Wireless headphones

[bw1099]

I'd like to get some wireless headphones so I can listen to the TV while erging without having to crank up the volume so loud that it annoys the whole house. Any suggestions?

Also, any issues with RF interference from the erg which might cause problems?

Thanks,

bw

[Citroen]

Also, any issues with RF interference from the erg which might cause problems?

The only RF signal you'll get from an erg is the ANT wireless if you have a PM4 in wireless racing mode. The signal is on the 2.4GHz Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band that's used for everything. The chances of that causing interference are close enough to zero to be negligible.

See http://www.concept2.com/us/support/manu ... Manual.pdf and/or
http://www.concept2.com/us/support/manu ... mation.pdf for the FCC & IC compliance information.

[Tinpusher]

Logitech Freepulse. About $70. Work like a charm.

[michaelb]

When I used to use headphones I just ran a miniplug extension cable from the cd player and duck taped it to the side of the seat, and then plugged my headphones into that. That worked surprisingly well and I pretty much never had trouble with the cable while rowing.

That is low tech, $10 option, if you want to consider it. I didn't like rowing with headphones on, since it makes it harder to wipe the sweat off, so I now use speakers and just crank those up (and subtitles on the TV, to the extent I watch that).

[bw1099]

Thanks for the info

(and subtitles on the TV, to the extent I watch that).

I am currently using the subtitles, but I've decided that I like to be able to hear. And my wife needs gift ideas.

bw

[M. Podolsky]

Before the Model D I had a Schwinn Airdyne, which was very loud. So I used wireless headphones, which worked pretty well as long as I wore a sweat band. I ended up with two pairs (somehow no one wanted to use them after one of my workouts) - both Sennheiser. The older model with manual tuning is much better than the "auto-tuning" version. I'm not sure if other manufacturers do the same thing, but Sennheiser auto-tuning headphones pick up an audible cycling frequency when the signal drops below a certain level, which quickly becomes very annoying. The manual headphones just hiss, which is a lot easier to take. I've never worn them on the erg, so I can't comment about interference from the PM3/Polar devices.

[kdahlhaus]

I've had both RF and ifrared headphones. For ergging the latter worked better as there was less static noise.

I erg in a room with 2 computers, so they are probably spewing lots of RF into the air. But even around the rest of the house, the RF tend to have a lot of noise.

The main difference is that the infrared are pretty much limited to line-of-site.

[ckaiserca]

Logitech Freepulse. About $70. Work like a charm.

Seconded! I have these too, and they work a treat. Lightweight, and work great.

[kannankeril]

These are not wireless but worth a mention for those seeking a quieter workout.

My TV is in another room & not an option. I have my IPod in my pocket connected to these played at a very moderate volume. The noise from the ERG is considerably muted & the music is very clear.

A couple of drawbacks:
1) Price: These are expensive, about $300. I was fortunate enough to be able to redeem credit card points for one of these.

2) Sweat: These are over the ear models and can add to the amount of sweat already produced. A headband is highly recommended.

[kdahlhaus]

Just an update - my old infrared headphones died, and to replace them I had purchased a RF wireless set. That set received a lot of static from the nearby computers (not the erg). Earlier this year I picked up a Koss HB60 Infrared unit for about $37. The beautiful thing about the Koss is that unlike all of the others I've seen, it is just a box that clips to your belt and you plug your own preferred headphones into it. I've been using it for about 2 months now and love it.