Customer Reviews

Cardo Systems SCALA500 Bluetooth Headset (Grey)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've had a chance to purchase and try 5 different blue-tooth headsets for my Motorolla V710. This list includes the Motorola HS805, Plantonics Explorer 120. Tandystar G2, SOYO BTWLHS01; so far the Scala 500 has beat them all and is inexpensive too. Bought the siver one

Realistically 4.5 stars

My number one complaint of most headsets is amplified volume, the Scala is extremely loud and adjustable which is a great benefit. Most other headsets you have to strain over background noise to hear which annoys me to no end. You won't have that problem with the Scala 500

Durability, the Scala is light and durable which is a great benefit to me. I'm hard on equipment and so far after two months of service, it's as good as new yet dropped many a time. But the nice feature of being inexpensive is, it can be replaced for little cost. Even with plactic pieces it's flexible yet durable and still light weight. The control buttons flex, recoil and work without sticking, breaking or falling apart. Kudos to Scala

Charging Time, darn fast with no fear of overcharging. After the initial charge, subsequent charges take less than an hour and I have talked for upwards of 2.5 hours non-stop without issue. Have gone a week before recharging

Extras; Hey this things got a clip with lanyard as well as an eyeglass retainer which is better than what you get with most budgie bluetooth sets. More Kudos for Scala

A couple of small annoyances, the ear retainer is somewhat inflexible and prevents the mic end from aligning with your mouth to gain the advantages of noise cancellation as well as eliminate the bathroom echo effect. It'd be nice to have a more scuptable retainer...used a bit of coat hanger for mine because I've got oddly set ears but it may be ok for you.

The unit goes into standby mode relatively quickly to conserve energy, personally I'd love the option to disable it. It takes 2 seconds to reconnect to the phone but so far no missed calls on its' account.

Overall this is a great product for the price and if your considering any of the other mentioned products, buy this one because the others are crap in comparison.

I have tried several BT Headsets, Motorola, and Jabra just to name two and they both did not work nearly as well as the Scala. I work for a Wireless Company and everyone in our office uses the Scala because it works the best. The sound quality is awesome, the battery life is outstanding and I can carry it in the clip or on the lanyard so it is not always on my ear, which is nice. I will say that the eyeglass clip is useless....they need to redesign that.
By and large the best BT Headset I have used...just wish it had a vibrating feature....oh well!

I've bought several motorola headsets before and found that I still couldn't hear very well with my Treo phone. This headset is comfortable, I can hear very well, has easy to use features (volume level knob that is easy to get to), and was half of the price I paid for the others.

I really like this one and would buy another one without question (the handy clip may help me not lose this one also).

I had one of these and liked it quite well so bought a 2nd one after I lost the first one. Second one never seemed to work very well. Found the first one lying in my driveway a month later. It had damage but still works better than the 2nd one. Complaints: cuts out a lot (people complain that they can't hear me); blinks blue all the time, not just when on a call; holder is useless - put it in your pocket or keep it on the ear. Pluses: lightweight, comfortable, versatile, good battery life.

I bought a blue headset for my Sony Ericsson Z520a, and I returned it because it was such a poor quality product. It would be full of static if I had it in my left pocket and on my right ear. I would lose the bluetooth signal walking 15 feet from my phone in the bedroom to my sink in the bathroom. There is not even a wall in the way, I could see my phone! It picks up every little sound in the area. Walking home from work, my girl could hear the little crickets in the field, and a train a mile away sounded like it was right next to me. When a car would pass by, it was so loud that it actually hurt her ear. A slight wind made such a noise on her end that it 'sounded like I was in a hurricane.' So Cardo's claims about wind noise reduction and traffic noise has not been proven true to me. I returned the unit to Amazon, and was sent a black one as a replacement, and it is doing the same things. As far as the comfort goes, I found that once I bent the ear piece, it was really comfortable. In conclusion, this is a cheap headset, and you get what you pay for.

I looked at all the bluetooth devices before making this purchase. My wife and I have different needs, so I had to take a lot into consideration. I use mine a lot and my wife uses hers just when she's driving. Also, I have big ears and my wife has little ears. My wife wears glasses and I have hearing damage so I had to consider those factors too. I wasn't too concerned about price because most of the devices are around $50.
After considering all the factors I went with a Plantronics 510 for myself and the Scala 500 for my wife. Both were excellent choices. The Scala 500 is light and small and has a neat little gadget for hooking it to your glasses. It's easy to install and use. The PLT 510 is completely different. It's bulk sits around your ear, so the weight goes around your ear instead of out to the side so it is comfortable to wear for long periods of time and does not have that floppy feel. The Scala has more of a floppy feel to it because the weight is beside your ear, but my wife doesn't mind that since she only wears it when driving. When the glasses-attachment is used it doesn't flop around at all; it holds firmly to the glasses. But like I said, I have big ears so that is probably why it flops around when I wear it. That little ear-loop is made for a small ear I guess. The shape of the PLT is better for me.
The PLT 510 has an ear bud that goes in your ear which is great for me since I am half deaf and needed something that was plenty loud. The volume goes way up on the thing so I can hear just fine even when I'm driving. The Scala 500 sits outside your ear and doesn't quite get as loud as the PLT. I'm sure it is loud enough for people who don't have hearing damage. My wife can hear just fine with it.
Battery life and charging time is about the same with both. I can talk for hours before it starts to run down, and charging time is less than an hour.
I'm glad I did the research before making the purchase. I got the right bluetooth for each of us. I recommend both, but do the research and make sure you know what you need first.

I got this because of the 'wind reduction.' I do alot of bike riding and wanted something so that people on the other end can hear me, not..well, you get the point. There was even a recording of what other blue tooth headsets sound like while bike riding, and what this is supposed to sound like. I was pretty disappointed, first time out all my friend heard was noise and not me. Other than that, it's a pretty good set up. It looks good and I don't feel like an automoton walking around. I like the fact that there is no name on it, since I wear it on my left ear. With a written name it would be upside down there. I'd somewhat recommend this, but not for the advertised noise reduction. It has an optional silicon ear piece extension, I would get that, mine didn't have it. I like the clip and lanyard that came with it, nice that it's included.

Very good headset - audio, fit, and battery life.
Overall, very good value for money.
I recommended it to many friends so much that I even bought 3 sets for close friends...

First headset I've tried, but after researching all those available, thought this was the best. I'm satisfied with it. There is background noise to the far end person when driving, but thus far only my 87 year old mom, who is hard of hearing, has trouble with the background noise. I've not heard how it sounds to others.

I was concerned that, wearing glasses, this would get in the way, but found that the standard over the ear clip works just fine. The eye glass retainer wasn't all that useful.

The general idea of a wireless headset is very attractive to me when driving. I can dial or voice call from the phone. Hang up or answer a call from the headset. I don't wear it all day long, so as to not risk having my head slapped by friends who think I have a bug on my ear.

I think the price is quite reasonable.

With bluetooth headsets, there is much to be said about individual comfort and I have found this Cardo to be very comfortable for me. It functions very well also.