Originally Posted by
AirPhantomPhoto
I appreciate the info to start, I get the reasoning for not wanting your hearing blocked, but I live rural downstate DE & mostly will be riding trails, very little road & if road then backroads which are a bit quieter.
While I love the sounds of nature, being exposed to it already 24/7/365 (spring peepers are already out in my woods) I need motivation sometimes & miss my jody calls for that.
Still open for discussion, just understand one thing folks, I already get the need to be able to hear the sounds around me, like horns/folks calling out/etc. My state does allow 1 ear listening device so its not illegal here.
I was using an older set of earbuds for indoor trainer rides. But that means listening for up to 2 hours per ride, so I wanted better ones.
I read a couple of musicians' forums, and the topic of in-ear monitors (IEMs) comes up regularly. Lots of players swear that you have to buy high-end ($200-plus) 1EMs and go to an audiologist to be fitted with custom ear molds (also expensive.)
But a growing proportion say they're happy on stage with inexpensive knockoff versions. Several of those players mentioned a couple of models. I ordered these from Amazon:
YINYOO Easy KZ ZST Colorful Hybrid Banlance Armature with Dynamic in-Ear Earphone
They're currently $20 a pair. I was a bit disappointed with them, though, using the best-fitting of the "earbud tips" that were supplied in the package. So I did a bit of further reading and then ordered these memory foam tips:
[6 Pairs] Earphone Tips New Bee 12pcs Premium Replacement Earbud Tips Blocking Out Ambient Noise Memory Foam Earbuds
Those (currently $8.00) improved the sound to the point that I'm now tempted to begin using those earbuds for listening to music, too, in place of my moderately high-end audio system speakers.