 We recently reviewed the Ruroc Atlas 4 Track helmet and found it rather good. One feature which got mentioned very briefly in that review was the fact that it's compatible with the company's Shockwave sound system.
Shockwave is a modular audio system. The helmet is prewired to accept it, and rather than most audio systems which end up with something attached to the side of your helmet, with all the attendant risks and disadvantages that entails, Shockwave installs invisibly.
Being neatly tucked inside the helmet, there are no ugly external bits and there's nothing to snag or indeed to make the airflow assymetric and strain your neck at speed. Plus, of course, should you wish you can do a trackday while listening to Beethoven. Or whatever you may prefer.
Installation is really very straightforward. Unclip the blanking panel on the back of the helmet, attach the preinstalled leads to the main unit and slide that in. It clicks into place and is secured by magnetic catches. Then find the other ends of the leads, which are neatly channeled in the liner, connect the earpieces and microphone, make sure all the padding is still in place and you're there.
Pairing the helmet with your phone or bike is also dead simple and worked first time. In my case I can pair with my phone and bike so I can listen to my navigation instructions as well as getting visual cues. Which is nice.
In use the sound quality is remarkably good. Far better than it has any right to be, in fact. I'd never considered a helmet to be a good acoustic environment, especially with earplugs in, but it would seem I was mistaken. The Harmon Kardon drivers produce a rich, full spectrum sound with plenty of volume and no distortion. The microphone is...OK. Good enough for simple phone calls, probably not for dialling in to Teams meetings or whatever. My phone steadfastly refuses to recognise "Hey Siri" through the mic, but that could well be me not knowing bhow to set it up because it doesn't work through Airpods either.
The only downside I can find is that with the module being at the back the buttons are quite hard to find/reach. If your bike connectivity allows you to manage media then that's great, but if you have to skip tracks manually then it's challenging. Bloody good reason for not answering the phone, mind - it's also quite awkward.
The Ruroc Shockwave is a great idea. It's frequently available free with a Ruroc lid, but if you're thinking of getting one of their helmets (and you should as they're really good) then honestly it's a no-brainer. Even at the recommended £170 from Ruroc direct.
SB
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