Customer Reviews

Cardo Systems SCALA 500 Bluetooth Headset

5 star:		(89)
4 star:		(78)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(34)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

I was so lucky to find this headset

I use a Treo 650 ----- I have tried a variety of headsets, including all of the Moto's --- the Scala is clearly the BEST for the Treo 650, and likely, many others

1. The volume was very good --- louder than any other headset I used with the Treo 650

2. The connection times are usually very fast too ----- most headsets take awhile to establish a connection, but this one usually takes just a second or less, and of course, automatically picks up both outbound and inbound calls

3. 90% of the people I talk to say that they can hear me very loudly and clearly --- rarely do I get a 'barrel' effect going with this headset, as many others produce

4. The wind-noise-cancelling technology is for real --- I have talked a couple times outside, in blizzards with this thing on --- quality was loud and clear on both ends, despite the high winds!

However, it seems that I have to re-connect the pairing for this device, every now and then (maybe once every 3 weeks or so) ---- otherwise, I'm very happy

Pretty good talk time and battery, and of course, the volume is great!

Check it out in new colors ---- clear, blue, and red!

Lastly - the price cannot be beat!

highly recommended! - HAPPY TALKING!!!!!

This is available at a very good price on amazon, and is working quite well for me, with my Palm TREO 650. The TREO had no problem recognizing the BT headset and "pairing" up, and the headset fits nicely on my ear, comfortable and light. You could easily forget you're wearing it, and the little guy is packed with useful features. Overall sound quality, in and out, seems pretty darned good, especially considering the wireless advantage at your desk, in the car, etc.

Cardo has provided very good service by phone, for questions, installation assistance, etc. -- remarkably good by today's standards. So give this a try -- the price/value ratio seems very, very good to me, particularly factoring in the very good support from the company.

David in Telluride, CO

P.S. I like my TREO 650 too, despite the mixed reviews on amazon.com. For both devices, I found these reviews very, very helpful, for both pros and cons, during the process of researching and buying these items.

I've been using this headset after trying out a myriad of others for my Treo 650.
It's loud. As loud as you need it to be. After trying out other units (Jabra, Motorola, etc.) I found them all to be lacking in volume.

Unit has been used for almost 3 months now and I haven't had any of the problems the others have written about (i.e. falling apart, etc.)

Battery life is exceptional.

Sound quality is very good as well. The other party has no problems hearing me. I ordered another unit for my wife who also complained about her motorola unit.

Compared to Motorola Bluetooth headsets, this Cardo really rocks. It has much better mic and speaker sound quality and volume than Motorola. The Motorola makes me sound like I'm talking on a speakerphone while the Cardo is a bit better in this regard.

That said, because the mic is so far away from your mouth, you will still sound very distant and a bit muffled. With this Cardo, callers still complain when I'm in the car or outside on a windy day that there is a lot of background wind noise.

I ended up going back to the wired headset that came with my Motorola RAZR phone, which has much better audio quality and is not as cumbersome to setup during a call as a Bluetooth headset.

I have tested a wide variety of BT headsets. My tests have all been with my phones, both of which are BlackBerries. It is clear to me that some headsets work well with certain phones, but not so well with others. Hence the reason why some reviews of the Scala-500 are glowing and others highly critical. My new BlackBerry 8700 is the one I need a headset for, and this headset comes up short on my phone.

My experience with this headset was brief. There are three reasons why I didn't keep it longer.

1. The fit is not secure and comfortable. You could achieve either a secure fit (no flopping around, stable) OR a comfortable fit, but not both. When it was tight enough not to move around, it was uncomfortable. If the ear loop was loosened enough to be comfortable, it was not secure. Could be the shape of my ear; I notice some reviewers seem to rave about the fit. My ear is rather compact, so I cannot discount that for some wearers the fit may be perfect.

2. The speaker lays against the ear, rather than inside the ear canal. I have found that the best way to combat exterior noise is to have the sound funneled directly into the ear canal. This enhances the sound quality as well as improving privacy. My experience with the Scala-500 showed that the volume was sometimes too low, especially in noisy environments, even when the phone and earpiece were both adjusted to maximum volume. Further, in quiet environments, others could hear what my callers were saying sometimes.

3. Connection quality was low. Experienced Bluetooth users will recognize the crackling sound of a poor Bluetooth connection. My unit exhibited this non-stop during my trial period. I never went more than a few seconds without a small pop or crackle. In the end, this was more annoying than anything else, but it was enough to put me off this headset.

I stress again however that with another phone and a different ear shape, the experience you have may be different. In fact, someone should start a matrix up that compiles headset/phone combinations crossed with ear size. Then we can all make great decisions. Meantime, make sure that any BT headset you buy comes from a vendor that allows returns, and just keep experimenting till you find the one for you.

On that note, although I have not written my review for it yet, I am having good luck with the nXZen Plus 5500 by Gennum. It is very expensive but is performing very well. I also intend to test the Plantronics 645 (just released) and the Jabra JX-10. I think the longer we wait while the developers digest all their returns maybe they will come up with something even better; something that works with every earshape and every phone. I'm not holding my breath though.

I purchased this headset after looking at many different units on the market. My first Bluetooth headset I purchased was a Belkin F8V9017 and it was dismal in its performance, barely lasting for one hour and always disconnecting from my phone.

So, I looked at all the headsets currently out and was settling on the Bluespoon Chameleon. However, I was concerned about having to bend the support into my ear. So, after further deliberation and strong consideration for the price point of the Cardo Scala, I purchased it.

I took it out of the box and placed it on the very small and nice charging base. I would have preferred the headset to be able to charge using my Nokia phone charger, but, for the price I decided it wasn't a dealbreaker. After the full charge was reached, I followed the instructions and connected it to my phone, a Nokia 6820.

I've now been using this headset for two months and it has outstanding performance. The battery life is outstanding. I have taken this headset on a 3 day trip, without charger, and had no problems with the battery life. The advertised talk time of 9 hours and 200 hours or so of standby is accurate.

It sits comfortably in the ear. After a little bending and adjustment of the ear piece, it is tight to the ear and face. It's volume can get very loud, which is great for the noisy enviroment. Moreover, their noise cancelling technology, referred to by Cardo as "Windguard technology for outdoor use" also works quite well. The usual sound you hear from a cell phone or ear piece if someone is walking outside and talking simply is not heard with this device on the ear.

It's operation is simple. You simply press the large outside button to connect it to the phone. You hold the button down for 3 seconds during a call to transfer the headset back to the phone. You click the headset once to activate voicetags, if you have them set up through the phone. You press once to end the call. The volume adjustment is on the back dial and is easy to adjust.

The range is about 30-45 feet without line of sight.

The only problem I have had with this unit is the ear bud. About 1 day after I had it, I noticed the ear bud piece separating from the unit. It looked like the glue to hold it in place simply failed. So, I took the ear bud off, readjusted the speaker and snapped it back into place. I haven't had any problems since then.

My co-workers have other bluetooth headsets, mainly Motorola. They compare well but do not connect as easily, do not have anywhere close to the batter life and talk time, and were twice the price.

I highly recommend this Bluetooth headset over any others on the market right now. Even if it was comparably priced with the others (in the $90 range), it would win. The fact that it can be bought at a considerably less price, makes it the "hands off" winner.

I found this headset online by accident. For $35, I figured I could not be that upset if it turned out to not be that good; i.e. I had low expectations (vs. my HIGH expectations for the $150 Gennum nXZen+ headset, which was NOT impressive).

I have been in the wireless business since 1996. I have been buying and trying bluetooth headsets since they first hit the market several years ago. I have never been able to find just one headset that made me completely happy...until now.

For $35-$50 you cannot beat the performance of this headset. Great audio, 9 hours of talk time and lightweight. They even do a nice job with the colorization (I originally bought the standard silver, but have since bought a black one). It works very well in light wind conditions and I have NEVER heard that "bluetooth static" unless I was very far away from the phone.

I have been recommending this headset to everyone at work and they too are happy with their purchase. This is not a big name company (yet), but don't hesitate to buy one of these for yourself.

Your phone will ring in your ear at quite some distance, but to actually connect and talk to someone using the headset remotely, you needed to be within 10-15 feet of the phone.

To avoid too much static, you really needed to be within 5-10 feet of your phone. But even if you had the ohone in your hand/holster, there was some static.

The volume was OK, I bought volumecontrol software to boost the volume, but it made it scratchier. The speaker is just too tinny. I am hard of hearing though, so no fair there.

Comfort. OK. After about 20 minutes you notice it, then you forget about it, and you take it off 2 hours later and your ear hurts a bit. Normal I guess.

Battery time was gerat, both talk and standby.

Pairing was easy with my treo.

good charging connection (stem plug) and quick charging.

It's good for the price, but I think you can do better. I am looking at the Plantronics Voyager 510.

Probably the biggest compliment you can give this headset is that you'll often forget you're using it. The Scala 500 is incredibly lightweight and (when adjusted properly to your ear) very comfortable.

I'm impressed by the controls. Both the main button and the volume 'wheel' are very accessible and very responsive. With the Sony HBH35 headset I was constantly dropping calls due to the unresponsive controls. This never happens with the Scala 500. Additionally, volume is easily regulated.

Pairing with the Motorola MPX220 phone was quick and easy. Additionally, reconnect is quick and reliable following a disconnect due to powering off one of the units or going out of range. (Range, by the way, is good; comparable with the HBH35 headset.)

You can hear the other party clearly and crisply. Transmission of your voice, I would say, is good. Though there's infrequent interferrence (static) on voice transmission, I've never had anyone complain about difficulty in hearing/understanding me. There's NO annoying "bluetooth echo."

To sum it up:

Plusses: Price, size, weight, comfort, pairing, controls, sound quality, range, responsive customer service.
Negatives: Requires charging cradle (one more thing to haul around if you're traveling), no 'fuel guage' to indicate battery life (red flash comes on, but only when it's close to dying)

Note: this is the same review I posted on epinions

After a lot of research, I ended up deciding between this headset and the Logitech Freedom Mobile headset. Since I couldn't find the Freedom Mobile headset for the price I wanted (out of stock) I ended up with this for only $3 more. Two main reasons I went with one of those two are 1) Price and 2) Wind stop technologies. I unfortunately haven't had a chance to really test out the Windstop of the scala 500 yet, but when driving in my car, the person on the other end said it was fine. I have no doubts that the wind stop helps, even if it's a little help, it's better than none, especially for this price.

Ok, onto more details. My 1st impression was actually, "This little thing feels kind of cheap." The rubber around the edges is great, but the plastic parts of it feel really thin, especially the big button on the face of it. The other button on the end of it also feels pretty flimsy, but it gets the job done nicely. Not a huge gripe, just something I noticed. Another 1st impression I had was, "This thing is really small and light!" and I like it that way. I haven't seen the Logitech one in person, but it seems quite a bit larger than the scala in photos, so that's at least one reason why I'm glad I chose this headset. As for accessories, it came with lots: Ear clip, glasses clip, neck lanyard, belt holster, ac adapter and charging stand. These were all great little toys and will find some use at one point or another. I didn't like the charging stand much, you had to fit the headset on it just right in order for it to charge or else it would come loose and not charge.

I'm guessing I have funny shaped ears, and that's why I could never get the ear clip to hold very well. It's not too uncomfortable, and it will stay on my head as long as I don't shake it vigorously, but it doesn't feel "right" and it's a little loose. I think I just need to get used to the ear clip. However, the supplied glasses clip works GREAT for me. Good thing I wear glasses most of the day. But for the times I don't wear my glasses, I'm sure I can deal with the ear clip.

Functionally, it's a breeze. The 2 buttons on it are very intuitive. A quick glance at the instructions and I was ready to go with my Nokia 6820. Using it as a speaker and mic for my windows xp machine was easy too. I did have to uninstall the native xp sp2 drivers and replace them with the Widcomm drivers to work properly, but it wasn't too big of a deal. Anyway, back to the cell phone, I could place calls, end calls, mute calls, use voice commands and turn volume up and down all with the headset controls. The headset controls not only change the volume level on the headset, but it actually interfaces with the volume controls on the Nokia too, that was cool! My Nokia 6820 also does the right thing and puts the headset into standby after ending a call or a command. To switch between headset and phone speaker, I had to use the phone itself, I couldn't do it via the buttons on the headset, but I suppose that makes sense because if you are switching between the two, you will have both of them at your reach. Like I said, pairing was a breeze, but if the headset is already on and not paired, you have to turn it off and turn it on again to pair. This was just a little annoying. But a good thing is even if you turn off the cell phone or the headset, once both are turned on again, it will reconnect automatically. This auto reconnect may be a function of the Nokia though, it might not work with all phones. The only exception to this is if you repair the headset with something else while the cell phone is off or out of range. Then you have to repair it with the phone again next time for use. This is really the biggest gripe I have about the headset, I have to re-pair with my computer or phone when I switch between them. Good thing I don't plan on using this with my computer that often and use it with my cell phone most of the time. I believe the Logitech Freedom Mobile will save both (or up to a certain amount of devices) in its memory and will automatically connect with whichever one is closest, after you initially pair or course.

Performance was fine. Nothing to write home about, but good. If I had direct line of sight without obstruction, i.e. the side of my head with the headset was facing my phone, I could get 20+ feet away without much, or any, sound quality degradations. Throw in a wall, or turn my head to the opposite side of my phone, and I would barely get 5+ feet away without at least a little crackling. However, I went downstairs to an area directly below my phone on the 2nd floor, and though there was lots of static, I could still make out what the other person was saying. Unfortunately, it was my voicemail that I called so I couldn't ask the other party if they could understand me. When I did talk to a live person (without too many obstructions that is), they said they heard me just fine. When using a voice recognition system on the other end, (1-800-555-TELL), I had to talk SLIGHTLY louder than normal to get the voice recognition working. Just something I noticed, not a big deal! I think the range is perfectly reasonable as I plan to use it in my car most of the time when the phone is only a few feet away at most. Incoming voice quality was clear, but wasn't as "bass-y" as my wired headset. Outgoing, seems fine too according to the few people I spoke with so far.

One last thing, haven't stressed the battery life yet, but the specs say 9 hours talk and 200 hours standby. Even if it's only half those values, it's more than enough for me! I'm thinking if it at least lasts as long as my phone battery, then I'm good to go. The biggest gripe I have is the inability to pair to multiple devices at once, so if you constantly switch using this between devices, I wouldn't recommend it. Overall, I'm happy with the headset. It's my 1st one so I don't have much to compare with, except other reviews, and I wish I could have compared the Logitech in person. For this price though (I got it for $39 + shipping, no tax) you can't go wrong with this thing!