N-Com X-Series Bluetooth Kit Review
July 26th, 2009
I have been running the N-Com X-Series Bluetooth Kit for a couple of weeks now and results are in… Firstly, if you want a recap on my previous post click here. Now that you have read that part I’ll continue.
To cut to the chase I’ll confirm now that its an excellent bit of kit if you have a compatible helmet and are in the market for an expandable wireless comms system. This system allows pretty good quality phone calls within legal speed limits with the added bonus of full stereo audio to relax you whilst out on a cruise. If you have a pillion with the right bits installed in their helmet you will also be able to share your audio feed AND chat to them whilst aboard your bike. For me it’s been a liberating experience having the ability to receive inbound calls and listening to music. I rarely have to make calls on the bike and generally either stop or schedule my riding around such calls but again, having the ability to make a call is excellent.
Now that you have read the basics lets get in to a bit more detail about the kit. The box contains the following bits. A mic, helmet speakers, battery module, control unit, cables and the externally mounted stick on keyboard. The instructions are detailed BUT confusing so you’ll need to read them a few times before getting down to installing the bits and pieces. It goes without saying that if you are reading this stuff then you obviously have a compatable X-Lite helmet. If not, click away back to Google and continue your searches for other bluetooth kits. Sorry, back to the installation. You have to strip down the helmet before fitting. It does look a bit scary with all the padding spread over the table but don’t panic. Its a really basic jigsaw puzzle once you’ve looked at the bits. The relevant components fit nicely into pre-shaped compartments within the padding of the helmet and don’t really require fixing due to the exact fit. The mic is pretty well thought out. It slides into a recess within the chin guard so it doesn’t get in the way when you put on/remove your helmet. A nice touch. The control keypad sticks to the outside of the helmet and is nice and tactile through a glove whilst not sticking out too far and creating a load of wind noise whilst going fast. This is a criticism I have of most of the after market units which have a massive bolt on part that sits on the outside of the helmet.
Now I’m gonna fast forward on a bit. If you want to know how the rest of the bits are fitted you can download the user manual from X-Lites website.
Usage…. Firstly you need to pair the helmet with any bluetooth units you plan on using with it. In my case i’m using an iPhone. Its bluetooth support is ok but not perfect. If your phone is capable of voice activated dialling you will be able to use this feature whilst inside your helmet. Unfortunately for me, the crappy bluetooth implementation on the iphone does not support it. So my outgoing calls are limited to the last dialed number. Better than nothing. Incoming calls are great. If you are listening to music it gently fades out as the ringer fades in. You then just press any button on the keypad on the helmet and the call is answered. When the call ends the music fades back in. Cool! Volume is very good, almost too loud without ear plugs. With ear plugs you’ll need to just slow down a tad whilst on the call. All of my callers noted the total lack of wind noise even though I was pushing on. It goes without saying that as a user of this kit, you should be mildly sympathetic to the cause and appreciate that sometime you do need to slow down just a tad whilst on a call.
Lets move on to music now. Again, due to the crappy bluetooth implementation music controls are limited. This is not a limitation of the x-series unit. If you were connected to a capable device you would be able to select your track, start and stop your music. All I can do is start and stop a track. Better than nothing though. Playing a relaxing track whilst out and about relaxes me and if anything slows me down a tad. Again, Cool!
There are a few other functions that the N-Com X-Series Bluetooth kit supports of which I cannot report on yet. One of those is rider to pillion comms. I hardly ever carry a pillion let alone one with the right kit in their helmet. The other function is voice guided GPS. MY research so far says that I should be able to be listening to music AND accept voice instructions from a GPS device at the same time. I don’t have such a GPS device but am hoping that either TomTom or Navigon will allow me to test one of their products on my iPhone soon. That’ll be the ultimate setup for me…
What are the downsides? There are a few. If you are off touring you obviously need to pack a charger to keep things energized but I reckon the battery life of this kit is definitely good enough for a FULL days use at a minimum. For me its lasted a week because i’m commuting on the bike so am not having it switched on for hours at a time. Thanks go out to Mike @ Ultimate bike gear for arranging this review and installing the kit in to my helmet.
So to round this one off I’ll say that Fatbiker is gonna give this kit a 4* out of 5*.
Likes. System integration, usage, battery life, noise cancellation
Dislikes. Price. Saying that, all these kind of systems are expensive so you get what you pay for…
Below are some pictures of the kit fitted in to my helmet.
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2 Responses to “N-Com X-Series Bluetooth Kit Review”
Jim August 13th, 2009 at 3:43 pm #
I’ve been looking at the Nolan/ X Lite helmets that have X Series but am a little confused about what I have to buy. Does the helmet come with the system fitted or do I have to shell out for the X Series pack on top of the cost of a compatible helmet?
Fatbiker August 14th, 2009 at 9:03 am #
Hi Jim. Unfortunately you have to purchase a compatable helmet and then you have to purchase the bluetooth equipment to go in it. Its a very expensive system initially but you do get a good quality helment with the latest equipment.
Im still really pleased with the features of my system. The limiting factor for me is the iphone im using. It only supports the basic bluetooth functions like start, stop and volume up/down.
The one thing to note though is that music quality is not hifi. Its stereo and very loud but only basic but then you should remember that this is wireless and inside a helmet so it wont be fantastic.
Keep us posted on Fatbiker if you go ahead and get the full kit…