Cardo Scala Rider Q2

[jeffrey]

Well, I finally bit the bullet and picked up a headset as I have such a long commute every day (over 60 miles each way) and my wife, mostly, gets frustrated (ie: worried) with not being able to reach me. Additionally, I wanted to be able to hear the directions from my bluetooth NAV on my phone (which does work) and the FM radio is a bonus. :)

As far as for cellphone usage, the voice dial function works very well as does the voice answer. Everyone I have talked to has said that even (on I-10 Wset of SA) at 75mph they cannot tell I'm on a motorcycle.

Today I took my good buddy Paul out for a ride after he got off of work. He's a new rider, only has a couple of hundred miles on his Shadow Aero 750 (which is a fantastic bike btw) and is doing extremely well, very smooth on the bike.

Well, he's a gadget freak as am I and as soon as I told him I got a Q2 he went out and researched it and got one too.

We used it today on our ride to keep in touch and so I could talk him through some of the Hill Country backroads in the "Buddy" mode which is headset-to-headset communications via Bluetooth. The nice thing is ince the Q2 and be paired with up to four sources, I was still able to get calls on the phone at the same time. The "Buddy" mode works extremely well, at some points we were about 1/4 of a mile apart, maybe more (just testing the range) and it was still crisp and crystal clear.

So far we're both extremely happy with the purchases and do not regret it at all. :)

If you are looking for a multi-functional Bluetooth capable headset, look no further!

For the record, I picked it up from Nathan at Moto Liberty, fantastic customer service as always, give'em a call! :rider:

[Tesla]

Well, I finally bit the bullet and picked up a headset as I have such a long commute every day (over 60 miles each way) and my wife, mostly, gets frustrated (ie: worried) with not being able to reach me. Additionally, I wanted to be able to hear the directions from my bluetooth NAV on my phone (which does work) and the FM radio is a bonus. :)

As far as for cellphone usage, the voice dial function works very well as does the voice answer. Everyone I have talked to has said that even (on I-10 Wset of SA) at 75mph they cannot tell I'm on a motorcycle.

Today I took my good buddy Paul out for a ride after he got off of work. He's a new rider, only has a couple of hundred miles on his Shadow Aero 750 (which is a fantastic bike btw) and is doing extremely well, very smooth on the bike.

Well, he's a gadget freak as am I and as soon as I told him I got a Q2 he went out and researched it and got one too.

We used it today on our ride to keep in touch and so I could talk him through some of the Hill Country backroads in the "Buddy" mode which is headset-to-headset communications via Bluetooth. The nice thing is ince the Q2 and be paired with up to four sources, I was still able to get calls on the phone at the same time. The "Buddy" mode works extremely well, at some points we were about 1/4 of a mile apart, maybe more (just testing the range) and it was still crisp and crystal clear.

So far we're both extremely happy with the purchases and do not regret it at all. :)

If you are looking for a multi-functional Bluetooth capable headset, look no further!

For the record, I picked it up from Nathan at Moto Liberty, fantastic customer service as always, give'em a call! :rider:

Wear earplugs with them? How high do you turn up the volume to hear?

[jeffrey]

I don't wear earplugs, in 20 years of riding I've never really needed it. Then again, I have always worn full-faced (mostly Arai's and for the last ~15 yeras RX7's) helmets and sportbikes. I guess on a cruiser type bike or anything without a full faced helmet, the noise would be a lot louder/worse.

The earpieces go up extremely loud, TOO loud. It adjusts the volume for speed, so if my low speed volume is too high, my sped up volume is painful! lol

But once it's setup right it's great.

[Jyn]

You're telling me those noisy arai's never killed your hearing? I hate riding without plugs.

[jeffrey]

Honestly my "noisy" Arai isn't noisy at all. *shrug*

It's certainly no noisier than my Shoei's were.

[jeffrey]

Hey Tesla, I tried it today with earplugs, it worked fine. I was using the cheapo purple ones you get from Wal-Mart in the plastic tub.

It worked fine, I could hear everything just fine. I did have to turn it all the way up, but the radio is plenty loud (ie: painful when all the way up with no plugs, at least in my RX7).

But yeah, it did work fine.

And no, Jyn, I still don't like riding with ear plugs.:D

[bushwhacker]

Is the Scala Q2 A2DP compatible?

I am pretty sure the original one was not and I have not seen anything that indicates the Q2 is either.

I decided to go with the CAMOS for A2DP compatibility.

-

[jeffrey]

As far as I know, it is not. I would've liked AD2P compatibility, but honestly the Q2 was just a much slimmer, sleeker package. I really can't stand how bulky the CAMOS is. That enormous plug and the earpieces are much larger/bulkier than the Q2's.

I went for comfort and compact size versus compatibility for AD2P, I don't have anything that uses AD2P anyway. :)

I did check out the CAMOS prior to purchasing however and couldn't convince myself that AD2P was worth the rest of it's shortcomings. But hey, whatever works for ya! :D

[ekms377]

Do you run am amplifier or anything to make it loud enough??

[budzrex]

I bought one from Moto Liberty as well and it works well,
I can hear fine with earplugs in, like the FM radio feature
as well

[jeffrey]

Do you run am amplifier or anything to make it loud enough??

No need, it's plenty loud. Without plugs it can get (literally) ear-piercingly loud.

If you need earplugs, you may be deaf already! :giveup: :eek2:

Seriously though, it's plenty loud. :)

[jeffrey]

I bought one from Moto Liberty as well and it works well,
I can hear fine with earplugs in, like the FM radio feature
as well

Bud, did you get a chance to try out the bike-to-bike communication yet? You need a buddy with a Q2, but it works surprisingly well. Up to almost a half mile away if it's line of sight. :)

BTW, great looking ZRX, love those colors. :)

[ekms377]

No need, it's plenty loud. Without plugs it can get (literally) ear-piercingly loud.

If you need earplugs, you may be deaf already! :giveup: :eek2:

Seriously though, it's plenty loud. :)

Thanks!! I'll look into one.

[budzrex]

No, I have not tried the bike to bike yet.


Oh and thanks on the compliment on the ZRX I had it repainted by an old friend in Austin, its 2007 Porsche Blue that I am really happy with

[jeffrey]

Wow, very nice! How about a link to some pics? :)

[leekellerking]

FYI, not only open face helment users need ear protection:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/helmet-noise.htm

http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0804_noise_induced_hearing/index.html

Although noise-induced hearing loss is permanent, it is entirely preventable, Colle said. Motorcyclists should limit the amount of exposure they have to high-decibel levels, and although motorcycle helmets don’t provide any significant protection against noise, inexpensive foam earplugs, available at drug stores, can reduce sound levels by 20 decibels to 25 decibels.

http://news.ufl.edu/2004/09/01/motorcycle-noise/

[jeffrey]

As a lifetime musician, trust me, if it was loud in my helmet, I'd wear earplugs.

It just isn't though. :)

[budzrex]

here is one of my favorite of the bike

[donroger1]

here is one of my favorite of the bike

BEAUTIFUL doesn't say enough!

[jeffrey]

Gorgeous color, very nice with the bluebonnets too. :D

[budzrex]

Thanks guys, I never really think of it a beautiful its just the bike
I have been riding for the past 8 years. Thanks for the compliments
a friend of mine in Austin did the paint work last year after I spied a
911 in that color rolling through a parking lot on a sunny day

[chipset]

I picked my Q2 up this weekend.

I haven't done bike-to-bike, but so far the cell phone works great. The FM isn't bad either.

[DFW Dano]

Is the Scala Q2 A2DP compatible?

I am pretty sure the original one was not and I have not seen anything that indicates the Q2 is either.

I decided to go with the CAMOS for A2DP compatibility.

-

Bump....

Bushwacker... The Cardo that will be AD2P will be coming out in April, 09... I have a bud that works there...

[jeffrey]

Nice. :)

[bushwhacker]

Bump....

Bushwacker... The Cardo that will be AD2P will be coming out in April, 09... I have a bud that works there...


I already bought the Camos

[fossil]

Me and a riding buddy have used a Scala Team Set for bike to bike. Does anybody know if the newer Q2 would pair up with the driver or passenger units of the older Team set?

[pub610]

I already bought the Camos

Keep us posted on the sound quality of that, if you don't mind. I've talked to the guys at Benchmark and have pretty well convinced myself to go with the Camos and a bluetooth dongle for the XM. But I'd sure like to hear an opinion from a TWTer before I spring for it.

[bushwhacker]

Keep us posted on the sound quality of that, if you don't mind. I've talked to the guys at Benchmark and have pretty well convinced myself to go with the Camos and a bluetooth dongle for the XM. But I'd sure like to hear an opinion from a TWTer before I spring for it.

I have an LG Chocolate VX8550 which is A2DP compatable and around town and on the Twisties it works pretty good.

On the Freeway at 70-80 mph you can hear the higher quality songs but the lower quality ones are hard to hear.

I am thinking about re ripping some of mine at a 256 bit rate to see if this improves the sound.

One thing that does work great with this setup and I assume it would work as well with a seperate phone and mp3 player is when I get a call the music cuts out the Camos automatically answers the phone, Sound is pretty good and you can hear the caller. They hear some wind noise.

When the call ends the Music cuts back in.

I have the BTS-300.

[pub610]

Thanks, Bushwacker. That pretty much seals it for me. I don't do mp3 on the bike but I do ride with XM all the time and the quality of that ought to be better than mp3 compression. The guy at Benchmark tells me I can run my XM, Blackberry and a radar detector through the Zumo and reserve the other channel for bike-to-bike communication.

Thanks for the review.
And thanks for the hijack -- didn't this thread start out to be about Cardo?

[DFW Dano]

Me and a riding buddy have used a Scala Team Set for bike to bike. Does anybody know if the newer Q2 would pair up with the driver or passenger units of the older Team set?

The Q2 will pair up with the older Cardo's but will have a 30 foot range instead of the 1000 foot range. The new Stereo version, I forgot the model number, A_ something, will be able to pair with all of the previous versions.

[bsquared]

I gort the Q2 at the Int'l Bike Show here a few weeks ago. It works great for bluetooth phone calls & mp3, but when I tried to use it two up I had a problem with ambient wind noise cutting off mp3 & starting a conversation between rider & passenger. It happened constantly...sometimes you just want to not hear your passenger :roll: Anyone else experiencing this?

[Squeaky]

...sometimes you just want to not hear your passenger :roll: Anyone else experiencing this?

No, I tend to like the person I'm taking as a passenger or riding as a passenger with and want to hear them. :nana:




:duck:

<-- never used the Cardo, I just had to get that in

[bsquared]

No, I tend to like the person I'm taking as a passenger or riding as a passenger with and want to hear them. :nana:




:duck:

<-- never used the Cardo, I just had to get that in

touche'...& i love the people that i take...80% of the time i always want to talk to 'em;-)

[ekms377]

The Q2 is not in stereo.....are there any out there that are?

[DFW Dano]

The new version (A4, i think) will be out in April will be A2DP (Stereo Bluetooth)....

[Copronymous]

I got my Q2 Multiset yesterday. Truly amazing, except for the MP3. It's just not very loud. Conversations over the phone at 50 MPH are greatness. I'm now even more psyched about the spring break trip to the Twisted Sisters.:rider:

[Tesla]

I got my Q2 Multiset yesterday. Truly amazing, except for the MP3. It's just not very loud. Conversations over the phone at 50 MPH are greatness. I'm now even more psyched about the spring break trip to the Twisted Sisters.:rider:

Too funny. I, too, am expecting the Q2 Multiset to arrive any day now. Me, wife and another couple are trailering our bikes to the hill country to ride the 3 sisters in March.

[ekms377]

I haven't tried mine with a buddy yet but phone calls are great. I cannot wear earplugs with the speakers....not loud enough. The reason I tried to wear earplugs is I get some wind noise in my helmet on the Tuono. FM sound is not that great. I guess I may have bought an older one because I do not have an MP3 input or cable. I guess only the teamset has it.

[Copronymous]

I haven't tried mine with a buddy yet but phone calls are great. I cannot wear earplugs with the speakers....not loud enough. The reason I tried to wear earplugs is I get some wind noise in my helmet on the Tuono. FM sound is not that great. I guess I may have bought an older one because I do not have an MP3 input or cable. I guess only the teamset has it.

The Q2 Multiset has MP3 input. Regular Q2 does not. :(
Too funny. I, too, am expecting the Q2 Multiset to arrive any day now. Me, wife and another couple are trailering our bikes to the hill country to ride the 3 sisters in March.
Awesome. When you heading down? I'm leaving the 14th.:bigokay:

[Tesla]

Awesome. When you heading down? I'm leaving the 14th.:bigokay:

We are leaving March 20th. Delivery guy just delivered the Q2 not 3 minutes ago.

[NathanH]

If the music is very soft, make sure your plug for the MP3 is all the way in, and I mean ALL THE WAY IN. It has a detent at like 80% inserted that allows sound to come through, but when you seat it all the way plastic to plastic it gets significantly louder. I've only played with them here in the store, so I can't say with certainty that they are loud enough on music mode at highway speed. But I can say that getting that last push in made a big difference in volume. I assume they have a little detent like that to prevent the cable from accidentally being pulled out by wind, head motion, and what have you. But it takes a pretty big final shove to get it the last 20% in there.

Also, all previous Scala headsets can be upgraded to the new speakers with MP3 connectivity. It's a separately orderable part. So, if you have an older FM, Teamset, or 1st gen Q2, it is entirely possible to get MP3 connectivity. Although you could also consider springing for the brand spankin' new G4 (mile range, bluetooth music capable, etc.):trust:

[Copronymous]

If the music is very soft, make sure your plug for the MP3 is all the way in, and I mean ALL THE WAY IN. It has a detent at like 80% inserted that allows sound to come through, but when you seat it all the way plastic to plastic it gets significantly louder. I've only played with them here in the store, so I can't say with certainty that they are loud enough on music mode at highway speed. But I can say that getting that last push in made a big difference in volume. I assume they have a little detent like that to prevent the cable from accidentally being pulled out by wind, head motion, and what have you. But it takes a pretty big final shove to get it the last 20% in there.

Also, all previous Scala headsets can be upgraded to the new speakers with MP3 connectivity. It's a separately orderable part. So, if you have an older FM, Teamset, or 1st gen Q2, it is entirely possible to get MP3 connectivity. Although you could also consider springing for the brand spankin' new G4 (mile range, bluetooth music capable, etc.):trust:
This is good strong advice. My first ride, the MP3 was super quiet. Almost muted. I felt like I had it in, but I put the helmet on first.

Went on another ride tonight, only this time I pushed that one in first. Wow, huge difference. I could hear it. Not the best speakers in terms of sound, but I didn't expect that. Greatness.:thumb:

[ekms377]

My Q2 didn't have the MP3 hookup but a friends did whom ordered his just a few weeks after me from the same place. They are suppose to send me the MP3 base. I hope it works better than the FM.