Helmet Audio/communication

[Beemer]

Does anyone have this? If so, please share your thoughts on it, thanks!

MotoPro Helmet Audio + Communication System

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The Domio MotoPro (helmet speaker + comms) builds on the top audio performance of our Moto product but now we’ve added voice communications with our noise cancelling ProMic™! The Pro...

 

[mjh937]

Why do they show it attached to the top of the helmet?  That seems very inconvenient.  For the price I would get a name brand system. The timer, countdown of how many units are available, limit to four each and fact it is a preorder all make me nervous too. 

[sorkyah]

seems like a startup, the tech is a bit out there and the reviews almost seem fabricated after reading em.
i'll stick with scala/sena myself

 

[DewMan]

What @mjh937 &  @sorkyah said. 

My Senas didn't cost as much as this unproven technology.

[Beemer]

I feel the same way about everything said, I'm sure any vibration or sound is going to be muffled by the time it reaches the ears but there's that part of me that has to know for sure since it's supposedly new technology that might somehow get around the muffling. It looks like no one has one so I may never know.

[topazsparrow]

Even Sena's are pretty meh for the first release of their stuff - even the high end stuff. It seems to take them a few firmware updates to work out the kinks every time.

 

Given that helmets are designed to keep down wind and vibration noise (and are insulated with padding and EPS foam), I can't imaging this speaker tech will translate well on anything except a solid plastic shell. Show me a working example at a trade show, reviewed by actual people or magazines, and I'd bite. This limited quantity pre-order shet wreaks of vapor-ware.

[topazsparrow]

Surprised to find out the speaker tech isn't all that new.

here's a Co2W review of something similar.

 

 

[mtyamyam]

I heavily recommend Cardo packtalk. Easy to set up, easy to pair with others and its uses DMC function so the bluetooth doesn't drop out when riders change position. They're a bit more pricey than the others but they're worth it.

[7fold]

19 hours ago, mtyamyam said:

I heavily recommend Cardo packtalk. Easy to set up, easy to pair with others and its uses DMC function so the bluetooth doesn't drop out when riders change position. They're a bit more pricey than the others but they're worth it.

+1 on the packtalk - I picked up a packtalk slim a while back and I really like the form factor. The battery and controls are seperate so it mounts nearly flush with the side and back of the helmet. My only 2 minor gripes - it uses micro USB to charge (I've never been a fan of micro USB) and I had to modify it a bit to work with my RF1200. The second part is on me - I didn't realize it was "incompatible" with my helmet. I use quotes because all I really needed to do was bend the mounting bracket to match the profile of my helmet, so it was a simple fix. 

Other than that, the DMC function is a million times better than bluetooth. 

[Benh972]

I was shopping for Bluetooth and started seeing this product all over Facebook and Goggle ads. The most authentic sounding review I saw pointed out 2 big turn offs. First the audio is mono, and second the sound is much louder outside the helmet than speakers mounted inside. 

I ended up buying this bad boy. $70 bucks for a Cardo unit was too good after really giving consideration to some of the Chinese units. I ride alone, except for some very short rides I sometimes give my 11 year old boy.

Sometimes when I am out solo, he worries about me. I wanted to be available to take his calls, and get navigation so I can more confidently explore off the beaten path when I am out and about.  I have also enjoy having music more than I thought I would.  

[Airbornedeth]

$70 is not bad at all.

 

I bought the Sena SMH5 for around $100. I wanted it mainly for music, and the occasional phone call, and maybe once I find some friends that ride I will try the intercom out. Lol People are amazed that I'm actually riding my motorcycle when I talk to them on it, and I'm amazed they can't hear the bike considering it's freaking LOUD. Technology is awesome these days. It works great and is easy to use. 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Airbornedeth
Grammar

[Airbornedeth]

Admittedly it is a tad bulky. That works in your favor with gloves on, though. 

[Zephyr]

On 7/8/2020 at 5:30 AM, 7fold said:

+1 on the packtalk - I picked up a packtalk slim a while back and I really like the form factor. The battery and controls are seperate so it mounts nearly flush with the side and back of the helmet. My only 2 minor gripes - it uses micro USB to charge (I've never been a fan of micro USB) and I had to modify it a bit to work with my RF1200. The second part is on me - I didn't realize it was "incompatible" with my helmet. I use quotes because all I really needed to do was bend the mounting bracket to match the profile of my helmet, so it was a simple fix. 

Other than that, the DMC function is a million times better than bluetooth. 

Thanks for mentioning the fix for the RF-1200.  That's the helmet I have and a seriously considering the packtalk slim

[Benh972]

1 hour ago, Zephyr said:

Thanks for mentioning the fix for the RF-1200.  That's the helmet I have and a seriously considering the packtalk slim

I got the same helmet, the Bluetooth I got is Shoei branded in partnership with Cardo. I still made sure it would be ok with the RF-1200 in particular, and it is. 

You shim it between the shell and EPS. It felt weird as hell essentially stabbing my premium helmet. The instructions said to expect some resistance, but each little catch and squeak made me more than a little nervous.

[Benh972]

On 7/7/2020 at 12:24 PM, Beemer said:

I feel the same way about everything said, I'm sure any vibration or sound is going to be muffled by the time it reaches the ears but there's that part of me that has to know for sure since it's supposedly new technology that might somehow get around the muffling. It looks like no one has one so I may never know.

It does not seem that high tech to me. I play electric guitar and bass. If you don't have an amplifier handy, but you need some volume an old trick is to press the headstock against a solid surface. Something light or hollow works best.

The vibrations from the strings will transfer and reverberate back giving you a volume boost acustically. Seems this unit just kinda does that using the helmet as the solid surface. 

It just seems different for the sake of being different. Going back to mono and having that wart on the helmet profile make it seem like a step in the wrong direction.

[Beemer]

7 hours ago, Benh972 said:

It does not seem that high tech to me. I play electric guitar and bass. If you don't have an amplifier handy, but you need some volume an old trick is to press the headstock against a solid surface. Something light or hollow works best.

The vibrations from the strings will transfer and reverberate back giving you a volume boost acustically. Seems this unit just kinda does that using the helmet as the solid surface. 

It just seems different for the sake of being different. Going back to mono and having that wart on the helmet profile make it seem like a step in the wrong direction.

Thanks. I talked with @DewMan about it and that's what we agreed on ... inferior, mono and muffled "tin can" sound. How can this possibly produce better sound inside a windy helmet than real dual speakers  that are up against your ears? It's more of a gimmick than anything. I don't need to hear them to know that. 

[7fold]

16 hours ago, Zephyr said:

Thanks for mentioning the fix for the RF-1200.  That's the helmet I have and a seriously considering the packtalk slim

No problem! I'll try to modify this post if I get some time later to include some pictures, but making it work with my RF1200 wasn't really all that difficult; all you need is some pliers to help bend the bracket.

The battery compartment (that goes on the back of the helmet) comes with 2 plastic mounting plates I guess you can call them - the one on by default has a little rubber lip. Take that off and swap over to the one that sits flush to get it to sit flat up against the neckroll of the helmet.

The battery compartment has 2 different metal fork looking attachments, as well. One is longer and pre-bent towards the tip of the prongs, one is much shorter and the forks are flat. The shorter flat one is the one you want to use and all you have to do is bend the prongs to match the slight hump on the back of the helmet. It's obvious which ones you need to use, the longer one is way too long to slide all the way into the back of the helmet.

One additional thing is the speaker cutouts on the inside of the helmet are a bit too small to fit the earpieces from the Cardo. It's not a huge deal - the Cardo comes with what they call "booster pads" which are essentially double sided velcro disks that fill the speaker hole so you can stick the earpieces to them. The issue I had (which you may or may not) was that the booster pads were a bit too thick and I could feel the pressure on my ears from the speakers, which got a little uncomfortable after an hour or so. Easy fix if you run into that issue though - just grab some double sided velcro on Amazon (comes in a roll) and use it in place of the booster pad. It's thinner velcro so it gets the speakers more flush with the inside padding on the helmet and I don't feel the speakers pressing against my ears anymore.

One minor gripe is with charging - it's a micro-USB which I've had issues with on other devices (essentially ripping the port out). So whenever you charge it, just make sure to pull the portion with the controls on it out a little to make room for the charging cable. The padding on the RF1200 kind of obscures the charging port so you need a bit of clearance. 

It's really not bad as bas as it may sound - the end result is a super flush battery mount and control mount that you can barely see. That's really the reason I went with the slim over some of the other products they have.

Edited July 14, 2020 by 7fold
added photos