****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
First off, I was really interested in the Milo, but they weren't shipping when I needed them to (I don't know if they're even shipping yet 4/2023). I decided to go with the Cardo because; the price is the same, they're ready to ship, & Cardo has a good history of similar products in the motorcycle world. I'm glad I went this way.The system works as advertised. You can talk hands free across some pretty good distance. I had no issue synching up 5 units together & all of us talking to one another. I've used this skiing & it lasts all day out on the hill. When I power it down it says that there is still 50% battery. Once the units are all paired together, they will re-pair when powered up next to each other the next day.The unit has controls on it that are easy to access & manipulate with ski gloves on, there's also voice command but I didn't really use it that much. But once you learn what buttons do what command, it's pretty intuitive.This has no built in speaker, so you need to use the provided speaker/mic. They really only fit in the ear pads of a helmet, so you'll need to have that. They do provide stick on options but I don't know where you might mount them on a helmet. Maybe if you have an old pair of headband style headphones, you could rig it up into that. Maybe Cardo will make something.The alternative is to use the plug in jack, where you can plug in a pair of corded headphones with a mic so that you get the full function. IT DOES NOT WORK WITH CORDED HEADPHONES WITH A VOLUME UP/DOWN BUTTON!!! So no apple headphones. I picked up a pair of in ear Sony headphones that work with it.You typically mount it on the side chin straps of the helmet, but a sticky tab is provided for a full face helmet. The clip would work on a backpack strap as well if you don't wear a helmet.To get the most out of it; play music, answer phone calls, adjust the volume levels, etc., you need to pair it with your phone & the app. If you have more than one, I'd suggest pairing & updating with each persons phone so that you don't end up having issues figuring out which unit is paired with your own phone.Once paired, it's really great to listen to music in the background of the entire conversation. Your own music only plays for your unit, not everyone else's.Limits: While skiing, having a hill or mountain blocking caused the units to cut in & out at about a 1/2 mile. If there was someone with another unit between, it helped add strength & distance to the connection. There were no issues with trees, it was really just limited by piles of earth. One annoying thing is the length of the announcement when 'group connection is lost'. If you're apart from your group, but just on the edge of it, you'll jump in & out of the connection, & you'll keep getting announcements. I also wish it worked with apple headphones. One last thing is the delay. It's not an issue if you're away from each other, but riding up the chairlift you hear yourself talk back to you because you get picked up by other mics & you hear the person twice (like an echo) because you hear their voice direct, then the transmitted voice. Not a big issue, easy to just mute your mic or mute the conversation, but something you might not expect.I'm seeing another unit advertised at a much cheaper price point, but it's still in the kickstarter phase so who knows if that gets off the ground. The cardo is ready to ship & it works. I really like using it & it's going to be Christmas/birthday gifts for the rest of the family that skis & boards. I highly recommend these, but your milage may vary depending on the company you keep.
