Riders are absolutely everywhere, in every profession. With that fact in mind, what do you get when acoustics and industrial design engineers who also ride decide to do something about helmet wind noise? The answer seems to be Daal Active Noise Control. Founded in Norway in 2016, the firm started crowdfunding to develop its vision. Only a few years later, it entered into a partnership with the Nolan Group—and now, in spring, 2022, it’s ready to introduce the first fruits of that partnership.
Daal ANC’s new DXL-5 unit combines its unique active noise canceling technology with Nolan’s N-Com B 902 X Bluetooth helmet communications unit. According to Daal, the unit uses active noise cancelling to block wind noise, yet still allows you to hear road traffic and maintain safety.
That certainly sounds promising, but which helmets does this cool new gadget fit? For the moment, the DXL-5 unit fits neatly inside the X-Lite X1005 helmet, which is currently homologated in Europe. For U.S. readers, it’s also listed on Nolan USA’s website as “coming soon” with an ETA of May, 2022. Check with your local Nolan dealers if you’re located elsewhere in the world to see if and when it may be available in your market.
Gallery: Daal ANC DXL-5 Bluetooth Noise Canceling Unit
What about pricing and availability for the Daal ANC DXL-5? The first batch will be limited to an unspecified number of units, presumably to see how well it’s received once it’s out in the world. Daal plans to produce these during the summer of 2022, with shipment to customers in fall, 2022.
If you want to purchase a unit from this batch, a deposit of 2,990 Norwegian krona (about $338, or just about a 50 percent down-payment) is required. That includes VAT and shipping anywhere in Europe. The total cost for a DXL-5 unit is 5,990 krona, or about $676. Shipping and handling costs outside of Europe, as well as outside this first production batch, may vary.
It’s not yet clear what the experience of the DXL-5's active noise cancellation on wind noise in this helmet is like. I personally use a regular Bluetooth communications unit in my helmet along with a good pair of earplugs to block wind noise, but having more and potentially better ways to protect our hearing while enjoying our bikes can only be a good thing.
