CARDO PACKTALK EDGE / CARDO SPIRIT HD

`33,999 / `13,699 as tested www.bigbadbikes.com

PAIRING WITH YOUR PHONE IS SEAMLESS AND SUPER FAST COURTESY OF BLUETOOTH 5.2

IHAVE NEVER USED HELMET communicator units before and have always been apprehensive about the idea. But I’ve seen many people absolutely swear by it. So when Big Bad Bikes sent out the brand new Cardo Packtalk Edge and the Spirit HD I decided to try them out and give Bluetooth communicators a fair shot.

Cardo Packtalk Edge

The Packtalk Edge was extremely easy to install and the air mount system works flawlessly every single time, just get the unit close to the magnetic mount and it snaps right on. The 40mm speaker drivers come courtesy of JBL and sound rather impressive. They aren’t too bass heavy and all frequency ranges have their space in the mix. But remember that listening to music while riding does run the risk of you getting distracted on the road so please do it carefully. Then there’s the mic. It is simply astounding just how good this mic is. It does a great job of eliminating wind noise even with the visor up. You can expect us to use this unit to record our helmet PTCs for our videos in the future, it’s that good. Now, onto the unit itself, the controls are very intuitive and tactile, especially with the scroll wheel, making it a breeze to operate even with full-gauntlet gloves. Pairing with your phone is seamless and super fast courtesy of Bluetooth 5.2. Now, one area I had an issue was in using the voice commands which didn’t always work the way I hoped but the controls are such that it isn’t a deal breaker by any means.

Cardo Spirit HD

The Spirit HD is one of Cardo’s entry level units but still retains top-notch build quality. Like the Packtalk Edge, this is also fully waterproof, so we could use it in the rain without the least bit of worries. The mic has the same exceptional quality as well. What this does miss out on is the scroll wheel and also gets a shorter operating range for the intercom system. It also doesn’t get the dynamic mesh system but still works as a great rider-to-rider intercom as Benny and I did use on multiple occasions. He also had an absolute blast cranking his tunes and staying in touch with photographer Avdhoot during the Pune Off-road Expedition.

Now the points I’ve covered only scratch the surface of what you can do with these units. The biggest takeaway for me is the sort of convenience these things add to your daily riding. It eliminates the need for you to take out your phone altogether and keeps you focused on your ride. Suddenly, I’m all for helmet intercom units and I’m super happy to have started off with the Cardos. ⌧

Karan Ramgopal (@karanramgopal)