08-24-2021, 06:45 AM
(08-24-2021, 06:11 AM)tommymck_imp Wrote: It's my fault for trying to solve a problem that I didn't really have, but I recently purchased the Cardo Freecom 4+. I specifically spent more on this thing because the speakers were advertised to be "awesome, with deep bass" in comparison to cheaper Cardo units. Uhm....no. At highway speed, listening to music, all you can hear is the very high end of the high end. Cymbals, claps, and tinny voices. Even just wearing the helmet off of the bike, the sound quality sucks. I'm sure that it's OK for a cell call or communicating over the mesh network. I don't really need to take calls while riding anyway, and I can't imagine that I'll have more than a few occasions a year to speak over the mesh network.
On the plus side, the integration into the helmet is super clean....and the ability to control the thing while gloved and riding is good.
I mainly bought the thing because I like to listen to music while on my commute, and thought that having the option to take calls would be nice on occasion. Also, my BMW R1250 "supposedly" seamlessly integrates with the helmet / phone pair and allows you to control things through the TFT. Well, yeah....sort of. You need to dive down 4 layers into the GUI, all the while removing the speedometer from the display. All to do something that takes a single swipe at the helmet unit (volume, next/previous, answer call, etc.)
I'm going back to my bluetooth ear plugs. For anybody looking for mainly a decent in-helmet audio solution, these things are FANTASTIC. They work great as just earplugs, but the audio quality is just super. The cardo isn't even in the same universe, and the bluetooth ear plugs only cost $60. No problem slipping the helmet on with these things on.
https://elginusa.com/products/ruckus-dis...ng-earbuds
Your report sounds just about spot on - yes.
Wearing earplugs will improve the experience, but any music playback will still be superior with wired/wireless earphones.