Communication Devices which works best

[campermac]

I am in the market to purchase a communications set for myself and my wife.
Looking for suggestions Cardo or Sena. What works best with the Can Am System, What works best with pairing to other bikes.
Looking for any pros and cons you may have, I have never used one before but figured I might as well get with the program since I do a lot of group riding.

Thanks

[bikerchris1270]

I am in the market to purchase a communications set for myself and my wife.
Looking for suggestions Cardo or Sena. What works best with the Can Am System, What works best with pairing to other bikes.
Looking for any pros and cons you may have, I have never used one before but figured I might as well get with the program since I do a lot of group riding.

Thanks

Cardo freedom 4 JBL.....
Great sound if you listening to music, easy setup, no wind noise.

[UtahPete]

I am in the market to purchase a communications set for myself and my wife.
Looking for suggestions Cardo or Sena. What works best with the Can Am System, What works best with pairing to other bikes.
Looking for any pros and cons you may have, I have never used one before but figured I might as well get with the program since I do a lot of group riding.

Thanks

The brand is irrelevant. They all work equally well. I would go with the simplest, easiest to use with the least features and complexity. You need to be able to communicate over some distance (but less than a mile) with other Bluetooth equipped riders, and perhaps multiple riders. Too many overcomplicate things with FM radio, smart phone, etc. which are nice but add enormously to the complexity.

[Jcummins]

Following

[Pirate]

I have yet to see a review or YouTube video tout Sena better than Cardo.

[rjinaz86323]

I have had both Cardo and Sena. I chose the Sena twice now. Currently use the Sena 50S with the mesh interface. We have a riding group of 8 guys and we can all talk to each other even if we get spread out over a few miles. As long as there is no more that 1 to 1.5 miles between any two people the whole group can communicate from the first to the last cycle.

[Bfromla]

Unfortunately seen more complaints about BRP connect than any of the devices

[Hoginedgewood]

Sena 50s here, it gets complicated. Answering a call, Checking the battery, simple as they sound I so rarely do it I can't when I want it to. But me to wife communication works well. 2 city blocks when she got stuck at a red light, but I think line of sight comes into play.
I really don't feel the need to talk on the phone or send text messages when I'm riding so I haven't spent the time opening THE MANUAL

[pidjones]

We have had Sena SMH5s for many years on the GoldWing, and they seem to still be doing fine. All they are used for is comm between us on board and to receive phone calls. I tried pairing with the Zumo 396, and it took over everything - stopping phone connection and even intercom. I unpaired it from the Senas and paired it with a Bluetooth receiver plugged into Aux on the GoldWing, will do the same on the Spyder. We don't ride in groups.

[AVBIZ]

I have yet to see a review or YouTube video tout Sena better than Cardo.

I would agree. Ive owed both brands and over the entire product line Cardo rates higher. Currently ride with the Cardo Talk Pack Bold JBL; operation is seamless and voice commands are excellent. In the end most people buy what the rest of their friends have- you don’t want to be the outlier.

[Tango]

We are very happy with our SENA 30. Had the 10 and moved up. Very clear conversation, easy link to phone. Holds a charge very long. Tom

[K80Shooter]

Sena 50S here, that said I would check with the other riders to see how they communicate, Bluetooth or Mesh. Some units will not do both. As for working with BRP, I do not use it as I do not gain anything and don't see any reason to try with all the negative reviews on here.

[EdMat]

Do you prefer Apple or Samsung? Same type debate. No clear winner for everyone.

I agree with most of the above. Find out what the folks you ride with use. It will be easier to connect with them and they can offer tips and setup advise based on real world use.

Myself, I chose SENA.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Currently use the Sena 50S with the mesh interface.

The mesh technology is proprietary, isn't it? That means anyone with a different brand, or even different Sena model, isn't going to be part of the conversation, right? Now, try to convince me how that's a better system than 60+ year old CB technology!

[rjinaz86323]

Our riding group uses Sena 50S, but we can bring in other people the have other Sena models without the mesh. They just have to stay fairly close, as they don't have the range that the 50 does.

[ARtraveler]

Over the years, I have used Nolan n-com, Cardo, Sena, and one brand with I forget the name of.

Sena has been our brand of choice. We seem to get more distance (bike to bike) and less noise interference compared to Nolan and Cardo.

We tried the n-com because we really liked the helmets and the "built in" feature of the communicators. Results were wimpy sound, much noise interference, and not as much life to the batteries before needing charging.

We are now using Sena that is "built in" to the Bell Mag 9 helmets. We get about 4 blocks line of site comm. and they last all day for us. No noise interference. Our original Sena units were mounted ON/not in Nolan helmets.

We have NOT tried pairing with BRP system, other brands, or use of multi other persons on the setup.

[Motorcycledave]

I am in the market to purchase a communications set for myself and my wife.
Looking for suggestions Cardo or Sena. What works best with the Can Am System, What works best with pairing to other bikes.
Looking for any pros and cons you may have, I have never used one before but figured I might as well get with the program since I do a lot of group riding.

Thanks

I must through in my 2 cents worth, when installed and used properly, the are both great units, however it comes down to
#1 Personal customer service
#2 Ease of operation
#3 Ease of operation with gloves on
#4 Clarity of sound at speed
#5 Durability
#6 How much you are welling to invest in communications

[PGDoug]

This guy has some good info , plus he's funny .
IMO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uevmJCDXlME

[RayBJ]

I've had the Cardo Pak Talk and Sena 20s & 50s. Sena 50s is the clear winner over all others with Pak Talk 2nd. If you ride with others, get what they have.

FYI, Sena customer support is horrendous! Everything is by email & they always wait to reply several days after your request. If you need an RMA, it will require at least 3 more mail exchanges to get the RMA. Many of the batteries in the 1st batch of 50s units are a known defect where the battery charge is only good for a couple hours using mesh. Normally should get ~6 hr with a good battery. I'm the 4th in my group to have the issue and I'm waiting to see how long it takes for the replacement since sending mine back last week.
I still prefer Sena but pray I never need to deal with their CSRs again!

[CKelley]

I have the Cardo sets. They work great, but I have had difficulty connecting with the BP Connect app. Sometimes it works flawlessly, sometimes it fails to connect. I need to dig into the BP Connect app more, as as seems to have significant issues. Might be the operator

[Airjohn]

Just installed a Cardo Packtalk Black and found it to be an excellent choice. Install was easy and just as the directions depicted. The upgraded JBL speakers are super. There is a phone app with all kinds of audio setup selections, such as an equalizer and bass boost, etc. The voice commands system works flawlessly, and as a bonus there is a built in FM Radio with phone app available and many presets that can be stored for retrieval with the voice commands as well. First time I selected some stations, it locked on to a classic rock station that was about 50 miles away just sitting in my garage, pretty zoomie! I am a long time "audiophile" and this sounds almost as good as my multi-channel stereo system at home. No wind noise that I can detect, and the microphone (boom mike selection) when making phone calls is superb, my callers can't believe I'm on a motorcycle going down the road. Haven't had a group ride yet to try out the "Mesh Tech" system, but look forward to that and will update my experience when that happens. Overall this selection has exceeded my expectations so far, more to come. No, I do not work for Cardo, but am more than satisfied with my unit.

Happy Spyder Rider In Utah (Now With Tunes!)

[RapidSpyder]

The Pactalk Bold also seemed for us to have better wind cancelling then Sena. Seems like there’s always a crosswind here and in Wyoming. Also have better range and reconnection in the Hills then we did with the Sena. Only negative I have is sometimes I get an echo when my wife talks behind me.

[Lew L]

We have had Sena SMH5s for many years on the GoldWing, and they seem to still be doing fine. All they are used for is comm between us on board and to receive phone calls. I tried pairing with the Zumo 396, and it took over everything - stopping phone connection and even intercom. I unpaired it from the Senas and paired it with a Bluetooth receiver plugged into Aux on the GoldWing, will do the same on the Spyder. We don't ride in groups.

We also have the SMH5 and have used it without fail. Works great and easy to use and pair. Time marches on,so there are more involved comm units out there. Sena work great for us and has for us even before we got the

Lew L

[Eranical]

I don’t ride in groups too often so mesh was not important. I went with the cardo freedom 4 dual version with job speakers, and am very happy. Bought the dual set since my wife occasionally rides with me and we are impressed with the intercom functionality. I have my phone paired with the bike and the cardo paired with the bike. It seems to be working fine. I can play music from my phone and use it for directions too. I can choose the helmet or the bike speakers depending on my mood. Phone calls are very clear and people find it hard to believe I am riding..

[Plarimer]

Truthfully, my wife just bangs me on the back of the helmet. Believe me it works very well.