INTRODUCTION

   Even though I’ve enjoyed watching powerful street motorcycles/bikes from a very early age (anime like Akira, Megazone 23, GTO and others clearly had an effect on me) i never got my very own, mainly because i was never very good with balance (this may sound silly but even riding a bicycle proved hard for me sometimes). Still, many of my friends did so I’ve been able to ride as a passenger since i was hardly 17 meaning that by now i have countless hours on a motorcycle. The one problem i always had however was that i could hardly ever hear my friends talking through both their helmets and of course my very own (let alone make/answer a call) something which has been resolved since then with the introduction of some very impressive communication systems. The PackTalk Bold Duo JBL by Cardo Systems is one of the most award winning bluetooth communication systems in the market today and that's what I’ll be looking at today.

   Cardo Systems specializes in the design, development, manufacturing and sale of state-of-the-art wireless communication and entertainment systems for motorcycle riders. Since inception in 2004, Cardo has pioneered the vast majority of innovations for Bluetooth motorcycle communication systems. The company’s products, now available in over 100 countries, are the world’s leading communication devices for the motorcycle industry.

   As its name clearly states the PackTalk Bold Duo JBL is aimed towards people who want to equip two helmets with an intercom (single version is of course also available). Each of the two PackTalk Bold communications systems consists by the main unit, helmet mounts, two 40mm JBL HD stereo speakers and a flexible noise-cancelling boom microphone complete with a wind screen. The main unit is IP67 certified (effectively water proof), features Bluetooth v4.1 connectivity, can pair with up to 15 other units (DMC mode) and has a maximum optimal range of 1600 meters (1000 meters under normal circumstances). An 850mAh lithium-polymer battery pack inside each of the two units can keep them going for up to 13 hours and as for extra features you can use the PackTalk Bold to answer/end calls, merge calls with the intercom (so others can participate), create private intercom channels, share your music with everyone else (via your smartphone), listen to FM radio stations (RDS is supported) and more (commands are voice, button and app controlled). So, let's see how well the PackTalk Bold Duo JBL does and of course how it compares to the Sena 5S model i reviewed a while back.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The PackTalk Bold Duo JBL arrived inside a somewhat large black box that has a product picture at the front right under the company logo, above the main features and of course the JBL logo.

Contact information about Cardo Systems is printed on the right side just over a product description in 5 languages.

The main features are printed at the rear in 2 languages.

Cardo Systems has also placed their logo on the interior box.

The box opens up at the front to reveal both PackTalk Bold units and a picture of a man riding a motorcycle.

Inside the box you'll find the two PackTalk Bold units, plastic mounts with microphone and speaker connectors, 4 JBL speakers, 4 speaker covers, 2 boom microphones, 8 tape mounts, 4 alcohol cleaning pads, 2 microUSB cables, two company stickers, 2 installation guides and 2 pocket guides.

THE PACKTALK BOLD DUO JBL

Measuring 91mm in length, 49mm in height and 25mm in depth the 57g heavy PackTalk Bold units are quite larger compared to the Sena 5S ones.

Both units have retractable plastic antennas at the top as seen above.

Aside the 3 buttons located on the exterior of each unit there's also a rubber coated roller (volume increase/decrease/mute) on the far end.

The MicroUSB port is located on the base of each unit.

At the rear of each unit, we find 6 metal pins which are used to connect with the plastic mounts.

As mentioned earlier on the exterior of each unit there are 3 buttons (front media control, top intercom and bottom phone/bluetooth pairing) and an activity LED right at the center.

The JBL speakers are not clearly larger compared to what you get with similar intercom models (even the Sena 5S).

Of course, the same applies with the boom microphone although that has very little to do with performance.

CARDO CONNECT APP

Pairing the PackTalk Bold Duo to your smartphone is easy, just download the Cardo Connect app, start it, choose your model and press and hold the media/play and phone key until the activity LED starts blinking.

Once the app gets paired to your PackTalk Bold unit it will search for online firmware updates and if it finds one it will inform you.

To update the firmware, you will need to download the update software, connect the unit to your PC via the microUSB cable and perform the update.

The app also gives you some details on some of the new features introduced.

From the main menu you have quick access to most functions (the battery level is placed on the top right).

You can access the settings menu from the top left corner and in here you can adjust everything from the volume levels and automatic volume, microphone and voice control sensitivity to Bluetooth audio mixing, audio priority and intelligent noise block.

You can also choose one of the three available profiles for the JBL speakers.

The unit also supports a total of 17 languages (19 for the app).

Forgot to mention that you can also change the app look depending on the time of day (automatically or manually).

For this review i used version 5.2 of the Cardo Connect App.

As for the functions themselves you can use the app to make calls, create intercom/bluetooth groups, play music (can choose the player later on) and listen to radio.

Here you can see the main app screen.

CONCLUSION

   Before i continue with my conclusion i need to point out that Cardo Systems send the PackTalk Bold Duo early last year but since i had to change storage rooms to keep up with everything arriving in the lab the sample was misplaced only to be found just 3 months ago. On top of that since i don't own my very own motorcycle i had to rely to friends in order to fully test it which ended up taking longer than expected. So clearly i need to apologise to Cardo Systems for this and hope that they won't hold it against me, at least not for long. Now about the PackTalk Bold Duo, well I’ve only used two other intercoms in my life so i can't really say that it's the best out there but from all 3 I’ve used it's simply the best and that's not something i was expecting. Yes, i was expecting higher volume levels due to its larger JBL speakers but it excels in everything else as well, from available features, microphone quality and signal strength/range, to ease of use, battery life (with the Sena 5S i never recorded over 5 hours while with the PackTalk Bold i recorded just over 12) and of course build quality. Yes, i really liked the size and VFW screen of the Sena 5S communications system but one of the two i gave to a friend actually now has a crack in it so that's probably why Cardo Systems chose to skip using one with their lineup (still in terms of looks and size I'd go with the Sena 5S). Needless to say, I’ve yet to test their newest models (and i don't know if i ever will after taking this long to complete this review) but at least for now it's hard for me to imagine that they can be significantly better compared to the PackTalk Bold Duo.

   As I type these lines the PackTalk Bold Duo JBL Edition by Cardo retails for USD353.88 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 399Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) and even though it’s indeed a lot better compared to the Sena 5S it’s also more expensive. This however is the only downside of the PackTalk Bold Duo JBL Communications System which means that for demanding users this will probably not matter much. Audio clarity for both ends, very good volume levels, excellent battery life and of course high build quality, the Cardo PackTalk Bold Duo JBL has it all and that’s why it certainly deserves the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Crystal Clear Audio (Both Ends)
- Impressive Volume Levels
- Voice Commands & Prompts (17 Languages)
- Bundle (4 speakers Microphones & 2 Microphones)
- Battery Life (Up To 13 Hours)
- Features (Intercom/FM Radio/Mixing/Calls, Music & FM Radio Sharing)
- Range (1600 Meters Max)
- Easy To Use
- Fast Installation
- Cardo Connect App

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Firmware Update Not Via App