Helmet Speakers for Bell Star
- Thread starter Blind_Io
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Re: Helmet Speakers.
I'm wondering if an iPod has enough oomph to drive a pair of speakers. It's lacking when it comes to some headphones. Some kind of small portable headphone amp might be needed.
Years ago I got a pair of actual helmet speakers from some Canadian outfit. They were very emphatic about the fact that these were small speakers and not big earphones. They played fairly loud (from a car radio in a Vetter housing) compared to a pair of headphones that I disassembled and put in a helmet. They had a US distributor and were around $20. I don't remember the company name. I wouldn't mind finding something like those again.
I'm wondering if an iPod has enough oomph to drive a pair of speakers. It's lacking when it comes to some headphones. Some kind of small portable headphone amp might be needed.
Years ago I got a pair of actual helmet speakers from some Canadian outfit. They were very emphatic about the fact that these were small speakers and not big earphones. They played fairly loud (from a car radio in a Vetter housing) compared to a pair of headphones that I disassembled and put in a helmet. They had a US distributor and were around $20. I don't remember the company name. I wouldn't mind finding something like those again.
Norm
Vendor
Re: Helmet Speakers.
I've found the same problem with helmet speakers, especially as I usually wear ear plugs. Noise cancelling ear buds can be good but sometimes one needs a change or the ears get sore. I've made some linear amplifiers from a 12 volt or lower powered computer speaker set. Find a set which has a plug for headphones and pull out the amplifier. The headphone jack will have a pair of resistors on the circuit board so one needs to bridge the resistors with some wire or replace them with wire or the volume will be too low. Mount the amp into a tupperware box, plug leads of the correct length into the amp and out through a hole, then silicone and close it up. The volume needs to be set at the highest setting as the phone, pod, or other audio device's volume control will be the one used.
One can pull the guts out of most inexpensive head phones to do the job. I used a Motocomm communication for years as it used GRS radios and combined them with input for music from another headphone jack. Very old tech but worked well.
HIH
I've found the same problem with helmet speakers, especially as I usually wear ear plugs. Noise cancelling ear buds can be good but sometimes one needs a change or the ears get sore. I've made some linear amplifiers from a 12 volt or lower powered computer speaker set. Find a set which has a plug for headphones and pull out the amplifier. The headphone jack will have a pair of resistors on the circuit board so one needs to bridge the resistors with some wire or replace them with wire or the volume will be too low. Mount the amp into a tupperware box, plug leads of the correct length into the amp and out through a hole, then silicone and close it up. The volume needs to be set at the highest setting as the phone, pod, or other audio device's volume control will be the one used.
One can pull the guts out of most inexpensive head phones to do the job. I used a Motocomm communication for years as it used GRS radios and combined them with input for music from another headphone jack. Very old tech but worked well.
HIH
Re: Helmet Speakers.
Best solution that does it all- hearing protection and great audio - go to www.protectear.com and look at their products. The plugs, because they are moulded to fit your ear exactly, are extremely comfortable and can be worn for hours.
These are custom made ear plugs that incorporate tiny transducers in line with the ear plugs, connected to a 3.5mm stereo jack that fits iPods, GPS, laptop, or what have you that outputs audio. Worn solely as ear plugs, you get great ambient noise suppression, but not sirens, horns or other things you WANT to hear. You can also listen to the music too, although that will diminish your ability to hear those other extraneous sounds, hence, I never use them for music on the bike, but I do use them for my GPS on the bike.
They are great on long flights too, for deadening the aircraft sound, or watching the movie, or listening to music. Great when you are bunking with a snoring buddy on a road trip too. I've slept with them in all night and never heard a thing.
Be prepared to spend a couple hundred dollars, for the model that comes with the transducers, but they have been worth every penny in my book. Here's a quote from the web site about the "Biker Buddy" product.
"Hearing protection that allows the wearer to hear incoming audio in both ears. It has a 3.5mm stereo jack with separate right and left channels suitable for use with radios equipped with stereo and some monaural jacks. As well, the headset can be used with digital music players (iPod compatible). Designed to be worn with Convertible Y vented earpieces, DualCom can be worn under helmets of all types."
This picture does not show the transducers attached.
Best solution that does it all- hearing protection and great audio - go to www.protectear.com and look at their products. The plugs, because they are moulded to fit your ear exactly, are extremely comfortable and can be worn for hours.
These are custom made ear plugs that incorporate tiny transducers in line with the ear plugs, connected to a 3.5mm stereo jack that fits iPods, GPS, laptop, or what have you that outputs audio. Worn solely as ear plugs, you get great ambient noise suppression, but not sirens, horns or other things you WANT to hear. You can also listen to the music too, although that will diminish your ability to hear those other extraneous sounds, hence, I never use them for music on the bike, but I do use them for my GPS on the bike.
They are great on long flights too, for deadening the aircraft sound, or watching the movie, or listening to music. Great when you are bunking with a snoring buddy on a road trip too. I've slept with them in all night and never heard a thing.
Be prepared to spend a couple hundred dollars, for the model that comes with the transducers, but they have been worth every penny in my book. Here's a quote from the web site about the "Biker Buddy" product.
"Hearing protection that allows the wearer to hear incoming audio in both ears. It has a 3.5mm stereo jack with separate right and left channels suitable for use with radios equipped with stereo and some monaural jacks. As well, the headset can be used with digital music players (iPod compatible). Designed to be worn with Convertible Y vented earpieces, DualCom can be worn under helmets of all types."
This picture does not show the transducers attached.
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Re: Helmet Speakers.
I just brought a set from a Honda dealer. brand name is Trumper I paid $30. you can buy them from Amazon.
I only used them once. They sound good (not great) they were just loud enough. For $30 I would buy them again
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...rds=helmet+speakers&sprefix=Helmet+sp,aps,274
I just brought a set from a Honda dealer. brand name is Trumper I paid $30. you can buy them from Amazon.
I only used them once. They sound good (not great) they were just loud enough. For $30 I would buy them again
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...rds=helmet+speakers&sprefix=Helmet+sp,aps,274
You should be able to hard wire the ipod to an SMH10. It's not super loud with ear plugs i but it's loud enough. Another option would be copy the songs to your phone and connect to a bluetooth headset.
There are amps out there you can use - amplirider I think - that will be okay if you used other headsets. J&M headsets and cords are pretty expensive so I would give the bluetooth setup a shot 1st.
You could also get a bluetooth dongle for the ipod - assuming one exists and it should - and pair that with the headset.
There are amps out there you can use - amplirider I think - that will be okay if you used other headsets. J&M headsets and cords are pretty expensive so I would give the bluetooth setup a shot 1st.
You could also get a bluetooth dongle for the ipod - assuming one exists and it should - and pair that with the headset.
woodybelle
Site Supporter
I ride with earplugs. I bought Asus speakers and a Boosteroo amp from Aerostich. I installed the speakers in my RF 1100 and connected my Iphone and the amp. At freeway speeds the audio is not adequate, you can barely hear it. I then bought a SMH 10 and paired my phone to it. This setup is easily twice as loud as the speaker amp combo and sound is more than adequate on the freeway. I hope this helps.
Re: Helmet Speakers.
I have some custom ear plugs I use for riding and as part of my double-protection for shooting. In some states it is illegal to ride with earphones in, but every state allows helmet speakers. I might end up with ear phones as a stop-gap since I don't want to buy a bluetooth-equipped media player just for riding.
I have some custom ear plugs I use for riding and as part of my double-protection for shooting. In some states it is illegal to ride with earphones in, but every state allows helmet speakers. I might end up with ear phones as a stop-gap since I don't want to buy a bluetooth-equipped media player just for riding.
sherob
Old Herder of cats.
$5.28 and free shipping...
http://www.amazon.com/7-5ft-Motorbi...10&sr=8-2&keywords=motorcycle+helmet+speakers
http://www.amazon.com/7-5ft-Motorbi...10&sr=8-2&keywords=motorcycle+helmet+speakers