need louder helmet speakers

[OldCrow]

Help, my hearing was damaged many, many moons ago and is slowly getting worse. As such to protect what remains, I always wear ear plugs when riding. I have an old Sena 5 but now I can no longer hear voice clearly at highway speed even on my quietest bike a 1987 Honda GL1200A. Do more modern Sena or other systems put out more audio power? Can anyone suggest a nice clear LOUD system.
I use this mainly as intercom with my wife, but would love to hear the Garmin directions again.
Thanks
OC

 

[Shawn K]

If you already have damaged hearing and want to protect what's left, the answer is not to make things even louder.

I recommend doing what I do, which is wearing wired ear buds that plug into your Bluetooth comm. I don't know if your old model Sena supports that, but something like a Sena 20S Evo would allow you to hear your wife AND directions simultaneously, and allow you to plug ear buds into the base of the communicator. Get rid of the helmet speakers entirely.

Use something like a pair of inexpensive Koss "The Plug" ear buds, and you have good noise reduction AND clear audio for you.

Koss "The Plug" ear buds

 

[kwthom]

Sena 50S drives my IEM's very nicely.

 

[EricV]

I agree with Shawn's comment. For perspective on speaker loudness, my Sena 20S Evo units require max volume to be heard acceptably with 32 dB rated foam plugs. I've used custom earmold monitors and I wouldn't spend that kind of big money again, but the less costly wired ear buds give you the same benefit of being able to crank the volume waaaay down and hear your audio much, much more clearly.

If your old Sena 5 has a spot to plug in ear buds, it's a cheap thing to try. The biggest issue for many is finding a set that fits comfortably with your helmet. Do a search here and other forums you're on and see what brands keep coming up. Pick one and give it a try. Or grab that old set you got for free last time you were on an airplane that gave them out and explore the audio level difference, then find something better for the helmet.

 

[OldCrow]

Thanks for that idea. I know nothing about powered earbuds. Do they make exernal sound canceling so as to block the road/wind/bike noise? Any links to get me started would greatly be appreciated.
Yes I'm using Honeywell MAX LITE earplugs. buy them in bulk, don't see the reduction but it's very good when properly installed, then I can hear my ringing clearly
The Sena 5 uses a custom plug with Mic/Speaker together and the only other jack is for a USB Micro B( I believe that's the type) for charging the unit.
Never had an airplane pair, I'm a reader on planes and even so rarely fly.
OC

 

[Shawn K]

I know nothing about powered earbuds. Do they make exernal sound canceling so as to block the road/wind/bike noise? Any links to get me started would greatly be appreciated

Powered earbuds (i.e. self-contained, wireless, with their own batteries) will be very large and most likely not fit while you're wearing your helmet. You're also going to lose your comm ability if you try to go that route, because your SMH5 (assuming that's what you have) doesn't have the ability to wirelessly stream audio to wireless earbuds and use the wired mic.

A cheap pair of Koss "The Plug" earbuds uses foam plugs with a hollow sound tube through the middle, has noise reduction similar to what you're currently using, and still allows you to hear things clearly while keeping the noise down.

Consider that your communicator is (technologically) quite old now, and that if you want communication with your wife, AND hear your directions, AND protect the rest of your hearing, then really the only option is to purchase a Bluetooth comm that can support wired earbuds (I recommend the Sena 20S Evo) and go the route I suggested earlier.

 

[OldCrow]

Hi Shawn, Thank you for that clarification on "powered" I was thinking just power source vs plain foam. Again excuse my ignorance, I've just never been an audiophile of any kind. When I sold my last car I couldn’t honestly tell the buyer if the radio worked or how it worked

The EVO 20S looks to take the 3.5mm plug. Thanks I’ll investigate down that path.
OC

 

[OldCrow]

Update: I've gone Shawn's route. I ordered a Sena Evo 20s and Koss "The Plug". Fingers Cossed The only disapointment is the Sena will not arrive in time for a planned IBA ride NE1000 on July 4th. Amazon Prime is useless up here. But my Sena 5 should connect to the Sena of the fellow I'm riding with and I can hear at least at speeds under about 40mph.
Thanks !!
OC

 

[Russ Black]

I have several Sena SMH-5's and they do not have the ability to work with earbuds from the factory. You could add an earphone jack to them or you could sacrifice a set of speakers and put a 3.5mm audio jack where the speaker used to be.

 

[SteveAikens]

Has anyone tried the bluetooth version of The Plug with the Sena 20S?

 

[OldCrow]

I've installed the Sena 20S Evo and it is louder than the 5. I used it on a New England 1000 on July4th, but no pics of hot dogs, flags, ballons or fireworks With the extra loudness I was able to call my wife twice and by ducking behind the windshield we could converse. Also the connection to both the iPhone and Garmin went smoothly. The Garmin turn-by-turn was fine to warn even if I didn't always get a clear understanding. Did not try the Koss "The Plug" as they were no where near as quite as the foam plugs when tested near some loud ASIC computers in the basement. And I didn't have time to test them local yet.
OC

 

[SteveAikens]

I was hoping to find that reasonable middle ground between the 32 db rated Hearos I use and "The Plug".

I received the plug and checked it out here in the house but I suspect it's not going to work as well as I'd hoped.

Then again, could be that once underway and listening to my tunes, it may be an acceptable compromise. Considering the minimal cost to try them out, I figured why not... ¯\_(?)_/¯