But they decrease all sounds by a set amount:
Medium - 16dB (Magenta): Great for happy hour & acoustic shows
High - 20dB (Clear): Ideal for outdoor concerts & festivals
Max - 24dB (Red): Perfect for clubs, stadiums & arenas
16dB would be a decrease by a factor of 40. That doesn’t cut out too much? I tend to use hearing to tell what is around me as my hearing is still pretty good. I ask cause I know those whose hearing isn’t so good ear plugs can cut out tinnitus and other issues and their hearing isn’t sensitive enough to notice missing details.
I’m suggesting that a buff (or similar ear covering, not ear plug) reduces the wind noise (by reducing or eliminating the turbulence around your ear), so you get less loud wind, which is better for hearing your surroundings and any music you want to listen to.
I have a folding crate I keep in the back of my car. It always has a lot of things that come in handy. Toolkit. Lube. Sealant. Spare tires and tubes. Sunscreen. Bug spray. Electric tire pump. Hand cleaner. Towels. TP.
Yes, exactly those. I have the MUSIC original, and use the max red filter, 26dB. The PRO are even clearer sound, 24dB reduction.
I know it sounds like a lot. You have to hear it to believe it. It only drops the background noise. You hear every sound clearer. It’s absolutely insane at loud live music events, and on the bike.
I can even hear things like the specific tire noise of the car approaching from behind me clearer. Because it stands out more from the reduced background noise.
While 24dB sounds like a lot, rushing wind in your ears at 30 - 40 km/h has got to be 80 - 100 dB at least, and when the wind picks up it can be so loud it hurts… so, what? 120 - 140? Normal conversation is 60 - 80. I wouldn’t want anything less, personally. But up to you!
Wind noise ranged from 84.9 dB at 10 mph and increased proportionally with speed to a maximum of 120.3 dB at 60 mph.
Still not sure about max protection in that if stopping for an intersection or something else don’t want to be too limited in what I can hear the the lower level blocking of the music pro have a flatter attenuation chart:
So ordered the lower level pro plugs. Other brands seem longer which would stick out of the ear more and cause more wind noise, in theory at least.
So with the 20bB ear peices, very comfy and do block all the wind noise. So great in that sense. But also block too much sound. Yes, I can hear when cars are passing and if someone is talking to me but I feel like it blocks too much in that I can’t hear cars from a distance. If I was on a closed course they would be great but a bit too closed off from the world around me. Garmin radar says something is behind me but don’t hear it at all till its within 10 feet when I’m used to hearing cars further out. Should get the 16dB version soon, might be better but feel like I’d want to go further to allow more sound in.
Granted I have great hearing and no ear ringing/tinnitus issues and tend to depend on my hearing for noticing small sounds around me. I’m usually the person who can hear all the tiny sounds no one else notices
I do have to say that I like them and if I didn’t feel like I was missing out on hearing things from a distance (if someone’s hearing is already declined enough to not hear anything useful from a distance) or road on a closed course, I would love riding with them. Maybe the 16dB will be better for me so will report back.
New one I just discovered: I use baker’s sugar, also called caster sugar, in my homemade drink mix. It is the same thing as granulated sugar except it is ground to be much more fine. Given that it is more fine, it dissolves easier.
