decent audio in helmet?

[matthew5656]

Funny, I was taught in my lessons that you should not be listening with any sort of earphone. I would be afraid of not hearing a siren or a horn.

In many states, IN EAR speakers (ie earbuds, etc) are illegal, but dashboard or helmet speakers are okay.

I can still hear sirens, etc

P

how's the quality of this setup, in your honest opinion? does it sound like a surround audio system outputted fully throughout the inside of your helmet? i ask because i owned a pair of helmet speakers that would attach to the inside of the ear lobe cushioning of the helmet, except they weren't very loud and the wiring eventually cut out of the left speaker. i don't want a sound system too loud that could rapidly damage my hearing, but loud enough that i don't have to crank max volume to block out the wind noise at 40 mph. and at 65mph, just forget about it. the only soundtrack available above 60mph is the wind blast.

[dgauthier703]

Lion Lady or storysunfolding,

Do you know offhand what the rules for VA are? I know that earplugs are allowed in VA but not MD...I guess I'm lucky that my commute stays in one state

But I was considering getting in-helmet speakers at some point, say after I get more experience, because I think for my experience level (1 year) it'd be too distracting.

How do they hook up? Is it a just transmitter with a RCA jack (1/8") that just gets mounted somewhere on the bike, similar to alot of the iPod type transmitters for cars?

[storysunfolding]

in va headphones and helmet speakers are illegal unless they are part of a motorcycle communication system. I'm just up the road from you and can tell you that the cops on 95 don't seem to care if you're on a cruiser. A sportbike? Forget about it. They pull you for 2 mph over then ream you on anything they can.

My system is like a cheaper version of the autocom. It's not as customizable... but who besides a BMW rider needs that?

Just plug in your ipod and your helmet to the unit and you're set. I used to keep mine under the seat, but moved it to a tank bag so I can switch it between bikes.

[dgauthier703]

ok...I took a look at the MIT 100.....I think purchasing one may be in my future....

I'm kinda surprised about the cops on 95 remark, because I've never been pulled over....usually because some a-hole is doing 95 mph with one person in the car in the HOV lanes...maybe since the Versys isn't a sport bike but it looks more like a sport than a cruiser....I guess it just depends on what kind of day the cop has had...

Hey if you're still interested in going for a ride sometime, maybe you can just show me how the system works...I actually work in Falls Church (50 & gallows) but I think the more interesting rides are in PWC than in FFX

[RC DAVE]

chatterbox works great

[Lion_Lady]

Funny, I was taught in my lessons that you should not be listening with any sort of earphone. I would be afraid of not hearing a siren or a horn.

In many states, IN EAR speakers (ie earbuds, etc) are illegal, but dashboard or helmet speakers are okay.

I can still hear sirens, etc

P

how's the quality of this setup, in your honest opinion? does it sound like a surround audio system outputted fully throughout the inside of your helmet? i ask because i owned a pair of helmet speakers that would attach to the inside of the ear lobe cushioning of the helmet, except they weren't very loud and the wiring eventually cut out of the left speaker. i don't want a sound system too loud that could rapidly damage my hearing, but loud enough that i don't have to crank max volume to block out the wind noise at 40 mph. and at 65mph, just forget about it. the only soundtrack available above 60mph is the wind blast.

The Autocom system has two BASE volume settings "with ear plugs" and "without." You can fine tune the base volume, then use the volume control on your output device (GPS, XM, etc) to fine tune volume, further.

The sound quality is very good, and the Autocom unit automatically adjusts ambient volume to accommodate greater road speed. BUT, to get anything close to "surround sound" quality, you'd first need a completely sound proof helmet. Let me know if you find one.

P

[storysunfolding]

Yeah, there's not much in beating Autocomm for quality other than Baehr...

[tropicalhotdog]

The sound quality is very good, and the Autocom unit automatically adjusts ambient volume to accommodate greater road speed. BUT, to get anything close to "surround sound" quality, you'd first need a completely sound proof helmet. Let me know if you find one.

P

These might work:

or

[storysunfolding]

Looks like autocom is having a sale

[demon_racer23]

Yeah the chatterboxes are pretty awesome. This is the one that I have

http://www.helmetexpress.com/prod.cfm/c ... /pid/19722

It works great with my cell phone and iPod and was easy to install. The lithium battery is nice but I just have to remember to charge it after I ride. Still better than having to buy batteries every time. Anytime I get a phone call it responds well and comes in clear.