I never addressed helmet noise but I should. I know different helmets are very different for the amount of wind noise they create. (It's aerodynamic turbulence and very small differences in object shape can make big differences.) How you wear the helmet will also make a difference. (Think flute player. Very small difference in the details of a persons mouth mean no sound at all, a muffled. slightly musical "whoosh" or one of the purest sounds in an orchestra.)
My suggestion - go a good bike shop and ask to try on helmets and ride around the parking lot or block and try them out. (Pick a windy day.) The shop has probably never been asked this before, but maybe this will start a trend. Maybe it will get helmet manufacturers looking at lowering wind noise as part of the design. And if they do, we all win. Some of us might even get to live longer.
Ben