Spirit is the most affordable of all Cardo Bluetooth communication devices.
Spirit is Cardo’s entry-level helmet communication device that I used on a 2,000km trip to compare our big ADV a few months ago. I attached the Spirit to my MT Thunder 3 SV helmet using the supplied plastic holder to keep it secure during the ride. And it weighs only 35 grams, which doesn’t throw off balance.
The Cardo Spirit has a 32mm speaker, a driver-to-driver communication system within 400 meters, a 10-hour talk time, and is water and dust resistant. It also comes with fast charging, giving you 2 hours of battery life from just 20 minutes of charging via the USB Type C port, which is great. Spirit has four buttons, which are easy to locate when you are on the go. They control various functions such as playing/pausing music, next/previous track, connecting to the driver intercom and calling the Google Assistant. Microphone is another strong point of Spirit, with clear sound quality. It is also very good at filtering out wind and road noise.
Connecting the device to your phone is also very simple and takes little time to learn. And once paired, it connects immediately. However, during our ride, I will be disconnected from other riders in the 200-300m range, which is less than the claimed 400m range. What’s great, however, is that it reconnects to others instantly and seamlessly.
The charging port cover feels a bit flimsy.
At this price, the Spirt comes with some compromises and the speakers could be better; they are loud enough but lack a bit of clarity and bass. I also wish it had a more secure way to hide the charging port from the elements. However, for its price, it is acceptable and not a deal breaker. Another bonus is the two-year warranty this product comes with.
Priced at Rs 9,299, the Cardo Spirit costs Rs 4,400 less than the Spirit HD. Honestly, you should stretch the HD because you get longer battery life (3 hours), bigger HD speakers, and a longer range of 600m. There’s the option to equip the Spirit with a larger 40mm JBL HD speaker, but that will cost you Rs 4,599 more, which is well above the price of the Spirit HD. However, if you are on a tight budget of Rs 10,000, then the Cardo Spirit, with its good build quality and full features, is well worth the purchase.
Where: www.bigbadbikes.com
Price: 9,299 Rupees
