Helmet Speakers & Earplugs

[pbbeck]

Up until now, I have always used molded earphones from Big Ear. They work like a charm piping audio from my Garmin into my head, but the wire can get annoying so I'm starting to warm to the idea of bluetooth audio. I'm wondering if people have any success using helmet speakers in conjunction with earplugs. Would helmet speakers be loud enough to transmit clearly through earplugs? In particular, I'm tempted by the Scala Rider G4 unit.

 

 

[FLrider]

I have the Scala Q2 unit and I use it to pipe in phone calls, intercom with my passenger and the alarm from my V1. The phone calls and intercom are obviously blue tooth. The V1 radar is hard wired into the mp3 port of the Scala.

 

I can hear OK, but not great.

 

Maybe the G4 has a better amplifier but I don't think it's waterproof.

[Caddis]

I use foam ear plugs and I have a Scala Rider Q2 for bike to bike communication with Mrs. Caddis. With the volume all of the way up, I can hear reasonably well with the plugs in. I don't use any other audio sources, but I assume they would be about the same volume.

 

The exact placement of the speakers makes a difference. They need to be very close to your ears, and it the "right" position to get the most volume. It may take a little experimenting to find the best location, but it works just fine for me.

 

Mrs. Caddis has custom molded ear plugs, and the Scala Rider system works fine for her, too.

[Bradley_Gillie]

I have the Scala Rider Q2. I cut the speakers off, and put on an 1/8" female plug from Radio Shack. Works great with my earphones.

[Quinn]

I have the Scala Rider Q2. I cut the speakers off, and put on an 1/8" female plug from Radio Shack. Works great with my earphones.

 

+1

 

I will also add that the sound of the MP3 is not as good as plugging into the Zumo cradle directly or into an MP3 player directly. Not only is it no long in stereo, but it overdrives the earbuds.

 

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[DougBob]

Have the Scala Rider Teamset. Works fine with foam plugs.

Thought it was broken with custom molded, untill I stopped and turned off the bike. Not usable for me at all, with custom molded plugs.