I will be the voice of dissent... and foolishness.
I listen to music 70-80% of the time on the street though helmet mounted speakers. I also ride with earplugs in 99% of the time, which is illegal in some areas. It makes the mundane commute a lot more enjoyable. I do not ride with music when going into the canyons.
I find that the music does drown out random conversation. However, if I'm at a stoplight and someone needs to talk to me (never anything important so far), I can turn off my music.
However, I can still hear sirens as they are at a different frequency/pitch. I generally try to stay alert and continually scan my surroundings, so I have yet to find myself in a bad situation due to the music. Been riding with music since I bought an intercom system in 2008.
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