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Bluetooth Helmet Headset

Discussion in 'Clothing, Gadgets & Equipment' started by BigAlan, Aug 4, 2020.

  1. Whats peoples opinions of Bluetooth headsets over say perhaps Bluetooth ear plugs?

    Looking to listen to my sat nav, nothing else at all, Sena I have had and I don’t understand there lingo in the manual so gave up.

    Any suggestions?
     
  2. My vote goes to Bluetooth earplugs :upyeah:
     
  3. I’ve got a Cardo Packtalk Slim JBL. Happy with that, can hear directions/music/mrs fine even with earplugs in. The voice commands works well too, saves trying to fiddle with buttons while riding. Not cheap mind, prices fluctuate on Amazon so look out for when it’s cheap, got mine for a little over £200
     
    • Like Like x 2
  4. Interphone shape.
    Keeps charge, loud enough to use with earplugs in. Even clear making a phone call at 130kph (dialled when leaving services)
    Had Senna SMH5 before. Batteries did not last a days riding and bluetooth connection was hit and miss.
     
  5. Do you find the JBL, an improvement over standard. Can you feel the extra depth?
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  6. I like the Interphone system as it has spoken instructions on the menus, much more intuitive to use than the Sena system installed on my Schuberth
     
  7. I have a Sena, but I find the earpieces uncomfortable, and it's pretty inaudible for navigation at any speed. It doesn't help that the iPhone / Bluetooth integration is such that sometimes the Google Maps spoken instructions volume is limited to something much lower than required. Frustrating.
     
    • Useful Useful x 1
  8. I have the Packtalk Bold non-JBL. I've since upgraded the speakers to a better one (that was before Cardo came out with the upgrade version of JBL). So far so good, it's stable, pretty foolproof . Easy to communicate, either via calls or other rides. Good water resistant. Decent battery for a day. If you end up running out of juice on the Packtalk, you can always plug the cable from your bike's USB port or a portable battery pack and you can charge it while riding, and still can use the bluetooth headset.
     
  9. In that case you will probably find all the lingo too hard for you. Either just plug it in and listen or buy a map. ;)
     
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  10. First and foremost (for me) bluetooth ear buds (if thats what you mean) fail for a number of reasons...

    1. They stick out a bit...so putting your lid on....youll rip them out.
    2. Your lid will create a barrier between the earbuds and the phone...theyre not strong enough to get through...well - depends on headset to headset...
    3. Youll have no control....controls are on the earbuds...unless the phone is out and mounted...
    4. No comm to comm between bikes....

    The above i tried with my Jabra elite 65t's - ive got some 75s now and they dont work either....although i can just about get my lid on and off...

    Tools for the job i would say...me and my mate bought an Interfone f5mc twin set about 5 years back - still works an no reason to change....if im on my own ill wear a pair of wired headphones but loose the ability to cycle through tracks while im listening to music...
     
  11. ok - but youd still loose all the comms bit...which is really what comms are all about....unless youre a lone rider then, not an issue...

    I would like to add that the big downside of bike comms is the earphones stick to the inside of the helmet so the biggie is noise....the speakers are away from your ears and not sealing so therefore not cutting out the outside noise etc etc so if its particularly windy then everything is quite noisy...
     
  12. Helmet speaker mounting is key here, you can get audible sound, whilst wearing ear-plugs, into three figures with the speakers mounted just kissing your ears and aligned centrally with the ear canal. Just bunging a pair into your lid and expecting them to work above 50-70mph is bound to lead to disappointment. I used spacers and fine tuned speaker position.

    I just replaced a Sena 10U system in my 2nd GT Air. The 10U, the version I have anyway, is designed to fit this helmet without anything on the outside of the shell. The old 10U went onto one speaker after a good four and half years of use. I tired to look into repairing the old one but failed to find a broken wire. Whilst the 10U is something of an old design it works well for my use and pairs with my mates 10U for bike-to-bike.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
  13. Yep a good post, my line which always gets a laugh is that you don't know where your ears are! plus one is always lower than the other. My speakers always end up close to or beyond the edge of the cut out.
     
  14. True. Hence why Bluetooth ear plugs are advantageous: they solve the noise problem. The sound is crystal clear (zero wind noise) with my SoundEar Bluetooth ear plugs :upyeah:

    It's not an issue for the OP (or me):
     
  15. Well, definately the best option then....
     
  16. I like to ride my bike to stop me from talking to people LOL :p
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  17. That's true. The Sena 10U has speaker carriers that engage in specific points in the ear-well of the GT Air. Using these the speakers are nowhere near the right position for my head shape/ear position. Thankfully the speakers easily un-clip from these carriers and have flat backs so I used dense foam spacers and stick-n-stick Velcro to get them in an optimal position. As you say, right on the edge of the ear well.
     
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