Headphones w/ mics?

jsmoriss

Explorer
For longer off-road trips in the summer, we replace the doors on our Jeep JK with 2-piece soft doors, and usually run without the window parts. With the MT tires, roof rack, etc., it gets really noisy. If push the speakers to their breaking point, you can kinda listen to music. I don't really mind the noise, and like the wind, etc. on a nice sunny day, but talking can be difficult. My wife has mentioned that headphones w/ mics would be nice. That would mean no music or CB though... What do you think? Is there a solution, or is this just a fact of life with a doorless (sometime roofless) Jeep on the highway? :)

js.
 

HMR

Rendezvous Conspiracy
Dave Clarks are the industry standard for pilots, firefighters, Search & Rescue, etc. They're designed for exactly what you're talking about. You can hook up your comm system so that whenever someone speaks, the radio(s) is automatically muted.

Bose has captured a portion of the market in the past few years with their excellent, lightweight, noise-canceling design.

I've used both brands extensively over the past 10 years. My old Dave Clarks are still my favorite.
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
HMR said:
Dave Clarks are the industry standard for pilots, firefighters, Search & Rescue, etc. They're designed for exactly what you're talking about. You can hook up your comm system so that whenever someone speaks, the radio(s) is automatically muted.
I have a set of Eastern Aviation headsets for the Unimog; they're conceptually the same as the David Clark units. They're great, but are too isolating to use in traffic, although you can get an "ambiance" microphone to pick up things like ambulances and the sound of your truck having an issue.

We also carry a two pair of $40 battery powered noise cancelling headphones that get used more often. Doesn't help with the intercom function, but if you are not going to be talking all that much (you can hear each other with the headphones on), the cheap headphones eliminate all of the wearing noise and provide a good way to get credible music to your ears.

FWIW, with the fancy headsets, we have to agree on the music; with the cheapies, we can each plug in our own device.
 

madizell

Explorer
Give it a try. Personally, I think you will eventually stop using headphones on the trail. I have spent hundreds of hours in GA aircraft under Clark headphones, and I have tried the Bose NC-style as well. These work fine in an aircraft, but flying in a small plane is not comparable to driving a small vehicle in the bush. I have never used headphones in an aircraft to hear conversation (although obviously they make conversation possible if you have an intercom), but only to lower the abusive noise level of the aircraft cabin which can, over time, degrade your hearing. Headphones are not comfortable. One wears them to prevent deafness, not because they are convenient.

If tunes are all that important and you just can't function for 5 minutes at a time without them, get a pocket MP3 player. Otherwise, if simply communicating with your partner is what you are after and the cabin noise is so high you can't hold a conversation at trail speeds, change your exhaust system.

If you are referring to highway noise, then consider this: if you wear headphones to hear either music or conversation in the cabin, you can't hear anything going on outside your vehicle either. This includes emergency vehicles and other traffic. In most states, headphones are not legal for use on the road by the driver for this reason. Noise canceling headphones work only on constant state noise. Having tried mine is a car, I find they don't work very well in that environment because the noise source and levels fluctuate too much.
 
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