Earphones / In-ears for rowing?

[Anja]

Hi there,

I like listening to music during my workout on the rower. But with the standard earbuds coming with my iPod I have to pump up the volume uncomfortably high to drown the flywheel's noise (C model).

Now I think about bying in-ear earphones, as those should isolate ambient sound quite well. On the other hand I read some reviews stating in-ears are not the best choice for sport, as they amplify the sound of your own breathing, heartbeat and so on, and there may be problems with cable noise (microphonics).

What headphones / earphones do you use? Any experience with using in-ears while rowing?

[djh]

I just don't like ear buds. The standard apple ones don't work for the shape of my ear. There are squishy ones that work slightly better for me.

After a few extremely annoying episodes of ear buds falling out during workouts where I cared about my time I now use over-the-ear headphones, the ones that clamp on over the top of your head. I don't pick up the sound of my breathing etc. I find they make my head quite hot.

I'm thinking about buying headphones that rest on the back of your neck instead of over the top of your head. So I'm very interested in others' replies.

[kannankeril]

They are expensive though unless you can redeem them off credit card points of some such.

They go over the head and cup your ears, so sweat remains a problem. But the music volume can be kept low and comes through quite clearly. The sound of my ConceptII fades off beautifully into the background. They even work well without music, so you hear more silence.

[moodygirl]

I use the marshmellow in ear buds. I don't notice hearing my breathing and they definitely keep out outside noise.

[Cyclist2]

I have a model B (even louder) and also have hearing loss, so I'm always cautious with my hearing. I use over-the-ear type headphones but my lovely wife bought me some of those noise cancelling types for my (58th) birthday. Wonderful! The flywheel noise just becomes a quiet medium frequency hum and I can really turn the music volume down. I've rigged the wires to attach under the seat so I don't have cords whipping back and forth. As far as sweating goes, yes, they do get wet, but I wear a headband and wipe them off immediately upon stopping, then hang them up to air out. I'm really happy with that solution.

[Anja]

Thanks for your answers.

I tried some over-the-ear models, but they didn't fit well. I' m quite petite (looking for sunglasses or helmets for cycling and climbing I ended up with junior's models), so the earcups and holders of those phones I tried were a bit too big for me and sitting loose. Even the standard earbuds I' m using now are a little oversized, so they clamp tight in my ears. That prevents them from falling out too easily but gets uncomfortable after a while and unfortunately doesn't improve isolation.

Now I pin my hopes on custom molded in-ear canalphones like Beyerdynamic's DTX50 Individual or ReSound's Realsound (sorry, didn't find any product description in English, otherwise I would have provided links) which should fit perfect AND isolate quite well. But I don't like the idea of spending 200 EUR on canalphones I can't return just to discover that for some reason they are not practical for working out.

Those 'marshmallow' earbuds mentioned by moodygirl sound interesting, too. Maybe I should give them a try first.

Other recommendations or field reports on sport (esp. rowing) with canalphones are still appreciated

[paul s]

Sony makes a range of noise canceling headphones which are relatively light and work well at quieting the noise of the rower. They range from around $30 to $80. In fact I use them more than my Bose regular headphones which cost over $200. Another one to consider are the Bose ear buds, which are the lightest, most comfortable in ear buds I have tried, and they also stay in well. They come with three different sizes of the in ear part. They are around $100, and worth it.

Paul S

[djh]

Those 'marshmallow' earbuds mentioned by moodygirl sound interesting, too. Maybe I should give them a try first.

I'm definitely going to give them a try.

[paul s]

A note on the Bose ear buds. I like them but after looking on line I have found that feelings are pretty mixed on them. So you might read some reviews on them if you are interested in them.

Paul s

[tiredboy]

I've tried various headphones over the years. The latest is some Bose QC2s for flying and some cheap in the ears ($15?) for erging I picked up in the airport. They came with two sizes of "marshmallow" buds that you squeeze small to fit in the ear and they expand as needed. Cuts out all noise from the erg and as they were cheap when they get ruined by sweat I'm not going to be too disappointed.
It really depends on your budget. I think the brand that Apple promotes instore are "shure" and they will find the appropriate ear but size for you (at least in the NYC store). They are pricey and I'm happier with going for cheaper ones that I don't mind ruining (through swerat or if they come off and the seat goes over the wire!!)

[arakawa]

I retrofitted my Model C with the chain axle sprocket replacement kit (part #1915). It lowered the noise level a good bit (I believe someone on this forum actually measured the difference in noise level at a couple of drag factors and a couple of power levels; I want to say it was a 6 dB reduction). The erg is now quiet enough that it won't wake the kids sleeping in their room (with the door closed), less than 10 meters away. I would venture to say that they'd stay asleep even if the door were open.

I then picked up a pair of V-Moda Vibe earbuds (~$100). They are highly rated by macworld.com (I'm a Mac person and have an iPod).

Between the two, I'm able to row pretty hard (e.g. faster than 2K pace) and still hear the music without cranking it up to dangerous levels ("still hear" and "dangerous levels" are admittedly qualitative and subjective).

[Anja]

Hi arakawa,

thanks for the reference to the 'Quiet Kit', I'll keep that option in mind.
Following the link I really had to smile about your comment on cleaning the fan from cat fur and how helpful the pet was when installing the new parts. We have three cats, so I can vividly imagine this episode

The Vibes made it on my list, too... good reviews, indeed.

[ckaiserca]

I use Logitech FreePulse headphones. They are bluetooth, so no wires, and should work with your computer and MP3 player They will even work with a musicplayer/cell phone with bluetooth. I was able to get mine online at a discount by buying them at Canada Computers.

[PaulG]

An over the ear style that worked for me was the Sennheiser PMX70 Sport Headphones. Even better though, was to set up two small speakers (Cambridge Soundworks) on a low table right behind me with the subwoofer on the floor. On the lay back they are very close to my head. This avoids any problems with earphone fit and I can hear the music just fine.

[Tinpusher]

I too use the Logitech Freepulse.

About a month ago they wouldn't turn on (seemingly a common complaint) so I contacted Logitech support and since they were less than 2 years old (just) they were still under warranty even though I had no receipt anymore. They emailed me a UPS label, I returned them and 10 days later had brand new headphones.