Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Best headphones for skiing? Solution found.

G

galenmd

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 11, 2008
147
10
I realize that there are a thousand opinions on headphones, but nothing related to skiing. Any recs appreciated.

I would like a set of headphones/buds that are comfortable to wear, especially under a helmet. During the colder days, my helmet has attached ear muffs that pressed on my old headphones and hurt my ears. I think something more flush to the ear would work better. Certainly, no ear loops.

The other important feature would be an in-line control, so that I can pause, skip tracks, etc., without having to take my phone out and dropping it off the chair.

Let's hope for a good season!


Solution found below
 
Wow. Those s805's are pretty big over the ear headphones. I don't see myself skiing with those. Besides, they won't fit under a helmet.

I used the Motorola s9's, but again with a helmet, they hurt a lot and it was too hard to reach the controls (which are unusable with gloves).
 
Shure SE line with the Shure MPA? I know that tons of motorcycle users use them under their helmets. The only downside is the isolation, so hearing outside might be problematic.
 
thegoldenmackid said:
Shure SE line with the Shure MPA? I know that tons of motorcycle users use them under their helmets. The only downside is the isolation, so hearing outside might be problematic.
Click to expand...

Those look pretty sweet. They also have an optional accessory that allows for hearing outside the headset. No iPod controls though.
 
Resist said:
I agree! Hearing your surroundings on the slopes is important.
Click to expand...

Yes, I would have to agree. There is also something to be said about the peacefulness of being outdoors. OTOH, there are occasions where I need to hear some Led Zeppelin blaring while I'm tearing it up.

I just found the
Giro Tuneups.
They also make a BT wireless version, but I have only seen one review that was not inspiring.
 
zdblue11 said:
i dont recommend headphones. Earphones all the way as well. perhaps inears
Click to expand...

Hmmm. I agree that earphones would probably give better sound quality and probably block out the background wind noise better. Now that I think about it a little more, the earphones would sit more permanently in the ear throughout the day and would make it harder to hear others. Headphones sitting within the ear covers built into the helmet would be more comfortable and would allow me to not notice them when not used.

So, I am looking seriously into the Giro Tuneups I mentioned above. Unfortunately, the new ones only work with their latest helmets. They now make a "Drops" which is essentially 2 thin speakers attached by a wire. While they are not supposed to be compatible with older helmets, I think that I could make it work. I have also seen some ultrathin motorcycle helmet speakers that could be fitted into a ski helmet. Not sure about the quality though.
 
lollicup said:
to me its just too big of a risk to go snowboarding with an iphone. Ive had 3-4 friends who had their water sensors turn red because they had their iphone in their pocket

Me and my friends just use walkie talkies ( $30 for two)

immediate response, you can keep your gloves on ( unlike the iphone) and you don't have to worry about damaging a $500 piece of equipment

If you still need music, get yourself a 2nd gen ipod shuffle
Click to expand...


I posted this is another thread, but I would highly recommend walkie talkies
 
My Solution Found

Okay, looks like I found the perfect set-up for me. I tested it out this past week and found it to be quite successful. I could listen to tunes and answer calls quite easily (though I rarely use the phone). I too have heard of iPhones being destroyed by wet conditions, so use at your own risk. If no phone is desired, I agree with using a less expensive Shuffle or something.

This setup really works best for those using a helmet, which was my whole point of this project. It can obviously be used with earbuds too, just without the convenience and comfort level.

First, I picked up a pair of motorcycle helmet speakers. I am using the iasus XSound 2. These give a beautiful sound with lots of bass. I discovered that Giro makes a similar pair of helmet speakers that they call “drops,” but other skiers reported that they are weak performers.

I inserted the motorcycle speakers into each of the built in ear muffs on my helmet, tucking in the cable under the padding of the helmet. This leaves a few inches of cable coming out by my left ear. The XSound 2 comes with an extension cable with a built-in volume control, but I ended up not using it, mostly because it made the cable too long. This setup is extremely comfortable. I never noticed the speakers even after skiing for 5 days.

Next, I picked up the Shure MPA-3C (Music Phone Adapter) mentioned above (available for less looking around on-line). This is a beautiful device that is fairly easy to use with ski gloves. It has an excellent quality built-in microphone. One click starts the iPod, another stops it. A double click skips to the next song. Incoming calls are automatically switched to the phone and answered and ended with a single click. The only time I have to take the phone out is to place an outgoing call (which is best avoided IMHO).

I plug the Shure MPA into my iPhone and tucked them into my jacket pocket with several inches of cord hanging out.

When I put my helmet on, I plug in the cord from the XSound 2 into the Shure MPA that is hanging out of my jacket pocket. If I really need to answer or make a call, the microphone is close by.

I can now choose from rocking out down the slopes or a peaceful outdoor experience at the touch of a button.
 
SuperKat said:
These are amazing, I wear them under my helmets for DH mountain biking and snowboarding.

http://www.skullcandy.com/shop/asym-black-red.html

FYI, only the black/red have the mic.
Click to expand...

Wow! Great find. That is exactly what I was looking for before I came up with the speaker-in-the-earmuff idea.

However, I actually like my solution more since I never have to deal with inserting/removing the buds, and the fact that I can hear the slopes/buddies more when I turn off the tunes.
 
I've been using the Giro earpads for years. They have decent sound, are intergrated into my helmet. As for controls, I bought a Timex watch that has a sensor that plugs into the bottom of the iphone. It allows for full playback controls along with telling time. The only drawback from this combo is that I can not answer calls. That's not a big issue since snowboarding on crowded slopes are hard enough, I don't need to be talking on the phone.
 
best headphones for skiing

galenmd said:
I realize that there are a thousand opinions on headphones, but nothing related to skiing. Any recs appreciated.

I would like a set of headphones/buds that are comfortable to wear, especially under a helmet. During the colder days, my helmet has attached ear muffs that pressed on my old headphones and hurt my ears. I think something more flush to the ear would work better. Certainly, no ear loops.

The other important feature would be an in-line control, so that I can pause, skip tracks, etc., without having to take my phone out and dropping it off the chair.

Let's hope for a good season!


Solution found below
Click to expand...

I am afraid that you only use bluetooth headphones when you skiing, so that it doesn't dropping off .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back