Autocom/Starcom Users...I have a question

[YellowFuzz]

I'm currently using earbuds to listen to my GPS/music while riding. I bought the helmet speakers/microphone from Bikerintercom.com, the one made for the Iphone. If I use this without earplugs, the wind noise is too much and I can barely hear the music. If I use earplugs, then it's not loud enough. If you're riding behind a bike with a large windscreen, I'm sure they'd work nicely.

I also tried the Chatterbox XBi and the same thing...just not loud enough. Not sure if the XBi2 are any louder/stronger. Anyone have the new Scala G4?

My question is...if using earplugs, are these systems strong enough to get good volume? How about the microphone...is it true, can you really carry on a conversation at 80mph?

I'm not worried about $$$, if it works well, I'd pay for it.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[wera803]

I'm currently using earbuds to listen to my GPS/music while riding. I bought the helmet speakers/microphone from Bikerintercom.com, the one made for the Iphone. If I use this without earplugs, the wind noise is too much and I can barely hear the music. If I use earplugs, then it's not loud enough. If you're riding behind a bike with a large windscreen, I'm sure they'd work nicely.

I also tried the Chatterbox XBi and the same thing...just not loud enough. Not sure if the XBi2 are any louder/stronger. Anyone have the new Scala G4?

My question is...if using earplugs, are these systems strong enough to get good volume? How about the microphone...is it true, can you really carry on a conversation at 80mph?

I'm not worried about $$, if it works well, I'd pay for it.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Get some custom molded stereo plugs and be done with it. They are ear plugs with the sound built in. If needed, you can cut the helmet speakers out and put a 3.5 mm plug in their place to plug the stereo plugs into.

http://174.bigearinc.com/Products/BE-1C.aspx

[elizilla]

I've got the Autocom. I've liked them so well, and the prices have come down so much, that I now own several. I loaned one of them to a friend and he said this in a post elsewhere, just this week:

Leaving Herndon at 12:30 on Wednesday, I made for Boston, VA. I've got a friend there, and he had just purchased a Scala Rider G4. Ever since I met kb, I've been working out a good solution for music while riding. I've been the recipient of one of her Autocom + solutions, which is really quite good. in fact, it's the standard that I measure everything else by - I can wear ear plugs, have the volume at a normal level, and have great sound quality. Surprisingly good sound quality. when my buddy told me about the Scala, I was skeptical - he said it was the bomb-diggity solution, and that usually isn't the case... I talked to him about it a bit, and he graciously loaned me a helmet with the Scala.

For those that havetn' seen them, the Scala attaches to the side of the helmet, and has speakers and a boom mic that go inside. The attachment was very secure, and I never felt like it was going to come off. Scala says that it's "Water Resistant", and that it's ok in "moderate" rain. that made me a bit nervous, since the past few times I've come back from Tennessee, it's been in frog-strangling rain.

One of the nifty cool features of the Scala is that it interfaces with devices via bluetooth. That means it can link up with my phone, so I can play music (a must), I can make and receive calls (nifty, but not critical), and hear my GPS (also a must). Last fall I took a tripand was in some awful rain, and I needed to find a Wal*mart... I pull under some cover and whip out the trusty GPS, which obliges with a route. I slip the GPS back into my tank bag, in the map pocket. but with the rain so bad, I couldn't see it. since it wasn't hooked up to the audio system, I couldn't hear it. it was horribly frustrating, and I've been looking for a solution ever since. The Scala sounded like the perfect solution!

I paired the phone and the Scala, popped in my ear plugs and headed out.

and very quickly I discovered where the Scala fails: It doesn't have enough output to be heard through the ear plugs, unless it is turned way, or all the way, up, at which point the sound is distorting, and has little to no bass. I was able to make and receive a couple calls while motoring down the highway at 75, and that was really pretty cool. the wind noise in the helmet, however, really affected my hearing the call.

so I ended up spending most of the weekend without the benefit of earplugs.

The Autocom that I loaned to him, is an old PRO-7 that I bought back in 2003. (It doesn't have the lead to hook to his GPS, but that's not because they aren't available - it's because I didn't have one in the setup I loaned to him, and he hasn't sourced one for himself!) I now have a newer one, an Active-Plus. (Actually I have several - when they were clearanced I bought extras so I could bike mount them, instead of just having one in a tank bag and moving it from bike to bike.) The Active-Plus does all the things the PRO-7 did, but it is smaller and has a few additional features.

However it's important to understand that it's not a standalone deal. Both the PRO-7 and the Active-Plus are made for a target audience of loaded tourers, like Wings. These guys have actual car stereos in their bikes, and that is the music source they're designed to use. A car stereo pumps out a LOT more volume than an iPod or a Sansa. And the Autocom doesn't have separate input volume controls for every input - you're supposed to use the device's own volume controls to balance your music with your radar detector and your GPS and your phone. In practice, what this means is that when you feed an iPod into the Autocom, the iPod can't compete with the volume pumped out by every other audio source. So you have to put an inline amplifier into the system.

I've now set these systems up on a series of different bikes. The setup I loaned to my friend, has a PIE LD-1 pre-amp between the iPod and the Autocom. This pre-amp is designed for car audio and therefore runs off 12 volt power. They're cheap, about $35, and they include a noise filter. They work quite well.

But in the most recent system I set up, I used an Amplirider amp. This one is even better because it has a waterproof remote volume knob that I was able to panel mount on the bike. So now I can put my mp3 player on shuffle and stash it someplace secure and protected from weather, and just turn the volume up and down as needed, even with gloves on. This is the cat's meow, I tell ya! But it is slightly spendier, I think it cost about $70.

The helmet speakers in the Autocom headset are designed for this level of volume - you're not overdriving them by putting an amp in, the way you would be overdriving the earbuds designed to go with an iPod. They sound very good even though I'm listening through earplugs, and I've not had any of my headsets blow, even though I've been wearing the same headset long enough for the foam on the outside of the speakers to wear out.

Autocom is a UK company, and they went into receivership last year, and their future was looking doubtful. But over the winter they were bought out by the company that makes Starcom. And Starcom has pledged to continue making and supporting Autocoms. I don't know why one company would make two systems designed to do basically the same thing - maybe they will eventually converge them. But after several months of things being back ordered and it not being clear whether they would eventually arrive, new Autocom pieces started flowing again in March, and my long term back-ordered items all came in. Looks like it's going to be OK. I intend to continue using the stuff, since I have so much of it, and it works super well - I've never had a part fail yet and I have used them hard.

[YellowFuzz]

Thanks for the reply. It sounds like I need one of those Amplirider's. I just got done checking out their website. Can't wait to get one.

Again, Thanks

[Guest]

I had Autocom but when I bought the VFR I wanted something without being connected directly to the bike. The solution had to be something with Blue Tooth. So I bought the Cardo system (the new one Q4) - and boy, that is a great system. I can even talk in my telephone (IPhone) if I want. And I can use the GPS - and listen to music. It even turn up the sound when I ride faster. I will give it 5 out of 5 stars. Cardo

[Guest]

I have been using the Starcom1 since 2005,on an FJR1300 With helmet speakers and Mic, I have my phone,MP3 player plugged into it and the music quality is top notch at Freeway speeds, it has auto volume, I also can call and receive my phone calls. The company says all clear at 100MPH and no BS there, see if the other systems can do this. The unit has worked flawlessly so far. The unit is hard wired to the taillight for power. The new Starcom Digital is a little smaller which will help in finding a location for it. On MY 07 VFR I can Just unplug The connection at the helmet and change bikes. There a lot of Options to choose from with this system, and can set your own settings on the unit.

I Posted a pic of how I mounted the connection from helmet to there connection cable I attached to the Corbin seat where the backrest goes nice hole just perfect, then to the unit under the seat.

Hope this helps some!

John

[YellowFuzz]

John, thanks for the info.

Do you wear earplugs with the Starcom?

Mike

[Guest]

I have an Autocom Pro 7 Sport (bought six years ago or so) and use it while wearing earplugs (33db nr hearo extreme). It's plenty loud to cut through both wind noise and earplugs. Music quality is surprisingly decent given all it's fighting against, though it's clearly not as good as the etymotic er-4p earbuds I used to use. But I find it more pleasant for whiling away a long section of slabbing and less obtrusive when I'm more focused on riding. And it works as intercom, radio, and cell to boot.

The microphone works well, you can really have a conversation at speed and it's no worse than talking on a cellphone on the street once you set it up right. I have mine hardwired to power and connected to my gps, radar detector, radio, and cellphone as well as music. My only complaints are that the cord is a bit of a pain to plug in (but unobtrusive once placed right) and the cost is not small. Autocom had some financial difficulties more recently, but seems to have sorted things out since Starcom purchased them.

... rjs

[Guest]

Hi Mike, No earplugs, I have the Starcom1 Helmet speakers, with longer cable to an 1/8 jack running up the frame to the quick disconnect I made for powering my tankbag with all electronics 12v outlet, GPS,Cell Phone,Mp3 Player, and on long trips my Camera/Video. The VFR I like to keep clean looking and just pop off the tank bag and take with me. Once you use the Starcom speakers you will not need anythings else the unit boost great volume output. I am very particular about what I use money not a factor, just best performance.

John