TL;DR: Cardo Packtalk Slim, video explanation by FortNine:
https://youtu.be/-AMoXbXHALcI spent an ungodly amount of time trying to figure out what intercom system to buy to replace my still working but frustrating as hell Interphone F5MC in me and my wife’s helmet.
Basically what I found out is that pairing with Bluetooth is fine for phone to intercom communication but is somewhat unreliable and can be frustrating between intercom systems.
Cardo released their new packtalk this year using Dynamic Mesh communication instead of Bluetooth for the intercom to intercom communication. It’s far superior in its pairing, reliability and quality. Sena got spooked and released a me-too product with similar technology the Sena 30K. Most reviews I can find aren’t very positive about this one even though it’s the next evolution in technology, it seems to be a rushed product, just to stay competitive.
Recently Cardo released a second version of their Packtalk. The Packtalk Slim, this has an external battery that fits differently on your helmet, giving it a super low profile. Getting as close to integrated as you possibly can get without needed a helmet specific unit, or an (expensive) helmet specifically built for it.
After a couple months of use I still really love the unit. It works really well. The noise cancelling is really nice. (Takes a couple seconds initially to identify wind noise and then just straight up removes it).
The buttons are confusing as hell. I keep the one page manual in my interstate’s top case in case I need to consult it. Luckily it also supports voice commands. “Cardo play music”, “hey Siri.. [pause until I hear siri’s Familiar chime] get me directions to...” which makes life a lot easier.
It allows you to hear multiple things at once, music, directions and voice. And it temporarily lowers the volume (but doesn’t mute) depending on the priority. So if your friend says something the music will lower slightly so you can hear them. And if they keep blathering on you can still hear them while your turn by turn navigation instructions are coming through.
