VOLUME 57 ISSUE 40 OCTOBER 6, 2020 P97
BLACK
Website: https://www.cardosystems.com/shop/packtalk-black/
MSRP: $389.95
S TANDOUT FEATURE
Awesome sound from the JBL
speakers
RIDER AN ALYSIS
For me, Bluetooth headsets are much
of a muchness across different brands,
simply because there's only so much
I'm ever going to do with one.
What I care about is ease of use
and good sound, simply because
sound is the one area no one seems to
be taking seriously.
So, for me, that makes the Packtalk
Black stand out from the crowd. The
45mm JBL speakers that now reside
in my Arai are absolutely awesome.
They produce more bass and less
high frequency distortion than my old
Sena—the benefit of which isn't just
loud music but being able to hear spo-
ken podcasts and directions clearly. I
always ride with earplugs, so I need
a system that's properly loud as the
earplugs filter out most of the wind
noise, and a good deal of the audio.
The new speakers in the Packtalk Black
therefore are the new market leader,
in my opinion.
Other parts of the Packtalk I'm not
crazy about: I find the four buttons
plus the jog wheel rather cumber-
some to use, and the voice command
feature isn't as seamless as I'd like. It's
LOWDOWN
good that you can just start talking
and not have to push a button like on
a Sena, but if the command doesn't
go through, it's not much good.
The connectivity to other riders
is something I've only tested once,
as I normally ride alone. We linked
up three riders on one ride, and
everything worked well, as expected.
I promptly disconnected from the
group, simply for a bit of peace and
quiet.
Overall, the Packtalk is a solid buy
for the speakers alone. After many
years on Sena, I'm still getting used to
how the Cardo system works, but it's
a slim, lightweight, good-looking unit I
certainly have no intentions of replac-
ing any time soon.
Rennie Scaysbrook
•TOO MANY BUTTONS AND DIALS
•VOICE COMMAND ISN'T AS
SMOOTH AS HOPED
•EXCELLENT SOUND
•SLIM AND LIGHT WEIGHT
•13 HOURS OF TALK TIME
The secret to
the Cardo's
success? These
things, the JBL
speakers.
