I stopped using ear plugs and started using the E3's as ear plugs in the machine shop, it doesn't isolate as well but I can still hear people shouting at me plus it blocks out enough high freq noise when cutting metal plus I get music when I work, this is great!

I've been considering using E3's for motorcycycling, too. Right now I'm using "foamies," which offer about a 34dB noise reduction (it's the wind noise that's deafening, not the sound of the motorcycle, itself). I figure the E2's would offer about 20dB of NR, which would allow me to better hear horns, sirens, screaming pedestrians , etc.

I'm not too sure if listening to music while riding is safe, however.

Are you insane!??! I would NEVER listen to headphones on a motorcycle... IMHO, it's suicide...


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In a lot of places it's not legal to drive with headphones either.

Scott

Pretty F'ed up if you ask me. No, you should not wear earplugs while riding a bike, a motorcycle or driving a car. It is for the sake of other people's safety if you don't care about yourself!

I bike in heavy city traffic with headphones (cheap sony ear buds) on and it doesn't feel any more unsafe to me than without. I've been hit by cars more often without headphones on than if.

When I'm biking on the trail, sometimes the wind gets unbelievably loud and annoying. I wear ear muffs, basically it smooths the flow of air around my ears so there's less turbulance. Wearing canal phones actually makes the wind worse unless they're being covered by something.

My friend rides motorcycles and he says by the time he hears anything, it's too late anyway. He usually wears non-canal earbuds and puts on the radio at a low volume.

It's like driving with the radio on, you can't hear what's going on around you with crystal clarity either.

a side question, which brand of earfoams/earplugs that sell in store do you think is best for noise isolation?

Just to clarify, I work in an environment with relatively few people at the machines so it's much easier to use my E3's with music as no one's usually working around me.

In NYC, you are legally allowed to wear 1 earbud, from a music source or from a headset when you're on a bike.

I am in no way advocating using headphones while operating any vehicle however, if you head on over to bikeforums and check the safety thread, you'd find the majority of fatalities happen on the road because a lot of drivers just plain don't pay attention to where they're going. You'd find quite a few postings about drivers getting away with murder using the "sun was in my eye, didn't see biker" excuse.

While relatively few people drive with headphones, a whole hell of a lot more drive with their radios on and every car sold comes equiped with speakers that play loud enough to drown out a freight train. I think that's a lot more of a serious problem than driving with headphones.

Safety first, then hi-fi.

i use hearos

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Whatever Daveman uses I think is as high as it goes. My LSS safety catalog has about 50 different kinds of hearing protection and the highest I've seen is 33db. The one Daveman mentions is 34db.

Peltor makes foamies for 2-way radio headsets and their foam earplugs look like they'll fit the shure's and they're rated at 29dB for $42/100 whereas Shure makes you fork over $234/100 pairs.

If you want to view a shuttle launch from 500ft, the safety catalog recommends using sound blocking earmuffs along with ear plugs to get 33+33=36db of attenuation.

I don't see how its any more dangerous to have canal-phones on while operating various and sundry vehicles than to have a stereo blasting... You don't need to hear to drive.

-jesse

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I also don't want to hear that I can't wear headphones while driving, but I could talk on the phone wearing a headset I could talk a 747 to the ground with either; talk about hypocracy.

I think hearing is important when driving, but either permit or omit both, not one and not the other.

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Even with a full-faced helmet, unfortunately, wind noise/pressure is enough to cause permanent hearing loss over time. If you frequently ride a motorcycle, it is essential that you wear hearing protection.

As for the risks of listenening to music while riding, I think it's indisputable that talking on a cell phone is much riskier. I have a deaf acquaintance who is licensed to drive, so the Virginia DMV doesn't think hearing impairment = driving impairment. I take the stance that ANY impairment of the senses or any distractions could lead to accidents and/or inattentiveness.

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You forgot to mention that you should not listen to the radio at moderate or high volume levels while driving, either.

As for me, I'm an evil driver that wears headphones while driving on the highway since he can not find a car stereo that can match the overlal quality presentatino of a good headphone set.

-Chris

I guess that you can argue anything these days. Even idiots have arguments...and two wrongs do not make one right.

Driving and talking on a cell phone is a different discussion. And the main concern about talking on the celly while driving is loss of attention.

Driving with canalphones on is stupid. Ambulances and emergency, and law enforcement vehicles have sirens to tell you from afar that they are coming. Yeah, but you say that the flashing lights will tell you. I doubt that you concentration level is all that high if you can't hear the outside world and are listening to music. When I drive, I listen to music from my car stereo at very reasonable volume level and I am keen at listening outside noises. Your ears are your second pair of eyes on the road.

Let me know next time you go driving with your etys, so that I can call the cops and report you.

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