For some time I have been interested in having some in ear monitors but it isn’t possible to have any fitted down here in France so that was that! The price was also a bit of a concern, my tendency to fill drawers with expensive gadgets that I have used only once doesn’t diminish as I get older.
When Intaride came out with their new Integra headset with a selection of bits to fit most ears and at a price which wouldn’t attract the attention of SWMBO, I had to have one NOW or earlier if possible!
It arrived and I attached the bits I thought would fit me best and stuck them in my ears, plugged them into the bike and phoned my daughter. This resulted in a panicked removal of the bike seat to get to the Evo and turn down the volume which did in fact stop my eyes revolving in their sockets because of the sound!
As I couldn’t get out on the bike I thought it would be a good idea to keep the Integra in my ears to see how comfortable it was. After a while I had a little discomfort in one ear and eventually attacked the body of the Integra with a jewelers file and removed the offending edge.
Saturday morning came and we were going into the Aubrac for the weekend which would mean some fast motorway stuff, quick A roads and country lanes, a good test for the Integra.
During the weekend we reached a maximum speed of 115mph according to the GPS. At that speed my helmet (Tour X wouldn’t you know!) is incredibly noisy and the ear tips supplied by Intaride do not fit my ears as well as the Alpine ear plugs I already have, so it wasn’t as good as it could be, although up to 80mph everything was perfect. Fortunately the Integra system allows the use of aftermarket ear tips of which there seem to be lots cheaply available. I have now ordered some similar to my Alpine plugs which I’m sure will solve the high speed noise problems.
I don’t mind doing this at the price of the Integra and clearly Intaride cannot put in tips which will suit everyone.
One revelation for me was the music, we tried some Bryan Adams from the Zumo and both enjoyed it. My problem with music on a bike has always been the inability to stop it instantly when I needed to, pressing buttons on an MP3 player just isn't an option in a stressful situation. However, with the Evo controlling things all one has to do is speak and the music stops so cursing whatever is causing the necessity to stop the music works really well.
All in all the Integra impressed me and I am sure I can sort the glitch I had to make it even better. Well done Intaride!
When Intaride came out with their new Integra headset with a selection of bits to fit most ears and at a price which wouldn’t attract the attention of SWMBO, I had to have one NOW or earlier if possible!
It arrived and I attached the bits I thought would fit me best and stuck them in my ears, plugged them into the bike and phoned my daughter. This resulted in a panicked removal of the bike seat to get to the Evo and turn down the volume which did in fact stop my eyes revolving in their sockets because of the sound!
As I couldn’t get out on the bike I thought it would be a good idea to keep the Integra in my ears to see how comfortable it was. After a while I had a little discomfort in one ear and eventually attacked the body of the Integra with a jewelers file and removed the offending edge.
Saturday morning came and we were going into the Aubrac for the weekend which would mean some fast motorway stuff, quick A roads and country lanes, a good test for the Integra.
During the weekend we reached a maximum speed of 115mph according to the GPS. At that speed my helmet (Tour X wouldn’t you know!) is incredibly noisy and the ear tips supplied by Intaride do not fit my ears as well as the Alpine ear plugs I already have, so it wasn’t as good as it could be, although up to 80mph everything was perfect. Fortunately the Integra system allows the use of aftermarket ear tips of which there seem to be lots cheaply available. I have now ordered some similar to my Alpine plugs which I’m sure will solve the high speed noise problems.
I don’t mind doing this at the price of the Integra and clearly Intaride cannot put in tips which will suit everyone.
One revelation for me was the music, we tried some Bryan Adams from the Zumo and both enjoyed it. My problem with music on a bike has always been the inability to stop it instantly when I needed to, pressing buttons on an MP3 player just isn't an option in a stressful situation. However, with the Evo controlling things all one has to do is speak and the music stops so cursing whatever is causing the necessity to stop the music works really well.
All in all the Integra impressed me and I am sure I can sort the glitch I had to make it even better. Well done Intaride!
