Hello,
My last tour with RS was in 2022. We used a Whisper system. The earbuds, for me, were uncomfortable and my earbuds were incompatible. No ones fault I dealt with it. My question is has anyone used a different earbud and what do I need to look for when getting some to use?
Thank You
Suize
Years ago RS provided an over-the-ear alternative for those who used hearing aids or found the in-ear uncomfortable or nonfunctional. Last year one tour had an alternative that didn't work as well and another tour only had the in-ear option.
I purchased my own that is exactly like the ones RS used to supply. They are inexpensive and so far it's survived 3 tours.
You can use it on either ear.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W7YNG5M?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Many of the RS tours, but not all, that I have been on have had a few of the over-the-ear ear buds available. I agree with Silas Marner that they are much more comfortable than the in-ear buds. Thanks for the link to buying my own!
and my earbuds were incompatible.
How were they incompatible? If they have the wrong type of jack, you can buy an adaptor. If they are bluetooth, you might be able to use a bluetooth transmitter.
On a recent RS tour, I borrowed from the guide the same type of earbud Silas just described, and later I got my own for future trips. I wear hearing aids so I need something like that. It worked well enough, though I wish there were some size variations for different people's ears. Much more compact than headphones, and left the other ear free to hear other sounds.
I don't think bluetooth is an option on these tours, the companies have too much invested in the wired "whisper" devices. You could look for a pair of more comfortable wired earbuds, then wear just one of them.
How were they incompatible? If they have the wrong type of jack, you can buy an adaptor.
Laura
It had the right jack. We tried to figure out why but could never determine. It worked on other things but just not the Whisper pack.
I took my own Apple wired earbuds because I think they’re more comfortable than the cheap ones supplied. I still had a pair with the old fashioned 3.5 mm jack, but you can get adapters for the lightning jacks on newer ear buds.
The earbuds are never comfortable for me, either.
For our next tour we are trying an Airfly that supports two headphones. My husband can carry the Whisper and Airfly in his pocket while he listens on his hearing aids, and I will use wireless headphones.
To echo and expand on what mnannie said about the AirFly. I used it on both our RS tours last year. It's a Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the headphone jack on the Whisper device. You can pair Bluetooth earbuds or hearing aids to it and then stow the device away and not have to deal with any cords. I used my Apple AirPods and never had a problem connecting or hearing. Although, at one point, our guide asked if I was really listening since she couldn't see a cord and probably thought I was going rogue and listening to a podcast or music!
It had the right jack. We tried to figure out why but could never determine. It worked on other things but just not the Whisper pack.
Can’t explain that one. I’ve been able to use my earbuds with the 3.5mm jack with the whispers.
What Reederman said. I have used the Airfly transmitter with Whispers, love it. Hate having things hanging around my neck, so with the Airfly I can stash the unit in my bag or pocket and use bluetooth earbuds or earphones. Helpful hint: have the wired earbuds in your bag in case you forget to charge everything (ask me how I know this lol).
For exercise I use the "Philips Earbuds with Earhooks Over The Ear Earbuds" that I got from Amazon. What I like about these is that the speaker sits outside the ear instead of being inserted into your ear like most earbuds. I find these much more comfortable than the in-ear type. On my recent RS tour I just plugged them into the Whisper system and then only used them in one ear.
I don't wear hearing aids but perhaps it would be compatible with them if the hearing aid is inserted entirely into the ear since this sits outside the ear.
We have Air Flys which pair with our Air Pods and can be used on the airplane to watch movies and with the whisper systems. We used them on two RS tours last summer and had no problems. I put the Air Fly into my purse and my husband put it in his pocket. No cords and our ears were comfortable!
On our 2022 trip in Sicily we ran into an issue with the Whisper System connecting to our Bose wired ear buds we used on 7 previous trips. The issues was that particular system used a mono 3.5 plug and our earphones were 3.5 stereo plug. (2 black rings vs 1) The solution is to have an adapter with you. They are very inexpensive, just look for a mono 3.5 to stereo 3.5 adapter. Less than $10 on Amazon.
As pointed out above another option is to go to AirFly and Bluetooth ear buds. I have found that the Apple Airbuds work well along with my Rexton behind the ear hearing aids and I can chose to use just one or both.
Very improved sound quality over the throw away earbuds supplied.
Years ago I tried my favorite Bose QuietComfort 20 Wired Earphones with the Whisper system and they did not work. I really like them for the noise reduction while flying so that was disappointing. I'm suprised Airfly works with the Whisper system considering it's got the same jack as the Bose Wired (with 2 black bands).
I can’t wait until RS upgrades to a blue tooth compatible system. Honestly, the wired earbuds are a total pain. As an aside, RS himself spends lots of time in his articles and programs commenting on how not to look like a tourist in Europe. Well, the wired whisper system sure doesn’t help. Lol!
For the people using the Airfly with their hearing aids, I was just about ready to order on Prime Day and saw an article that said, Airfly won’t sync with Oticon hearing aids which mine are. Is this true?
Another recommendation for the Air-fly transmitter; it has worked fantastic on our tours. The one I have allow for duel transmission to 2 sets of earbuds, so both my husband and I can use just the one with our wireless Apple Air-buds.
I was not able to pair Airfly with my particular hearing aids. When I looked through Airfly’s FAQs, they said that, because there are so many different brands and models of hearing aids, they couldn’t guarantee that Airfly will work with all of them. I was so disappointed!
I tried using Airfly with my Apple Air Pods.. That worked. However, there was a slight delay between when the guide spoke and when the sound reached my ear through the Air Pod. This was annoying because it created kind of an echo if I was close to the guide. I think there was a problem with this particular transmitter or receiver because the sound was generally poorer than on my other nine RS trips.
I can’t wait until RS upgrades to a blue tooth compatible system.
While a Bluetooth system would be more convenient and modern, I would hate to be the tour guide that has to deal with the connection issues that would predictably arise with people trying to pair their ear buds. The old-fashioned wired headphones are nearly foolproof and inexpensive. I bring my own wired ear buds that are more comfortable than the freebie ones the tour guide distributes.
Bluetooth has a delay. Just so you know. I use Shokz. it goes over your ear. The newer versions only come bluetooth capability. My husband used the bluetooth one with the ifly adaptor. I bought an old version on ebay where you plug in the headset to the whisper. It worked great. Plus you can still hear around you. I use it for walking around our neighborhood.
I expect any pair of wired ear buds with a standard 3.5 mm plug will work as long as it does not have a built in microphone. I have been using a cheap pair of no mic Sony's($7 on AMZN) the last few tours. Some might not like a left and a right bud when its only broadcasting mono. I kind of like plugging both ears so I can isolate the sound and hear more clearly. As an aside, we finally did the unthinkable two tours ago. Lost(or was stolen) a whisper set. Yikes. We fully expected to get a pink slip from the RS office when we arrived home but they ate it.
I just went on the RS 17 Day Italy Tour. I tried for a few days to use the provided over ear transmitter with my hearing aid, and despite trying 3 different ones, I could not hear. It was very frustrating! I finally used my Bose Noise-Cancelling headphones, and I could hear perfectly. The problem was, that was all I could hear. I was bumped by a car (unharmed) because I did not hear it, or people’s warnings.
Next time, I will try an air-fly paired to my hearing aids, unless I find something better before then.
The earbuds are never comfortable for me, either.
For our next tour we are trying an Airfly that supports two headphones. My husband can carry the Whisper and Airfly in his pocket while he listens on his hearing aids, and I will use wireless headphones.
Update:
We are back from our tour, and I ended up using one wireless, over the ear earbud. I liked that I didn't need to carry the system.
Suzie, message me if you want to find on Amazon what worked for us.
