Can the crash detection be linked to emergency services instead of your emergency contact? I would rather have them rolling asap, instead of worrying my contact and making them make a second or third call (they would probably try calling me first).
For only 1 unit is waaaay too much. And I have 2 cardos freecom 4x. I would get a pro if they just sold the unit separately since I don't use the stock speakers on any com unit anyways. In ear headphones are the way to go for clarity, noise cancelation and talking at 90mph.
Buying units like these for MSRP isn't a great idea anyways Bought a freecom 4+ duopack for 240eur Recently bought a packtalk slim duo pack for 350eur No way im paying that much for some meh speaker, bt antenna and a plastic mount
its not a bluetooth comm unit. its a miniaturized mesh router with all the other features. I can see the reason why it costs that much. Having said that, I'm very happy with my Spirit HD with the JBL speakers upgrade kit. I don't see how to go over 4 people without getting comunications a total mess, So I don't see mysel goinf over the freecom 4+
First of all, for everyone with a newer iPhone, the crash detection isn’t needed since the phone already has it without needing cell connection, and second of all the bigger speaker don’t fit in a lot of helmets, as it is with mine.
It wouldn't make a difference either way. If I had an amazon affiliate link I could still say good things about a bad product to get people to click on it. Lying to my audience is the quickest way to ruin my credibility, and making a few bucks on commission is not worth the long term damage. I only review products worth people's consideration.
Speaker placement is everything for good sound .. doesn’t matter if u have 60mm jbl’s if you don’t have them pretty much touching your ears your not gonna get good sound
Whitechapel hell yeah 🤘 Black Bear is such a groovy song. I've never had a communicator system for my helmet, I just use cheap $20 bluetooth in ears. I would love a Cardo one day though, probably their entry level
Low frequencies require more energy to oscillate thus the bigger the driver the better the low end . But music is about balance, and the mids are what bring about the balance, thus having a system that has the ability for low end is great as long as it does not compromise on the highs , this is what the neodymium magnets are great for on all these speakers , however the ability to eq these to your preference is tool that is much needed , as everyone's ears are different and so everyone's preferences differ, let me give you an example I owned a Bose that I spend 250 dollars on in the past , then I found a JBL for 30 dollars that sounded fantastic on every genre of music . It's a matter of preference , to combat that it's best for speakers to have a somewhat flat response so people can dial in the sound they like , this can help in active NRC technology , that can be used to eliminate any dangerous frequencies from the ambient and the wind , that can cause ear damage in the long run .
8:56 When I was in the ambulance from a crash, we were all hearing music but no one knew where it was coming from. Turns out, my helmet was still playing music 😂
There are so many decent China models for prices that make sense... These Cardos are literally nuts in price. I've got some Fodsports that my family uses and they've been rock solid, connect right up without issue, and the speakers work fine. Got them for less than $100 for both. They've gone up in price by double since but they are still a way better value.
I just want to say, some people cant make that transition from guest host/secondary host to main host (exp: MatPat retiring) but you Spite are one of those people that can. its great watching you grow and carve your own lane... keep up it up and LeTS GO!!!!
a nice pair of wireless headphones is under 100$ and they work great for music and for riding. i use galaxy buds 2 they are amazing and dont hurt my ears under the helmet, they rock.
Soooo... 45mm speakers can be installed with the packtalk bold and slim. And the Detecht app can execute the same emergency crash contact response. And all for less than the pro...
I ride solo most of the time, and some times when I don't, we don't have the same headset. So point of a comm is mostly to listen to music when I ride, with earplugs, so a basic comm with decent speaker work quite well.
I use wired earbuds, ( I use cheap skull candy ones. 10-15 bucks. Higher quality ones might be even better ), connected to the unit. This serves 2 purposes for me. Hearing protection,( Ish), and I could listen to music/People at a lower volume. I just could not understand when people talk or hear the music very well. I have found the units have gotten way overpriced for what most people use them for. The biggest group I have been in had maybe 4 people in it that I cared to listen to. Lol. Mostly Just one or two others, one being my pillion. The rest was just music.
I'm using a cheap T Nicer T5 Plus. People who only look at Cardo or .....the other ones will be paying a lot for features that I don't find worth 10 times the price. The crash detection is a great idea, though.
@@spitescorner I'm pretty sure the newer ones can mesh? I think there is a distance limitation. I could be wrong, but I could have sworn I have seen articles/videos on it.
You can link Cardos into Sena’s mesh with an update from last year. But I dont believe Cardo can invite a Sena user, they can only join. Wouldn’t know, as I don’t know a single person that owns a Sena.
Here's a potentially better option to the speakers: Use IEMs (in-ear-monitors) or wired earbuds and sell the speakers if you want to recoup some money. They plug right into the Cardo Edge/Bold/Black units (and I think any Cardo model). A decent but inexpensive set of IEMs sound good, actually provide pretty good hearing protection from wind and other noise, and allow you to use modest volume. They actually get way louder than you'll ever want but if you keep them at a reasonable volume, you should be able to hear outside sounds okay, too. A relatively good-fitting set of IEMs might be more comfortable than jamming speakers in some helmets. Your miliage may vary depending on your head and helmet. One catch: It may not be technically legal in your state/province/region to have both IEMs or earbuds in. II'll risk the ticket. I've had police encounters with IEMs or earbuds in and they've never even mentioned it. Again, your milieage may vary. EDIT: Second catch: one commenter has warned that low impedance headphones/IEMs could potentially shorten the life of the amp in the comms unit, however, Cardo says you can use their unit with "your favorite (wired) earbuds" via the 3.5mm jack. Sena usually has some kind of adapater available for theirs, too.
I do not have any need for crash detection in my intercom. Free smartphone apps do that for ages. And on a device that has a batterylife of over 10 hours I never had it dying on me even if I left it on at a stop. I do not need the Auto On/Of Feature. Just charge it every night befor a daytour.
My primary issue with bigger speakers is that I have big ears and wear glasses with very thin earpieces, and spending a huge amount of money on a pair of Flying Eyes with progressive lenses is out of the question. The pressure on the tops of my ears is unbearable. You can ream out only so much helmet with a Dremel before affecting safety in that area to make speakers fit without pain.
If your IEM have low impedance you could shorten the life of the amp in the headset. The 45mm JBL speakers are 64 ohms. My Shure SE215 IEM are 20 ohms.
Me and all my friends run Cardo edges. Pro tip - forget all the lame speakers - get a decent pair of noise canceling ear buds and they will absolutely 1000% improve sound quality and noise reduction. It also protects your hearing if you’re riding loud bikes like we do.
A phrase us Brits like is "swings and roundabouts", implying it's a bit of this and a bit of that. Yes you have the improvements: personally I can see the auto on/off being a blessing and a curse (see: forgetting to turn off Cardo when you set your lid down), and yeah, from your testing, the speakers do sound nicer. I got my Bold when I first bought everything and it suits me, but it was £300 new (I think it was on sale for less? Can't remember). The pro is £400 all in (over $500), and I'm sorry, that's top-end, midlife crisis pricing. Being able to buy the unit or the speakers separately would certainly go a long way for riders looking to upgrade their existing setup, but I'm not replacing mine until it dies
I had the pactalk bold couldnt hear my mates bike. Now with the pro i can. The only complaint i have and its to do with the helmet more specifically. Its not all the way stuck on. i have the HJC RPHA 91 modular. Has a built in comms slot for sensa.. BOTH SIDES. i wish they didnt do that.
Here is the answer I found. I have the Spirit with upgraded JBL 40mm. 90% I ride alone, for the times I don't, I showed my friends how to set up Discord on their phone. If you have cell signal, you are in range.
Here’s my two cents: 99% of my riding is done alone. By it very nature motorcycling is an inherently solo activity. That means that for me, the communication features are affectively useless on a day-to-day basis. Sound quality, and ease of use are what sell me on the product. Cardo and Sena have both fallen a little short on both, for me. I ended up finding my solution with Syphon Sound Pro’s. Loud enough for me to hear not only my music but an audiobook on the highway on all of my bikes, and more importantly, having the best design controller I have ever encountered. I hated the buttons and the jog wheel on the Cardo. I always felt like they were designed by someone who wore very very thin gloves because they damn sure don’t feel like they’ve been designed for someone like myself with massive pork paw wearing heavy gloves. The Syphon has a big wheel and you twisted one way or the other to raise lower the volume twist and hold it to change the track anywhere in the middle to mute or resume or take a call. Incredibly intuitive and I have yet to screw it up over the course of about 20,000 miles of riding. Cardo and Sena both need to take a page out of their book when it comes to the control unit. When your product offers a separate controller amount to your handlebars, you know you fucked up.
The Syphon costs about as much as a Freecom 2x and doesn't have any two way communication. I also mostly ride solo but I gifted a unit to my best friend so that when we ride we talk our heads off. Best investment I ever made. I don't know why you have an issue with the controls. I found the controls pretty easy and I always ride with full gauntlet gloves.
@@brendonfernandes2877 ultimately it may come down to the fact that I am neither graceful nor dexterous. I need big fat buttons. When I used Cardo, I had another Bluetooth device called chubby buttons that strapped my forearm that I would use to control my music.
You can get a mid-grade cell phone that has more advanced hardware & capabilities for $250. I know part of it is the typical motorcycle tax, but these prices are insane to me.
Still got the same dumb FM radio which is useless in the UK as the stations change frequency within a short distance (UK FM radio stations have a different Freq you need to tune into for any given region- no nationwide). Give me DAB at least. And I have 2 of things, luckily the bike to bike works good enough although that range hasn't increased in at least 5 years.
The thing about increasing the size of drivers is that the area gets exponentially larger. 5mm doesn't sound like a lot, but it makes a massive difference. It's the same reason that the largest pizza you can order at a given place will always be better deal than a smaller pizza.
i had just bought a new helmet, and it was a pain finding a helmet that is not designed for Senna these days! I love my cardo, but helmet manufactorers are making it really hard. Ended up with a Scorpion EXO-1400 Carbon
They aren't running a charity and they don't sell millions of these to allow for low margins. I have tried a few much cheaper Chinese bluetooth communicators and they aren't even close in quality. Of course I ain't paying so much for a top of the line communicator as I mostly ride solo or with a single friend. I got a Cardo Freecom 2x for like 150 euro for a pair and I gave one to my friend. It's been 2 years now and they are working great. When they die ill stick with a Cardo only but yes ones on discount and not these top of the line models.
I've had Bluetooth comms for 2 years, and I've used it exactly once to talk to another rider. I also took a phone call one time. The rest of the time it's just for playing music or podcasts
Turns out if you've already "done the thing" in the comm industry and you need to stay in business, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price.
honestly i just want them to come out with some good quality kit that will allow 2 riders (or in my case, rider and pillion) to have their own music going and cut out for voice comms. i don't need to be able to talk with 100 other riders, just my backpack.
A bit disappointed that it doesn't also call emergency services when you go down and drop them the gps. Read the disclaimer that it only works in certain countries and tought those are the places compatible with such a system.
I have a £60/$76 Comms unit from Amazon. 4 way pack connectivity, Bluetooth and decent speakers. Not great but okay. Had mine for 2 years and used all year round for commuting.
The secrete to good helmet audio is speaker placement. The speakers need to be on contact with the ear and centered around the ear opening. Otherwise you will loose volume and dynamics no matter what drivers you are using.
It's adviced to wear hearing protection at 80Db+. It's likely these speakers are set to a lower dB because of hearing protection. On an open helmet (Aray Freeway with bubble screen riding a Griso) the turbulence is deafening and the speaker is of no use when velcroed to the inner shell. When the speaker is thickened up with additional layers of velcro and moved from the ear edge to the ear input, sitting against your ear volume can be reduced by half. With the aid of optoplastics (-30dB)near max volume is good for an estimated 50dB and useable for navigating close to a whisper db level. Keep in mind, moderate wind in an open field is approx 45dB so with heavy hearing protection 75dB speaker volume is marginal unless placed against your ear... Please put in your hearing protection and run the test again. You might notice the speaker pockets are placed wrong (both my AGV and Arai) in favor of the kin strap. One could seriously consider noise cancelling speakers for ear protection. Afer a trip, without earplugs at 70mph I hear a beep in my ears which is a sign for hearing loss. The additional specs of the Cardo are very interstesting but you might understand with -30dB ear protection the volume output of those speakers might be marginal for navigation not risking an expensive purshase. Because of this I purshased the cheap Twiins speakerset and placed this in my AGV full face helmet+ optoplastics for the Griso70+mph and the Aray open helmet and Beeline moto2 for the RE Classic350 (70-mph). An open face helmet on the Griso is deafening... Btw. I believe your vest is not abrassive protected and better sited for offroad. Looks cool! regards, Erik
Is there any talk about iphone’s crash detection?? I’ve already had a bad crash with my iphone and it called emergency services for me… not just an emergency contact. Also it will work without internet because of the iphone’s satellite emergency calling….. I feel like an edge with my iphone is all i need. If I want the 45’s I can buy those, but the only thing I would be interested in is the auto on/off…. That’s bot worth $150 to me
I know I might have pretty high standards when it comes to headphones and audio quality in general, but those 40mm JBL sounded abysmal when I got my first Cardo. Like wtf, 20$ Koss ear clip headphones sound like pure heaven compared to those. And they‘re supposed to be the better ones that come with com systems?
I am still using a Packtalk Bold. I gave up on the speakers because I wanted some noise protection and wearing ear plugs with the helmet speakers just made them sound muddy. I ended up going with in ear monitors with custom ear tips. I can ride with the volume at minimum and hear just fine. I started out using it just for music, podcasts and audiobooks, but have used it to communicate with my wife on the back of the bike. I could get by with a lower level unit without mesh. The new ones are too expensive for me. Helmets alone are dangerously loud on their own.
Spite, why u talking about color? U bought the edge in the KTM wrap. I had to order mine specifically because no cycle gear stores had the KTM one in stock, they had the black ones that looks just like the PRO you just got.
The funny thing is, that I bought two cardo edge for 580 euro when it came out. Since then it has gotten more expensive and a single unit now is over 400 euro. That's pretty insane.
I switched out the speakers to a pair of wired JBL ear buds. So much better, but I have to position them just right or they become uncomfortable. It’s also a pain to remove my helmet (Arai XD-5) with them in place.
You should measure the loudness and set them to the same loudness. The graph is nice for like a sec and its cool if its available for the audiophiles, but your opinion of just how it sounds is more valuable
i bought an intercom for $20 on amazon 2 years ago and its still going strong all seasons and all weather no sign of distress or wearing out. I just cant justify spending hundreds on a cardo
I just wear my old galaxy buds while I ride. Great music quality, protects my ears from my exhaust noise, and I don't give a shit about talking while riding anyway for the most part. *Shrug*
As I spend more time off road, than on… the crash detection would likely need a disable function for when I am on the trails. If this was available with a toggle “on/off” that could easily be switched when moving on and off the tarmac then the pro would make sense for me. They might even be able to achieve this with a firmware update? And a voice activation/deactivation feature for this would be super convenient.
I have a sena and so do all my mates, I have even talked to other riders with other devices. They have always been over expensive for what they are. I don't think I met one rider who have loved their intercom. Always issues. The distance you can use them are lies and never on what they are said to get, quality is horrible, always issues on trying to connect multiple uses. Once you have it their is always a time where someone drops and then can never reconnect. Then they charge so much if you want premium head sets. Battery life is hit and miss. My list can go on but that's enough of a rant for one day
I’ve had my Cardo Edge about 14 months, had it working about 6 times, it’s total rubbish, good for listening to the satnav, or phone calls, but talking to your mates? Forget it! It takes at least 20 mins to get it all updated synced Yada yada…I just don’t bother anymore, I give it 5 mins, if it doesn’t work, I’m off without it.
I got a Lexin G2P twin pack for like $130 and I swear the battery lasts longer and the sound quality is better than the SpiritHD I spent $130 on for one. And it can connect 6 people as opposed to the Spirit only connecting 2. Downside: trying to connect to other people can be incredibly annoying But for someone generally flying solo I can’t complain
if you have an emergency contact feature on your phone. set it up. people can use it to contact your emergency contacts without unlocking your phone. Luckily ive never had to use it in an emergency. But at my job I cant count how many lost phones ive returned to their owners by using this feature.
I wear a shark evo 1 two helmet and an cardo edge with the chin bar up and with ear plugs because wind noise and a slightly better speaker would be nice if I could just buy those, but to replace the edge I use (and love) for those 2 things and 5mm larger speakers at that price point doesn't seem worth it to me. The auto on/off should be something they could add to the edge in a software update and the crash detection sounds like it would use the accelerometers in the phone so maybe an app update. Also a comparison to more competitors products would have made this feel a lot less like an ad. Now I have to go fins this song.
If you can't hear your music over your bike with the standard speakers your bike is the problem not the speakers. Think about the damage you are likely doing to your ears... That or the damage is already done.
Im not sure if the 45 mms will fit in the MX9. Good chance to show the interchangeable cradle. I also sometimes unplug the speakers and put in something like the Elgin Rukus earbuds.
I don’t know. Used a cardo for a while. Didn’t really make sense. When you got wind noise that can damage your hearing, then you crank up the volume to compensate. I was worried about hurting my hearing. So now I use plug fones from Walmart and really like em.
I hear the TCS V6 PRO a unit from TEMU has mesh and works well for $50.00. Just heard about it on another channel. I know the guy and he thinks it's a great deal. Ck it out...
Esp32 chips with wifi and Bluetooth are $3 each commercially. They're probably a tenth of that wholesale.Injection molded cases are a fraction of a penny. A small Lithium battery is under a dollar wholesale. There's no reason ANY comm set should cost more than $50.
I picked it up for the crash detection, and because I wanted a second unit for my daughter. I went with the pro instead of another edge because of the crash detection. I do think they should sell just the head unit. I agree the speakers ARE better, but not mindbogglingly so.
or i could just use my Isotunes bluetooth hearing protection... 500$ to listen to music and have my phone auto dial IF i crash... hmmm idk... i can see the benefit of an airbag vest but these i still dont see the value in them...
This isnt too expensive for what you get if you need it. But their music/phone only spirit is most certainly too expensive. I use a set of $30 AUD 40 mm speakers attached to a $20 dollar bluetooth receiver that is way smaller than packtalk ( enough room to put it inside the helmet! ) , for music and gps guidance. Dont need to answer calls. Video was excellent btw. Simple tests that we can understand and just enough nerdery for the nerds.
I bought a Packtalk Edge Duo Pack for around USD600 and they work very well. At the end of the day the main thing is you need to be able to talk to you riding buddies. Music and other stuff is a plus. I have found with the speakers that the position relative to your ear is absolutely critical. The speakers have to be perfect aligned with your ear canal and quite close also otherwise wind noise will get intrusive. The problem with all these systems is if you wear ear plugs for wind noise protection the sound gets significantly muted so the sound quality is not that great. Really what we need is helmets with liners that provided better sound insulation. I'm looking at experimenting with in-ear monitors. The Packtalk Edge battery life is pretty good - I've ridden all day (10-12 hours) and the battery is still okay.
Yes I would like to have just the packtalk pro without the speakers. I already have the JBL 45s from an earlier pro model, I think it was the Paktalk Black special edition. So I don't need another set of those, just the Pro unit itself. You get Cardo to do that, then ill buy one. I already have an Edge using 45s.
Would you buy the Packtalk Pro on it's own, or do you want it in the box with everything? Check it out for yourself here: bit.ly/3IUZ1hM
I would love to buy just the head unit since I'm running the packtalk edge now.
just the unit, why waste stuff that you don't need.
I needed the whole setup
Can the crash detection be linked to emergency services instead of your emergency contact? I would rather have them rolling asap, instead of worrying my contact and making them make a second or third call (they would probably try calling me first).
Nearly $500 for a bluetooth comm unit is highway robbery. Let's be honest
For only 1 unit is waaaay too much. And I have 2 cardos freecom 4x. I would get a pro if they just sold the unit separately since I don't use the stock speakers on any com unit anyways. In ear headphones are the way to go for clarity, noise cancelation and talking at 90mph.
Buying units like these for MSRP isn't a great idea anyways
Bought a freecom 4+ duopack for 240eur
Recently bought a packtalk slim duo pack for 350eur
No way im paying that much for some meh speaker, bt antenna and a plastic mount
@@someguy9520 Facts. I bought my previous gen cardo on FB marketplace. Lightly used. Saved over 50% & have had zero issues with it.
its not a bluetooth comm unit. its a miniaturized mesh router with all the other features. I can see the reason why it costs that much. Having said that, I'm very happy with my Spirit HD with the JBL speakers upgrade kit. I don't see how to go over 4 people without getting comunications a total mess, So I don't see mysel goinf over the freecom 4+
@@zeve1322086 Semantics. Don't care what you call it. Things not worth $500
Thanks
I ride with just a helmet. No comms
First of all, for everyone with a newer iPhone, the crash detection isn’t needed since the phone already has it without needing cell connection, and second of all the bigger speaker don’t fit in a lot of helmets, as it is with mine.
Can’t take this review seriously when buddy is sponsored by Cardo
It wouldn't make a difference either way. If I had an amazon affiliate link I could still say good things about a bad product to get people to click on it. Lying to my audience is the quickest way to ruin my credibility, and making a few bucks on commission is not worth the long term damage. I only review products worth people's consideration.
GREAT COMPARISON!!! What audio profile from the Cardo app did you use?
Speaker placement is everything for good sound .. doesn’t matter if u have 60mm jbl’s if you don’t have them pretty much touching your ears your not gonna get good sound
Whitechapel hell yeah 🤘 Black Bear is such a groovy song. I've never had a communicator system for my helmet, I just use cheap $20 bluetooth in ears. I would love a Cardo one day though, probably their entry level
Low frequencies require more energy to oscillate thus the bigger the driver the better the low end . But music is about balance, and the mids are what bring about the balance, thus having a system that has the ability for low end is great as long as it does not compromise on the highs , this is what the neodymium magnets are great for on all these speakers , however the ability to eq these to your preference is tool that is much needed , as everyone's ears are different and so everyone's preferences differ, let me give you an example I owned a Bose that I spend 250 dollars on in the past , then I found a JBL for 30 dollars that sounded fantastic on every genre of music . It's a matter of preference , to combat that it's best for speakers to have a somewhat flat response so people can dial in the sound they like , this can help in active NRC technology , that can be used to eliminate any dangerous frequencies from the ambient and the wind , that can cause ear damage in the long run .
8:56 When I was in the ambulance from a crash, we were all hearing music but no one knew where it was coming from. Turns out, my helmet was still playing music 😂
Spite! You’ve lost weight. Looks great buddy. Keep it up. It’s worth the effort.
I run an Amazon freedconn unit, paid 60 bucks for it, have had it for two years, works well
There are so many decent China models for prices that make sense... These Cardos are literally nuts in price. I've got some Fodsports that my family uses and they've been rock solid, connect right up without issue, and the speakers work fine. Got them for less than $100 for both. They've gone up in price by double since but they are still a way better value.
My Chinese $50 comms work just fine, thanks
Yes, they have.
I just want to say, some people cant make that transition from guest host/secondary host to main host (exp: MatPat retiring) but you Spite are one of those people that can. its great watching you grow and carve your own lane... keep up it up and LeTS GO!!!!
a nice pair of wireless headphones is under 100$ and they work great for music and for riding. i use galaxy buds 2 they are amazing and dont hurt my ears under the helmet, they rock.
Soooo...
45mm speakers can be installed with the packtalk bold and slim.
And the Detecht app can execute the same emergency crash contact response.
And all for less than the pro...
I ride solo most of the time, and some times when I don't, we don't have the same headset. So point of a comm is mostly to listen to music when I ride, with earplugs, so a basic comm with decent speaker work quite well.
I use wired earbuds, ( I use cheap skull candy ones. 10-15 bucks. Higher quality ones might be even better ), connected to the unit. This serves 2 purposes for me. Hearing protection,( Ish), and I could listen to music/People at a lower volume. I just could not understand when people talk or hear the music very well. I have found the units have gotten way overpriced for what most people use them for. The biggest group I have been in had maybe 4 people in it that I cared to listen to. Lol. Mostly Just one or two others, one being my pillion. The rest was just music.
Harleys used to come with CB radios.
I'm using a cheap T Nicer T5 Plus. People who only look at Cardo or .....the other ones will be paying a lot for features that I don't find worth 10 times the price. The crash detection is a great idea, though.
It’s time to open the mesh standards.
100% agree. It'd be great for Cardo and Sena to easily pair up so that riders aren't pigeonholed into buying what their buddies have.
@@spitescorner I'm pretty sure the newer ones can mesh? I think there is a distance limitation. I could be wrong, but I could have sworn I have seen articles/videos on it.
You can link Cardos into Sena’s mesh with an update from last year. But I dont believe Cardo can invite a Sena user, they can only join. Wouldn’t know, as I don’t know a single person that owns a Sena.
Cardo is great about working with other brands, sena is the problem child still trying to keep everything in their own ecosystem
Time to make a compact CB radio or FRS or GMRS radio that goes like 3 to 5 miles without all the crap involved with digital bluetooth radio.
Here's a potentially better option to the speakers: Use IEMs (in-ear-monitors) or wired earbuds and sell the speakers if you want to recoup some money. They plug right into the Cardo Edge/Bold/Black units (and I think any Cardo model).
A decent but inexpensive set of IEMs sound good, actually provide pretty good hearing protection from wind and other noise, and allow you to use modest volume. They actually get way louder than you'll ever want but if you keep them at a reasonable volume, you should be able to hear outside sounds okay, too.
A relatively good-fitting set of IEMs might be more comfortable than jamming speakers in some helmets. Your miliage may vary depending on your head and helmet.
One catch: It may not be technically legal in your state/province/region to have both IEMs or earbuds in. II'll risk the ticket. I've had police encounters with IEMs or earbuds in and they've never even mentioned it. Again, your milieage may vary.
EDIT: Second catch: one commenter has warned that low impedance headphones/IEMs could potentially shorten the life of the amp in the comms unit, however, Cardo says you can use their unit with "your favorite (wired) earbuds" via the 3.5mm jack. Sena usually has some kind of adapater available for theirs, too.
I do not have any need for crash detection in my intercom. Free smartphone apps do that for ages.
And on a device that has a batterylife of over 10 hours I never had it dying on me even if I left it on at a stop. I do not need the Auto On/Of Feature.
Just charge it every night befor a daytour.
I’ll buy the Ktm cardo
Oh damn, its nice to see another yiutube music user out there
My primary issue with bigger speakers is that I have big ears and wear glasses with very thin earpieces, and spending a huge amount of money on a pair of Flying Eyes with progressive lenses is out of the question. The pressure on the tops of my ears is unbearable. You can ream out only so much helmet with a Dremel before affecting safety in that area to make speakers fit without pain.
Just so you know, I really appreciate the level of effort you put into this video to make it so informative and interesting!
I never need the speakers as I use in ear monitors so I can actually hear comms and music. With noise reduction already included.
If your IEM have low impedance you could shorten the life of the amp in the headset. The 45mm JBL speakers are 64 ohms. My Shure SE215 IEM are 20 ohms.
@@sqlb3rn well that’s sucks but good to know. I’m using the same SE215 IEM
The pro is pretty cool though.
Me and all my friends run Cardo edges. Pro tip - forget all the lame speakers - get a decent pair of noise canceling ear buds and they will absolutely 1000% improve sound quality and noise reduction. It also protects your hearing if you’re riding loud bikes like we do.
I would buy just the speakers. Lol
Yes. No reason they should be over $200. They probably have a 75% profit margin on them
I got my Freecom 2x for $119 on sale a few years ago. Until it dies or breaks I am not buying another especially at that price!
A phrase us Brits like is "swings and roundabouts", implying it's a bit of this and a bit of that.
Yes you have the improvements: personally I can see the auto on/off being a blessing and a curse (see: forgetting to turn off Cardo when you set your lid down), and yeah, from your testing, the speakers do sound nicer. I got my Bold when I first bought everything and it suits me, but it was £300 new (I think it was on sale for less? Can't remember). The pro is £400 all in (over $500), and I'm sorry, that's top-end, midlife crisis pricing.
Being able to buy the unit or the speakers separately would certainly go a long way for riders looking to upgrade their existing setup, but I'm not replacing mine until it dies
I had the pactalk bold couldnt hear my mates bike. Now with the pro i can. The only complaint i have and its to do with the helmet more specifically. Its not all the way stuck on. i have the HJC RPHA 91 modular. Has a built in comms slot for sensa.. BOTH SIDES. i wish they didnt do that.
Here is the answer I found. I have the Spirit with upgraded JBL 40mm. 90% I ride alone, for the times I don't, I showed my friends how to set up Discord on their phone. If you have cell signal, you are in range.
Here’s my two cents: 99% of my riding is done alone. By it very nature motorcycling is an inherently solo activity. That means that for me, the communication features are affectively useless on a day-to-day basis. Sound quality, and ease of use are what sell me on the product. Cardo and Sena have both fallen a little short on both, for me. I ended up finding my solution with Syphon Sound Pro’s. Loud enough for me to hear not only my music but an audiobook on the highway on all of my bikes, and more importantly, having the best design controller I have ever encountered. I hated the buttons and the jog wheel on the Cardo. I always felt like they were designed by someone who wore very very thin gloves because they damn sure don’t feel like they’ve been designed for someone like myself with massive pork paw wearing heavy gloves. The Syphon has a big wheel and you twisted one way or the other to raise lower the volume twist and hold it to change the track anywhere in the middle to mute or resume or take a call. Incredibly intuitive and I have yet to screw it up over the course of about 20,000 miles of riding.
Cardo and Sena both need to take a page out of their book when it comes to the control unit. When your product offers a separate controller amount to your handlebars, you know you fucked up.
The Syphon costs about as much as a Freecom 2x and doesn't have any two way communication. I also mostly ride solo but I gifted a unit to my best friend so that when we ride we talk our heads off. Best investment I ever made. I don't know why you have an issue with the controls. I found the controls pretty easy and I always ride with full gauntlet gloves.
@@brendonfernandes2877 ultimately it may come down to the fact that I am neither graceful nor dexterous. I need big fat buttons. When I used Cardo, I had another Bluetooth device called chubby buttons that strapped my forearm that I would use to control my music.
Yes and even Cardo makes crap that literally falls apart.
The price of electronics is supposed to come down year after year. Think of flat screen TVs. They seem to have it backwards
You can get a mid-grade cell phone that has more advanced hardware & capabilities for $250. I know part of it is the typical motorcycle tax, but these prices are insane to me.
Still got the same dumb FM radio which is useless in the UK as the stations change frequency within a short distance (UK FM radio stations have a different Freq you need to tune into for any given region- no nationwide). Give me DAB at least.
And I have 2 of things, luckily the bike to bike works good enough although that range hasn't increased in at least 5 years.
The whole point of a bike is to NOT having to talk to anyone
I’m looking freecomx2 because i ride alone
The thing about increasing the size of drivers is that the area gets exponentially larger. 5mm doesn't sound like a lot, but it makes a massive difference. It's the same reason that the largest pizza you can order at a given place will always be better deal than a smaller pizza.
i had just bought a new helmet, and it was a pain finding a helmet that is not designed for Senna these days! I love my cardo, but helmet manufactorers are making it really hard. Ended up with a Scorpion EXO-1400 Carbon
Fuck Cardo and Sena for their pricing. These units probably cost $20 to produce, if that. It should be $99 at best.
They aren't running a charity and they don't sell millions of these to allow for low margins. I have tried a few much cheaper Chinese bluetooth communicators and they aren't even close in quality. Of course I ain't paying so much for a top of the line communicator as I mostly ride solo or with a single friend. I got a Cardo Freecom 2x for like 150 euro for a pair and I gave one to my friend. It's been 2 years now and they are working great. When they die ill stick with a Cardo only but yes ones on discount and not these top of the line models.
Sell without speakers, I use earbuds. If I'm going to wear noise protection,, i rather have music coming out of it
I went out drinking with the drummer for whitechapel once upon a time...
Whitechapel - black bear! Didn't know that Spite can go so hard 😊
I'll take my $30 unit from China that sounds nearly as good
I've had Bluetooth comms for 2 years, and I've used it exactly once to talk to another rider. I also took a phone call one time. The rest of the time it's just for playing music or podcasts
Turns out if you've already "done the thing" in the comm industry and you need to stay in business, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price, you just add features and increase price.
honestly i just want them to come out with some good quality kit that will allow 2 riders (or in my case, rider and pillion) to have their own music going and cut out for voice comms. i don't need to be able to talk with 100 other riders, just my backpack.
Everything has 😢
A bit disappointed that it doesn't also call emergency services when you go down and drop them the gps. Read the disclaimer that it only works in certain countries and tought those are the places compatible with such a system.
I have a £60/$76 Comms unit from Amazon. 4 way pack connectivity, Bluetooth and decent speakers. Not great but okay. Had mine for 2 years and used all year round for commuting.
The secrete to good helmet audio is speaker placement. The speakers need to be on contact with the ear and centered around the ear opening. Otherwise you will loose volume and dynamics no matter what drivers you are using.
It's adviced to wear hearing protection at 80Db+. It's likely these speakers are set to a lower dB because of hearing protection.
On an open helmet (Aray Freeway with bubble screen riding a Griso) the turbulence is deafening and the speaker is of no use when velcroed to the inner shell. When the speaker is thickened up with additional layers of velcro and moved from the ear edge to the ear input, sitting against your ear volume can be reduced by half. With the aid of optoplastics (-30dB)near max volume is good for an estimated 50dB and useable for navigating close to a whisper db level. Keep in mind, moderate wind in an open field is approx 45dB so with heavy hearing protection 75dB speaker volume is marginal unless placed against your ear...
Please put in your hearing protection and run the test again. You might notice the speaker pockets are placed wrong (both my AGV and Arai) in favor of the kin strap.
One could seriously consider noise cancelling speakers for ear protection.
Afer a trip, without earplugs at 70mph I hear a beep in my ears which is a sign for hearing loss.
The additional specs of the Cardo are very interstesting but you might understand with -30dB ear protection the volume output of those speakers might be marginal for navigation not risking an expensive purshase. Because of this I purshased the cheap Twiins speakerset and placed this in my AGV full face helmet+ optoplastics for the Griso70+mph and the Aray open helmet and Beeline moto2 for the RE Classic350 (70-mph). An open face helmet on the Griso is deafening...
Btw. I believe your vest is not abrassive protected and better sited for offroad. Looks cool!
regards, Erik
I ride alone and have no friends. So the old Cardo spirit works for me.
That’s how I ride too brother. No shame in that! 👍
I’ve had my Cardo Freecom 1+ since 2019 and haven’t found a reason to get a different one yet.
I always recommend that one for solo riders. It's got everything you'd want at a good price.
$94 is still ridiculous to listen to music.
I'm still rolling with a 4 year old Freecom 4+
Is there any talk about iphone’s crash detection??
I’ve already had a bad crash with my iphone and it called emergency services for me… not just an emergency contact. Also it will work without internet because of the iphone’s satellite emergency calling…..
I feel like an edge with my iphone is all i need. If I want the 45’s I can buy those, but the only thing I would be interested in is the auto on/off…. That’s bot worth $150 to me
With or without earplugs?
Even if these things are free, they cost too much. I want solitude when I ride.
I know I might have pretty high standards when it comes to headphones and audio quality in general, but those 40mm JBL sounded abysmal when I got my first Cardo. Like wtf, 20$ Koss ear clip headphones sound like pure heaven compared to those. And they‘re supposed to be the better ones that come with com systems?
I am still using a Packtalk Bold. I gave up on the speakers because I wanted some noise protection and wearing ear plugs with the helmet speakers just made them sound muddy. I ended up going with in ear monitors with custom ear tips. I can ride with the volume at minimum and hear just fine. I started out using it just for music, podcasts and audiobooks, but have used it to communicate with my wife on the back of the bike. I could get by with a lower level unit without mesh. The new ones are too expensive for me. Helmets alone are dangerously loud on their own.
Still don't know why there is no bluetooth/corded headset that pairs with smartphone. Why the need to buy another gadget?
Spite, why u talking about color? U bought the edge in the KTM wrap. I had to order mine specifically because no cycle gear stores had the KTM one in stock, they had the black ones that looks just like the PRO you just got.
The funny thing is, that I bought two cardo edge for 580 euro when it came out. Since then it has gotten more expensive and a single unit now is over 400 euro. That's pretty insane.
I switched out the speakers to a pair of wired JBL ear buds. So much better, but I have to position them just right or they become uncomfortable. It’s also a pain to remove my helmet (Arai XD-5) with them in place.
You should measure the loudness and set them to the same loudness. The graph is nice for like a sec and its cool if its available for the audiophiles, but your opinion of just how it sounds is more valuable
i bought an intercom for $20 on amazon 2 years ago and its still going strong all seasons and all weather no sign of distress or wearing out. I just cant justify spending hundreds on a cardo
I just wear my old galaxy buds while I ride. Great music quality, protects my ears from my exhaust noise, and I don't give a shit about talking while riding anyway for the most part. *Shrug*
100% would consider buying just the communicator
No way I’m buying a full kit for full price as an edge owner 👍
40$ plug phones do me fine. I ride alone anyway
As I spend more time off road, than on… the crash detection would likely need a disable function for when I am on the trails. If this was available with a toggle “on/off” that could easily be switched when moving on and off the tarmac then the pro would make sense for me. They might even be able to achieve this with a firmware update? And a voice activation/deactivation feature for this would be super convenient.
I'm running a £50 knockoff. MOMAN I think. Works geate. If I got one for free, ya sure I would run the Cardo
It seems they could have just did a firmware update on all the edges.
I have a sena and so do all my mates, I have even talked to other riders with other devices. They have always been over expensive for what they are. I don't think I met one rider who have loved their intercom. Always issues. The distance you can use them are lies and never on what they are said to get, quality is horrible, always issues on trying to connect multiple uses. Once you have it their is always a time where someone drops and then can never reconnect. Then they charge so much if you want premium head sets. Battery life is hit and miss.
My list can go on but that's enough of a rant for one day
I’ve had my Cardo Edge about 14 months, had it working about 6 times, it’s total rubbish, good for listening to the satnav, or phone calls, but talking to your mates? Forget it! It takes at least 20 mins to get it all updated synced Yada yada…I just don’t bother anymore, I give it 5 mins, if it doesn’t work, I’m off without it.
I got a Lexin G2P twin pack for like $130 and I swear the battery lasts longer and the sound quality is better than the SpiritHD I spent $130 on for one. And it can connect 6 people as opposed to the Spirit only connecting 2.
Downside: trying to connect to other people can be incredibly annoying
But for someone generally flying solo I can’t complain
if you have an emergency contact feature on your phone. set it up. people can use it to contact your emergency contacts without unlocking your phone. Luckily ive never had to use it in an emergency. But at my job I cant count how many lost phones ive returned to their owners by using this feature.
I wear a shark evo 1 two helmet and an cardo edge with the chin bar up and with ear plugs because wind noise and a slightly better speaker would be nice if I could just buy those, but to replace the edge I use (and love) for those 2 things and 5mm larger speakers at that price point doesn't seem worth it to me. The auto on/off should be something they could add to the edge in a software update and the crash detection sounds like it would use the accelerometers in the phone so maybe an app update. Also a comparison to more competitors products would have made this feel a lot less like an ad. Now I have to go fins this song.
what is the best helmet speaker without coms? i ride alone 99% of the time and earbuds in helmet are just not comfortable.
Can’t even afford to get one
great vid bro
If you can't hear your music over your bike with the standard speakers your bike is the problem not the speakers. Think about the damage you are likely doing to your ears... That or the damage is already done.
everyone I know has a sena and fortunately never met anyone using a cardo as it would make everything annoying.
Battery life? I am not getting 8 hour from my new Edge.
I upgraded to the 45mm speakers and they were much thicker than the 40s. Make sure you have room for your ears!!
Im not sure if the 45 mms will fit in the MX9. Good chance to show the interchangeable cradle. I also sometimes unplug the speakers and put in something like the Elgin Rukus earbuds.
I was looking for just the head unit last week. Not buying 4 whole new sets for all of our helmets.
I don’t know. Used a cardo for a while. Didn’t really make sense. When you got wind noise that can damage your hearing, then you crank up the volume to compensate. I was worried about hurting my hearing. So now I use plug fones from Walmart and really like em.
Ported earplugs - cuts down the wind noise and lowers the db, can still hear the Cardo well 👍
If you can make out the words you're listening to the wrong death metal
I hear the TCS V6 PRO a unit from TEMU has mesh and works well for $50.00. Just heard about it on another channel. I know the guy and he thinks it's a great deal. Ck it out...
Esp32 chips with wifi and Bluetooth are $3 each commercially. They're probably a tenth of that wholesale.Injection molded cases are a fraction of a penny. A small Lithium battery is under a dollar wholesale. There's no reason ANY comm set should cost more than $50.
You get cheap Chinese ones but it's your luck if they last and forget about any sort of service.
I picked it up for the crash detection, and because I wanted a second unit for my daughter. I went with the pro instead of another edge because of the crash detection. I do think they should sell just the head unit. I agree the speakers ARE better, but not mindbogglingly so.
or i could just use my Isotunes bluetooth hearing protection... 500$ to listen to music and have my phone auto dial IF i crash... hmmm idk... i can see the benefit of an airbag vest but these i still dont see the value in them...
This isnt too expensive for what you get if you need it. But their music/phone only spirit is most certainly too expensive. I use a set of $30 AUD 40 mm speakers attached to a $20 dollar bluetooth receiver that is way smaller than packtalk ( enough room to put it inside the helmet! ) , for music and gps guidance. Dont need to answer calls.
Video was excellent btw. Simple tests that we can understand and just enough nerdery for the nerds.
I bought a Packtalk Edge Duo Pack for around USD600 and they work very well. At the end of the day the main thing is you need to be able to talk to you riding buddies. Music and other stuff is a plus. I have found with the speakers that the position relative to your ear is absolutely critical. The speakers have to be perfect aligned with your ear canal and quite close also otherwise wind noise will get intrusive. The problem with all these systems is if you wear ear plugs for wind noise protection the sound gets significantly muted so the sound quality is not that great. Really what we need is helmets with liners that provided better sound insulation. I'm looking at experimenting with in-ear monitors. The Packtalk Edge battery life is pretty good - I've ridden all day (10-12 hours) and the battery is still okay.
Yes I would like to have just the packtalk pro without the speakers. I already have the JBL 45s from an earlier pro model, I think it was the Paktalk Black special edition. So I don't need another set of those, just the Pro unit itself. You get Cardo to do that, then ill buy one. I already have an Edge using 45s.