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Helmet communication system

robertsco

robertsco

New member
I've been sporting a Klim Krios Pro for the better part of two years and love the helmet. During that time I have resisted putting any kind of communication system in the helmet.
Kinda old school that way, but there are certain advantages to having a helmet system.
My question to the Community is, given the helmet, what is the best system to put in?
 
Might want to stay with hand signals.
The last 4 years I have been running both a Sena and a Cardo on 2 different helmets and have been
more than disappointed with both of them.
 
I don't have any experience with a Cardo newer than at least 10 years old so I can't compare Cardo to the Sena units I have been happy with the last 10 years. I moved from a SMH-5FM to the Sena 20 then to a Sena 50S in my own helmet and 5 years ago bought a 10S for my wife's helmet. I ride in groups of 5 or less, occasionally with my wife as pillion, or solo. Sena units have worked well for me. Units that offer mesh rider-to-rider communication are definitely a step up from Bluetooth rider-to-rider connections. Whether Sena is best or not I don't know but if I have to buy another one it will be Sena. I am an all weather rider of about 20,000 miles a year and while Sena does not use "waterproof" in specifications my experience is they are water resistant enough to live through long periods of moderate to heavy rain.
 
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I also wear a Klim Krios Pro. I have used the Cardo PackTalk Bold unit since 2017.

The unit is easy to install on the Krios, one can use either the JBL speakers that come with the PT Bold (wearing custom ear plugs) or use a set of Ear Buds. I have alternated between the two.

Prior to switching to the Cardo PT Bold, I had several Sena units - 10 and 20 as I recall. They were not waterproof, which the Cardo PT Bold is. The Sena units would get wet in a rain and then cease to work. I think Sena replaced them 4 times for me.

I like the Mesh Comms on the Cardo, we have a group of six that rode to the Copper Canyon last March, all equipped with the PT Bold units, the comms were excellent and seamless, once paired the first time, simple to do, one could enter and leave the group seamlessly.

If you have specific questions send me a PM and we can discuss further via PM or by phone.
 
The Cardo system has been great so far. My brother and I switched from Bold to Edge and our little 4 man group has a Slim and a Black (Bold) in it as well. We link up every time when we meet up at our local gas station. My brother and I had Sena with Schuberth and were underwhelmed with it to say the least, as it needed a reboot almost every time my brother and I wanted to connect. Never looked back after switching a few years ago. YMMV
 
robertsco said:
My question to the Community is, given the helmet, what is the best system to put in?
Click to expand...

One that you can hear at highway speeds. Now that would be a bonus!

I have a Sena. Its sole purpose was to connect to my BMW Navigator V, listening to the built-in radio and my MP3 player. All I can say is, what a waste of money.
 
GlobalRider said:
One that you can hear at highway speeds. Now that would be a bonus!

I have a Sena. Its sole purpose was to connect to my BMW Navigator V, listening to the built-in radio and my MP3 player. All I can say is, what a waste of money.
Click to expand...

Try the Cardo and you will hear your GPS, Radio, MP3 or, dare I say it, your phone.... :deal.
Besides connectivity between riders, listening to other sources was barely possible too... YMMV
 
RIDERR1150GSADV said:
Try the Cardo and you will hear your GPS, Radio, MP3 or, dare I say it, your phone.... :deal.
Besides connectivity between riders, listening to other sources was barely possible too... YMMV
Click to expand...

The only way that is going to happen is if the shop gives me a unit I can try for the weekend with the possibility of a full refund.
 
GlobalRider said:
The only way that is going to happen is if the shop gives me a unit I can try for the weekend with the possibility of a full refund.
Click to expand...

Too bad you are far away, I've got a Cardo PT Bold loaner unit I have let many folks try and I'd be glad to let you try it as well. Each person that has tried it has then bought one for themselves.
 
The "best system to put in" if you want full compatibility with the radio that came with your BMW is the BMW system ... called BMW Communicator.
 
I don’t think there is a “best” system, it’s a matter of what works best for you. Unlike some of the other responses here, I’ve been using Sena units since the 20s and I’ve been generally happy with them. Since I did my purchases on Amazon and Revzilla, the couple of times I did have issues with a unit I was able to exchange them without issue.

At least for the Sena units, sound quality and volume is sensitive to speaker positioning in the helmet. They need to be positioned directly over the ears for the best volume and quality. Just a little off and it will drastically affect both.

I think head shape, helmet type, and speaker type all need to line up. So again, I believe the “best” system is the one that matches up with you on an individual basis.
 
Started with the sena 20s. Fine unit for playing my mp3 files once paired. It's been bullet proof since 2018.

In 2020, my brother and I bought Cardo PTBolds [ two each ]. They came paired to each other as a pair already. We brought them back to the house and paired our units with each other in about 5 minutes tops. I have the same mp3's playing music on both of mine, he uses his to listen to music on his phone.

They've never failed to connect when turned on, the JBL speakers are loud enough for me to hear music at 80mph on the highway without straining to listen to them, have been fully waterproof through some pretty nasty storms. They claim up to a mile, that's horse pucky. Ours will drop the connection if we're 4-500 feet apart. Putting the antenna up extends that range to near 1/4 mile. I'm a Cardo PTB proponent. I don't pair my gps, I don't want the turn by turn directions and prefer to just look at the screen.
 
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