My iPod earphones gave up, might as well get decent ones.

Detail is, I ride a motorcycle ... and it's damn loud in that helmet, I usually ride with earplugs to give you an idea.

It would be great if they doubled as earplugs when music's off so sound "deadening" is important as well as size ... it would be rather enjoyable to not rip my ear canal out every time I put the helmet on or off.
Since I would wear them on longer rides mostly, comfort is a plus.

But form here, I can't tell the difference between a 60$ or a 399$ set ... why one is so much more expensive and is it proportionally better? I have no clue ...

There are many to chose from on soundearphones and to be honest I have no idea which would be better or not. I'd like to keep this under 100$ if at all possible.

 

id like to hear some opinions on this too, but I cant think it can be too good. playing loud music you can enjoy over the sound of wind and bike engine might damage the hearing. i prefer ear plugs over anything, and if i want music, i just hum - lol

 

I'm no expert, but have been looking at this as well. From what I've seen so far the more expensive sets usually have some form of electronic sound isolation whereas the cheaper ones just use the foam ear inserts for that.

As for which is better, I've used the "normal" isolation ones before and after about 7 months the isolation deteriorated (not greatly, but noticeable) from when first purchased. But, I don't need the electronic ones because I don't have to deal with the same sound levels as you. So, if you need a set to block the exhaust noise I'd go with something electrical as they supposedly provide better isolation.

Just my opinion through limited research though.

 

I wear these:

Etymotic Research, Inc. - ER•6i Isolator Earphones

Isolate damn near as well as earplugs, plus good sound quality. Only issue is they come with these "filters" that you have to replace when they get clogged.

 

+1 for Etymotics - what's great is that they isolate external noise so well that you don't need to turn them up super loud to hear the music.

 

I would recommend the Klipsch Image S4's. I have sold them to a lot of guys that use them under their helmet and never they have not had any issues with them. If you want a tighter seal, you can now add the Comply T100 foam tips.

 

Surprisingly enough, Sony puts out a nice, durable pair that hooks over each ear and don't slide out when you pull a helmet over them. The sound is decent, and depending on what you ride, you can still hear the bike over the music. For me, that is the whole idea; 13k rpm's and Hatebreed or Disturbed blasting in my ears through Ortega Canyon! My $0.02...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1051826204520