Riding with in-ear audio
I know this is somewhat of a controversial topic, but I am on a mission to find the best option for helmet friendly ear buds. I already use a pair of Sony Linkbuds, which work well for the most part, but they press into my ear on long rides. Also, albeit a rare occurrence, they can fall into the ear hole of the helmet. It’s inconvenient, but not the end of the world.
For about a year now, I have been looking into the Shokz bone conducting headphones, and finally dropped the $195 after tax to try them out. I also work in a pretty loud environment, so buds or PPE are always in my ears. With my PPE plugs in, and the volume turned all the way up, I could barely hear the Shokz. They worked pretty okay on the bike, but they didn’t feel comfortable unless the helmet was sitting a certain way. I ended up chalking it up as a loss for Shokz, and returned them.
Looking for a cheaper alternative, I found Plugfones. They are essentially PPE plugs with a corded/bluetooth headphone system stitched inside. I almost ordered them from online, but ended up spending an extra $10-$15 ($90 total) to just pick them up at my local Menards. Menards should have been a giant red flag as an audiophile, but I was willing to try them out. They ended up being the most tinny sounding pieces of shit I have ever put in my ears. I immediately packed them up, and am returning them to Fucktards.
I know the take on just wearing earplugs, and NOT using audio plugs. I get the argument. I know it isn’t 100% safe, but it’s how I enjoy riding. It’s never caused me to be in an accident. I would actually say that it forces me to be MORE aware of my surroundings. If deaf people can ride, I can jam to some Violent Femmes and the like at a reasonable volume while I make the 3 hour ride to visit my mom. I am also not interested in the Cardo speaker setups. I’ve read nothing but bad things about the audio quality in those things. Not looking to argue, just looking for input.
TLDR Shokz are too quiet, Plugfones are absolute garbage, and the Sony Linkbuds are too bulky. Just looking for good quality audio with a helmet/ear friendly design. Also not looking for any in-helmet solutions either. Anyone have any recommendations? Thanks for your time in reading this behemoth of a bitch post. Happy riding