adouglas
August 7th, 2012, 06:21 PM
No affiliation… just reporting on a product I'm happy with.
I like to listen to NPR during my commute, so I've got the all-too-common earbud challenge.
Here's the basic issue: Almost all earbuds have a plastic bit that sits outside your ear canal, in the fleshy part of your ear. For many if not most of us, this creates two problems.
First, the darned things tend to get dislodged as you put your helmet on.
Second, assuming you get the lid on with them in place, the padding in the helmet can press on them and make them uncomfortable.
I used some MEE buds that hook over the ear for quite a while. This solved the getting-the-helmet-on issue but they were still uncomfortable.
I also tried getting one of those mold-it-yourself rubbery earplug kits and embedding the buds in the plugs. That didn't work well at all.
I've finally found what is, for me, The Answer:
http://www.plugup.com/the_S_plug_stereo_earbuds_s/67.htm
These are very much like a lot of earbuds, in that they have a sort of mushroom- or "christmas tree"-shaped silicone tip that goes inside your ear canal. Where they differ is that there's nothing outside your ear canal but the wire.
They're expensive at over $135 and frankly, they don't look like they're worth it from the pics. However, there's a money-back satisfaction guarantee so I figured I'd give 'em a shot.
Amazing. Totally comfy if you don't overdo it sticking them in, ZERO pressure from the helmet, excellent noise isolation and decent sound. They also have a more expensive two-driver version if you really care about sound quality. They even have a short cord, so you don't have five feet of wire to deal with.
I'm very satisfied.
I like to listen to NPR during my commute, so I've got the all-too-common earbud challenge.
Here's the basic issue: Almost all earbuds have a plastic bit that sits outside your ear canal, in the fleshy part of your ear. For many if not most of us, this creates two problems.
First, the darned things tend to get dislodged as you put your helmet on.
Second, assuming you get the lid on with them in place, the padding in the helmet can press on them and make them uncomfortable.
I used some MEE buds that hook over the ear for quite a while. This solved the getting-the-helmet-on issue but they were still uncomfortable.
I also tried getting one of those mold-it-yourself rubbery earplug kits and embedding the buds in the plugs. That didn't work well at all.
I've finally found what is, for me, The Answer:
http://www.plugup.com/the_S_plug_stereo_earbuds_s/67.htm
These are very much like a lot of earbuds, in that they have a sort of mushroom- or "christmas tree"-shaped silicone tip that goes inside your ear canal. Where they differ is that there's nothing outside your ear canal but the wire.
They're expensive at over $135 and frankly, they don't look like they're worth it from the pics. However, there's a money-back satisfaction guarantee so I figured I'd give 'em a shot.
Amazing. Totally comfy if you don't overdo it sticking them in, ZERO pressure from the helmet, excellent noise isolation and decent sound. They also have a more expensive two-driver version if you really care about sound quality. They even have a short cord, so you don't have five feet of wire to deal with.
I'm very satisfied.