Motorcycle Comms
The first riding season I deliberately did not listen to music or podcasts, I wanted to experience the journey. Keep the focus on the road ahead.
For this second upcoming season I wanted to try a headset, hoping that this would also solve my audio problems.
After much deliberation, I went with the Kardo one instead of Sena. And for future-proofing, it also had to be a mesh-capable one. So, no Freecom for me.
This leaves the Packtalk Edge, Neo and Louis Edition. According to some AI slop pages, the main difference between the Edge and Neo are bigger speakers (44 mm instead of 40 mm) and that you don’t have to manually plug/unplug the USB-C when mounting.
There wasn’t much on the specifics of the Louis Edition apart from the older version where it seemed to have been a rebranded Packtalk Bold. But since my helmet1 only has space to accommodate 40mm speakers anyway, I decided to give it a try.
Packtalk Louis Edition (Neo)
Installation was a matter of minutes2 and the voice quality is after quick testing more than nice enough for my purposes.
The updated Louis Edition headset is a rebranded Packtalk Neo, which is why it comes with the smaller speakers. Unfortunately, I only noticed this halfway through the installation. I was more preoccupied with properly routing the cables than to look where they terminate. I’ll stick with the Neo for now, but had I known, I would have gone for the Edge.
Since the USB-C cable is separate from the mounting base, I now always have to put the device on or find a way to tie up the loose cable. Otherwise it will get annoying pretty fast.
If you think about getting the Neo or Louis Edition, spend some more and get the Packtalk Edge where the connectors are built-in pogo pins.
Left to do
I’ll report back once this thing has seen a few KMs of road.
Apart from the indoor voice quality and functionality check, I haven’t seen much. I don’t know yet how long the battery lasts, or if it will work nicely being connected to the phone (to manage mesh participants), while being connected to the CarPlay display. Same goes for my Phone.