Audio options : Kawasaki ZX Forums: Kawasaki Ninja Forum

Crazyninja · 11-18-2009, 11:13 PM

I have a pair of ultimate ears super fi 4 earphones. They cut 26 db noise isolation. They are not quiet enough for me on the freeway. My 33 db foam earplugs are perfect but i have no music or communications.

I put my earplugs in and put on a set of headphones to try an experiment. I can hear the headphones through the earplugs enough for it to work.

I don't think my helmets could comfortably accomodate helmet speakers and my ears still have room-i don't know for sure. I have a boosteroo amplifier for headphones that would drive the helmet speakers.

Zox thunder R helmet got my attention. Anybody used one?

What combination have you all tried?

I wear earplugs to protect my hearing. I don't want tinnitis from hearing damage. I want to effectively mute wind noise and still hear my audio, radar detector and iphone. I know its not going to be hifi quality but

JBearSVT · 11-19-2009, 03:59 AM

I haven't tried that helmet, but I will say that your helmet has a lot to do with how well your headphones work, which helmet makes as big a difference as which headphones. I have headphones that I have to crank to the moon just to hear them in my Joe Rocket helmet, but they work fine in my Arai. If you're used to wearing ear plugs you may not be able to tell, any helmet may sound loud to you, but the quieter helmet you have the more efficient your headphones will be.

On another note, noise isolating headphones by design aren't going to protect your hearing, as they don't really keep anything out, they add white noise to trick your ear into thinking it isn't hearing it. This is fine for low volume annoyances, but not for ear damaging noise like machinery (or in our case, wind).
I use obnoxious, painfully loud machines at work, and have found noise isolating headphones to be useless with them. They seem marginally quieter, but I still end up with a pounding headache in no time. Meanwhile, I have some $20 JVC Marshmallow ear buds that work as well as my Peltor shooting muffs. They have very little case venting and similar in-ear material to foam safety ear plugs. Even still, they work better with some helmets than others.

dhowton · 11-19-2009, 09:37 AM

for JBear. What helmet you are using makes a huge difference in how well you can hear everything. My suggestion would be to either figure out something with helmet speakers I have no experience with Zox but everything I have heard and read says if you are looking for quiet you can't go wrong with shoei or arai. Hence the reason for my next big purchase on the bike is a new shoei rf1100

Crazyninja · 11-19-2009, 11:43 AM

I have also read shoei is the quietest. I even read complaints from riders saying the shoei was too quiet.....Good! I want to be able to hear audio at a safe and co fortable level at freeway speeds. I don't want to be cranking up the audio over the already too loud wind and pipe noise of my bike.

Its hard to get accurate reviews of helmets from the internet since people's opinions vary so much.

JBearSVT · 11-19-2009, 12:54 PM

I love my Arai and it's quieter than my JR or my Scorpion, but I think my wife's Shoei RF1000 is quieter.

rrzxter · 11-19-2009, 12:56 PM

Is that because she doesn't answer you when she's wearing it? (I'll bet she can hear you)

JBearSVT · 11-19-2009, 01:07 PM

dhowton · 11-19-2009, 05:48 PM

Ohhhhhh! JBear I think you got told.

JBearSVT · 11-19-2009, 06:17 PM

You don't know her, I can't really expect you to know better.

rrzxter · 11-19-2009, 06:29 PM

NA NA NA NA NA NA, sorry, can't hear you, got my helmet on! NA NA NA NA NA NA...............

-Op- · 11-19-2009, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrzxter

NA NA NA NA NA NA, sorry, can't hear you, got my helmet on! NA NA NA NA NA NA...............

I feel as though this post was the most constructive post in this thread

chhzx600p7f · 11-19-2009, 10:07 PM

Don't mean to be a buzz-kill, but its hard enough to hear the direction of sirens & etc. though my Chinese Exo-700 when I'm at a red light; and I'm confident it is hard enough no matter the make or quality of protection. 99% of my ride is through city traffic, though. But I want to hear it all. Speaking for myself, the last thing I need on a speed machine is pumped up music, especially when I'm trying to be safe behind cell-phone using, text messaging idiots in two or three ton death machines weaving around at 30% above/below the limit & driving like drunk. Shit ought to be illegal. That's all I'm saying....

Crazyninja · 11-20-2009, 03:13 AM

i wear earplugs to protect my hearing...i guess if i get ran over because i can't hear i will have good ears on my way to meet my maker. I have had tinnitis that was temporary and cannot imagine living with that maddening ringing in my ears forever. I will take my chances with plugs. wind noise db's get pretty high at freeway speeds. I can't hear nothing but my pipe and wind on the highway anyhow...without earplugs.

i do like music...not blarring blasting music-I am not 16 anymore. I do want some audible tunes over the other noise. makes it nice on long rides to hear my sirius radio that i pay an additional radio subscription fee-not to mention their gay ass royalty charges they added on.

My goals here are not to worry about sirens etc...I want to protect my hearing while being able to hear some music and take a phone call if i have to while riding using some type of helmet speakers.

JBearSVT · 11-20-2009, 03:56 AM

While I agree for the most part with the buzzkill about listening to music while riding, the simple fact is that you can here better with earplugs than without them when the wind is blasting past you at whatever speed your going. This isn't just my opinion or even something I've quantified by my own experience (although I have) it's what is taught in the MSF course. Furthermore, any time there is enough noise in your ears that someone would have to raise their voice higher than normal speaking level to be heard clearly, damage is being done. The wind noise on the highway definitely qualifies as at least that loud in my wife's EXO1000, which I know for a fact is quieter than your 700. The desire to protect one's hearing while riding is valid. Whether or not adding music to the mix is a smart way to do it is another matter entirely, but with the right headphones at a reasonable level you would still hear more going on around you than somebody squidding through highway traffic without a helmet on.