Hey everyone. I would like to use my inagural post to ask what other earbud headphones have noise isolation.

I recently ran into a motorcycle rider that was using an Ipod + Ety EP4 and he seemed happy with his setup. Right now, I use regular foam earplugs rated at NRR 33 dB, SNR 34 dB. But the encounter left me thinking of how I could hook up my Archos Multimedia Jukebox and listen to mp3s while riding. I also have a GPS mounted on my Yamaha R6 (Garmin Streetpilot 3), so I might even hook up the voice direction to these headphones....

My searches for earbud headphones are yielding poor results. I have found a few, but none of them offer much outside sound isolation, which is a must when riding a motorcycle.

Basically, I like what I'm hearing about Ety ER6, but I don't want to buy before I find out what alternatives are available.

-Witold

DEATHWISH!

dude you cant use ety's driving - thats lunacy.

i use them on my mountain bike on cycle paths and have to be mega careful - on roads with trucks and cars **** that man!

esp on a R6 !

welcome to head-fi, try not to die. (non standard greeting around here)

i just started motorcycling recently and my er-6s fit fine under my helmet (hjc cl-14). but i wouldn't feel comfortable using them at any kind of speed. i've been known to ride my bicycle with them though but i'm a lot more comfortable with my bicycle skills than my motorcycle skills.

anyways, i think er-6s are the best of what you're looking for. they fit with an even smaller profile than er-4s and still offer great isolation and great sound. i guess if you're used to riding with earplugs you should be ok. we'd still hate to see you die on something we recommended though.

listening to music while driving makes me go faster, id be scared to think of what i would do on a bike with music.

so yeah theres the obligatory disclaimer, motorcycles and headphones arent the best idea, although you cant hear much on a bike at over 40mph anyway.

etys are a good choice , Shure also makes some earplug style headphones too. havent heard them but theres another option for ya.


just as a sugestion i know you can get cb/intercom- earspeakers and mic that fit in your helmet. my dad has these on the helmets for his Honda Goldwing. this might be a decent idea since they dont isolate at all. you could still hear some tunes and be semi safe.

please be careful

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I've been riding motorcycles on and off since 1965, and have just gotten back into riding in a big way (5 bikes). A friendly word of advice regarding isolating earphones: DON'T! Sound isolation is definitely NOT a must when riding a motorcycle.......just the opposite is true. You want to be able to see and HEAR everything around you. At least
it's true if you want to live. It's dangerous enough out there with all the crazy cagers.

As some of you know, you can live your whole life riding a bike without crashing, but if you ride regularly and don't wear earplugs on a motorcycle, you will eventually loose a good part of your hearing. 100% guaranteed. Ear plugs are a necessity for motorcyclists, even though many don't wear them, just like they don't wear other gear.

So essentially, what I would be doing is replacing my foam earplugs with Ety ER6s.

usc goose, I recommend you try ear plugs on your bike. All the people I know that tried them like them and now never ride without. It might sound counterintutive, but you actually hear better with earplugs. Without earplugs, wind noise drowns out everything. But when you wear them, you will hear your engine better, as well as other cars; your mind will be less distracted by useless sound and it's easier to concentrate and be smooth.

-Witold

Like Jinx suggested try looking into the Shure products. Similar idea, slightly different design, results in a lower profile that might fit better under a helmet.

I don't think any of the Etys or Shure's offer isolation equal to your earplugs currently though and the ER6 offer less than the ER4P your friend uses.

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I agree with your statements regarding the use of earplugs. I used them regularly while monitoring a junior high cafeteria filled with 400 screaming 13 year-olds. But I could still hear things even if they were muffled. With Ety's playing music, I would not have heard a damned thing.......just the music. That's the danger when riding a bike. Outside sounds aren't muffled.......they're obliterated completely. But, hey...........it's your ride.

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The difference with ear plugs and "earphones" is that ear plugs are silent so you can still hear sounds around you. Earphones have sound coming out that will definitely prevent you from hearing any other sound (sound from other vehicles and others).

But hey, it's your life.

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Yup, that's what will happen.

Okay, I gotta jump in here.
I wear ear plugs at work riding in a locomotive.
It is a must.
I have the Ety ER-6 and the Ety ER-4.
Now, about hearing things while plugs or Ety's are in, you will hear things better with earplugs in because they filter out the background noise. You won't hear subtle sounds and certain peoples voices are difficult to understand. Replacing the plugs with ER-6 makes little to no difference. Unless you crank up the tunes. Keep the music at moderate levels and I can hear all the same stuff as I heard before. This is because the ER-6 doesn't isolate as well as my E.A.R. brand foam plugs. The ER-4 is a different story. They seem to isolate more than my work earplugs. In order to hear the things I need to hear at work I have to turn down the music to barely audible levels.

I still would not recommend using Ety's while motorcycling. It's too easy to crank up the tunes and never hear anything. If I had a bike and was going to be riding on some long trip, I would probably use my ER-6 to get some tunes. Despite my recommendation. Out on the open road I would do it. In town and heavy traffic, NEVER.