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Audio Chips, worth it?

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GA49

GA49

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Convinced based on the above three reviews...moving to wireless. I literally replace one a year and at this point given the longevity of the wireless, I could have saved by now.
Same here. The Jabra Elite earbuds I have for working while traveling were OK last year but having these sound like they'll be a much better experience and easier to manage once they are in for the day.
 

Gina D

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I bought my Smith Outdoor Tech Chips in November of 2017 and they're still working great. This will be my 6th season with them.

As others have said in reviews if you install them in the opposite ears from where they're supposed to be installed in Smith helmets, it's easier to get to the one with the charging jack.
 

motogreg

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love mine, game changer if only for phone calls to keep track of family on the hill. Edit: design could be improved by a charging pigtail.....
 

Yo Momma

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My Chips wishlist:

I wish the Walkie Talkie function worked

50mm drivers (current is 40mm) - Improved bass response and better quality sound at lower volumes

An accessory that incorporates normal function but combines bone conduction into the current audio profile.

Bring back the "Rewind:" option

Slight contouring rather than totally flat to better accommodate the ear
 

Lorenzzo

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I have a set of Chips and have used them off and on for a couple of seasons. If you’re focused on audio quality, I’d suggest trying them in your particular helmet before buying, if possible. I’ve found at least in my several Prets that the attenuation of the speakers from one’s ears as a result of the nature of the helmet pockets leads to not the greatest sound quality.

If you‘re ok with music being more background and balanced with outside noise they may be fine for you. If you’re looking for really good immersive sound, go with some noise cancelling earbuds. If I need the background noise I use the Chips. If I’m going for move my soul kind of sound, it’s the earbuds.

There are a lot of good buds on the market (ear not herb). Certain ones can receive calls, adjust volume and skip tracks without going to your phone. The downsides are cost, they’re generally a lot more expensive and risk of having them fall out. The latter issue can be mitigated by picking the right ones for your ears.
 

CanadaRockyMtnSnow

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I have been very happy with the Konnect Adventure Headphone.

Very compact size, so there is no concerns with them hurting your ears.
24 hour battery life, which is double of most others. For me, that means charging every 3 weeks or so.

Best part though is the external button remote and charging port (3BR).
Much easier way to press buttons, and charge the headphone from the outside of the helmet
 

FreddieG

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I have Outdoor Chips, total wireless. I keep them low on the lift for background music. Once skiing it's low enough that I can't hear it but I can hear what's going on around me. If it's a slow day on the slope I'll bump the volume up to hear the music while skiing. Busy days, either off or super low.


I had the 2.0 version for 3 years, never had a problem with it! Upgraded to 3.0 , fully wireless.
Use it about the same way as Andy.
Not getting an audiophile sound, but still decent sound.Recommend.
Great to have music when the slopes are quiet! IMHO.

Amazon running sale on 2.0 for $ 89.
 

MissySki

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I have had the Outdoor Tech chips for around 5 years and love them!
 

Phipper

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Let me first say that the Chips 2.0 I use work really well. Simple, easy to use with gloves, sounds "good" (not great) easy for phone calls, etc. These are winners all day long. I tried ear pods for a while. They were uncomfortable at best. The problem/issue for me with the Chips 2.0 and my Smith helmet is with the finicky zipper and having to flip speakers left for right to gain access to the charging port. Having said this, this is year 3 with the Chips 2.0 bluetooth but the speakers themselves connected with a single wire through zippered liner. I added a small "pigtail" - male to female extension in order to charge the Chips without having to unzip to gain access to the port. Now I"m wondering, maybe I can flip the speakers back to the way they are recommended in the helmet and simply cut a very small hole in the liner, near the right ear flap (where the zipper begins instead of ends) to feed the pigtail through the small hole, then cauterize the synthetic material closed with a lighter around the pigtail cord so that I can charge the Chips without ever really having to unzip or remove the speakers from the helmet? Going to try this tonight. I think I've found the solution. Even with the newer Chips bluetooth wireless, you still have to unzip the finicky zipper to remove and charge the speakers. I can tell that I'm only going to be able to unzip this thing a handful more times before that zipper gives up and its toast forever.
 

Gina D

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I added a small "pigtail" - male to female extension in order to charge the Chips without having to unzip to gain access to the port.

Is this just a standard 3.5mm cable, like for headphones? Stereo cable? Looking at it and comparing to a standard 3.5mm plug and there are more black lines dividing silver connection areas.
 
Last edited:

Phipper

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Is this just a standard 3.5mm cable, like for headphones? Stereo cable? Looking at it and comparing to a standard 3.5mm plug and there are more black lines dividing silver connection areas.
Micro USB plug, I think techies refer to it as USB-C. The female end on the Chips speakers gets zipped into the liner. Every time you unzip that cheap/finicky liner, there is a risk it will break. So for about $3.57 I bough a 6" male to female extension - plugged the male end into the chips and then zipped the liner closed leaving the female end just sticking out so I can plug the Chips in to recharge battery without having to unzip liner repeatedly but to do this, I had to swap the recommended right speaker to the left side of the helmet to make it all "work." Now I"m thinking to switch it back to what Chips recommends and instead cut a little hole in the liner so the female end of the extension still pokes out, separate from the zipper on the correct, recommended side of the helmet so the Chips are placed where the manufacturer intended. I'm 99% confident this will work perfectly
 

Gina D

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The jack on my Chips is not Micro USB, it's 3.5mm, but I have a right angle adaptor that goes from that to micro usb, so I guess I could leave that adaptor in the chips and use a male to female Micro USB cable.

Does your CHIPS have a 3.5mm jack on it like mine or not?
 

Phipper

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The jack on my Chips is not Micro USB, it's 3.5mm, but I have a right angle adaptor that goes from that to micro usb, so I guess I could leave that adaptor in the chips and use a male to female Micro USB cable.

Does your CHIPS have a 3.5mm jack on it like mine or not?
no jack, just a micro USB port to charge the battery. I wanted to be able to charge the battery without having to unzip the sketchy liner zipper or remove the Chips because what a PIA.
 

Wade

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I bought the Chips Ultra 2.0 because I found the cord between the two speakers a little awkward to deal with in zipping everything back up.

I’m really happy with them. They fit my Smith Quantum great. Sound quality is good. Battery life is great - I’m mostly using them for Carv and phone calls so maybe that prolongs the life, but I used them for two days last weekend and they were still reporting a high battery level. The case they come in is great too - it doubles as a charger and holds enough charge to fully recharge the Chips even if you don’t have access to a power source.

They were a couple of bucks more than I would have spent for the regular Chips or the Alteck but, for me, the upgrade in functionality is well worth it.
 

Gina D

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Well I tried @Phipper but if I plug my charging cable into the CHIPS 3.5mm port it disables the sound, as you can also use that port for a wired connection to an audio player. I guess my CHIPS are older than yours as they don't have a USB port on them, just a 3.5mm jack.
 

Gina D

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Upon further research the wireless 2.0 CHIPS have a 3.5mm port for charging, not micro USB. The 3.0 has a micro USB port. So @Phipper you must have the 3.0 although your post said it was 2.0 which sent me off on this wild goose chase, as I'd love to do as you did, but alas can't.
 

CanadaRockyMtnSnow

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Let me first say that the Chips 2.0 I use work really well. Simple, easy to use with gloves, sounds "good" (not great) easy for phone calls, etc. These are winners all day long. I tried ear pods for a while. They were uncomfortable at best. The problem/issue for me with the Chips 2.0 and my Smith helmet is with the finicky zipper and having to flip speakers left for right to gain access to the charging port. Having said this, this is year 3 with the Chips 2.0 bluetooth but the speakers themselves connected with a single wire through zippered liner. I added a small "pigtail" - male to female extension in order to charge the Chips without having to unzip to gain access to the port. Now I"m wondering, maybe I can flip the speakers back to the way they are recommended in the helmet and simply cut a very small hole in the liner, near the right ear flap (where the zipper begins instead of ends) to feed the pigtail through the small hole, then cauterize the synthetic material closed with a lighter around the pigtail cord so that I can charge the Chips without ever really having to unzip or remove the speakers from the helmet? Going to try this tonight. I think I've found the solution. Even with the newer Chips bluetooth wireless, you still have to unzip the finicky zipper to remove and charge the speakers. I can tell that I'm only going to be able to unzip this thing a handful more times before that zipper gives up and its toast forever.
That's why I like the Konnect Adventure Headphone. No need to do all of these workarounds. Their 3BR allows you much better button access, and gives you direct access to the USB charge port from outside the ear pods.
 

Yo Momma

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Not sure why anyone is even discussing the helmet zippers to hold ear discs in. Mine stay open and I haven't touched my helmet zippers in 7+ years on my older Smith helmets and on my newer ones, I opened the zippers and haven't touched them since. The strap and ear flaps hold the chips in even in the most extreme conditions including drop offs. I've never ever had a Chip fall out.

Pop em out, takes 1 sec......and they are out of the helmet and ready to charge.
 
Thread Starter
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GA49

GA49

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That's why I like the Konnect Adventure Headphone. No need to do all of these workarounds. Their 3BR allows you much better button access, and gives you direct access to the USB charge port from outside the ear pods.
The Outdoortech 2.0 BT wireless are turning out to be awesome. When taking a break, the charging block gets them back to fully charged in under 30 minutes. It's USB C as well. Very good product and loud enough to down out noise (or not when you need ambient sound). Would highly recommend.
 

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