[Nuwidol]

Hi,

Haven't been around here in a while & am 'out of the loop' when it comes to what's good ATM.

Here is the deal: Currently listen to a LOT of portable audio. Usually from iPod Touch-SR71A-UE-11 combo. I'm happy with this set up & I am not looking to change it. The thing is though, I just got myself a bike so I can bike to work. Its pretty far (14 miles) & its going to take me a while... I don't think I would feel too safe blasting out my normal portable rig while stumbling about on busy roads in rush hour traffic so I'm looking for something more open that will let in more environmental sound & keep me slightly more aware of what's going on around me.

I'm thinking I don't want to spend over £100-£150 as they're going to get abused & sweat will undoubtedly cover them before very long.

What would you guys recommend that would be rugged enough to withstand punishment & let in more sound than the UE-11?

Thanks for your help.

 

[ljokerl]

Why not get an earbud or a clip-on rather than an IEM? If you're biking in traffic that may be the safer option. If you'll be using your amp, it opens you up to the high-end Yuin earbuds and clip-ons.

 

[Nuwidol]

Nice idea.

Thanks.

I'm not a fan of the buds really as they tend to be highly uncomfortable for me. Clip ons sound like a great idea though. Any suggestions for these would really help me too.

I forgot to mention how I would like the sound sig. A warm, smooth listen would be preferable please.

 

[ljokerl]

I would check out kostalex's clip-on thread if I were you. Of the ones he's tried I've only had the KSC75/35, Sony MDR-Q68, and Yuin G2A and I agree with him on most counts. The G2A is by far my favorite clip-on and generally one of my favorite sub-$50 phones. Not very warm but incredibly smooth, balanced, and detailed. But with an amp you should be open to the G1A, which may be what you're looking for

.

 

[ZARIM]

Some Dynamic IEMs stay in outer ear and they don't require tight seal like IE7, JVC FX500(UK FX1000), Sony EX700LP and Denon C710.

 

[aconteceu]

I use Meelectronics M6 with Shure orange tips for E2C and I hear enough outside noises, more than I need. Yet I hear the music really well too and don't have to turn the volume up too much. M6 causes almost no wind noise, because it does not stick out.

 

[ForgottenxxRebel]

i'd say in ears would be good if you were not riding on the road in busy rush hour traffic. dude, you really want to hear what's going on around you!! now off road, in ears are the bomb for bmx, mtn, dirt, especially with wind noise and full face helmets.

but on the road, ksc 75 is the best. they're really affordable and have a lifetime warranty if you ruin them/they wear out.

 

[Wrist-Fi]

I'll use my KSC 35/75s while biking on the road sometimes, using only using one ear though. This has pretty much limited my listening to non-musical stuff like audio-books, but since I have a pretty large list of stuff I'd like to listen to, it has actually worked out OK because I get to catch up on my 'reading.'

I'm not even sure what the laws are around here, but I do know listening to earphones while biking is illegal in some states. I tried the KSCs with both ears very briefly and at the speed I like to bike combined with the inattention these days of drivers surfing on their iphone and what not, I just don't like having my hearing compromised much while pedaling around, so I've just stuck to one ear listening.

I don't do a heckava lot of biking though. If I was put into the position of having to do the biking that you are thinking of doing, I'd:

1) check the laws first to see what's actually legal (if not & some iphone surfing jerk hit me and I got hurt, I might actually be the one to get sued and lose)

If legal:

2) Try earbuds (as suggested here) & even though I hated them for their fit, that was long time ago and I might do better in fit and overall satisfaction if I tried them again today.

3) Try going back to using L+R earpieces on my KSCs at a lower volume.

4) Try the low isolation PL21s/30s or if wanted an better sound upgrade, the OK1 hybrids.

If not legal:

5) try to wire something like low isolation PL30s or similar for maximum concealment, jerry-rigging to J-style, ect. I'd also find a really high quality flesh colored paint that I could ideally use on both the earpieces and probably some of the wire as well. To continue on the concealment theme, I might even make the effort to stash the my Clip+ up under the helmet somewhere if it I saw it was possible and user friendly enough to use up there.


Whatever earphone choice I'd make, I'd also want to change my riding habits to an even more defensive style of riding. I like to go fairly fast on my road bike, sometimes really fast. At the moment my style of riding just feels too dangerous for me to be riding around comfortably with 2 earphoned ears at any volume, whether it is actually legal or not. There's a decent chance that even if I jumped through all of these hoops I still might not learn to be comfortable listening to anything but audio-books and podcasts with the one ear only, but that is just me.

EDIT: I need to remember to pay attention to what country members are from around here...that's the 2nd time in a week I've written a USA-centric reply like this. Laws may or may not be a limiting issue for you in the UK like they might be in states. Even if your laws say there is nothing wrong with riding around with even a full sized set of closed headphones, I think achieving good levels of safety and comfort when you choose to ride around with less than 100% of just about the most important threat avoidance mechanism you have -- your hearing -- alongside an increasingly distracted driving society....it's something that should remain a high priority in any country.

 

[ForgottenxxRebel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrist-Fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif If not legal: 5) try to wire something like low isolation PL30s or similar for maximum concealment, jerry-rigging to J-style, ect. I'd also find a really high quality flesh colored paint that I could ideally use on both the earpieces and probably some of the wire as well. To continue on the concealment theme, I might even make the effort to stash the my Clip+ up under the helmet somewhere if it I saw it was possible and user friendly enough to use up there.

instead of the danger of wearing something isolating, try one of those speaker setups for under motorcycle helmets. it's open and not isolating plus if you're stopped you can just turn off the music and say you use it for off road riding and its attached to your bike helmet.

 

[Wrist-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForgottenxxRebel /img/forum/go_quote.gif instead of the danger of wearing something isolating, try one of those speaker setups for under motorcycle helmets. it's open and not isolating plus if you're stopped you can just turn off the music and say you use it for off road riding and its attached to your bike helmet.

I've heard of those but I also just replied in a running thread about considering getting some PL30s or similar. Since I happen to do a lot more running myself, I'd go the PL21/30 route first because they might end up doing double duty if I could get them to work. But I definitely wouldn't cross off in-helmet speaker setups, even though I would hope to get something else to work before I'd invest in them. I might play with rigging my KSC drivers sans earclip to the helmet as well if it came to that, now that I think of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrist-Fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't do a heckava lot of biking though. If I was put into the position of having to do the biking that you are thinking of doing, I'd:

Luckily for my wallet I'm not facing a lot of biking like the OP so I don't have to worry about any of this now beyond being a "what if" thought exercise.

 

[Nuwidol]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljokerl /img/forum/go_quote.gif The G1A may be what you're looking for .

These sound ideal. I'm going to do a bit of reading on them. Thanks for the suggestion.

Keep the ideas coming if there are any more though!