Bose noise cancellation helmet speakers.

[codinn]

I was perusing the Bose website the other day. I am the satisfied owner of a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones which I use when travelling by air. Commercial versions are popular with pilots for communication and noise supression.

 

It didn't occur to me until I saw their military application of this technology that it would be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for niose reduction in motorcyle helmets, not to mention great for communication and listening to the IPOD or satellite radio!

 

Okay. Now I think I am a genius for figuring this out. So I write Bose an e-mail and get the following response:

Thank you for your inquiry.

 

Most states prohibit the use of headphones while operating a motor vehicle. For this reason alone, Bose® has decided not to offer electronic headphones for helmets.

 

Thank you for contacting Bose Corporation.

Lee Miller

Customer Support Team

---------------------------------------------------

Bose Corporation

US Telephone: (800)444-2673, ext. EM-1

International Tel: (508)766-1099, ext. EM-1

Fax: (508)820-3465

Email: http://www.bose.com

Of course, now I am not a genius anymore.

 

There are plenty of intercom systems out there, and plenty of riders using them in plain sight of law enforcement, as well as lots of us using earplugs to cancel out noise. How do we convince Bose that this is a viable business? Are those of us using headsets in our helmets actually breaking the law in most states?

[Jerry_75_Guy]

Good questions. I've been wanting a setup like that for some time.

 

In the mean time, I'm trying to design a way to velcro in some gel ear seals like I have on my aviation headset to provide additional passive noise reduction.

Should be pretty simple and cheap, just haven't tried it yet. If I can get it to work, it should reduce noise enough that the more labor and cost intensive "active electronic" noise attenuation wouldn't be worth the trouble, particularly in conjunction with the use of earplugs.

[Lets_Play_Two]

In Florida you would be breaking the law to have both ears "covered". Even goes for bicycle riding.

[codinn]

In Florida you would be breaking the law to have both ears "covered". Even goes for bicycle riding.

 

And our helmets don't cover our ears? Do folks get tickets in FL for having visible intercom systems installed in their helmets? I would guess that the microphone kind of gives it away.

[Lets_Play_Two]

It isn't just covering your ears, which is why ear plugs are legal. It is the addition of music or other sound. I don't know if they give tickets, I just know it is against the law. I see lots of bicycle riders with earphones in both ears. This would be more obvious that earphones under a motorcycle helmet.

 

Like noise laws, this may be one they use when something else gets the ticket meter running.

[Lets_Play_Two]

In Florida you would be breaking the law to have both ears "covered". Even goes for bicycle riding.

 

And our helmets don't cover our ears? Do folks get tickets in FL for having visible intercom systems installed in their helmets? I would guess that the microphone kind of gives it away.

 

As a general matter, do intercom systems have in ear speakers or just in the helmet? I would think unless they are in the ear it is no different than playing your radio in the car. Supposedly you can still hear what is going on around you. In the ear I guess the theory is you cannot hear traffic and other ambient noise.

[codinn]

...and other ambient noise.

Like the wind!

 

I guess I am thinking that we are actually getting to a point where technology could conceivably allow us to filter out wind noise and hear ambient sounds better. Not to mention an intercom or IPOD. The hearing protection would help as well. For all practical purposes you have to deafen yourself with earplugs to avoid hearing damage from constant wind noise.

 

I'm sure there is an engineer out there with better understanding of the technology than me. All I know is that my tinnitis is not getting any better.

[Jerry_75_Guy]

The whole "covered ear" thing has some serious loopholes in it.

Besides, what I'm suggesting wouldn't "eliminate" sounds anymore than

earplugs do; it would simply reduce the over all volume of the din.

 

Various autos are promoted as be so quiet inside so as to make it seem

as if one was somewhere out in the "quiet countryside".

 

I don't see why motorcyclists shouldn't be allowed the same attempt.

[codinn]

Jerry,

 

I like the idea of the gel. I may just wait until Bose makes a low profile set and then get to work with my exacto knife.

 

I think that legislators who make the "covered ear" laws have no clue about motorcyclists' issues with noise. Actually it contributes to fatigue. I am not going to beat my head against the wall trying to change the laws, just thought it was a neat idea whose time had come.

 

The military helmet was a bit unattractive anyway.

[Jerry_75_Guy]

 

"The military helmet was a bit unattractive anyway."

[Boffin]

...and other ambient noise.

Like the wind!

 

I guess I am thinking that we are actually getting to a point where technology could conceivably allow us to filter out wind noise and hear ambient sounds better. Not to mention an intercom or IPOD. The hearing protection would help as well. For all practical purposes you have to deafen yourself with earplugs to avoid hearing damage from constant wind noise.

 

I'm sure there is an engineer out there with better understanding of the technology than me. All I know is that my tinnitis is not getting any better.

 

It is possible to buy filtered ear plugs, either simple accousticaly tuned plugs, or fancy digital electronic devices similar to hearing aids. In the UK they are available from Green Leopard, check out their digital electronic plugs here

 

Cya, Andy

[jtw]

It looks like Green Leapord sells the same products in the UK that Ear Inc. sells here in the US. I inquired with Ear Inc. about their competition sports monitors and found they are $175 for a custom fit pair (fitting is done at a local hearing aid center and is included in the cost).

 

For the time being I am holding out to see if Schuberth will offer their bluetooth Bluesonic comm system web page here in the US . It looks pretty far ahead of anything else on the market. When I translated the German using Google's translation I found it is not only a complete wireless duplexed comm system but it also has a memory card slot on it to load a flash card with MP3s, so you don't need a seperate MP3 player to listen to music, you just plug a card in. Nice.

 

Enjoy,

 

John