Scala Rider G4 Powerset

[pbbeck]

I picked up a Scala Rider G4 Powerset two weeks ago and put it to use for the first time on last weekend's 4-day ride to Yosemite. The box includes two factory-paired headset units, helmet mounts with boom mics, two cables for use with mp3 players, an extra set of foam thingies for the microphones, optional adhesive mounts, and two allen keys.

 

I mounted the units to my Arai RX-Q and my brother's RX-7 Corsair in minutes. The mounts are rock solid and clamp to the helmet with the help of two allen screws. I did not use the adhesive mounts because there was no need. The boom mics tuck up under the chin bar nicely and are not obtrusive.

 

The Scala Rider G4 intercoms worked flawlessly. I can't verify the claimed 1 mile bike-to-bike range, but my brother had to get way out of site on the straightways before the signal began to break up. The noise canceling capabilities of the G4 is impressive. My brother's voice was crystal clear in my helmet, but above 75 mph the audio became hard to hear. The batteries have a claimed talk time of 10 hours. We used them all day (8:30 to 5) with no battery issues.

 

My headset paired to my zumo 550 and my iPhone without drama and worked as advertised. I know my zumo is not capable of broadcasting in stereo bluetooth, but I only want to hear the voice prompts so to me that's not a deal breaker. Will I use the Scala Rider to make/take calls on the bike. No, but I'm geeking out over the possibility.

 

The owners manual is complete shite. There are still many things I need to learn about the Scala Rider. The manual is no help in this department.

 

I have never had bike-to-bike communication before. I found it to be a great asset this weekend. It was nice being able to call out hazards and receive warnings in turn and being able to talk about the passing scenery and what not added a whole new dimension to the act of riding with someone else.

 

 

 

 

[lvmyks]

And how about the FM Radio? I like listening to the morning news on my way to work...

[pbbeck]

Sorry. Haven't used it yet.

[Perlova]

I just picked up a G4 Powerset to replace my BlueAnt Interphones which were starting to lose battery life.

 

Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed so far. The sound quality is not as good as my Interphones were and even though the Scala is billed as having a range of up to a mile, I could get nowhere near the distance that the BlueAnt units delivered.

 

I think that they have over-complicated these things by trying to put in to many features and in the process made a system that is difficult to use.

 

The A2DP and stereo features are nice, as is the multichannel capability, but the VOX cuts out the start of most conversations and the FM radio is a toy that I could do without.

 

I'm also a bit concerned that they will not be able to stand up in the rain....

 

I guess I didn't know how good I had it with the Interphones. Too bad BlueAnts poor customer service turned me off buying their new version.