Cardo S-2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset Review
I rarely use Bluetooth headsets, I don’t care for them really since they are always in one ear and tend to fall out of it regardless of the design. However when I got a chance to review the Cardo S-2 Stereo Bluetooth Headset, I was more enticed by the fact it actually resembled a a pair of normal headphones.
Design:
The Cardo S-2 is a compact pair of Bluetooth headphones that easily twist into a travel friendly shape without fear that they will break. All the functions of the headset are on the right ear cup. The Bluetooth pairing button, controls for the music (play/pause), volume control, and the USB input for the charger. There is also a tactile area on the ride side that allows you to have songs go forward or reverse. When slipped on your head the headset fits comfortably because of the addition of rubbery wings that hook onto the top part of your ear for extra support. However since I have long hair I didn’t feel that it was secure enough and that it was slipping off. So I would keep readjusting it. I finally put my hair up in a pony tail and it stayed much better…When it was on my head reaching the controls was easy enough I only had to take it off a few times because I pressed the wrong button. After a few minutes I got the hang of it.
Setup:
Now here came the tricky part, I tested the headset on both my iMac and Samsung Soul U900 cellphone. Pairing it with iMac was pretty simple as with any Bluetooth device, it picked it rather quickly after a few tries. The tricky part was for how long should you hold down the Bluetooth pairing button and the center button (play/pause button). When the headset is fully charged it glows a blue hue but when trying to pair it, it will glow red and blue and at a fast pace. So it was tricky to know when to let go of the buttons at the right time. After a few attempts, my computer picked it up and I was able to select Cardo S-2 as a Bluetooth headset that I wanted to hear music out of instead of the default internal speakers. Then I tried to pair the set with my Samsung U900 and that was a bit of an easier task but the downside was I would loose connection when I walked about 2 feet away from the phone. So I would have to pair it up again. I gave a call to Cardo tech support and they were able to help me a bit once I got through to them. The one downside is there hours of operation are only till 5pm eastern time. They told me that maybe interference of walls or just other gadgets around me were interfering with the signal. So heading that advice, I tried it again in a more spacious setting with less things that could interrupt the connection and I was able to get about 20 or so feet away from my phone and still use it properly.
Sound Quality:
Cardo S-2 did perform wonderfully in regards to sound. It’s not a Bose or even a Beats by Dr. Dre headset but for a bluetooth headset, it is impressive. I was able to listen to MP3s and the radio on my phone and I could feel some bass and as will as a nice crisp quality to the music. I didn’t feel like it was watered down at all. The same can be said when I used it with my computer. The MP3 songs played nicely and the forward/reverse function worked with ease. When I attempted to make calls, those on the other end heard me but not too loudly. However if I spoke up a bit louder they heard me even better. I on the other hand heard the caller just fine. I’m not really into screaming on a busy street of Manhattan but if you are in your car or just alone quietly somewhere those on the other end will hear you a bit better.
Conclusion:
I put the Cardo S-2 through its paces and I have to say that it did perform well in many of them. Sound quality and basic functionality was flawless once you got it paired with a device. It was the pairing though that frustrated me to no end. It would constantly drop calls or stop playing music in a middle of song. In the beginning I thought the battery died but really it meant I had to re-pair the thing again. Which grew to become somewhat aggravating. The option for the Cardo on my cellphone and computer would disappear and until I hit the magic colors on the headset for the Bluetooth to work again, it sometimes took 5 minutes to 30 minutes to repair it. The battery life was fine - it lasted a solid 4 hours and I really expected it to be even less because of everything the headset does. So that was a nice surprise. However, one downside, is that it does take about a half a day for them to charge, which if you need it in a hurry could be a bummer. Overall I did like the Cardo S-2, the sound was great and if they come out with an updated model to fix the Bluetooth connectivity issues, then they would have an absolute winner on their hands. The Cardo S-2 Bluetooth Headset retails for $99.99.
The Good: Excellent sound quality and easy to use. Decent price.
The Bad: Bluetooth pairing can be flakey at times.
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I didn’t really know if these headphones were worth the money, but thanks for the review it really helps to know about the product before you purchase it.