Romel

So I just got a new Smith Variant helmet and noticed there are a few options for headphones that go with it. Has anyone ever used them and can say how well they work?

Also are there alternatives to buying the Skullcandy headphones for this helmet? They are a bit on the pricey side, so just looking at options.

Tarzanman

Lol. I was about to post the exact same question that you did. Which options have you seen for headphones?
I have seen the :
1. 'Twin tip' audio kit which has alternate plugs for a cell phone and an mp3 player (I have the wiring for this for a Giro helmet, but i can't get the speakers out of the Giro)
2. Bluetooth headphones with audio drop in kit (gives you bluetooth and a 3.5mm plug for a media player)
3. Regular audio drop in kit (3.5mm plug only)

I went to Target and Marshall's today and didn't see any headphones for sale that were made for helmets. Since the Variant lining has a zipper on it, you could probably disassemble a set of standard headphones (like these), run the wire across yourself and use a headphone extension cable to run it to your mp3 player

If anyone else sells a ready-made solution for our helmets, then I haven't seen it.

Romel

Yea those are the only options that I have seen. I'd love to get them as they are designed for the specific helmet, but again the price point kinda makes it hard to pull the trigger. I'd love to read some reviews on the skullcandy deals, or I'll just try to break down a standard set of headphones and fit them into the helmet as best as possible.

NWBoarder

I own a Smith Variant with the Skullcandy's. They came with my helmet. The plug it has is the "twin tip". They work just fine. I have plugged in my phone and my mp3 and have had zero issues. The sound quality for them is fine by my standards, but I really only use the music for background unless I'm riding alone. Anyway, they work just fine for their purpose.

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Tarzanman

Here's an update:

I found these Maxell ear clip headphones at wal-mart for $5.88

link here - Walmart.com: Maxell Stereo Ear-Clips: Audio

That is $40 cheaper than the Smith Audio drop in kit from skull candy and $20 cheaper than getting the cheapest Giro kit and cutting it open yourself.

You won't get the twin tip which lets you plug in a phone AND a music player simultaneously, but you could probably use a $5 headphone splitter cable for that.

Roundabout136

Damn that's a good idea. I'll just buy those and break off the ear clip's.

The good thing about the skull candy kit is that it's got the pause/play/next button you can clip to your jacket or whatever.

Anything else you could use to do the same thing?

Tarzanman

First off, you don't have to break off the ear clips. The whole shebang should fit inside the helmet earpads as is.

As for controlling your ipod/mp3 player... you could buy an mp3/ipod control cable or adapter like this (Amazon.com: iLuv iEA15BLK iPod Remote with Third-party Headphones Adapter for VoiceOver (Black): Electronics ) and just connect it to the headphone cable

Roundabout136

Thanks a bunch.