Bluetooth Earbud Recommendation
#26
aka Tom Reingold




Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,180
Likes: 6,418
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
I have a new pair of bluetooth earbuds. They are LEOPHILE ZERO with active noise canceling. I don't use the noise canceling feature, so I could have gotten the model without the feature. I hear the feature consumes battery, which makes sense.
The set is a horseshoe which goes around the back of the neck. The earbuds hang from the front of the horseshoe. Sound quality is pretty bad, as it lacks bass. The earbuds catch a lot of wind and introduce more noise into my ears, but it's not horrible. The microphone is on the underside of the horseshoe, which is great. I occasionally need to talk on the phone, and this prevents wind noise from getting into the audio stream. People can hear me just fine, even when I'm riding on the bike. My previous headphones were utterly unusable as a phone because wind noise was deafening.
Controls are on the top side of the horseshoe, easy to reach and feel.
Another nice thing is that it's easy to use just one earbud rather than two.
Some people on Amazon complain that the dangling of the earbuds is annoying. I don't mind it, but you could rig up a magnet or piece of velcro if it bothers you.
I listen mostly to spoken word, so sound quality isn't that important to me. If good bass is important to you, don't buy these.
The set is a horseshoe which goes around the back of the neck. The earbuds hang from the front of the horseshoe. Sound quality is pretty bad, as it lacks bass. The earbuds catch a lot of wind and introduce more noise into my ears, but it's not horrible. The microphone is on the underside of the horseshoe, which is great. I occasionally need to talk on the phone, and this prevents wind noise from getting into the audio stream. People can hear me just fine, even when I'm riding on the bike. My previous headphones were utterly unusable as a phone because wind noise was deafening.
Controls are on the top side of the horseshoe, easy to reach and feel.
Another nice thing is that it's easy to use just one earbud rather than two.
Some people on Amazon complain that the dangling of the earbuds is annoying. I don't mind it, but you could rig up a magnet or piece of velcro if it bothers you.
I listen mostly to spoken word, so sound quality isn't that important to me. If good bass is important to you, don't buy these.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#27
Senior Member

Joined: May 2014
Posts: 2,547
Likes: 660
Bikes: yes
Quick update on the Skullcandy Methods: I tested them for 'rain-proof' in the heaviest rain you can image (like cars-pulling-over-to-stopping-on-the-highway-heavy rain*). I wore my earbuds on Saturday's Westside Dirty Benjamin, is was ~7 hours of non-stop rain punctuated with the-skies-opened-up downpours. They didn't sound good (like they were under water) when I get back to the car to call Lisa, but once they had some time to dry, they recovered fine.
* We needed to cross a major divided highway (HWY 169), the traffic was stopping on the roadside during the worst of the downpour, we took 'shelter' under a tree until visibility improved to cross.
One downside to the Skullcandy: there is no way to know the battery level. I like when the LED or audio at start up tells you the battery left on the earbuds.
* We needed to cross a major divided highway (HWY 169), the traffic was stopping on the roadside during the worst of the downpour, we took 'shelter' under a tree until visibility improved to cross.
One downside to the Skullcandy: there is no way to know the battery level. I like when the LED or audio at start up tells you the battery left on the earbuds.
Anker Soundbuds Curve Wireless Waterproof Built-In Microphone In Ear Lightweight Sports aptX Bluetooth Headphones
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use them on long gravel rides, including several hours at DK this year when I found myself fighting the wind by myself. I haven't ever actually tested the 12.5 hour claim but they last for hours, at any rate.
#28
aka Tom Reingold




Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,180
Likes: 6,418
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
[MENTION=373854]ksryder[/MENTION], those Anker earbuds look good, and I regret I didn't know about them. How are they for the phone?
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#30
Senior Member

Joined: May 2014
Posts: 2,547
Likes: 660
Bikes: yes
They're fine - my phone is my music player. They don't have a microphone so you still have to speak into the phone -- not really an issue for me because I'm not answer the phone on rides anyway, but might be relevant to others.
#31
aka Tom Reingold




Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,180
Likes: 6,418
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
No microphone? Deal killer.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.





