I don't know about you, but I've been wearing a Bluetooth comms unit on my helmets for a long time. While my personal units haven't been Cardos and my personal helmets haven't been Shoeis, I think that regardless of brand choice, many riders can relate to the usefulness of having a setup like this on our daily rides. That's true whether we're out riding with friends, or just jamming to our own music by ourselves on our bikes.
But one thing that I've grown used to, and that other riders might not necessarily love, is having my BT comms unit stick out a bit on the side of whatever helmet I'm wearing. Now, I have base plates for the same comms unit mounted on multiple helmets, so I can easily swap the BT unit to whichever one I'm wearing at will. That part's nice, but there's definitely something to be said for sleek, seamless integration of a comms unit inside a helmet as well.
If you're someone who's rocking one of Shoei's Gen 3 helmets, such as the GT-Air 3, NEOTEC 3, or J-Cruise 3, then Cardo has just such a nicely integrated comms unit solution available for you. Enter the Cardo Packtalk-S and 4X-S.
What's the difference? The Packtalk-S uses Cardo's second-gen Dynamic Mesh Communication (DMC) to offer what it claims is up to 1.6 kilometers (one entire mile) of available range between units. It also packs in 40mm JBL speakers inside the helmet, as well as a claimed 13 hours of talk time for those really long days in the saddle.
Over on the 4X-S side, you get Cardo's Live Bluetooth intercom system instead, paired up with those same 40mm JBL speakers and capacity to allow up to four riders to pair up and chat together. In both cases, you get a comms unit that can integrate seamlessly into the form factor of your Gen 3 Shoei helmet, which doesn't only look good; it also makes it a lot easier when you're trying to fit your helmet into any given pannier (ask how I know).
Both the Cardo Packtalk-S and 4X-S will be sold in the US, Europe, and internationally, at different price points depending on unit and geography.
Here's the info on both units in a handy chart to keep it simple.
| Unit | US Pricing | European Pricing | Rest of World Pricing |
| Cardo Packtalk-S | $419.95 | €409.95 | $379.95 |
| Cardo 4X-S | $299.95 | €279.95 | $274.95 |
If you're interested in purchasing either unit, you can do so directly through Cardo Systems via its website, or at any authorized retailer that offers Cardo Systems products for sale.
