The choice: Buying a Sena or Cardo Scala product for my Shoei GT-Air was a decision that took me months. Sena has a custom fit 10U for my helmet which was tempting. This would have offset my concerns about the 20S and 30K side mount units not being very waterproof (per forums). The Cardo Scala PackTalk system has been getting great reviews, especially for their mesh technology. My understanding is that the new Sena 30K is now working much better with the latest firmware release. The problem with all of these is that I didn't want to break the $200 USD mark. My must haves were bike to bike intercom, rider to passenger intercom, and the standard music play & phone call capabilities. The Sena 20S (non-EVO) and CS FREECOM 4 both qualified. I went F4 because I like the design and bottom line, it was $40 cheaper on Amazon (I paid $159 USD) than a 20S.
The product and setup: When I received my F4, I did as recommended by many, I connected it to a computer, registered with Cardio and downloaded the latest firmware. I must note that the firmware transfer to my F4 failed twice via my PC (running Win 7), but it worked first try through my Macbook. I'm happy to say that was the only glitch in the setup. With the firmware up to date, I installed the system on/in my helmet. It took about 90 minutes as I experimented with wire placement. Once secure, I connected my F4 via BT to my iPhone 6S (iOS 11.2.6) and tested the features. Everything worked, and I had full voice control of Siri. I did notice some faint static through the speakers when in voice mode to give Siri commands, but that noise went away during music playback and phone calls.
I moved on to the next hurdle, the one that had me most concerned, the app. The majority of the negative feedback that I'd read about Cardo connectivity centered around the iPhone app having problems pairing with a CS product. However, I loaded the SmartSet App 1.1 and it paired first try. Is the app essential? No, but it can make pairing intercoms a little easier during those times when you're in a group hanging out before you start your ride. Otherwise, there is a button sequence on the unit to accomplish that. At this time, I've only paired with one person, but the F4 can support up to 4.
Music playback quality: The system has plenty of clean volume, but I didn't notice a lot of bass. My GT-Air has deep speaker wells and it sets the unit's 40mm speakers back too far, which wasn't helping. Cardo provides spacer pads to bring the speaker closer to the ear, so I tried those and it improved the sound for me. Overall I'm happy with the sound, but upgrading the speakers is always an option if that changes.
Random thoughts: I'm wondering if some of the user issues with the app reported are due to having an iPhone 7 through X? That's really on Cardo though because they should be fully supporting up through the X by now. I must note that on the FREECOM 4 box, Cardo states the unit supports iPhones up to 6S. Since it's a newer product, I'm curious as to what the new PackTalk has printed on its box in terms of phone support. My 6S still runs great for me so I'm in no rush to upgrade, but it's a 2+ year old phone. It's clear that Cardo needs to stay on top of their product software to keep up with the newest phones. My experience has been good, but I'm sure my phone version is playing a role in that.
If anyone is interested, here is a link which contains a Cardo Scala product comparison table:
http://cardosystems.com/us/portfolio-item/scala-rider-freecom-4/
The product and setup: When I received my F4, I did as recommended by many, I connected it to a computer, registered with Cardio and downloaded the latest firmware. I must note that the firmware transfer to my F4 failed twice via my PC (running Win 7), but it worked first try through my Macbook. I'm happy to say that was the only glitch in the setup. With the firmware up to date, I installed the system on/in my helmet. It took about 90 minutes as I experimented with wire placement. Once secure, I connected my F4 via BT to my iPhone 6S (iOS 11.2.6) and tested the features. Everything worked, and I had full voice control of Siri. I did notice some faint static through the speakers when in voice mode to give Siri commands, but that noise went away during music playback and phone calls.
I moved on to the next hurdle, the one that had me most concerned, the app. The majority of the negative feedback that I'd read about Cardo connectivity centered around the iPhone app having problems pairing with a CS product. However, I loaded the SmartSet App 1.1 and it paired first try. Is the app essential? No, but it can make pairing intercoms a little easier during those times when you're in a group hanging out before you start your ride. Otherwise, there is a button sequence on the unit to accomplish that. At this time, I've only paired with one person, but the F4 can support up to 4.
Music playback quality: The system has plenty of clean volume, but I didn't notice a lot of bass. My GT-Air has deep speaker wells and it sets the unit's 40mm speakers back too far, which wasn't helping. Cardo provides spacer pads to bring the speaker closer to the ear, so I tried those and it improved the sound for me. Overall I'm happy with the sound, but upgrading the speakers is always an option if that changes.
Random thoughts: I'm wondering if some of the user issues with the app reported are due to having an iPhone 7 through X? That's really on Cardo though because they should be fully supporting up through the X by now. I must note that on the FREECOM 4 box, Cardo states the unit supports iPhones up to 6S. Since it's a newer product, I'm curious as to what the new PackTalk has printed on its box in terms of phone support. My 6S still runs great for me so I'm in no rush to upgrade, but it's a 2+ year old phone. It's clear that Cardo needs to stay on top of their product software to keep up with the newest phones. My experience has been good, but I'm sure my phone version is playing a role in that.
If anyone is interested, here is a link which contains a Cardo Scala product comparison table:
http://cardosystems.com/us/portfolio-item/scala-rider-freecom-4/
