My first impression was good as I unpacked the items. The packaging was great. Very nice box with a magnetic flap for closure. Very classy looking. The headsets were nicely tucked into their own little spaces which meant very little movement during shipping. As I removed the contents I admired the very high quality finish and craftsmanship. Very nice. I charged the headsets overnight and today began to play
Attaching to helmet:
The instructions say that all it takes is 5 minutes to install the headset to the helmet. It took me more than 30. True, I am pretty anal when it comes to fit and finish and I wanted take my time and ensure a trouble and worry free install. I routed all cables underneath the padding on my HJC CL15 and securely attached the base with boom microphone using the supplied allen wrench. I was somewhat apprehensive to squeeze the mounting bracket between the outer shell of the helmet and the styrofoam padding inside. It was a very tight fit but I suppose it needs to be in order for the mechanism to stay securely fastened. The final task was to locate the perfect spot for the earphones. It took several tries to get them in the right place as not to pinch or rub against my earlobes. Luckily I didnt have to use the supplied velcro stickers since the padding inside my helmet does a great job in catching the velcro on the back of the earpiece. The boom mic fits nicely to the shape of the chin guard inside my FF helmet and stays put once set in position. Once I had things positioned just right it was time to turn it on.
FM Radio
The FM radio was the first thing I tested. 6 presets are available for your listening pleasure. I read the manual and familiarized myself with the station preset procedure and about 30 minutes later I had them set. Since there is no FM dial I had to use a desktop radio and tune it to a station. Then I proceeded to find that station on the Cardo Scala headset. A little confusing at first but once I got a hang of it it was all good. Stations come in with a little static but what do you expect from a tiny FM receiver. There is a built in volume adjustment feature that raises or lowers the volume based on the ambient noise levels. Very nifty! As I prepared myself and my scoot for a ride, I tuned the radio to a station of my liking. I fired up the scoot and immediately the volume in the headphones increased by a notch
Bluetooth Cell Phone connection
This is probably my favorite feature so far. The unit is paired up to my Palm Treo 700p. The phone found the Bluetooth device and paired up with it pronto. A tone alerts you when a call is coming in. You have the option not to answer simply by remaining silent for 15 seconds. If however, you want to answer an incoming call, just speak a word, any word into the mic and voila! you are connected. I cannot believe how crystal clear the connection is. I received a call from my GF while I was driving down the road. I was going 55 mph and she could not hear any traffic noise. She said it sounded as if I was driving in my car. I was able to hear her loud and clear once I adjusted the volume of my earphones. If you own a phone that supports voice dialing all you have to do is touch a button on the receiver and speak the name of the person you want to call. Also, lets say you are listening to the FM radio and a call comes in... an audio tone will alert you of the incoming call. Speak a word, any word into the mic and the radio fades out to mute mode so that you can talk. Once the call is done and the party on the other line hangs up, the radio fades back in so you can continue to enjoy the tunes. Pretty cool.
Using the receivers together
This is another great feature and the main reason I purchased these. Full Duplex capability to speak to the other person while on the road. The documentation claims 500 meter range on the open road. I have not had a chance to test this but was however, able to test it at a short distance. It was very simple to pair up the receivers and once we had that set up I initiated a call to my GF. The sound was great! Clear and crisp. I was impressed once again. This unit also had the ability to add a 3rd rider to your "buddy" group. For instance, if you are riding in a group and the Leader and/or Sweeper has a CSQ2 headset (or older-it is backwards compatible) you can call either one of them. This is very helpful if trouble arises during a team ride. Another very cool feature. 8-10 hours is the advertised talk time according to the documentation. A car charger is available as a optional accessory so that you can charge your receiver on your Buddy.
Final Thoughts
Other than the FM not having a stereo mode, I am very impressed with this unit. As mentioned before, the craftsmanship is top notch and the quality, both physical and mechanical is superb. This unit is also weather proof and can be used in heavy rain or snow. I would recommend this unit to anyone who has the need to "stay connected" while on the road. Weather alone or riding with a partner this unit will allow you greater freedom and connectivity. I will try to test the SCQ2 at a larger distance and post my findings here.
Thanks for looking.
