Here’s my Cardo TalkPack Bold Review as it’s been just about a year now. I’ll admit I had no idea what to expect as this is my first helmet communications purchase. As always I try and do my research before making a purchase of this size because the Cardo TalkPack Bold is not cheap by any means, but they are in my opinion well worth the cost!
The Cardo TalkPack Bold will set you back at least $200 for a single unit or almost $400 for the Cardo PackTalk Bold DUO. They include a JBL sound system which sound great and a Mesh technology that allows you to connect up to 15 riders at once.
Is The Cardo PackTalk Bold Worth It?
Is the Cardo PackTalk Bold worth it? Absolutely yes. Here’s the deal, you get what you pay for! If you go the cheap route and buy some off brand knockoffs for only $50 to $100 you’ll end up disappointed and have to go through the trouble of installing and remove them. Returning them if you can and try to get your money back just to try out something else. I’m telling you save yourself a lot of time and money and get the Cardo PakTalk Bold. You’ll be very pleased.
For my wife and I communication is super important. We each ride our own Can-Am Spyders and being able to communicate is a must! If she has to use the rest room or get stopped at a red light, she can let me know so that I can pull over and wait. If there’s something in the road we can warn each other or if there’s something to see we let each other know to be on the look out. They are amazing devices.
How Many Riders Can Use The Cardo PackTalk Bold At The Same Time?
How many riders can use the Cardo PackTalk Bold at the same time? 15 Riders can use the Cardo PackTalk Bold at the same time on the same channel. To be honest that’s a bit much for me but perfect for a small group of 4 or 5. Too many people on the same channel becomes just to noise for my liking.
Does The Cardo PackTalk Bold Connect To Your Cell Phone?
Does the Cardo PackTalk Bold connect to your cell phone? Yes. One of the nicest features of the Cardo PackTalk Bold is that it can connect to your cell phone. You can answer calls with ease and even with a windy helmet you can still communicate a lot better than you’d think. Obviously it’s not as super clear as directly talking to someone on a cell phone but it’s pretty damn good considering the noise of the bike, the wind and what other noise you may have.
You can answer a call by voice command or by pushing a button. Volume control is a neat wheel near the back of the device that is super easy to control. You can listen to Spotify or any music on your phone or use the built-in FM Radio. Another neat feature is you can hear the GPS commands from your phone through the speakers which really helps.
Does the Cardo PackTalk Bold Have Voice Commands?
Does the Cardo PackTalk Bold Have Voice Commands? Yes. Another neat feature that the Cardo PackTalk Bold has is voice commands that also work with your Android phone or Apple phone. Saying “Ok Google, where is the closest gas station?” or “Hey Cardo, music on” can save you from having to take your hands off the wheel and your eyes on the road! Below is a list of a few of the commands.
- “Hey Cardo, radio on”
- “Hey Cardo, radio off”
- “Hey Cardo, next station”
- “Hey Cardo, previous station”
- “Hey Cardo, music on”
- “Hey Cardo, music off”
- “Hey Cardo, next track”
- “Hey Cardo, previous track”
- “Hey Cardo, volume up”
- “Hey Cardo, volume down”
- “Hey Cardo, mute audio”
- “Hey Cardo, unmute audio”
- “Hey Cardo, speed dial”
- “Hey Cardo, redial number”
- “Answer”
- “Ignore”
- “Hey Siri”
- “Ok Google”
- “Hey Cardo, battery status”
- “Hey Cardo, call intercom”
Is the Cardo PackTalk Bold Waterproof?
Is the Cardo PackTalk Bold Waterproof? Yes. At least the outside unit is. The speakers and mic go inside your helmet so no worries there. I would think that any helmet communication device is waterproof but that’s definitely something you want to make sure of. While I never plan on riding in the rain, it happens. Summer storms can popup out of nowhere and the last thing you want is your expensive communication device getting ruined by a little rain.
How Far Does The Cardo PackTalk Bold Work?
How Far Does The Cardo PackTalk Bold Work? 1 Mile. One mile is what the manufacture claims in perfect conditions basically meaning line of sight or near it. It’s very rare the my wife and I ever loose signal but it has happened a few times. For example she got stopped at a red light and there wasn’t any place for me to pull over and wait. Another example is just leaving the house I’d get a bit ahead of her and we leave at the bottom of a big hill, so by the time I get to the top and then some I noticed the signal had dropped. “She takes her time pulling out of the driveway” =)
What’s really nice is that the Cardo PackTalk Bold automatically reconnects if the signal is dropped! I’ve read that a lot of other helmet communication devices have to be manually reconnected if the signal is dropped. That would be such as pain in the butt. Thankfully that’s not the case with the Cardo PackTalk Bold. It automatically reconnects as if it never lost the signal.
Because of the Dynamic Mesh Communication technology connecting to larger groups no longer means you have to stall all bunched up. The linking works like a chain link, linking from one person to another. As long as you are near one of the linked members you’ll be connected. This allows for greater distances between the leader and the rider at the back of the line.
How Clear Is The Sound Quality Of The Cardo PackTalk Bold JBL Speakers?
How Clear Is The Sound Quality Of The Cardo PackTalk Bold JBL Speakers? Very Good! I’ve talked to one of my clients while riding down the road and they had no idea. The Cardo PackTalk Bold is the best in class for wind-noise reduction. It’s unreal how it cancels out not only the wind but the engine noise.
Truth be told I don’t normally listen to music while I’m out riding my Spyder as I like to enjoy the sounds around me but I have listened to a few tracks on Spotify a few times and was very pleased. What’s neat is you can listen to your music without it going through the mic so no one else in the group hears it. Plus the music automatically lowers when another rider tries to communicate.
Does The Cardo PackTalk Bold Work With Half Helemts?
Does The Cardo PackTalk Bold Work With Half Helmets? Yes. I use a full helmet but there is a flexible mic bar that is included that allows you to set the Cardo PackTalk Bold up on a half helmet. However on the Amazon ad there statement that a separate half helmet kit require to use on a half helmet. I’m not sure if that’s required, I guess it just depends on how you want to attach the mic.
As for how well it works with a half helmet? I would think as long as you have a windshield that blocks most of the wind the wind-noise reduction should be okay. On the other hand if you don’t have a windshield that may require some trial and error for testing.
Pros For The Cardo PackTalk Bold
This is just a quick summery of the pros listed above for everyone’s convivence in no particular order. Remember you get what you pay for!
- Connect up to 15 riders
- JBL Speakers
- Voice Commands
- Dynamic Mesh Communication technology
- Automatic reconnecting if lost signal
- Android and Apply compatible
- Compatible with all helmets
Cons For The Cardo PackTalk Bold
There are only a few but as this is a Cardo PackTalk Bold review I think it’s important to list those as well.
- Price
- Installation
- Occasional Pre Speak needed
To go over some of those in a little more detail. The price isn’t cheap but again you get what you pay for and over all I think they are 100% worth the investment.
The installation really depends on the helmet I guess. My wife’s helmet and mine both required using the adhesive instead of the clip on. While that wasn’t too bad running the wires and speakers wasn’t as fun, nor putting everything back together again. With that said you would have to do the same thing with any other communication device so it’s really not a con.
As for the occasional pre speak, Well every now and then I notice the first word or few words will get cut off and my wife or I will have to ask one another to repeat what we said. This doesn’t happen often and maybe more about the way we speak as we both can be soft spoken at times.
Over All Final Thoughts About the Cardo TalkPack Bold Motorcycle Bluetooth Communication System Headset
My over all final thoughts about the Cardo TalkPack Bold Motorcycle Bluetooth Communication System Headset is that if you are in the market for a motorcycle bluetooth communication system than this is the one you want to get. Going with something cheaper just isn’t worth the trouble. Save yourself some time and money in the long run and invest in the Cardo TalkPack Bold. Get the Duo pack and save some money.
CARDO Unisex-Adult DMC/Bluetooth Motorcycle Communication Headset and Entertainment System with Natural Voice Operation, Sound by JBL, Connect 2 to 15 Riders (Black, Dual Pack), 2 Pack
Does anyone have any issues with these?
been using these for about a year now and no issues so far. They make communicating sooo much easier. These are an absolute must have if you ride in pairs.