Cardo PTB00040 - PACKTALK Special Edition Motorcycle Bluetooth Communication System Headset - Black, Single Pack

Bottom line: It works as advertised and I'm about to buy a 2nd. Anyone expecting dolby surround sound or 12 speaker car audio quality... doesn't understand acoustics and the environment this operates in. Do I wish it was more robust sounding audio, yes. But it is a good balance of on the road entertainment and still being able to track what's happening in your environment, YES!Longer Version:Ok, so I've had this and used it on my daily commute for about 4 months now. So far I've never run out of battery, but I've not been on a ride longer than 4 hours yet. However, I've gone 2 week or so without charging it with roughly 30-40 min round trip runs. Still, not the advertised lifespan tested, but again no issues. I've only paired up with someone once. Worked without any headache. I bought mainly for audio navigation and music. Both have worked pretty flawlessly.Noise cancelling is quite good. I've had trouble with people hearing me on a call when testing it in my apartment (I think it was too quiet in my apartment for the noise filtering to understand lol). But it seems to work great when on my bike. At 80 mph, they can still hear me as well as 25mph. At pretty much any speed, I'm told that the volume coming through on the call is low, but clear. I haven't discovered a setting that seems to impact that. It's not ideal, but it does allow me to flawlessly answer or make calls if necessary without stopping or any fumbling or fuss. Practice using the button to hang up on a call. I haven't discovered a voice command to hang up and it took me longer than I'd like to admit to figure that you had to press a button to end the call.Music - the big one. Look, if you want to blast your music in your ear while riding, I'd humbly suggest reconsider the safety of that. But that's also what headphones are for. Having said that, I'm a music guy and I want to have tunes rolling while I ride. This is my first helmet system. So I can't compare it to anything else, but I am an audiophile and if you heard how strong, full, balanced, and clear my system is in my car, you'd know I spend a lot of time and effort getting it right. This system just works. I actually think it sounds very good. For those that claim they can't hear it or it's unimpressive, I don't know what you were expecting from a small scale speaker competing with 85-100db from road, engine, and wind noise in even the better helmets. But 2 things have made a big difference for me. Make sure your volume level on your phone is turned up pretty much all the way. This seems to have a very real impact to the volume range of the system for me. Also, to protect my ears, I ride with some Alpine riding ear plugs in that claim they filter out the white noise and spare reduce the strain on your ears. I think they do that well and a great investment. I also find that I can actually hear my music much better when I wearing those plugs than without and at a greater range of volume levels.I'm about to purchase my second unit for my second helmet. I have a HJC RPHA 11 and a RPHA 90. One for short runs and imo improved safety. The other is for the longer hauls I've started running. So far this has been running in the 11 with the full face mic. I'll install on the 90 with the modula mic and update if I find a noticeable performance difference. It might help that I'm also on a semi quiet bike (2018 Versys 650) without burning cash on any aftermarket pipe. I also have an aftermarket windshield that is very effective. But even when I have that dropped down for some airflow I don't notice much, if any drop off in hearing my music. Weirdly, I feel like podcasts also tend to come through more clearly. But you have fewer audio waves fighting the environment to reach your ears. So to me I suppose that makes sense.I spent the first 30 years of my life paycheck to paycheck. So even with the resources now to buy premium products, I can't shake the habit of bang for buck buying. I think this is a great bang for buck if it fits your budget and if comms and audio while you ride are important to you. If there are better options, I'd say this is at very least not a wrong choice.

This has been one of the best purchases I've made for my motorcycle riding. The unit was pretty simple to install once I figured out how to take apart my helmet. All the parts you would need are included in the box and the instructions are clear and well written. There is a YouTube channel from CARDO, that covers all the basics of the install and using the units. I'd highly recommend watching the videos before you start installing the units. Once installed and setup on my helmet, I downloaded the app frrom CARDO (CARDO CONNECT) and installed it on my phone. This really simplifies using the headset and configuring the units for a ride. I also connected the PACKTALK Bold units to my computer to update the firmware to the latest version. The process was super simple and can be done by anyone with basic computer skills. The update is done via a download of a program to check for updates and then using the CARDO community website to install the new firmware. On the CARDO community site, you can customize your headsets and prepare them for use. I was able to set all of my FM radio stations, configure the audio settings (voice control, auto volume, etc.) and name the device for easy identification during bluetooth paring with my phone. After the easy setup, it was time to hook the unit to my helmet. The unit just clicks in and fits nice and secure on the side of your helmet. I powered the unit on and put the helmet on. The unit communicates to you via voice and lets you know it's powered up. This is where the fun begins. If you pull out the quick guide from the box, you can learn all the voice commands in just a couple minutes. Other than setting up a DMC or Bluetooth intercom, most everything can be done via voice. You can turn on the FM radio, turn on the media player, turn up/down the volume and communicate with your cell phone assistant. The voice commands, in my mind make this thing worth every penny you pay for it. I like the idea that you can keep your hands on the motorcycle and still operate the headset with ease. Once you finally get on the bike and head out for a ride, communicating with a passenger or group of riders is simple and works very clearly. The noise cancelling and auto volume work great and react fairly quickly. I haven't ridden yet with another rider, so I can't really comment on how easy it is to pair with others using a non CARDO unit. I will update the reveiw once I get a chance to try this. I have however ridden with a passenger on my bike using the same PACKTALK BOLD units. WOW!! IT was super nice to be able to talk to my wife while we were riding. So much easier to communicate with each other. I can say that talking with a rider is as simple as talking to the other person. There is a small delay from when you talk and when the rider hears you, but it was not bad at all. If you want the real benefit of having good communications with your rider, it's safety. On our ride, my wife was able to spot some deer near the road well before I saw them. She also was another set of eyes for me when we were turning into traffic from a dead stop on a blind hill. I looked up hill and didn't see a car and started to roll out when my wife told me to stop as a car was coming over the hill. There are so many reasons why this may be the best addition I've made to my riding gear and I encourage you to seriously consider buying this unit. I love being able to answer my cell phone and hear navigation instructions without ever lifiting my hand off the bike. The overall experience has been excellent and I would not heistate to recommend this to all my riding buddies. BUY ONE NOW!! You won't be sorry.