Customer Reviews

CARDO SCALA RIDER TEAMSET COMMUNICATION SYSTEM BLUETOOTH - NEW

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My wife and I are going to Panama City over the holidays - on the bike - and we thought it'd be a good investment if we could chat along the way.

The box is flashy, promising a "5-minute installation". The other "bait" to get you on the hook is the wireless "Bluetooth technology". So far so good. I paid US$ 288.oo here in Costa Rica, since getting it in time from Amazon would have been a problem.

First impression:
The system did NOT install in 5 minutes. A construction flaw in the provided helmet-clamp made it necessary to switch over to the glue-clamp method, which expressly says: "Wait 24 hours before installing the rest!"

First test ride:
The system is hard to activate via the VOX command. One has to literally YELL at it so the mike/voice channel will open up. After that, even a short lapse in the speech will make it to turn off, resp. go into standby (the manual says that it will stay ON for at least 25 seconds).
Intelligibility is fair, but good enough for voice. We'll get used to it.
The speech has always a slight background "sizzle", which is probably due to the bluetooth technology.

Connecting a MP3-player:
Simple, via provided cable, but the sound is catastrophic! Less than tinny, like listening to the guy next to you on the bus who has his earphones turned up too loud. It is "stereo", but that's about it. Even turning up the volume of the MP3 to "full" did not improve either loudness nor quality. (I am an instructor for sound and acoustics at a local university, so I know what good sound is, and what is really bad).

Bluetooth phone:
Works with my Motorola RAZR V3, but here again: the sound is less than acceptable. Too low and too tinny!

Will comment more once we get back from Panama...

We purchased the Scala Rider Teamset to replace our aging Autocomm system and to get rid of the wires associated with it. The installation in my fullface helmet is NOT as easy as they say, but can be done with some patience. I had to order a longer boom mike for my wife's flip-up for it to work correctly (read that more money invested). The "on" time is too short, as mentioned by another reviewer, and you have to yell to turn it back on (gets really irritating on a long riding day). The passenger can make the intercom feature active all the time but this shortens battery life and can be a concern on a long day. Scala Rider replaced our units but we still have the same problem. Oh, and they make you think you are the only customer with this problem.

June 2011, We have lived with this unit for some time now! After the initial frustration, the unit does a good job and the battery in the "live" mode last all riding day. I have used it extensively with my Zumo 550 on long trips and it works great with the Bluetooth phone for making and receiving calls as well as music from the Zumo.

Out of the box the bluetooth between the two sets worked perfectly. Installing the units in our helmets was also very quick and easy. I have a full face helmet and my wife uses a 3/4 model. Even at 70 mph and with my Screaming Eagle pipes roaring, it was very easy to hear each other. Pairing with my Blackberry Curve was also very easy. I called my son and he didn't know I was on my bike until I told him. He said the sound was very clear on his end, as it was on mine.

The "after a bit" part has to do with learning how to answer the phone and hang up the phone. The manual isn't very complete and I had to sit in my living room, helmet on, and call my wife's phone repeatedly until I mastered knowing which button to push to make the call and which to hang up. After my training, it has worked just fine. I also listen to my iPod while riding and the sound, while not stellar, is acceptable. An incoming phone call or my wife talking will mute the iPod.

Overall, I am very pleased with both the product and the price.

THE SCALA RIDER IS OK, IT IS HARD TO HEAR AND FRUSTRATING TO OPERATE, THE STANDBY IS SHORT AND YOU MUST YELL TO TURN ON THE VAM VOICE ACTIVATED MICHROPHONE. THE RANGE IS NEVER WHAT THEY SAY, OF COURSE IF I WERE RIDING ACCROSS WATER OR BONNEVILLE FLATS MAYBE.FOR THE BUCK ITS AND OK BANG

Regarding CARDO SCALA RIDER TEAMSET COMMUNICATION SYSTEM BLUETOOTH - NEW

My experience with this headset is not good. The user interface is terrible. The MP3 is totally without amplification so that the line output of the MP3 bypasses the inbuilt amplification. The headpiece users a mini TRS 2.5mm jack and most MP3s use the 3.5mm TRS so Cardo supplies two cables for this unit. (Why no Bluetooth connection to the player?) All of these represent poor design choices on the part of the maker.

The worst part is that one of the MP3 jacks had a intermittent contact and the passenger unit stopped working 2 hours into the first 8 hour ride. While able to use it to listen to my iPhone, the intercom was useless and the lack of amplification made the MP3 functions virtually useless at speed (Although the intercom, when it worked, was clear at any speed). TO ADD INSULT to injury, even though this unit failed on first use, CARDO requires the customer to PAY FOR SHIPPING of their defective product to them even if the unit is purchased defective.

AVOID THIS UNIT OR FACTOR REPAIR SHIPPING INTO THE COST OF THE UNIT.

Love this product - takes a little positioning to get it right, but its totally worth it. When we go for rides we are able to talk to each other without having to yell. Very good quality. Really happy with the headsets!

As a bluetooth cellphone receiver, it worked adequately. I could hear them and they could hear me. Occasionally it would cut out in the middle of me talking but didn't transmit much of the wind which is a plus. Works great as a listening device for music. As a headset to headset communicator, unless they are riding directly behind you it is totally useless. I tried using it with the other person being approx 8 feet away and could not get it to connect to each other. It does have it's pluses and minus. Would recommend for people riding on the same bike only.

clarity very good,works fine.you do not want to lay your helment down on the speaker to much,because it will snap off.this is my fault 100 percent,thanks,mike

Tested the intercom function in the living room and it worked as described. Have not tried it on the motorcycle yet or the other functions.