Parrot SK4000 Bluetooth Helmet Headset Review

I've agonized for months on what communication system to purchase for use while riding my motorcycle. My brother, Mike, recently got a good deal on a Chatterbox HJC-FRS Multi-sport and I initially thought I might as well get the same thing, since he'll likely be my primary riding partner on long trips.

But the thing isn't Bluetooth, and I don't need a pure rider-to-rider/rider-to-passenger intercom system. To tell the truth, a helmet to phone interface is really all I need. Anything above and beyond that is gravy. I don't really want to chat on an intercom constantly while riding down the scenic highways and by-ways of this great country, and the range isn't sufficient.

I looked long and hard at the latest generation from Cardo, the Scala Rider G4. It was pricey, but if it flawlessly did everything it claimed I thought it might be just the ticket. I changed my mind after a few days of reading reviews on the internet. I just wasn't ready to take a $250.00 plunge on a device that seems to only have about a 50% approval rating from it's users. It had a claimed range of up to 1 mile, but we all know that "up to one mile" means it'll reach that far only if you are traveling on the Bonneville salt flats with no other vehicles between you and your chat partner.

I kept finding myself going back to the Parrot SK4000 motorcycle Bluetooth kit hanging on the Bluetooth headset racks at Frys Electronics store in Irving. The reviews on the thing I'd read were a bit mixed, but more like an 80% approval rating...a little easier to swallow, especially with the lower monetary risk at a price of $159.00. It has no intercom function, strictly Bluetooth pairing with phones and GPS devices, and a built in FM radio. And it supports A2DP, which means it will play my .mp3 tracks in stereo.

So I withdrew money from the savings account my sweet Robin has set up for my motorcycle toy fund and dropped $173.00 (tax included) on this gadget during my lunch break.

I made it back to the office in time to spend my lunch hour's last few minutes installing the speakers and clamp on my helmet and hooking up the main unit "puck" to the charger. My first disappointment with it is not the gadget's fault. My helmet would previously just barely fit in the locking SHAD SH26 scooter top case I had installed specifically as a semi secure way to lock my helmet up on the bike and keep it out of the weather. With the Parrot SK 4000 clamp installed there is no way it is going to fit. Oh, well, I'll have to just sell the SHAD and buy a larger top case / touring trunk sometime down the road.

I paired the SK4000 to my Motorola Droid and was very happy with that process. It was nearly all automatic aside from entering the security code on my Droid and telling the Moto A855 phone it was okay to send its contact list to the Parrot SK-4000.

Once I figured out how to set the thing to play in stereo instead of mono, the quality of the speakers really shone. The ride home was very enjoyable as the Parrot SK4000 turned my helmet into a virtual concert venue. The remote worked perfectly with my Motorola Droid, I was even able to skip and backtrack mp3 tracks and listen to Pandora Internet Radio.

I couldn't be happier with the sound quality, but the volume at maximum level was just slightly shy of where I wanted it. Most people would probably find it adequate, but three decades of listening to heavy metal at top volume inside cars and pick-up trucks has taken its toll on my ears (not to mention having discharged a .38 Special +p and a 12 gauge shotgun inside cars on two separate occasions without hearing protection or a change of underwear). Not to worry, I found a simple solution. I cut out a pair of quarter-inch thick peices of high-density foam from an old mouse pad and placed them inside the helmet lining under the speaker locations, which brought the speakers close enough to my ears to add plenty of range to the volume.

I made a couple of phone calls to test out the microphone. When it worked, it worked beautifully. My wife said that she could hear me perfectly and there was practically zero background noise. However, there were two instances during the conversation where we couldn't hear each other at all for several seconds and she said during that time her ear was assaulted with loud continuous static. That may have been interference from some large power lines I was passing about that time.

The following morning I rode to work listening to Iron Maiden's "Edward the Great" album. Somehow the device had reset the audio to its mono default, and I didn't try to set it back to stereo mode while in flight. Hearing "Run to the Hills" in mono via only the right ear is a travesty.

Once I got to the office parking lot I was able to set the sk4000 back to stereo mode (after re-familiarizing myself with the necessary button sequence and figuring out that I needed to temporarily turn my phone's Bluetooth off to get to the audio settings voice menu).

The manual for the Parrot SK4000 is a real stinker, but one eventually figures things out. To illustrate, here's a warning in the manual about disposing of used batteries:

"Ask information to legal authorities in terms of retraining, toproperly throw used batteries. Used batteries are dangerous for environment and must not be thrown with domestic rubbish." - Parrot sk4000 user guide

Parrot is a French company, so it's obvious they had someone who knows English as a second language translate the manual to English from French, rather than the other way round. It's a nuisance, but it's fairly clear what they are trying to say. I'll be tossing that little watch battery in the household trash when it's depleted nonetheless, since I'm an anarchist ultra libertarian biker dude.

It seems the reversion from stereo to mono was due to me fiddling with the buttons and not knowing all the functions yet. In the following day's use the problem did not repeat itself, despite two power-cycles.

I've decided to avoid removing the puck from the helmet as much as possible. One complaint I saw in another end user review was that over a short period of time the puck seating on the clamp got less secure. It snaps in quite securely right now, but I don't want to take a chance on wearing it out and having it fly off the helmet while I'm riding.

At this point I feel confident in recommending this product for the price I paid (159.00 at Frys, not including tax). I don't know that I would be willing to shell out much more than that, because the thing has been out for a few years and I'm relatively certain someone is going to come out with a cheaper, better, and smaller product that does the same functions any day now.