I saw plenty of cool stalls at EICMA this year. I was most drawn to CFMoto's and wanted to commit theft at Ducati's, but the most engaging and exciting regarding straight-up technology was Cardo's. Of course, I'm talking about the latest helmets from the brand: the Beyond GTS and GT. And I got to test them in a wind tunnel.
I covered the Beyond GTS and GT when they were announced and was initially sceptical that the active noise cancellation (ANC) would be good enough to replace my trusted yellow foam ones. This wasn't because I don't trust Cardo, but because I take ear protection very seriously, particularly as I've gotten older. But at this year's EICMA, I got the chance to test the technology in a wind tunnel that was set to 120 km/h (74 mph).
To my surprise, I noticed a decent reduction in wind noise when I turned on the ANC, even when the helmet's visor was open. But what was even more surprising was how well I could hear the music while a 74 mph wind cannon was pointed straight at my head. I'd go as far as to say it's the clearest I've ever heard music at that speed. I even tested out the wind tunnel without a helmet to confirm that it was extremely loud, and it was.
While I was at Cardo's stall, I also checked out the sound quality of the 53mm speakers that were developed in-house, and the brake light that gets switched on depending on the g-force that the helmet's computer senses.
After I took some time to reflect on my time using the Beyond GTS, I made this video to give you my hot take on whether this helmet is worth your attention at its $1,199 asking price. Check out the video embedded in this article.
