Radios and helmets

[Jones]

First off, I'm going to admit almost total ignorance on the issue of listening to anything while riding a motorcycle.

 

All I have ever listened to while riding motorcycles was wind blast. My Arai helmet is really loud. Every helmet I've ever owned was really loud. I know there are "quiet" helmets out there but I bet they are really loud also. I've only recently started wearing earplugs (better late than never.)

 

My question: Just what is it y'all are using to listen to IPods, satellite radio, etc...?? I'm guessing some kind of earplug as you still have to protect your hearing.

 

What is the best way to do this? Now that I have a bike that I'm willing to do some miles on, being able to listen to some tunes doesn't sound bad.

[Fightingpiper]

I didn't want any wires so I went with a Bluetooth unit, the Camos 600 with a wiRevo D1000V bluetooth adapter for the ipod. With this unit I can connect my phone and Ipod wirelessly to my helmet. When the phone rings it will automatically mute the music and answer the call. Also have set up voice dialing with the phone and it works (jsut have to remember how you recorded the name and say it the same way). I got the wiRevo bluetooth adapter because its bluetooth 2.0 which transmits in stereo and I am planning on getting a Zumo in the far away future and will use the wiRevo to broadcast the mp3's and XM from the Zumo in stereo. If you want wired most will say autocom.

[Joel]

I listen to my iPod through Etymotic ER6i earspeakers. I control the iPod wirelessly with an iJet remote, with the controller velcroed near the left switchgear. The iJet operates on RF rather than IR, so this allows me to keep the iPod in my jacket pocket, and not be tethered to the bike. Or, I can put the iPod in my tank bag to charge it, but then I am tethered to the bike.

[TracerBullet]

I switch back and forth between a pair of custom "sports monitors" from www.earinc.com , and a pair of Shure's

[Troper3]

Have you ever had your head measured by a trained helmet fitter? I bet you are wearing too big a helmet.

[Jones]

I thought of that. The one I had 2 helmets ago WAS too big. Now I have an Arai RX7 with pads custom ordered to fit my gourd. It's just a noisy design.

 

BYW, do the really nice earphones everybody is suggesting do anything about noise or do they just make pretty music?

[hopz]

ALERT! Alert!

 

As many of you know I LOVE my Zumo, but be fully aware that the bluetooth connection from the Zumo is not stereo and no matter what source you have... when it goes from the Zumo to your helmet it is going to be mono- no matter what.

 

Over at the Zumo Forum I frequently see people complain that they cannot get zumo to play in stereo using a bluetooth connection. I call this a failure to do your research prior to purchase.

 

OBTW... the Zumo does output stereo using wired connections in the auto cradle- if you know how to get the signal into your auto's sound system.

 

I should also say that I love the bluetooth phone connection my Zumo provides. I can send and receive calls while riding and do it all with no fuss.

 

FYI

[bakerzdosen]

I thought of that. The one I had 2 helmets ago WAS too big. Now I have an Arai RX7 with pads custom ordered to fit my gourd. It's just a noisy design.

 

BYW, do the really nice earphones everybody is suggesting do anything about noise or do they just make pretty music?

Well, I have an RX-7 Corsair (on an ST with the windscreen from my ST directing air directly at the thing) and my etymotic er-6's block most of the wind noise. It's not perfect, but if I wanted to, I could listen to classical music and not feel like I was missing too much - if anything - during sections with low volume without cranking up the volume. I only raise the volume on my ipod a very small amount over the levels I use with the same headphones on an airplane.

 

You've just gotta be able to handle having something stuck in your ear for long periods of time. Some people can, some people can't.

 

And yes, the RX-7 is noisy.

[Troper3]

That why I always hard wire mine into the autocom!

 

BTM have you tried to use custom ear plugs with stereo?

 

That will handle both issues.

[mbresso]

...I am planning on getting a Zumo in the far away future and will use the wiRevo to broadcast the mp3's and XM from the Zumo in stereo. If you want wired most will say autocom.

 

Hopz' post above is spot on as usual but I would like to add that XM radio will not transmit AT ALL via Bluetooth on the Zumo (although you CAN get MP3 in mono). Of course if you use wired connections both MP3 and XM radio play in full stereo. Basically one should really think of audio in two ways and two ways only on the Zumo:

 

Wireless = spoken word (nav prompts, cell phone, MP3/mono)

 

Wired = music (MP3 and XM radio in full stereo.. plus your nav prompts and cell phone)

[Fightingpiper]

Pulled from the K-bikes forum Here

 

"if you get a camos 500 or camos 600 (if you want to be able to intercom with another camos600) and a wirevo bluetooth adapter you will get the most out of your Zumo 550.

 

this is the way we have one set up and it works perfectly.....

 

connect the camos to the zumo 550

 

turn off the zumo 550 and connect it to the wirevo bluetooth adapter

 

turn off the camos and connect your cell phone to the zumo 550

 

go into the bluetooth setting of the zumo 550 and have the bluetooth transmit "phone only"

 

take the wirevo bluetooth adapter and plug it into the headset port of the zumo 550

 

since the zumo 550 does not transmit stereo sound, you get stereo sound off of the wirevo bluetooth adapter, your phone is connected and you can take call wireless as well. everything will cut in and out in the proper order. if you are listening to music, it will pause to give gps commands or if a call comes in you will see it on the screen and you can accept or reject it. you can also make calls from your address book which the zumo pulls off of your cell phone."

 

 

So as you see you can get bluetooth stereo sound off the zumo by using the wiRevo adapter.

 

Or Wireless=Stereo XM and Mp3

[Mark K]

Just what is it y'all are using to listen to IPods, satellite radio, etc...??

 

 

I'm listening to XM through a pair of ER6's. They block a lot of the wind noise and produce decent sound. I plug the earspeakers into an inline volume control, which then plugs into the XM unit.

 

When not listening to music, I use the squishy foam earplugs. Similar to Hearos (sp?), I bought a whole case which I also use at work or around the house.

[jacksonwr]

Thanks for the info on the bluetooth solution your using. It seems much less complex than the autocom/starcom solutions I have been reading about.

[Twisties]

My question: Just what is it y'all are using to listen to IPods, satellite radio, etc...?? I'm guessing some kind of earplug as you still have to protect your hearing.

 

Bike to Bike (B2B) with FRS/GMRS radios and an mp3 player. These connect to an integrator, a Starcom1 and go wired to the helmet. May add a gps on one of the bikes (probably hers) at some point.

 

I have earbud earplug speakers in my helmet, she uses helmet mounted speakers in hers. The Starcoms are reasonably priced and work well. If I had it to do again I'd get their advance unit with a remote mounted volume control.

 

Jan

 

STARCOM