We’ll start off this Cardo Packtalk Bold review by saying why a Bluetooth communicator is indispensable in motorcycling.
The Cardo Packtalk Bold is the latest and best product from the company, hence it offers lots of stuff that other manufacturers could only emulate but not surpass. We’ll touch on this later.
Streaming music or radio broadcasts turns your long rides into a more entertaining affair, especially if your drone along our many highways. Certain stretches are just too mind-numbing, offering nothing but the same features over and over again.
Having your favourite songs or radio programmes piped into the helmet keeps the mundane away.
If you’ve got a phone or GPS in front of you, the voice prompts are sent to the communicator’s speakers. It means you don’t have to keep looking at your device in finding your route.
Got that important phone call that you can’t afford to miss while you’re riding? Having a communicator is the best way. We’ve found out about this a long time ago when we were separated from a convoy!
This is important in a convoy, especially if you are one of the marshals; or the lead marshal having a communicator at the very least. The sweeper (last rider) or runner can easily call up the lead marshal or vice versa regarding the dynamics of the convoy.
This is another indispensable aspect of having a Bluetooth communicator (unless your other half and you are fighting). In one way, both of you can communicate clearly along a ride i.e. in urgent need of a toilet break. In another way, talking to your passenger can keep both of you awake during the long, dreary rides.
So how does the Cardo Packtalk Bold fit in?
Listening to music is one thing, but it becomes irritating when the speakers produce tinny sounds i.e. no bass, no clarity.
The Cardo Packtalk Bold (the “Bold” really does stand for something) is equipped with the largest speakers in the industry at 40mm. Not just that, they are by JBL, who are a part of the Harman Kardon group. You can find JBL and Harman Kardon speakers in luxury cars such as Mecedes-Benz, BMW, et al.
Hence, audio reproduction is top notch. All audio frequencies sound natural and you can hear them clearly. The speakers are loud too, so do listen to music at a volume that doesn’t impede on your senses while riding.
Additionally, the voice command feature of the Cardo Packtalk Bold allows handsfree operation while you’re riding. For example, say “Hey Cardo, music on.” A female voice seconds your command and starts the music. Say, “Hey Cardo, volume up” and the unit turns it up.
Phone conversation is uncannily clear with the unit. All you need is to say “Answer” when there’s an incoming call and the Cardo will patch you through.
But get this, I’ve asked the callers how the call sounded. They replied, “Nothing unusual.” They were surprised when I told them that am currently riding my bike at 120 km/h and talking to them.
You see, Cardo pioneered the Bluetooth phone communicator before Sony and Motorola’s became popular. But Cardo brought the technology to a higher level with their noise cancelling algorithm. Not only that the person couldn’t hear wind noises on their phones, but you too, in the helmet. The speakers emit cross frequencies to kill wind noise during your calls!
Making phone calls is also easy. The best way is to set your favourite number for speed dial in the Cardo app. Then, all you have to do is say, “Hey Cardo, speed dial.”
The unit also awaits your command to Siri (iOS) and Google. With Siri enabled, you only say, “Hi Siri….” and follow up with your command.
But what if you want to avoid phone calls? Just say, “Ignore,” and Cardo will turn off the ringtone in the speakers and let the call end by itself.
This is where Cardo stands head and shoulders above the rest. While the JBL speakers are exclusive to the Packtalk Bold, other Cardo products carry the feature called Dynamic Mesh Communication (DMC).
DMC keeps up 15 riders connected via a network. Each control unit plays the role of receiver and signal enhancer.
Here’s a scenario: In a convoy, a rider or riders need to slow down and falls behind the coverage distance (1.6 kilometres). But doing so doesn’t disconnect the entire network, unlike if they are all hooked up via Bluetooth. That way, the network among the group of riders is still active and riders can still relay information to each other. The network will automatically reconnect the disconnected riders when they catch back up rather than having to go through the process of reconnecting via Bluetooth.
The lead rider can also set different groups of the DMC network. Say, one group for the marshals and another for other riders with DMC.
Cool, huh?
Remember we spoke about noise cancellation technology? Talking with your passenger is so easy with the crystal clear audio. You don’t have to slow down to hear what each of you is saying.
Note that we said, “natural voice command” instead of “voice control.” While that sounds the same, it’s very different for Cardo because it obeys your commands in your natural voice and intonations. Which means you could have a heavily-accented English yet the unit recognizes your voice.
But the algorithm is also smart to filter out non-commands, so that you can sing to your hearts content and not prompting the unit to send your singing to others in the group.
This is especially important. We’ve ridden through the heaviest rains and the unit just kept on working.
A full charge lasts for at least two days of riding, provided that you switch it off when you stop for a break. You could also say, “Hey Cardo, battery status” and the friendly lady will announce the level to you.
There are many other features of the Cardo Packtalk Bold that we didn’t cover here, because it’ll probably be as long as a university dissertation if we did. Just check out the official videos on YouTube and see what the amazing things it could do to help you enjoy motorcycling even more.
If you want the best of the best, the Cardo Packtalk Bold has it all.
For us, we just couldn’t ride without it!
Being used to having a Bluetooth in-helmet headset for three years, I could never ride comfortably without one. Having one makes riding a whole lot more entertaining and relaxing, if not the convenience while on-the-go.
Of course, there are many “Bluetooth helmet audio system” maker these days, so choosing the right one saves you money and aggravation.
From our neighbours in Singapore is UCLEAR Digital. The Malaysian and Singaporean distributor, Hodaka Motoworld provided a couple of sets of the flagship AMP GO system to try out.
First and foremost, it was apparent that the UCLEAR had simplified the AMP GO. A set consists of:
However, there is no microphone boom nor “button” microphone, as they are stereo and built into the speakers.
The sets were provided to us at the right time, as we rode the three variants of the four-cylinder BMW S-Series bikes to Cherating for a company getaway.
Installation was very easy and straightforward, even for first-time users, as there were fewer parts to fuss about. The control unit was equally easy to mount as it was just a clip.
Pairing via Bluetooth to our phones was easy and especially fast, considering that the iPhone’s iOS is finicky about connecting to non-Apple devices. Pairing the two control units for intercom communication was also fast and easy.
The speakers were loud(!) as soon as we streamed music from our phones. But it’s not just about being loud, there was plenty of bass, treble and clarity – we could hear each word and each note with the helmet on the table. This is important especially when riding at speed and with earplugs in.
With the BMW S 1000 R at hand, I tested the UCLEAR AMP GO from slow city speeds to (crazy) high speeds right away. The sound level stayed consistent throughout, as the volume is controlled seamlessly according to ambient sounds i.e. it increases when your speed rises and decreases when you slow down.
The three buttons on the control unit were also easy to feel through our gloves. I’ve tried doing so through thin summer gloves and thick full-leather racing gloves.
During our ride, Keshy was about 200 metres ahead of me on the S 1000 XR, when one of us mistakenly activated the intercom function while travelling at nearly 200 km/h. Although there was wind noise (there’s bound to be at this speed!), we could still hear each other’s voices clearly, showing that the unit’s auto noise-cancelling feature worked. Besides that, our concerns about not having a boom microphone were allayed, as the AMP GO triangulates our voices’ sweet spots to deliver clear speech.
UCLEAR advertised that the AMP GO has a maximum range of 200 m, so I let Keshy ride further and further ahead. We only broke contact when he was a dot on the horizon, but we were conversing again almost as soon as we were back in range. The intercom function can connect up to four units.
Apart from that, I could hear the music clearly at all times, even through the Alpine MotoSafe Tour earplugs (also available from Hodaka Motoworld). These special earplugs filter out harmful noises such as roaring and whistling wind noises but allows conversations, traffic and your motorcycle’s engine sound through.
We thought we had escaped from the rain during our ride, but a wall of rain awaited us as soon as we passed the Gombak Toll Plaza. It was so heavy that it overwhelmed my helmet’s anti-fog insert within minutes, rendering me almost sightless. However, the UCLEAR AMP GO kept going and not a drop of water got inside through the cable connector port.
We’ve since ridden around with the UCLEAR AMP GO without fail and it dawned on us that its battery lasts a long time. I only had to charge my unit after we had ridden to and returned from Cherating, plus another four days of commuting and riding. Even then, there was still 5% to go.
Any shortcomings?
The audio kept cutting in and out while riding in the city after the initial installation (perhaps due to interference). However, I discovered that the unit required a firmware update after I downloaded the app (called CLEARLink). It has never cut off again after the update.
Speaking of the app, while you do not need it for music streaming and phone call functions, it is best that you download and install it in your phone. The app allows you to check for the latest firmware and provides total control over the configurations of the unit, such as auto volume, bass boost, voice answering, and more. You can also find the full owner’s manual there.
In conclusion, we love the UCLEAR AMP GO. It’s easy to install, simple to use, has great audio, connects to our devices quickly, the intercom works as claimed, weatherproof, and long-lasting power.
But there’s one important advantage of the UCLEAR AMP GO. With all its great features and functionality, it is attractively priced at just RM 600. That is unbeatable for a top-of-the-line Bluetooth helmet audio system.
Visit Hodaka Motoworld to get yourself a set. You may also visit Hodaka Motoworld’s Facebook page see more products.
UCLEAR AMP GO TECHINCAL SPECIFICATIONS
| Bluetooth: | V4.2 (BR/EDR/BLE), Class 1 |
| Profiles: | HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, Intercom |
| Group Intercom: | Full duplex up to 4 users |
| Range: | Up to 200 metres per user |
| Battery: | 3.7V lithium-ion |
| Talk Time: | Up to 10 hours |
| Standby Time: | Up to 400 hours |
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