Headphone amplifiers....?

[vanorak]

Hi....I've never been that impressed with the various helmet speakers I've tried; sound quality is adequate at best. I normally wear auritech (filtered) earplugs to reduce wind noise, so I guess any speakers are going to have to work hard to sound half decent. Using in-ear phones (Sennheisers) with comply tips provides a much better sound quality and wind noise reduction but the trade off is having wires and making sure the buds are properly inserted....taking the helmet on and off can dislodge them from time to time and they can get a tad uncomfortable on longer rides. I was a pro musician in a past life and did a lot of studio work, so I'm not expecting great SQ from bluetooth audio and miniscule drivers, riding a motorcycle in a noisy environment, but I'm sure the quality can be improved without too much outlay. there are plenty of portable DAC headphone amplifiers on the market, so was wondering whether anyone uses one (eg in-line) between the intercom and earphones/speakers via a 3.5mm jack)? I know some intercoms are equipped with audio output jack, so the supplied speakers can be changed, so if anyone has any recommendations/combinations that work, I'd be glad to hear them...currently using a basic nolan BX1, which does surprisingly well for the price...liking the look of the Interphone Sport (big buttons for numpties)

Thanks in advance

any BT intercom designers reading? Please, please please incorporate an EQ processor to your devices, or just a simple tome control

[carolinarider09]

I use earphones from Ear Inc with my Autocom system. iPluz to be exact.

https://earinc.com/product-category/mus ... gz-series/

They have never come out when I have removed my helmet (I use a Shark Evoline).

I have also used an inline amplifier from Electric Avenues on my 2003 Valkyrie since about 2005 or so. It has a remote volume control and accepts multiple inputs. It works well. Not as good as the Autocom system but still good.

http://electric-avenues.com/amplirider/

I also purchased their Pocket Amp 2 for my wife to use so she could control the volume to hear earphones independlty of the main control. We have not used it often but the audio is good.

http://electric-avenues.com

[vanorak]

Sounds like you've got the sounds thing covered! I'm looking at a small portable dac to plug in line between the intercom and the headphones. Can pick one up for about £30...I'm not expecting hi fi but a wee boost never goes amiss...

[Hati]

Need to keep in mind that audio conditions in one's helmet will depend on a good number of factors, some of which are rider's height, the type of bike (naked, sports, tourer, cruiser) size of windscreen if any, wind direction (head on, side...), helmet design, etc, so really one size does not fit all. I have three bikes at the moment and they are all different, although I tried to achieve the same level of noise in my helmet on each of these bikes.

In that light, what works best for us (wife and I) are Pinlock tuned ear plugs (yes, the anti-fog visor people make outstanding earplugs at a very reasonable price) that keep the wind noise down but allow engine noise, conversation, ambient noises (such as ambulance siren, brake noises etc) though with Cardo Freecom 4+ intercoms that come with 40 mm JBL speakers. The highest quality source would be FM radio (we don't listen to music while riding) that I tested and it comes through better than expected using these Pinlock plugs. Not audiophile quality, but probably the best I have heard after using a couple of Sena products in the past 5 years.

The plugs sell for AU$30 for a box with two sizes and the filter elements included, so it's not a huge amount of cash to throw away if they don't work for you. We have been through 4 or 5 other tuned earplugs before these, so you really have to try them for yourself and see if they work for you on your bike in your helmet.

Regarding amplifiers, the extra hassle of needing to plug that in line with the speakers, possibly power them on the go too, just add too much inconvenience, at least for me, so a reasonable quality intercom with loud enough output would be my priority.

Good luck with your search vanorak.