Scala Rider G4

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Scala Rider G4

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Written by Kenn Stamp

Monday, 30 May 2011 11:58

Cardo Scala Rider G4

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The Scala Rider G4 box

Our society is more connected now than at any time in the past. Think about this for a moment: More people have cell phones today than the earth had people in 1980! (4.6+ billion people have cell phones – world population of 4.5 billion in 1980)

For some people riding a motorcycle is a way of escaping that information stream (or can it be called an information river now?) and having some alone time with your thoughts. Other riders like the idea of being able to chat and share their experiences with others while they ride.

If you are one of the latter types then the Cardo Scala Rider G4 bluetooth headset is worth looking at. We tested and have been using the Scala Rider Q2 bluetooth headset for a little while now and we like that unit quite a bit. I was interested to see then if the G4 was just a visual upgrade to the Q2 or if there were some real changes made.

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Size difference between the G4 and the Q2

On the visual side the first thing you’ll notice is that the G4 control unit is slightly larger than the Q2. This extra size pays dividends in one crucial area: Button size. The buttons on the G4 are larger and placed in much easier to find locations than on the older Q2 model.

A quick look at the unit shows three buttons on top with the middle button (the on/off/phone button) set lower than the other two. This allows for you to quickly ID what button your finger is resting on even while wearing gloves. On the side you’ll see two more button that are separated by a raised bit. This raised central area is where the status light is and it serves the same purpose as the lower button up top – a distinct divider to allow you to know what button your gloved finger is about to push.

Also on top of the unit you’ll find an antenna that can either be folded down or, by pressing lightly towards the helmet and letting a spring do the work, can be flipped-up. Cardo says this will help the G4 achieve the maximum range of up to 1 mile (we did not test this at the time of this publication but we will test this and update the article). This is the only part of the G4 that felt cheap to me as when the antenna is in the up position it feels loose and a bit wobbly.

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G4 on top - Q2 on the bottom

Finally, on the rear of the Scala Rider G4 control unit, you’ll find a rubber plug that covers the Mini-USB port. Yes the G4 can be plugged into your computer (with the supplied USB to Mini-USB adapter wire) for updates and for charging. You can also use your computer to adjust such settings as mic sensitivity, preset your FM radio stations, how to answer calls, etc..

So the G4 offers certain advantages over the Q2 in terms of the user interface but what about performance? Will the G4 be able to tune all the local radio stations in? Will it offer enough volume to allow two people to talk while hurtling down the interstate at warp speed (or 65 mph) wearing earplugs? Will Batman be able to foil the latest nefarious plan by the Riddler? Tune in next week, same time - same channel, to find out!!!!!

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G4 mounted on a helmet

OK just kidding….I’ll talk about the performance now instead of leaving you hanging (but the Batman question has me on the edge of my seat!). You were worried there for a bit, weren’t you? Just say yes; it’ll make me feel better.
First thing I checked was the FM reception since the Q2 would only pick-up two stations. I programmed in some stations while the G4 was hooked-up to the computer, disconnected the G4, put it on the helmet and voila!, I could tune in every one of those stations.

While testing out the FM reception feature I noticed another really nice feature of the G4: AGC (Automatic Gain Control) which raises or lowers the volume of the speakers based on ambient (wind) noise. Go faster and the added wind noise will cause the G4 to increase the volume of the music/voice – go slower and the volume goes down. This, as you can imagine, is a wonderful thing to have as it does allow the volume to get loud to hear your mates or music while traveling at interstate speeds and wearing earplugs.

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All the goodies

Since the G4 is a Bluetooth device you can pair it up with your other Bluetooth enabled devices (phone, mp3 player, GPS, etc..) to receive directions, play music, or talk on the phone to your non-riding friends. I tested the Bluetooth hook-up by talking on the phone to my wife and by streaming music from my Bluetooth enabled phone. Both worked fine although I didn’t notice the AGC stepping in as my speed changed as much as I did while listening to the FM radio. You can also plug in a standard 3.5mm cord if your mp3 player isn’t Bluetooth enabled; although it appears that you lose all AGC functionality when you do this.

This brings me to the weakest point of the G4; the speakers. While they are fine when used for talking to someone, either via a phone call or by intercom, they fall woefully short of offering anything resembling decent sound quality when listening to music. Playing music at a volume needed to overcome wind noise and actually be heard (while wearing earplugs) causes quite a bit of distortion.

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It's so neat it's like a display case

To be fair I noticed this mostly when streaming music via the Bluetooth connection from my phone – so this may be due to the Bluetooth connection or the phone’s mp3 player capabilities more than the headset. I could not replicate the effect when hooking my iPod Nano up directly to the 3.5mm port because I couldn’t seem to get enough volume out of it. Of course that meant I could barely hear any music at speed when hooked-up in that fashion so that isn’t a fix. I will attempt to do additional testing in this area and hopefully be able to report back that it was my phone and not the G4 causing the issue. Rest assured though that I would purchase the Scala Rider G4 without reservation even knowing about the speaker issue when streaming music from your phone.

Cardo sent us a G4 Powerset which means you get two G4 units that are factory paired to link-up together with no extra effort on your part. The G4 can also be used in a three or four intercom like call between other G4 users and can also be paired with Q2 or some older Scala Rider headsets.

Plus, for you social butterflies, you can now set-up your G4 to do something called “Click to Link”. See that rider sitting a few lanes over in traffic who also has a G4 on their helmet? You can double-click a button on your G4 unit and it will send out a request to connect so you can talk their ear off. Luckily you can turn this feature off if you don’t want to be bothered by some stranger incessantly chatting in your ear.

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Ooohhhh...looks like carbon fiber

With its up to 1 mile range and easy to use button layout, Cardo has once more shown why they are the leaders in Bluetooth headsets for motorcycle riders.

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