I can vouch for everything in this video. I now have three of these units. They are awesome! Top Dollar for sure! Don't miss the Sena 20S units - which never worked properly, even when Sena tried to get them to work.
I have just bought the Pack Talk Bold. I am not a technology person simplicity is excellent for me I am going for a ride tomorrow for a test with my wife in the car. thank you for our excellent detailed video. you showed me how to take the unit out of the holder
Communications for this device are GREAT. I agree with the 9/10. I use this more for two up riding and phone calls and even on the interstate at 65-75 mph and the person on the other side of the call had no idea I was on two wheels. 👍
Thank you for your very through review of the Cardo Bold. We have been considering these and the Sena 20 or 30, but have been leaning toward the Cardo. This review has sold me!!
Do it like i did. Destroy your Sena by riding in rain - then send it back for warranty replacement and sell the new that returns online for half the price, did work for me: For phones and Senas....
I'd like to disagree with you. I have the Shoei SRL-1 (which is a Sena 20S), and the Cardo Packtalk Slim, and have put both through extensive use. But I can't disagree. The Cardo blows the Sena out of the water. It's 1000% better. Get the Cardo Packtalk Bold/Slim, you won't regret it for a second.
@@issamelsayd Unfortunately, no. The Neotec II has been designed for the SRL-1. There is no way to clamp the Cardo to the helmet. You can glue it to the outside, but you'd have to stick it further back than normal because of the SRL mounting point.
I get it, this review was in 2019. I purchased this in the Duo pack 3 days ago. (My wife rides her own bike.) At the end of a 11 1/2 hour ride on Saturday evening. Her words: "This communications thing, has to be the best investment since getting both bikes, I love it!" Her mic picks up wind noise (only when she's talking) at speeds above 70mph. I blame that on her helmet / windshield combination. (Some wind buffeting at that speed). We were riding twisty mountain roads most of the day. Cardo, never dropped a word! This sure takes the confusion out of the ride! 10/10 !
I am happy with this unit, been using it 2 years. Worst part is the owner's manual. Never seen such a complicated manual, hard to find anything, and hard to understand when you find it.
This video is spot on. Let me share my experience with the Sena 20S and the Cardo PackTalk Bold. I ride with a group of 9 friends. At first we had a mish mosh of Sena products. Most of us had the 20S and a few had lesser models but they all talked to each other - Sometimes... Sena's were fine one on one but add a couple more riders and connections dropped every few seconds. We were never able to actually get all nine of us in one group. Usually we'd split into two groups but even then riders would drop. In some cases riders from one group would jump into the other group for no reason. Every time we got together we'd have to erase previous groups and start the pairing process over again. Sometimes we'd have to pair the groups twice a day if we turned the units off during lunch. The Sena experience was very frustrating. I feel the company beta tests with their customers and brings a half baked product to market. Sound quality on the Sena's was poor. Theres a constant crackling in the background and the noise gets worse with every rider that's added to a group. Now, after a few seasons with the Sena's we all decided to bite the bullet and purchase Cardo Packtalk Bold units. The difference is night and day. Pair the Cardo with your phone and everything is voice controlled. Voice commands actually work!!! Want to check messages, send a text, make a call, play music, raise or lower volume, it's all voice controlled. I believe we bought the Cardo's in 2018 and once we were all paired together in a single group of nine we've never had to pair again. If a few of us go for a ride it's no issue we pair up as soon as we're in range of one another. While riding, if one group falls out of range with another the riders that are together stay connected. Once we get back together we're all connected again. It just works seamlessly. Sound quality is much improved too. Even without the JBL upgrade the Cardo's have very little background noise. The noise cancelling software works great! No pops or crackling. The mic's are gated (Closed) until a someone speaks. Wind noise, buffeting, or general ambient noise does not trigger the gate and open the mics. The Cardo's are a pleasure! Every feature works as advertised. In other words, Sena = BAD - Cardo = AWESOME.
Ralph, are you grouping your buds with bluetooth? or, are you using the group-function with unlimited riders? My question is: how many bluetooth pairings can be tied with the Cardo Packtalk? - Doug
I've been using the Bold for a few months, riding two-up with my wife and have three complaints. 1) I wish it had better noise cancellation for the exhaust noise. 2) The mic quality could be better, I often have to ask my wife to repeat what she said, but that may also be due to the fact that the mic is also picking up extra background noise which leads back to my first complaint. 3) I would like to be able to completely mute background music during voice coms.
Love my cardo also, me and my buddy's did a lot of research on comms last year before our trip to Montana. WATERPROOF is the number one selling point for us, and it just works like it says it is supposed to. Love you review and agree on everything you said even though I never used a sena. My unit did have a problem with charging port broke but in the process of sending mine in and getting a new replacement free of charge. Under 2 year warranty. Thanks
Great video! I only need GPS and audio. I'm leaning toward the Cardo Freecom 1+. I always wear 33 NRR ear plugs. Hope this combo will work well. GPS audio is primary reason I'm buying.
I'd give it 1/2. I've got Bold Duo pack last year and one of the units arrived with dead battery. This year I've got Slim Duo pack and one of the units stopped to play any sound after a week. Otherwise great product.
I have used both the Sena and the Packtalk. I have one group I travel with and we use the Packtalks on our Harleys with a bluetooth transmitter attached to the headset plug in point. This way we get out sound like gps prompts and music from the boom box. I also ride with HOG localy and they use CB radios. Packtalk hooked up the way I mentioned doesn't work with CB so when I ride with them I use the Harley Sena 20s/whim setup. I can pair the packtalk to the Harley but I don't want to loose stereo sound.
I love the high quality videos/reviews I've been finding lately. Terrific job! I wish you had some of road experience to share as well, for range and re-pair into mesh with constant disconnects
Great review thanks for uploading. Cheers from Australia. I love how responsive it is with your natural accent. I have the Bold and if there was anything i would pick on it is that if i talk normally it isn't as responsive and i usually have to put on an American accent to get it to do what i need.. 1st world problems Haha.
Yes, my Cardo voice command doesn’t work when I am going above 75 mph because the background noice is too loud. Also, the Hey Siri isn’t very reliable.
I literally just saw this review in Feb 2024 and thougth it was really good. I have been using a Sena 10R for years but bought a Packtalk Bold about 2 years ago. I finally mounted the Packtalk in another helmet, so this is my opinion so far. The SENA 10R sounds MUCH better than the Cardo but there are differences. The SENA is louder and cleaner but the Cardo has better bass response. Consider this review is 4 years old, its possible things have changed. Who knows. I still need to spend more time with the Cardo but I can tell you 100% certainty that the iPhone app for Cardo BLOWS AWAY the Sena app. Its phenomenal!! More later...
I bought a set of Packtalk Bold JBLs last July and just returned from a 3,600 mile ride on my K1200LT. Obviously, exhaust noise is not an issue. 😁 However, I had/have two problems with these units. The first problem was the firmware update process. The web interface did not work with Safari on my iMac. I finally had to download Chrome to update my units. I hate Google products so that was not good. Thankfully, a few months later Cardo released their updater app which runs on the Mac and that has worked great so problem solved. The second problem is a real pain and remains unresolved. If you wear ear protection while riding, which I believe everyone should, the music and FM radio volume is far too low. Neither my wife nor I can hear the radio or iPhone music while riding when we are wearing earplugs. We had no such problem with our former BMW brand corded headsets and even the radio from my bike mounted speakers is far better at 70 MPH than is the music from the JBLs. I queried Cardo and after confirming that I had all of the volume settings at max on the phone and the Bolds, they said that wearing earplugs likely will be a problem with the Cardo units. I wish they would let folks know this in advance of making the purchase. The odd thing is that voice commands from my GPS, intercom volume from my wife’s voice and the Cardo unit voice all come through sufficiently loud. It is only music that is too low. Another thing I noticed, and I am curious if others have seen this, is that the music volume drops significantly once the DMC connects to another helmet. Every so often while riding, we would notice our music volume jump up to where we could actually hear it reasonably well and then shortly after it would drop back to being too low. I thought we had a bad connection somehwere so I checked all speaker connections, but all looked good. When I got home, I tried to do a little more troubleshooting following recommendations from Cardo support. They suggested doing a factory reset and pairing all devices afresh. I did this and the volume in my helmet seemed a fair bit louder so I thought I had made some progress. I then turned on my wife’s unit to check hers (I was wearing my helmet) and the music took a huge hit in volume dropping back to dismal levels again. So, I conveyed this to Cardo thinking I had found a problem, but their response was that this is normal as the intercom is “always on” and thus shares audio with the music which lowers it. Quite frrankly, that sounds like a BS response to me. And if the music volume with DMC connected was the same as without it, the speakers would be almost usable with ear plugs. So, the occasional bump in volume we heard while riding was when the DMC momentarily lost its connection. You can talk to your passenger or you can listen to music, but you can’t do both. 😡 I just ordered a set of Fuze ear bud speakers that you can custom mold to fit your ear as I think this is the only way to do all three things at the same time: 1. Have ear protection, 2. Use the DMC intercom, and 3. Have music that is actually audible. The JBL speakers are so low in volume when using earplugs and when DMC is connected, that I stopped even trying to listen to music from my Cardo and just used the bike’s fairing and top case mounted speakers as they have much better volume and fidelity at interstate speeds than do the Cardo Packtalk Bolds. Cardo should sell the units without any speakers for those who ride using earplugs as you could then apply the savings to units like those from earfuze.com.
Some things I have noticed with mine. When I ride solo and do not talk or use it at all for a while it will ignore everything you say. Have to power down and back up. Then with the Iphone too many times it will say I have to unlock my iphone first.
impressive product, and great review. I've been thinking about upgrading my helmet, and *assumed* I would stick with SENA, but I think this beats it hands down.
LAWLZ I literally also had the Sena 20S EVO slim speaker combo. Never opened it and decided to return it and bought Cardo due to the JBL speakers mainly. And so far haven’t used it and I can confidently say I bought the right ones!
Iv just done a 1600 mile round trip to & did the NC500 and back although it performed "ok" the distance between use was nothing like 1000 metres more like half that if we where luckily in a straight line with the aerial's up and when we were talking sometimes it would bring radio on for no apparent reason it got extremely annoying..!!!! Also when riding with a pillion on the back of my bike the sound was not good audible by not good! I would be interested what other people think 🤔
13:01 … You triggered the Google Assistant on your phone, not on the Cardo because the Cardo would have repeated the "Okay Google" command. But the results would be the same.
these have a DEFECT from the factory. the USB charger port will break off and you won't be able to charge it. I would wait to buy one till late fall, there are hundreds still waiting to RMA for repairs.
The Slims only have the problem with the USB charging port - They are in the process of redesign - The Bolds dont have the problem - I had warranty on the Slims and changed them out for the Bolds as i am not waiting for the redesign - Bolds came with the JBL speakers but not activation QR code I also think they are the 42mm not the 45mm JBL (size is the same).. so back to customer support.
@@daleparisotto105 I hope that is true. Cardo replaced my slim that broke with a refurb that broke and then eventually replaced the entire Slim Duopack with the Bold Duo pack. I love the idea of the Slims, but the old design seemed to be prone to some issues. My wife kept using her Slim for awhile, but now it's also having problems, so we will swap that for the other Bold.
really good review. I had purchased the Cardo but, had trouble with communicating via cell phone. the audio level to the other person was so low they had to crank it to full volume. had the mic aimed as per instructions too. trined the boo with the same result. couldn't get it to work so I returned it. I have heard otheers complain about the same thing. loved it otherwise.
Thank for the video! Question! Do you get to record both the helmet speaker audio AND your mic audio? Or just what the speakers play? Do you also have to record your mic another way to get your talking audio. Thanks!
If the voice control is now so good, wouldn't the next version be better as a Liitle black box that you put in you pocket... like a push to talk radio???
Thanks for this awesome review mate... I’m especially intrigued to hear that I can possibly run my comms directly into my camera with the 4.5mm splitter 🙌🏼🙌🏼 can’t wait to see the set up video you mentioned in this video 👍🏼
It won't give full functionality unless you went with a freewire instead of the whim . The only units that will give stereo with the boombox is the Harley branded senas.
..just purchased / upgraded to the BOLD from the Cardo 3, still learning the device but very happy, love the review video you created, maybe you can do a series of what if videos for the bold..example, I have a echo when talking to my wife on the back but not with other group riders? Thank you again. Tucson Arizona
I always have problem with the voice commands sometimes they work and some times doesn't. The google almost never works for me. Only problem I have with it
@@Kwikrnu I realize try speaking to it in a slowly and steady voice and it will work right a little more. Seems like an annoying thing. But it like a 70%chance it well work better talking slower and steadier.
I had a Sena smh 10, and 20s both were horrible with wind noise and battery life. Sold them both picked up a cardo smartpack.....worse product i ever had was about to try a sena 30k but there was a sale on pactalk bold so decided to give it a short thinking the smartpack mustve been faulty. Aftet updating it, learning the commands , and watching youtube setup videos I was very happy with the unit. That being said, cardos customer service is horrible, my only gripe
Excellent review. Only complaint is comments on the Y connector for your recorder- I have the Cardo Q3 and the Sena 20S and both have one earphone jack, so unless you know others that have multiple jacks that should not have been included in the review. Also, I think the waterproofness is a major plus, which you downplayed
I watch this review very amazed to be honest. Personały I have a Scala Rider G9, which is the most expensive p... of s... I ever have bought. Even when I connect it to one other unit it gives me all kind of connectivity problems which I truly hate. I got three units lose some features just because I wanted to listen to the radio while being connected to my satnav. After several minutes the unit froze and was never the same again. On the fourth unit I never put the radio on due to this experience. I almost cannot believe that this one is all over 9 of 10. I'd give my G9 - 2 out of 10. Anyway thanks ...
Have you reviewed the cardo boom mic? I plan to use it on a 3/4 helmet, and possibly a half helmet. In the video you mentioned it picked up wind under the passenger helmet.
Great, great, great review dude!!! Very honest. I have 2 freecom 4 units for 2 up riding for quite some time now, bought them brand new, I use mine every single day as I use my bike for my daily commute, and I never had any problems. I may upgrade in the future, but never to a different brand.
What impressed me the most is the wife went into Sam's club to renew her card. She forgot to turn it off. I was outside (granted in the pick up - drop off lane but still, heard everything, never dropped out. To go through a commercial building like that was impressive. I upgraded to the Cardio PacTalk Slim from the old Sena 5MH so with the difference in technology hard to do a fair comparison but I was totally impressed. I used to love the "Hello, Sena, intercom failed" on your group rides. As a consumer I love competition. It used to suck that for the longest time Sena was the only real game in town, none of the other wanna be's came close.
Justin...You have turned me into a review lover! Never was big on review videos until watching yours. The depth of your reviews, and your well thought out content is riveting to say the least! Thanks so much...I will watch any review video, no matter what the topic! Well done sir!
Great review. The clarity and noise reduction is stellar, but I rate the battery for my new unit a 7/10. On full charge, I got 9 hours of use before it shut off from low battery. I just did intermittent comments (not conversations) and I wasn't piping music in. I do need to update the firmware today, so hopefully I get more life out of it. I do think it's an awesome unit though. Just like in your group, I frequently asked my friend if he heard me. The units were SO quiet, I had to check that they were actually working! Great product. 9/10 on the earplug connector. Would be nice if the jack were on the unit or base, and the speakers could stay permanent and just cut over to plugs when plugged in.
I got the Slim JBL Duo pack and like them a lot. I think the app should have the option of capturing/saving the audio into a file that you can replay or edit into your video. Your Y splitter should be completely unnecessary and rube-goldbergish. I looked for separate audio capture apps and haven't found a satisfactory one yet. A couple I tested just captured the native phone mic and not Bluetooth. Another got the Bluetooth audio, but wouldn't operate in background, etc. It would be simplest if the cardo app did this.
Hello, I just found this video because I was looking to purchase my first Bluetooth communicator. I greatly appreciate how thorough you are. Not sure if you will see this comment. I know how busy you are at your new place. First question is, do you still like the Packtalk? Do you know anyone that has one that has it connected to a 2021 or newer Indian? I ride a 2021 Roadmaster Limited. I just ordered the Packtalk Bold. Looking for any tips. Thank You, take care. Jim
Yes I finally finished the video! For what ever reason as soon as I would hit play.... BOOM! Distraction. That aside I really like all of the comparison points including the passenger perspective. Well done 👍 👏
Brilliant review, thank you so much, I am looking for helmet Bluetooth systems and your review and explanation gave me huge insight on my quest for one.
I am researching Sena and Pack Talk, this video has made my selection for Pack Talk. Does it have a remote control for my wrist? Greatly appreciate your candid and honest review.
We are three riders and ordered three cardo from USA but we found that the range of our cardo is just 500 mts and as we go beyond 600 to 700 mtrs it gets completely blank cau u suggest us what must b the reason for it
So if you are not recording and want to use the head phones , you can eliminate the speakers that come with the unit correct??? Meaning you can still hear music, calls and conversations out of the headphones. Thank you in advance!
Hay man kinda not relevent to the cardo bold but , have you tried the cardo packtalk slim on the Simpson ghost bandit by any chance or seen one on this lid , I have this helmet and love it and wanted to use a com and cardo seems king at the moment , really enjoyed the video too man like how you put your videos together 👍
I am going to start using musicians in ear monitors connected to me cardo and leave my speakers out of the mess. I've been using earbuds but I want the iems for their ambient nose blocking attributes and their high sound quality.
Great job on the in-depth review of the Cardo Bold Bluetooth headset. I just watched you review on the headset from 2019, any updated reviews on any newer Bluetooth headset by cardo? I just purchased the 20S EVO dual set. Having second thoughts on keeping them after watching your review.
Does anyone else have an issue where you turn your head to the Cardo side and the audio cuts off for a second or two. This happens on my Arai helmet and my icon helmet. Same unit but different docking stations. It’s worse on the Arai where I use the clip to mount it. I used the stick on mount for the Icon
Does the Cardo music also work with the CZcams music app? Sofar I only have seen testers mentioning the Cardo app itself and I was wondering. Cause that would be a big point for me to get it or not. It did look like you used the CZcams music app. Great video btw 👍
I can't answer with 100% confidence if you can run it through the actual cardo app, but I can confirm that you can use CZcams music and keep all functionality (stop,start,skip, volume, etc.) with the physical buttons on the Cardo itself
I'm entirely new to Motorcycle Comms, complete newb if you will. One quick question - if I were to get a Cardo, and my friend chose an Interphone - can we still talk to each other? I know the Bluetooth Standard says yes - but with things moving to mesh I'm unsure?
Fantastic video! Many thanks for sharing this. One question about your splitter/audio recorder setup: will your voice be recorded anytime you speak or only when the intercom is being used?
Saw you were using SPOTIFY to play your music. I bought the PTB Duo for me and my pillion coz I was under the impression that I could cast my downloaded offline Spotify Playlist to my pillion while maintaining coms. ..... You cannot. ...... Wish a firmware upgrade would rectify this just like sharing a phone conversation with anyone connected with you. Btw, great review! Spot on with your details. Cheers!
This is one of the best reviews I have ever seen on CZcams. Every question I had you answered. Thank you! I am convinced
Very professional, complete review. One of the better gear reviews on the ‘Tube. Definitely going to check out some more of your content.
Peace.
Peace
Sena Marketing 10/10
Sena Product 5/10
No way!! Sena marketing its 0!! Cardo marketing 10/10, including videos like this.
I can vouch for everything in this video. I now have three of these units. They are awesome! Top Dollar for sure! Don't miss the Sena 20S units - which never worked properly, even when Sena tried to get them to work.
I have just bought the Pack Talk Bold. I am not a technology person simplicity is excellent for me I am going for a ride tomorrow for a test with my wife in the car. thank you for our excellent detailed video. you showed me how to take the unit out of the holder
Communications for this device are GREAT. I agree with the 9/10. I use this more for two up riding and phone calls and even on the interstate at 65-75 mph and the person on the other side of the call had no idea I was on two wheels. 👍
Thank you for your very through review of the Cardo Bold. We have been considering these and the Sena 20 or 30, but have been leaning toward the Cardo. This review has sold me!!
You will be more than happy with packtalk. Try to get the JBL version ;) A little better audio :)
Wish I would have seen this before I bought our Sena’s. But we got a two pack when Revzilla has them on sale for $379 so we did alright. Great video!
Do it like i did. Destroy your Sena by riding in rain - then send it back for
warranty replacement and sell the new that returns online for half the price, did work for me: For phones and Senas....
I'd like to disagree with you. I have the Shoei SRL-1 (which is a Sena 20S), and the Cardo Packtalk Slim, and have put both through extensive use. But I can't disagree. The Cardo blows the Sena out of the water. It's 1000% better. Get the Cardo Packtalk Bold/Slim, you won't regret it for a second.
I have read the same kind of comment all over the place. But is the packtalk bold easily integrated with the Shoei Neotec 2?
@@issamelsayd Unfortunately, no. The Neotec II has been designed for the SRL-1. There is no way to clamp the Cardo to the helmet. You can glue it to the outside, but you'd have to stick it further back than normal because of the SRL mounting point.
Is it the same problem with a Shoe GT Air?
The speaker/headphone 3.5mm audio jack on the Cardo is a TRS.
I get it, this review was in 2019. I purchased this in the Duo pack 3 days ago. (My wife rides her own bike.) At the end of a 11 1/2 hour ride on Saturday evening. Her words: "This communications thing, has to be the best investment since getting both bikes, I love it!" Her mic picks up wind noise (only when she's talking) at speeds above 70mph. I blame that on her helmet / windshield combination. (Some wind buffeting at that speed). We were riding twisty mountain roads most of the day. Cardo, never dropped a word! This sure takes the confusion out of the ride! 10/10 !
I am happy with this unit, been using it 2 years. Worst part is the owner's manual. Never seen such a complicated manual, hard to find anything, and hard to understand when you find it.
I found the same before buy it, sena explain better their system.
This video is spot on. Let me share my experience with the Sena 20S and the Cardo PackTalk Bold. I ride with a group of 9 friends. At first we had a mish mosh of Sena products. Most of us had the 20S and a few had lesser models but they all talked to each other - Sometimes... Sena's were fine one on one but add a couple more riders and connections dropped every few seconds. We were never able to actually get all nine of us in one group. Usually we'd split into two groups but even then riders would drop. In some cases riders from one group would jump into the other group for no reason. Every time we got together we'd have to erase previous groups and start the pairing process over again. Sometimes we'd have to pair the groups twice a day if we turned the units off during lunch. The Sena experience was very frustrating. I feel the company beta tests with their customers and brings a half baked product to market. Sound quality on the Sena's was poor. Theres a constant crackling in the background and the noise gets worse with every rider that's added to a group.
Now, after a few seasons with the Sena's we all decided to bite the bullet and purchase Cardo Packtalk Bold units. The difference is night and day. Pair the Cardo with your phone and everything is voice controlled. Voice commands actually work!!! Want to check messages, send a text, make a call, play music, raise or lower volume, it's all voice controlled. I believe we bought the Cardo's in 2018 and once we were all paired together in a single group of nine we've never had to pair again. If a few of us go for a ride it's no issue we pair up as soon as we're in range of one another. While riding, if one group falls out of range with another the riders that are together stay connected. Once we get back together we're all connected again. It just works seamlessly. Sound quality is much improved too. Even without the JBL upgrade the Cardo's have very little background noise. The noise cancelling software works great! No pops or crackling. The mic's are gated (Closed) until a someone speaks. Wind noise, buffeting, or general ambient noise does not trigger the gate and open the mics. The Cardo's are a pleasure! Every feature works as advertised. In other words, Sena = BAD - Cardo = AWESOME.
Ralph, are you grouping your buds with bluetooth? or, are you using the group-function with unlimited riders? My question is: how many bluetooth pairings can be tied with the Cardo Packtalk? - Doug
Amazon has the 2pk JBL for $415 or slim for $409. I’m seriously considering the purchase.
I've been using the Bold for a few months, riding two-up with my wife and have three complaints. 1) I wish it had better noise cancellation for the exhaust noise. 2) The mic quality could be better, I often have to ask my wife to repeat what she said, but that may also be due to the fact that the mic is also picking up extra background noise which leads back to my first complaint. 3) I would like to be able to completely mute background music during voice coms.
What helmet are you using?
you should be able to solve these issues with settings for the headsets thru the Cardo app on your phone.
Love my cardo also, me and my buddy's did a lot of research on comms last year before our trip to Montana. WATERPROOF is the number one selling point for us, and it just works like it says it is supposed to. Love you review and agree on everything you said even though I never used a sena. My unit did have a problem with charging port broke but in the process of sending mine in and getting a new replacement free of charge. Under 2 year warranty. Thanks
Great video! I only need GPS and audio. I'm leaning toward the Cardo Freecom 1+. I always wear 33 NRR ear plugs. Hope this combo will work well. GPS audio is primary reason I'm buying.
Any updates? Have you purchased a unit yet? I'm currently interested in purchasing a Bluetooth communicator for the same reasons as you.
I bought one just days before this video. Could of used that 10%. Riding to Lake Ozark in a couple weeks, will be using it.
I'd give it 1/2. I've got Bold Duo pack last year and one of the units arrived with dead battery. This year I've got Slim Duo pack and one of the units stopped to play any sound after a week. Otherwise great product.
Good thing they have a warranty
I have used both the Sena and the Packtalk. I have one group I travel with and we use the Packtalks on our Harleys with a bluetooth transmitter attached to the headset plug in point. This way we get out sound like gps prompts and music from the boom box. I also ride with HOG localy and they use CB radios. Packtalk hooked up the way I mentioned doesn't work with CB so when I ride with them I use the Harley Sena 20s/whim setup. I can pair the packtalk to the Harley but I don't want to loose stereo sound.
Been thinking about getting this! Thank you for the review!
I’ve been really debating on what communicator to purchase. Really helpful video. Very informative. Keep it up bro 🤘🏽
I love the high quality videos/reviews I've been finding lately. Terrific job! I wish you had some of road experience to share as well, for range and re-pair into mesh with constant disconnects
Great review thanks for uploading. Cheers from Australia. I love how responsive it is with your natural accent. I have the Bold and if there was anything i would pick on it is that if i talk normally it isn't as responsive and i usually have to put on an American accent to get it to do what i need.. 1st world problems Haha.
We Americans don't have an accent. 😂🤔
Voice Command doesn't always work on my Packtalk Bold. Has anyone else had thos problem? BTW, the JBL speakers are great.
Yes, my Cardo voice command doesn’t work when I am going above 75 mph because the background noice is too loud. Also, the Hey Siri isn’t very reliable.
I literally just saw this review in Feb 2024 and thougth it was really good. I have been using a Sena 10R for years but bought a Packtalk Bold about 2 years ago. I finally mounted the Packtalk in another helmet, so this is my opinion so far. The SENA 10R sounds MUCH better than the Cardo but there are differences. The SENA is louder and cleaner but the Cardo has better bass response. Consider this review is 4 years old, its possible things have changed. Who knows. I still need to spend more time with the Cardo but I can tell you 100% certainty that the iPhone app for Cardo BLOWS AWAY the Sena app. Its phenomenal!! More later...
I bought a set of Packtalk Bold JBLs last July and just returned from a 3,600 mile ride on my K1200LT. Obviously, exhaust noise is not an issue. 😁
However, I had/have two problems with these units. The first problem was the firmware update process. The web interface did not work with Safari on my iMac. I finally had to download Chrome to update my units. I hate Google products so that was not good. Thankfully, a few months later Cardo released their updater app which runs on the Mac and that has worked great so problem solved.
The second problem is a real pain and remains unresolved. If you wear ear protection while riding, which I believe everyone should, the music and FM radio volume is far too low. Neither my wife nor I can hear the radio or iPhone music while riding when we are wearing earplugs. We had no such problem with our former BMW brand corded headsets and even the radio from my bike mounted speakers is far better at 70 MPH than is the music from the JBLs. I queried Cardo and after confirming that I had all of the volume settings at max on the phone and the Bolds, they said that wearing earplugs likely will be a problem with the Cardo units. I wish they would let folks know this in advance of making the purchase. The odd thing is that voice commands from my GPS, intercom volume from my wife’s voice and the Cardo unit voice all come through sufficiently loud. It is only music that is too low.
Another thing I noticed, and I am curious if others have seen this, is that the music volume drops significantly once the DMC connects to another helmet. Every so often while riding, we would notice our music volume jump up to where we could actually hear it reasonably well and then shortly after it would drop back to being too low. I thought we had a bad connection somehwere so I checked all speaker connections, but all looked good. When I got home, I tried to do a little more troubleshooting following recommendations from Cardo support. They suggested doing a factory reset and pairing all devices afresh. I did this and the volume in my helmet seemed a fair bit louder so I thought I had made some progress. I then turned on my wife’s unit to check hers (I was wearing my helmet) and the music took a huge hit in volume dropping back to dismal levels again. So, I conveyed this to Cardo thinking I had found a problem, but their response was that this is normal as the intercom is “always on” and thus shares audio with the music which lowers it. Quite frrankly, that sounds like a BS response to me. And if the music volume with DMC connected was the same as without it, the speakers would be almost usable with ear plugs. So, the occasional bump in volume we heard while riding was when the DMC momentarily lost its connection. You can talk to your passenger or you can listen to music, but you can’t do both. 😡
I just ordered a set of Fuze ear bud speakers that you can custom mold to fit your ear as I think this is the only way to do all three things at the same time: 1. Have ear protection, 2. Use the DMC intercom, and 3. Have music that is actually audible. The JBL speakers are so low in volume when using earplugs and when DMC is connected, that I stopped even trying to listen to music from my Cardo and just used the bike’s fairing and top case mounted speakers as they have much better volume and fidelity at interstate speeds than do the Cardo Packtalk Bolds.
Cardo should sell the units without any speakers for those who ride using earplugs as you could then apply the savings to units like those from earfuze.com.
U can adjust this setting its auto adjusting ur volume
@@theamishhitman71 How does one adjust this?
Fantastic review…very well done. Answered all of my questions.
Some things I have noticed with mine. When I ride solo and do not talk or use it at all for a while it will ignore everything you say. Have to power down and back up. Then with the Iphone too many times it will say I have to unlock my iphone first.
impressive product, and great review. I've been thinking about upgrading my helmet, and *assumed* I would stick with SENA, but I think this beats it hands down.
Do you know if the included JBL speakers are the 42mm or the 45mm they sell as options?
I wish mine was responding to voice command like yours...some times is ok, but most of the times it doesn't respond to voice command at all sadly
I had the same problem. Had to move the boom mic farther over in front of my month. Make sure the little arrow is toward your mouth.
Was confused between sena & cardo.. Bought cardo and best decision
Had a sena duo pack and just tossed it. Not very good. Hoping good things from cardo
LAWLZ I literally also had the Sena 20S EVO slim speaker combo. Never opened it and decided to return it and bought Cardo due to the JBL speakers mainly. And so far haven’t used it and I can confidently say I bought the right ones!
So I research it because started riding again before that I was injury in bad fall at work took couple of years back walking!
Iv just done a 1600 mile round trip to & did the NC500 and back although it performed "ok" the distance between use was nothing like 1000 metres more like half that if we where luckily in a straight line with the aerial's up and when we were talking sometimes it would bring radio on for no apparent reason it got extremely annoying..!!!! Also when riding with a pillion on the back of my bike the sound was not good audible by not good! I would be interested what other people think 🤔
13:01 … You triggered the Google Assistant on your phone, not on the Cardo because the Cardo would have repeated the "Okay Google" command. But the results would be the same.
these have a DEFECT from the factory.
the USB charger port will break off and you won't be able to charge it.
I would wait to buy one till late fall, there are hundreds still waiting to RMA for repairs.
I had that problem but they replaced it. And sent new so they have good customer service
The Slims only have the problem with the USB charging port - They are in the process of redesign - The Bolds dont have the problem - I had warranty on the Slims and changed them out for the Bolds as i am not waiting for the redesign - Bolds came with the JBL speakers but not activation QR code I also think they are the 42mm not the 45mm JBL (size is the same).. so back to customer support.
@@daleparisotto105 I hope that is true. Cardo replaced my slim that broke with a refurb that broke and then eventually replaced the entire Slim Duopack with the Bold Duo pack. I love the idea of the Slims, but the old design seemed to be prone to some issues. My wife kept using her Slim for awhile, but now it's also having problems, so we will swap that for the other Bold.
This review is a lot better than I thought it would be. Great job and you now have a new subscriber!
I got to sample 2 other devices I know one was a sena the other idk... but definitely the sound quality of the cardo was the best.
really good review. I had purchased the Cardo but, had trouble with communicating via cell phone. the audio level to the other person was so low they had to crank it to full volume. had the mic aimed as per instructions too. trined the boo with the same result. couldn't get it to work so I returned it. I have heard otheers complain about the same thing. loved it otherwise.
Thank for the video! Question! Do you get to record both the helmet speaker audio AND your mic audio? Or just what the speakers play? Do you also have to record your mic another way to get your talking audio.
Thanks!
Great video! Your breakdown of the unit was easy to follow and understand. Keep up the great work.
Just doing the Cardo vs Sena dance, now ... thanks for this ...
If you ride in groups and go with Sena, you'll be doing the Sena pairing dance soon.
Thank you for the review, i just picked up the duo pack and was looking for more info before i mounted it. Great review!
Great review! I’ll be picking mine up from Cycle Gear in McAllen, Tx for $288! So excited…ride safe!
out standing this is what i was looking for to see how it sounds on the go wow i'm hook going to order these thanks buddy two thumps up
I've got the 45mm JBL in one helmet and the standard 40mm in my other helmet... I can't tell the difference in a helmet.
Did yours come with an activation QR code for Audio Profile? - are you using the latest firmware update?
@@daleparisotto105 I don't recall seeing one. Yes, latest firmware.
If the voice control is now so good, wouldn't the next version be better as a Liitle black box that you put in you pocket... like a push to talk radio???
Thanks for this awesome review mate... I’m especially intrigued to hear that I can possibly run my comms directly into my camera with the 4.5mm splitter 🙌🏼🙌🏼 can’t wait to see the set up video you mentioned in this video 👍🏼
How does this unit work with Harley Boom box? I know Harley uses Sena and rebrands their name and software on it.
It won't give full functionality unless you went with a freewire instead of the whim . The only units that will give stereo with the boombox is the Harley branded senas.
..just purchased / upgraded to the BOLD from the Cardo 3, still learning the device but very happy, love the review video you created, maybe you can do a series of what if videos for the bold..example, I have a echo when talking to my wife on the back but not with other group riders? Thank you again. Tucson Arizona
I always have problem with the voice commands sometimes they work and some times doesn't. The google almost never works for me. Only problem I have with it
I also have problems with the Cardo voice commands. Checked setting in the app, moved the microphone around. Still doesn’t work well
@@Kwikrnu I realize try speaking to it in a slowly and steady voice and it will work right a little more. Seems like an annoying thing. But it like a 70%chance it well work better talking slower and steadier.
I had a Sena smh 10, and 20s both were horrible with wind noise and battery life. Sold them both picked up a cardo smartpack.....worse product i ever had was about to try a sena 30k but there was a sale on pactalk bold so decided to give it a short thinking the smartpack mustve been faulty. Aftet updating it, learning the commands , and watching youtube setup videos I was very happy with the unit. That being said, cardos customer service is horrible, my only gripe
Excellent review. Only complaint is comments on the Y connector for your recorder- I have the Cardo Q3 and the Sena 20S and both have one earphone jack, so unless you know others that have multiple jacks that should not have been included in the review. Also, I think the waterproofness is a major plus, which you downplayed
I watch this review very amazed to be honest. Personały I have a Scala Rider G9, which is the most expensive p... of s... I ever have bought. Even when I connect it to one other unit it gives me all kind of connectivity problems which I truly hate. I got three units lose some features just because I wanted to listen to the radio while being connected to my satnav. After several minutes the unit froze and was never the same again. On the fourth unit I never put the radio on due to this experience. I almost cannot believe that this one is all over 9 of 10. I'd give my G9 - 2 out of 10. Anyway thanks ...
Have you reviewed the cardo boom mic? I plan to use it on a 3/4 helmet, and possibly a half helmet. In the video you mentioned it picked up wind under the passenger helmet.
Great, great, great review dude!!! Very honest. I have 2 freecom 4 units for 2 up riding for quite some time now, bought them brand new, I use mine every single day as I use my bike for my daily commute, and I never had any problems. I may upgrade in the future, but never to a different brand.
What impressed me the most is the wife went into Sam's club to renew her card. She forgot to turn it off. I was outside (granted in the pick up - drop off lane but still, heard everything, never dropped out. To go through a commercial building like that was impressive. I upgraded to the Cardio PacTalk Slim from the old Sena 5MH so with the difference in technology hard to do a fair comparison but I was totally impressed. I used to love the "Hello, Sena, intercom failed" on your group rides. As a consumer I love competition. It used to suck that for the longest time Sena was the only real game in town, none of the other wanna be's came close.
What about hearing music on ultra ? It picks up or cuts out?
@@efreund1 Not sure I understand ultra so I'm going to say, I don't know.
N3PRO Dave sorry. Meant to say Harley ultra limited to BNB.
Justin...You have turned me into a review lover! Never was big on review videos until watching yours. The depth of your reviews, and your well thought out content is riveting to say the least! Thanks so much...I will watch any review video, no matter what the topic! Well done sir!
Great review. The clarity and noise reduction is stellar, but I rate the battery for my new unit a 7/10. On full charge, I got 9 hours of use before it shut off from low battery. I just did intermittent comments (not conversations) and I wasn't piping music in. I do need to update the firmware today, so hopefully I get more life out of it. I do think it's an awesome unit though. Just like in your group, I frequently asked my friend if he heard me. The units were SO quiet, I had to check that they were actually working! Great product. 9/10 on the earplug connector. Would be nice if the jack were on the unit or base, and the speakers could stay permanent and just cut over to plugs when plugged in.
Hey Chris, just out of pure curiosity, where you running headphones or the speakers for those 9 hours of battery life?
Just bought mine , installing on LS II tomorrow...
Oh by the way......Amazon's price is $251 and some change......I paid $288 before I discovered this.......
I got the Slim JBL Duo pack and like them a lot.
I think the app should have the option of capturing/saving the audio into a file that you can replay or edit into your video. Your Y splitter should be completely unnecessary and rube-goldbergish.
I looked for separate audio capture apps and haven't found a satisfactory one yet. A couple I tested just captured the native phone mic and not Bluetooth. Another got the Bluetooth audio, but wouldn't operate in background, etc. It would be simplest if the cardo app did this.
Hello, I just found this video because I was looking to purchase my first Bluetooth communicator. I greatly appreciate how thorough you are. Not sure if you will see this comment. I know how busy you are at your new place. First question is, do you still like the Packtalk? Do you know anyone that has one that has it connected to a 2021 or newer Indian? I ride a 2021 Roadmaster Limited. I just ordered the Packtalk Bold. Looking for any tips. Thank You, take care. Jim
Great review! Definitely helped me decide. Thanks for taking the time to post.
Glad I could help!
Yes I finally finished the video! For what ever reason as soon as I would hit play.... BOOM! Distraction. That aside I really like all of the comparison points including the passenger perspective. Well done 👍 👏
Thanks for the review. I've been looking at alot of different systems for the wife and I. This might be the system I go with.
I have these and as far as they go at speed the volume level is very poor you can’t hear the other person or music because of the wind noise.
My voice recognition sucks on my cardo slim it seem like it wants to work when it wants too
Brilliant review, thank you so much, I am looking for helmet Bluetooth systems and your review and explanation gave me huge insight on my quest for one.
I am researching Sena and Pack Talk, this video has made my selection for Pack Talk. Does it have a remote control for my wrist? Greatly appreciate your candid and honest review.
I just purchased a cardo backtalk bold duo, I'm worried, I'm not to tech savvy. I wish for someone to help me with how to get started...
Being a vologger check out the forcite smart helmet
Great review thank you my wife and I when allowed to ride again will be getting this Bluetooth product
Don't do it bro..
@@Bowiehair why not
We are three riders and ordered three cardo from USA but we found that the range of our cardo is just 500 mts and as we go beyond 600 to 700 mtrs it gets completely blank cau u suggest us what must b the reason for it
i see it on amazon for 228! packtalk bold (single)
I just got $50 off a New Slim because of your referral code, good looks brother.
So if you are not recording and want to use the head phones , you can eliminate the speakers that come with the unit correct??? Meaning you can still hear music, calls and conversations out of the headphones. Thank you in advance!
Yup! It's a standard 3.5 mm adapter. On longer rides I ditch the speakers and run exclusively headphones just like you described
My cousin use this because he is work for Master Range Sheriff Academy & he want me get same thing too!
Hay man kinda not relevent to the cardo bold but , have you tried the cardo packtalk slim on the Simpson ghost bandit by any chance or seen one on this lid , I have this helmet and love it and wanted to use a com and cardo seems king at the moment , really enjoyed the video too man like how you put your videos together 👍
I am going to start using musicians in ear monitors connected to me cardo and leave my speakers out of the mess. I've been using earbuds but I want the iems for their ambient nose blocking attributes and their high sound quality.
Great job on the in-depth review of the Cardo Bold Bluetooth headset. I just watched you review on the headset from 2019, any updated reviews on any newer Bluetooth headset by cardo? I just purchased the 20S EVO dual set. Having second thoughts on keeping them after watching your review.
I just installed the Cardo into an HJC IS Max 2 modular helmet. The voice command recognition does not work for me with the chin bar closed.
Does anyone else have an issue where you turn your head to the Cardo side and the audio cuts off for a second or two. This happens on my Arai helmet and my icon helmet. Same unit but different docking stations. It’s worse on the Arai where I use the clip to mount it. I used the stick on mount for the Icon
good reviews. You are a very articulate man... I don't know how to explain, it flows well.
Does the Cardo music also work with the CZcams music app? Sofar I only have seen testers mentioning the Cardo app itself and I was wondering. Cause that would be a big point for me to get it or not. It did look like you used the CZcams music app.
Great video btw 👍
I can't answer with 100% confidence if you can run it through the actual cardo app, but I can confirm that you can use CZcams music and keep all functionality (stop,start,skip, volume, etc.) with the physical buttons on the Cardo itself
You caused my Google Home Mini to send directions for the nearest gas station to my phone. 8^))
I have a question, I run a radar detector on my bike. Is there a way to connect my radar detector on the unit using 3.5 audio connector?
I'm entirely new to Motorcycle Comms, complete newb if you will. One quick question - if I were to get a Cardo, and my friend chose an Interphone - can we still talk to each other? I know the Bluetooth Standard says yes - but with things moving to mesh I'm unsure?
Wondering if speakers will fit in the cutouts in my shoei x-14
Packtalk Black and Packtalk Bold and Packtalk Lite... are these communications devices or Marlboro cigarettes?
Hi buddy great review. If I am listening to music/radio will I still get turn by turn directions from my phones sat nav ? Subscribed 👌
I found voice commands hit and miss, subject to clarity but no complaints after that
Fantastic video! Many thanks for sharing this. One question about your splitter/audio recorder setup: will your voice be recorded anytime you speak or only when the intercom is being used?
9/10 for the review sir, Boom Boom ;) Thanks for the review, very informative and reinforces my decision to get a pair.
Saw you were using SPOTIFY to play your music.
I bought the PTB Duo for me and my pillion coz I was under the impression that I could cast my downloaded offline Spotify Playlist to my pillion while maintaining coms.
..... You cannot. ......
Wish a firmware upgrade would rectify this just like sharing a phone conversation with anyone connected with you.
Btw, great review! Spot on with your details.
Cheers!
Why doesn't your pillion download the same playlist and you both press play at the same time?
Answered all my questions and I just ordered one. Nice job!
Can you hear phone calls and music better by listening with earbuds compared to JBL speakers that are installed inside helmet?
It is always better with regular earbuds. Because of noise canceling.
Sulos Thanks. I’m gonna try it out
Thanks for your review. Have you ever heard the IASUS X Sound 3 speakers with this blue tooth unit?
Can I use my AirPod Pro instead of the speaker and/or microphone with this unit?