will deliver them to the team at Indy. Jordan Suzuki mechanics are all wearing Big Ear plugs as well (WERA910 was there when I did 80% of them). The past two races I've finished making them for the rest of the team. Monster Energy Kawasaki has 4 or 5 of the guys wearing custom ear plugs as well.

Others that have them so far are Steve Rapp, Aaron Yates, Geoff May, Fast Freddie Spencer, Kevin Schwantz, and Jessica Zalusky.

Oh, and I've been talking to Schwantz about the stereo plugs for his school. Autocom has an adapter that they can plug into and the instructors have a hard time hearing at 150 mph on the back straight with their current set-up.

Let me know if I can answer any questions.

www.174.bigearinc.com

[wera803]

I think that paying $250 is too much for a pair of headphones. I have tried several higher end brands of earbuds over the years and for the money I have been the most happy with the Shure E2C. The Shure E2C run about $60 on Amazon and have several different types of foam and plastic ear pieces. The great thing about the foam tips is that you just compress them and roll them between your fingers and then shove them in your ears. Once in your ear, the foam will start to slowly uncompress and it will expand and create a very good sound isolating seal. The cables are also very thick and heavy duty so that there is little chance that they will snap or tangle easily. I've been so happy with mine that I bought a total of 3 pairs over the last few years. Now I have a set for home and for work as well as an extra set that I use when cutting the grass.

Regards,

Rollin

The foam works for some people, but not everyone. Trust me, I've seen plenty of ear canals that aren't much bigger than the tip of a pen. There is no way a piece of foam is going to go in there without hurting after a while. I've seen the opposite as well where the canal is so big the foam comes right out. Custom stereo plugs isn't for everyone, but does work for people that need something better. Kind of like buying a custom made suit vs. off the rack suits. Off the rack just doesn't work for some people.

[Guest]

These are mine. They provide great sound with enough background input to still have good S/A.

The Bose are obviously better, but I only use them on occasion. The Philips were 40 and the Bose were 110.

-Chris.

[Thumper 8]

I think that paying $250 is too much for a pair of headphones. I have tried several higher end brands of earbuds over the years and for the money I have been the most happy with the Shure E2C. The Shure E2C run about $60 on Amazon and have several different types of foam and plastic ear pieces. The great thing about the foam tips is that you just compress them and roll them between your fingers and then shove them in your ears. Once in your ear, the foam will start to slowly uncompress and it will expand and create a very good sound isolating seal. The cables are also very thick and heavy duty so that there is little chance that they will snap or tangle easily. I've been so happy with mine that I bought a total of 3 pairs over the last few years. Now I have a set for home and for work as well as an extra set that I use when cutting the grass.

I have the best of both worlds - I have a set of Shure E4c's plus a set of custom plugs for the Shures to fit into.

I can use the foam plugs very comfortably for days on end, but after 3 or 4 days with the foam plugs in the ear for up to 12 hours a day, sometimes a change is good. It turns out I have narrow ear canals, and after 3 or 4 long days, I can get a little, very minor irritation in the ear canal.

I got a set of standard, basic custom molded plugs with no fitting for the Shures, for those times when I want no music... and no wind noise.

For an extra $50 or $60 (I don't remember the exact amount) I got a second set with a hole in them that the Shure E4c's can slide through. They work very well and I alternated these plugs and the foam Shure fittings while on the recent 7 day ride to the Kootenay Hootenanny and my subsequent ride down into Montana. When I alternate the plugs, there is no ear canal irritation at all... I may do away with the foam rings altogether.

The Shures offer good sound, and either the foam rings or these custom molded plugs work well - and ensure I have no irritation after leaving the plugs in for extended periods.

Custom molded plugs with a built in slot for the Shure E4c's:

The plugs fit into the ear beautifully, with good sound and no wind noise at all:

The plugs do not stick out very far - no issues siding on the helmet (a Shoei RF 900) and knocking the plugs out:

[Guest]

Hey Thumper, what keeps the Shures from falling out of the custom set? Are they just that "tight"? Thanks.

[Thumper 8]

Hey Thumper, what keeps the Shures from falling out of the custom set? Are they just that "tight"? Thanks.

The fit is very tight - you really have to work to get the E4c all the way in... there is no way they will fall out - or even get a little loose - once they are fitted all the way into the slot.

Forgot to mention that I got the 2 sets of custom molded plugs (standard and slotted) at Avery Sound

[spinalator]

I like the idea of custom plugs, but do not like the price. There are some things in life that are worth it though.

[jerritt]

_{Try www.earfuze.com I've been using them for years and they work great. They send you what you need to make your own custom molded earplugs. It takes about 20 min. I put the head phones in my ears then mixed up the foam placed them in my ear put a piece of cling wrap over my ear and put on my helmet so the foam would fit comfortably when I'm wearing my helmet. I use these on long trips and never have a problem}

[RobF]

I recently cycled through several unsatisfactory music setups and finally found something I like. Getting there was expensive and circuitous enough to warrant a little write-up. Other members have found more economical solutions. This was the "get it done and move on" solution that worked for me.

 

My first setup was (for me) the worst: An iPhone and standard Apple earbuds.

 

SETUP #1: STANDARD EARBUDS

 

Good

 

        * simple, inexpensive

 

Bad:

 

        * buds can snag during helmet on/off

        * weak ear seal, so lots of wind noise

 

I consider the setup above the worst because of the last bullet point. Since there is so much wind noise, it is very natural to crank up the music volume in compensation. You'll notice this when you come to a stop and the sudden silence of wind makes it apparent how painfully loud your music is. This suggests that you've been riding around assaulting your poor ear cilia with both raw wind noise and painfully loud music. I already have mild tinnitus from too much side one 2112 (the album, not the VFRD member) as a teenager.

 

SETUP #2: SENA SMH10 AND FOAM EARPLUGS

 

Good:

 

        * foam earplugs are great for dulling wind noise

        * helmet on/off is easy

 

Bad:

 

        * volume and sound fidelity are poor

 

This is not a terrible setup, but the Sena helmet speakers are notably under-powered. I always had the volume maxed. Even still, it was like hearing music coming from a neighbor's apartment, but without any bass. Skipping the foam earplugs doesn't improve the situation because any decrease in sound blockage is more than matched by an increase in wind noise.

 

After a couple other mid-priced solutions that didn't work, I decided to solve this the old-fashioned way: keep throwing money at the problem until it yields.

 

SETUP  #3: SHURE EARBUDS AND CUSTOM-MOLDED SLEEVES

 

Good:

 

        * sound volume and fidelity are excellent

        * wind noise dulling is as good or better than foam earplugs

        * because the noise dulling is so good, you can hear your music at relatively low amplification

 

Bad:

 

        * $$$

        * helmet on/off is awkward but manageable

 

This is, essentially, the setup recommended by Thumper 8 in post #10 of the thread you are reading.

 

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/45178-earbuds-that-fit/?p=547482

 

Similar ideas are offered by TheBigCheese here:

 

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/61320-sick-of-ear-buds/?p=720400

 

You do not need a Sena SMH10 for the custom-molded setup. If you do have an SMH10, you'll need to buy something like the SMH-A303 helmet clamp for earbuds. This replaces the standard base, boom, and helmet speakers with a base, boom, and mini-plug jack for your earbuds.

 

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/sena-smh-10-helmet-clamp-kit-for-earbuds

 

Step 1: Choose your custom-molded sleeve vendor. I followed Thumper 8's lead and went with Avery Sound. There are other vendors doing similar work.

 

http://www.averysound.com

http://www.sensaphonics.com

http://www.bigearinc.com

 

Step 2: Choose an earbud make and model that your custom sleeve vendor supports. I went with the Shure SE215.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE215-K-Isolating-Earphones-MicroDriver/dp/B004PNZFZ8

 

Step 3: Buy the earbuds, order the sleeve from your vendor.

 

Step 4: Schedule an appointment with a local audiologist who will create the impressions (molds) of your ears necessary to make the fitted sleeves. This is the hardest step to this point because this isn't necessarily a common request. You might need to make a few phone calls before you find a local shop that understands what it is you want. When you call an audiologist, you'll want to ask them something like: "I would like to have standard ear impressions made of my ears so that I can mail the impressions to a vendor who will be making custom earbuds for me. Do you do that sort of thing?" The guys at Avery Sound swear the going rate for ear impressions is about $30. My experience in Oregon was that it was typically quoted in the $75-$100 range. I paid $80. Also, you will likely need to wait two to four weeks before they have an opening -- after which you need to mail the impressions to your vendor. So, it might be a month from the time you start this project until you have your fancy new custom-molded earbuds.

 

Step 5: If you purchase the kind of earbuds I did, you will need to remove the stock sleeves before you can attach your custom molds. A "sleeve" in this context is the little rubber plug on the end of the earbud that interfaces with your ear.

 

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/media/wysiwyg/what-is-important-earphones.jpg

 

Nobody else seems to have had this problem, but I broke two separate nozzles trying to remove the sleeve from my right earbud. Both were replaced without complaint by Shure, but still it was a hassle and added more weeks to the process. If you go with the "freezing" tip suggested here:

 

http://shure.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3788/~/removing-earphone-sleeves

 

...I might suggest *pulling* the sleeve rather than twisting it like I did.

 

Step 6: Shove your de-sleeved nozzles into your fancy new custom-molded silicone sleeves. The Shure's have a weird rotational orientation and none of us are familiar with the topology of our ear folds, so it's easy to get disoriented with the assembly. Here are a couple photos for reference, both are for the assembled left earbud with custom-molded sleeve:

 

 

 

Step 7: Jam the things into your ears. Doing this is a little like putting in contacts for the first time. It takes a bit of practice. There are how-tos on-line. This is likely Dutchy bait, but I should probably mention the usefulness of a lubricant. A little bit (don't overdo it) is very useful and helps improve both the comfort and the sound seal. Remember, I was throwing money at this problem, so I just spent the $8 on the absurd little bottle marketed for this very purpose (Oto-Ease Earmold Lubricant):

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GNIQV6U

 

The most valuable aspect of that purchase was the tiny application bottle. The lubricant itself felt indistinguishable from Astroglide.

 

So, soup to nuts, the complete shopping list looks like something like this:

 

     Sena SMH10 Bluetooth Headset ($160)

     Sena SMHA303 Helmet Clamp Kit for Earbuds ($40)

     Shure SE215 Earbuds ($100)

     Custom Molded Earpiece Set from Avery Sound ($140)

     Ear impressions from local audiologist ($80)

 

TOTAL $520

 

If you don't want to go the bluetooth route or already have that gear, you can knock the first two items off the list and shave $200 off the total price.

 

[Rectaltronics]

Astroglide. LOL.

Do you have any issues with "telephonics", i.e. wind roar vibration communicating from the helmet shell through the Shure's wires or earphone body getting into your ear??

[RobF]

Do you have any issues with "telephonics", i.e. wind roar vibration communicating from the helmet shell through the Shure's wires or earphone body getting into your ear??

I don't think so. The custom-molded sleeves remove all the high-frequency harshness from the wind roar, just like good foam ear plugs -- better even. But just like with foam earplugs, you can still very much hear a de-fanged version of the wind roar. I don't know how that residual sound reaches your inner ear. Maybe directly through your skull or through the portions of your outer ear not plugged with silicone? I'm fairly certain the sound isn't coming in through the earbud wires or earbud body.

[St. Stephen]

RobT, thanks for your August post, just what I was looking for. Thinking about buying a Sena, but their in-helmet speakers do not seem like they could be anywhere near effective, and, Apple earbuds fall our of my weirdly-shaped ears in seconds. Q's:

Avery sends "impression kits" for a custom fit. Did you try this DIY route before contacting an audiologist? If so, what failed?

Do you also use the buds for your phone? If so, results?

Is Oto-Ease Earbud Lubricant an effective emergency substitute for Astroglide?

[RobF]

Avery sends "impression kits" for a custom fit. Did you try this DIY route before contacting an audiologist? If so, what failed?

I did not try the DIY impression kits. It's possible they could produce completely satisfactory results.

Do you also use the buds for your phone? If so, results?

Generally, I only use the custom-fitted setup while riding. I have on occasion just plugged them into my iPhone and used them around the house whenever I want to listen to music but shut out serious ambient noise (lawn mowers, leaf blowers, kids, etc.).

Is Oto-Ease Earbud Lubricant an effective emergency substitute for Astroglide?

I'm an old married guy, so the days in which I might actually have some kind of carnal emergency are mostly in the rearview mirror. These days I'm more likely to require assistance of a pharmaceutical variety than of a lubrication variety. That being said, if I were counseling a younger man, I could offer confident assurance that Oto-Ease would absolutely do in a pinch.

[St. Stephen]

Thanks again RobF (not T, whoops).

All three responses useful (as always on VFRD) and the last well-written and humorous, being an old married guy myself. Still trying to figure out how to get quality sound in the helmet while meeting the primary objective of keeping out wind noise. Leaning towards a Sena but the final step is how best to get the sound to the ears and brain.

Don't know if you're in Portland but if so, please visit St. John's Coffee--the owner parks a 6th gen in his office, really nice guy.

[JZH]

I essentially use the same set-up as RobF. However, I have had many problems with the Shure headphone cables becoming damaged (I use my headphones frequently, so the cables get a work-out), so I have been working on solutions to the "broken cable" problem.

First thing to note is that genuine ($30 on Amazon) Shure headphone cables are not the solution. I've had them start to get "crackly" within a few months of purchase. However, the detachable aspect of these Shures means that it is simple to change cables to something else and keep the earbuds the same. There are a few sellers on eBay (often China-based) who sell replacement cables, but Lunashops is an amazing resource. I've ordered a few times from them, and while delivery takes a while, they have been very reliable--and cheap. They sell almost every single component part of the Shure headphone cable, so if you can solder, you can make exactly what you want.

For my helmet, I'm currently working on a special cable that has two unequal length pigtails (made from thin Sommer "Cicada" microphone cable--should be very robust!) joining into a 4-pole mini-phono (3.5mm) plug, which plugs into a 4-pole mini-phone jack, which is attached by a very short, heavy cable to my SENA SMH-10. Earbuds go in, "doo rag" goes over ears, helmet goes on, earbuds get plugged in. The 4-poles are used for separate right and left stereo channels (rather than using a combined ground), which are connected directly to the SENA circuit board, which also does not combine the grounds (and the SENA earbud baseplate doesn't really solve the problem). There is a thread about this on ADV. Because I can switch to a different cable for daily, non-helmet, use I can take advantage of the true stereo separation and not lose any functionality when I use the same earbuds (but different cable) with my Android phone on the train into work.

Also from Lunashops I have several sets of the little plugs that snap into the Shure's, including some angled ones I think may require less of a sharp curve in the cable just after it exits the plug (yet to be tested, though). Ends will be covered in heatshrink as well. I have used regular earbud cables with the SENA earbud base plate, but wasn't satisfied, so I decided to look into a better solution. Just need to find some robust, but small OD 4-core cable for the SENA-end and I can get this thing soldered up...

Ciao,