Helmet Communication Experience -- Schuberth SRC

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Helmet Communication Experience -- Schuberth SRC

Postby howardenichols » Fri Aug 15, 2014 4:21 pm

Last year there was an extensive discussion about helmet communications including the Schuberth helmet and the SRC system -- This is a follow-up to that discussion

I purchased a pair of Schuberth helmets in the spring of 2011 with the SRC system for Jane and me. We both love the helmets and initially found the SRC system to be quite good. We only used it for internal comms when we are riding 2-up and found that the SRC was far superior to earlier Cardo Scalar units. But after about a year we started to have battery problems in that my unit did not seem to hold a charge very well. I complained to my dealer (Bob's) and true to their reputation that stood behind their products and replaced the unit. I was pleased with their response, but about 15 months later when we took a tour of the American Southwest using the units daily started to have charging problems again. We got through the trip and as it turns out did not use the SRC systems until just last week (I only using when we ride 2-up and we had not done so for quite a while). So I got both helmets on the charger and gave them a good charge. Alas, the next morning when we got ready to leave for a trip to Harpers Ferry, I found that me unit would not turn on -- apparently the battery was fully discharged. I tried the next day to charge the unit again and found that it just would not charge

So today a took a road trip to Bob's to inquire whether or not there was some way to repair/refurbish the battery/electrical system. I did not expect Bob's to take care of the problem -- I was perfectly willing to purchase a new battery, etc. But Bob's service department found out from Schuberth that they do not service the SRC unit. The person at Bob's then called Cardo and found out that they license the technology to Schuberth, who manufactures the SRC system so they could not provide any service information.

I realize that batteries are not "forever technology" but Schuberth should also realize that and provide some way to recover from a dead battery other than to buy a replacement (or get the dealer to provide a freebee). Based on my experience, one should treat the Schuberth SRC system as a limited life product (1 - 2 years usage) with a throw-away maintenance policy. While I really love the C3 helmet itself, I will be unlikely to purchase another when my unit reaches the end of its life since I consider the passenger to driver communications an important aspect of my riding.

In the meantime, I will try to fix the unit myself -- I can't make the situation any worse and I might have a slight chance of resolving my problem.

Howard
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Re: Helmet Communication Experience -- Schuberth SRC

Postby ChaseH » Fri Aug 15, 2014 10:00 pm

That's a shame. I've got a couple of years and thousands of miles on mine w/o issue. It's my favorite aspect of the Schuberth and wish the same sort of integration was available on other brands. I can leave the helmet for 2 weeks and be surprised that there's still charge. Love how easily it manages the iPhone with one push and a bit of help from Siri.
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Re: Helmet Communication Experience -- Schuberth SRC

Postby ERC Scott » Sat Aug 16, 2014 8:51 pm

You might want to contact Schuberth Tech Service directly. I was having some wind noise infiltration with my C3, and they had some helpful advice.
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Re: Helmet Communication Experience -- Schuberth SRC

Postby sati8d » Mon Aug 18, 2014 8:11 pm

I too loved the unit at first but ended up getting a warranty replacement because it wasn't marrying up the first time, then the subsequent unit the battery was crap, then Bob's replaced that one too, and since my battery has been surprisingly great, but then the mike works about 70% of the time, then people complain like I'm all scratchy and in a tunnel - 2 different calls within 10 minutes. Also, I've tried linking with other Scala products to no avail - it's a complete crap shoot whether or not it's going to link up. Pretty frustrating when you pay THAT much for the unit. You call Schubert SRC and they tell you it's Scala and vice versa...
really quite annoying for the quality and cost.
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