BMW Comm Bluetooth Headset

[kltk165]

Had the opportunity to road test a BMW Bluetooth Headset today in a Schuberth C3 and paired to my '11 RT and Zumo 550.

 

Sound quality is good. Speakers don't handle too much bass very well and will distort if bass settings on the radio are higher than 1. I found a good balance by setting the bass on the radio to 0 and treble to -3. I ride with my faceshield open and earplugs all the time. Without earplugs volume is fine with plenty in reserve. With earplugs, for me, the volume had to be set at 20 (Full volume). Sound is good, and clear, at that volume level and was adequate at 75 mph highway cruising speeds. Around town and on backroads volume is fine.

 

Dealer handled all the pairing so I can't speak to the ease, or difficulty, of making it all happen. I watched and it seemed pretty straight forward. Zumo directions interrupted radio with driving directions fine. Zumo directions volume is adequate, if maybe a little low, but you can hear them. Zumo navigation volume set at 100%. Wasn't a deal breaker for me.

 

I was working on an audio-in cable to pump the Zumo directions into the radio. With this Bluetooth setup that isn't necessary as I pair both the radio and Zumo to the headset and my understanding is I can pair another BMW headset to the helmet if I have a passenegr and want an inercom.

 

In the end I bought it as it worked well and the audio quality was almost as good as the J&M wired headsets I have on another bike. Granted, between the helmet and the headset it's a very expensive solution at $1100.

[kltk165]

Had the headset out for a long test ride last weekend on a trip to southeast Ohio from NY. Battery life on the way out was about 13 hours before going dead. Listened to a lot of music, several hours, and had the headset Bluetoothed to the Zumo 550 and Droid Incredible the entire trip. On the way home battery lasted the full trip at about 14.5 hours. Didn't listen to nearly as much music, although I did listen for a few hours. I lost my earplugs along the way so I was also listening for several hours at a lower volume level. Bluetooth to phone and gps the entire trip.

 

Audio quality is still good.

[RTJohn]

Thanks for this thread. I've been contemplating this exact setup for my RT. The money makes me hesitate...but I may reconsider now.