Apple iPod and KOSS Earbuds by Gus Breiland I like to ride with music. Not all the time, but when I want music, I want music. Most often at night, as I get tired of counting mileage markers. I put my iPod on shuffle and listen to the collection of music that I have acquired over the years. Every bad song, every slow song and every good song I have ever loved.
If I really wanted to put together a “riding” mix, I could. The versatility of the Ipod is amazing, whether organized in a special way or just album-by-album. As a portable hard drive, this music player helps when I don’t want to stop but I am too bored to continue. The iPod uses software available for PC and Macs to load the music into the Ipod. This software also gives you access to Apple’s Music Store, where you can purchase single songs or entire albums. Most of my collection comes from CDs I’ve purchased over the years. There are three Styles of iPods. The Shuffle, Nano and standard iPod. They range in size from a pack of gum to a pack of smokes. The smallest unit holds roughly 120 songs, to the largest which can hold something like 30,000! Battery life is roughly 12-14 hours depending on conditions and use.
You can get your iPod from Apple or many other retailers who are selling mp3 players. iPod Shuffle retails for $69-99, iPod Nano from $149-249 and iPod $299-399. Your Koss earbuds can be found at Aerostich for $17. It’s winter but riding season is just around the corner. Time to gear up and get ready to ride. Oh, and as always, check your local laws about riding with earplugs. Apparently car drivers can be hermetically sealed from the world, but riders have to listen to the wind. M.M.M.
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*This article was originally published in the March 2006 issue.
My iPod has 20 gigabytes of storage. Small by today’s accounts, but huge considering my music collection. With a storage capacity of 10,000 songs, I have taken out every song that I hate from my “I like only one song on this album” collection and complied a little box of music that changes with every mile I pass.
To listen to my music I choose to use earbuds instead of in-helmet speakers. I don’t want to alter the inside of lid because I like the fit as is. The Koss earbuds are great for transmitting sound through my head. The earplug design kills most of the outside noise and allows the music to flow at a non-deafening level through little plastic tubes at the center of the plug. They fit nicely in my ear and allow my to slide my lid over my melon without any trouble. Try ‘em, you’ll like them.