Chatterbox vs G4

[canam9]

I know it has been disussed many times, but now I am ready to make the jump into a comm. set up that will talk to my better half, and get tunes from my Garmin 665. I found a Scala with two head sets in one box or Chatterbox needs one set per helmet. Cost is not as inportant as ease of use. I have an RT with entertainment, no CB, XM or Nav. I like the Garmin 665 for the Nav. an XM. I have limited experiance with electronics, more of a shade tree wench. I like the idea of the bluetooth system going from the Garmin XM to the helmet units. It would be nice if the sound went thru the stereo on the machine, but if I have to cut wires I'll be okay with it going thru the headsets. I know many of you here have tried many a set up and any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you in a advance.

[Hobstopper]

If I may, let me add another into the mix, Sena SMH10. If we talk about ease of use I like the Sena, to activate intercom you just tap the jog dial, to end tap it again, to increase/decrease volume just turn the Jog dial, no fumbling around with buttons especially with gloves on.
Paired with Zumo 660 easily.
I looked at the G4 and the Sena and decided on the Sena, the major drawback to either of them is neither have a battery replacement program yet and may never. So we may have to replace a $250 to $300 item in 2 to 3 years depending on how frequently we use the charge cycles.

Sena Pros,
Easy to use intercom and volume.
Pairs easily with what I have tried so far.
Sound quality is excellent, I use a half helmet with the speakers velcro'd on the chin straps and have no trouble hearing music, intercom, phone or GPS.
Distance for intercom meets or exceeds listed distance.

Sena Cons,
Little bulkier than the Scala G4.
Can’t upgrade unit through USB connection.
No battery replacement program.

Scala G4 Pros,
Upgradable through USB connection.
Slimmer foot print.
More commonly used, in case you want to intercom with another bike.
Feature rich, although I would not use the FM radio and there are a lot of complaints about the quality of the FM.

Scala Cons,
Distance quoted for intercom is not realistic and to my knowledge (reviews and forums) has not been achieved.
Sound quality is not as good as Sena to the best of my knowledge.
No battery replacement program.

I am sure there will be more information from others on the board, this is just what I have found so far.

[Firefly]

I see the Sena unit has the ability (with optional helmet mount unit) for you to plug your own earbuds in-------

That would sway me that way for sure!

Anyone know if you can pair with other brands of headsets?

Thanks for the info...

[farmerjim]

My wife and I bought a Chatterbox for our trip to New York and was deeply disappointed. Could hear each other up to about 45, but at highway speed had to shout to hear each other. Don't waste your money. Just my experience.

farmerjim

[Gimpy Girl]

I have a Chatterbox and they seem to be good for low cost communications. I use it almost on every ride I go out on with my club, but I find the wires that I need to hook it up to everything get in the way, and the battery life doesn't last very long.
It sure is nice to be in the back of the pack and get the heads up from the front of the group.
Good luck with your decision on what to get!

[Roy's Bassets]

I got a chatter box, gave it away after two weeks of trying the get it to work, got a Cardo Q2 works great. Chatter Box is crap and a waste of money. just my 2 cents

[Trickie Dick]

I see the Sena unit has the ability (with optional helmet mount unit) for you to plug your own earbuds in-------

That would sway me that way for sure!

Anyone know if you can pair with other brands of headsets?

Thanks for the info...

No Bluetooth headset that I know of will pair with another brand. I asked several vendors at he big motorcyle show here in Indy last spring they all confirmed my statement.
The G4 is backward compatible to other Cardo Scala units.

BTW, I agree with Hobstopper in that the actual range is far less than advertised.

[bone crusher]

The G4 is quite good and very reliable. It pairs nicely with my 550 and iphone. It is also the only one that gets updates through your computer...sweet...

It's a good unit and you'd be happy with it..

[altonk]

Look at J&m motorcycle audio I have their Bluetooth headset I just connect to my iPhone but the quality is great and it has replaceable batteries and speakers Speakers are the best quality I have found.

[Questions]

I just picked up the Sena SMH-10 a few weeks ago and absolutely love it.

Pairs to my droid so that I can use Slacker/Pandora radio, ability to use headphones (with $39 base-plate kit) and it works great bike-to-bike.

The ease of use was paramount, or my wife would get tired of it. Two buttons on the headset is it....one for phone, one for interphone/radio controls.

If you buy direct from Sena (more expensive) I think that they give a 30-day return guarantee.

The clincher for me was a group-buy at $259 + $17 shipping for two full headsets.

[2spyders]

We've been using the Scala G4 all summer, and it has good points and bad. The sound between the headsets is extremely good, but is definitely "line of sight". We haven't had much luck with the radio, but then we usually ride where radio is iffy at best anyway.

[Pincushion]

Love my Scala G4 Powerset!
Use it all the time....for hours at a time.