Good sound, questionable design/durability

By eightdrunkengods Ranked #325 - Alpine Skiing December 30, 2010

Short version: These are decent which is good because they are pretty much your only option.

Long version: I received these to replace the older version (2009-ish) of the same product. The audio cable was causing the left speaker to cut in and out. It seems like the cable was pinched somewhere near the jack. It seems to me the system needs to be built a little sturdier. It's supposed to be stuffed in your pocket while you strap yourself to a slippery board(s) and throw yourself down a mountain. It needs to be durable. But I got it replaced under warranty so whatever.

The new audio cable and mute button are improved. The button is now big enough to be pressed with a gloved hand. It's still not "waterproof" which is just silly since it's completely possible to build a waterproof switch and kind of necessary in this case. If the button gets wet it sometimes stops working. So far, drying it out has fixed it.

The new speakers are thinner and larger in diameter than the old ones. Instead of sitting snugly inside the foam cutouts within the earpads, these *mostly* fit inside the cutout. This is an improvement (!!) since it allows the foam pad to do what it was designed to do. The speakers are practically the same form-factor as both Smith (Single Shot and Twin-Tip) systems so feel free to buy the Smith stuff if you want the mic, song skipping, or twin-tip thing. Similarly, these will work in any Smith helmet that the nearly-identical Smith speakers will fit in. The audio quality is excellent.

Unfortunately the jack for the speakers is right in between the speakers on a sort-of short wire. This is a huge design flaw. The wire is long enough that it will hang way down on your neck. With my helmet (Giro Seam Medium) the wire is barely long enough for me to route it such that the jack is secured near one of the earpads. In a larger helmet this will not be possible and the jack will hang (annoyingly) down the back of your neck. The wire needs to either be longer or the jack needs to be a few inches from one of the speakers (like the old system). Why on earth is the jack right in between the speakers? Who would want the jack right there?

View Details: Giro TuneUps

Helpful Votes: 2 Yes