Interphone F5S Review

[Blart]

Just bought an Interphone F5S and handlebar remote. It's a fair lump of cash so I thought I'd do a quick review on here if anyone's considering it. I have no affiliation with anyone associated with selling these etc..

Main bike used to test is a 2007 R1200GS with Nippy winglets and a standard screen set to maximum upright. I'm 5'11". Helmet is a BM Evo 4 in open face trim.

• Build quality

Hardware feels well made and solid. Switches are positive and well defined. Wiring feels fragile. One headset returned U/S, inspection revealed faulty soldering with two contacts joined/shorted. Charger returned with an intermittent connection probably wiring related. Spares packs available separately when the inevitable happens. 2 year warranty reassuring. Made in China and marketed by Italians. Make of that what you will.

• Fitting

Helmet lining needs to come out to fit. Adhesive velcro pads supplied useless unless stuck to a smooth flat surface. Some Dremel work required to recess helmet lining for a decent job. Connectors far too bulky, round when flat would have been more sensible. You can either stick the bluetooth pod to the outside of the helmet with double sided pad or use the supplied mounting kit.

• Connection

Good solid Bluetooth setup. Finds other Interphones (but ONLY Interphones) and connects automatically. Good integration with iPhone/Siri/iTunes audio. Not tested with Android.

• Usability

Awkward groping around on the side of the helmet when moving, armchair practise highly recommended. No menu map available so it's down to you to find your way round. English voice instructional feedback from the system helpful but a manual would have been useful. Documentation unhelpful. Battery life claimed to be 11 hours in intercom mode, I'm getting about 4 hours streaming radio from the phone.

• Functions

1. Setup
Unique settings for each mode such as automatic volume, auto-answer for phone etc

2. Intercom
Conversation understandable up to around 50 with open-face on. GS screen turbulence triggers noise cancellation above that and kills the mic. I find the open face less noisy than a full face on my GS so I would definitely consider an Airflow, ADV or bikini screen for motorway usage. Apart from that it's full duplex with nothing to mess with. Range is around 0.5 to 0.8 mile.

3. Aux in
You can plug any device that outputs line level audio into a 3.5mm jack on the bluetooth pod

4. Music Streaming
Standard bluetooth procedure. Forward/back and volume controls on the bluetooth pod integrate with iTunes on the phone

5. FM Radio
Useless. Choppy interference everywhere. I use 3G internet radio from the iPhone over bluetooth instead but obviously 3G coverage dependent.

6. Phone
The same as any other bluetooth headset.

• General

On the whole it's a benefit, I don't regret the purchase but quality control is suspect, so if you buy one and it doesn't work straight away don't think it's something you've done wrong, take it straight back and swap it. My GS screen limits its usefulness as an intercom, but my wife doesn't ride fast and it works well at lower speeds and gets used mostly on my commute for the phone/radio. It seems 100% waterproof but I'll be surprised if it makes it out of warranty without some of it being replaced. The speakers are a little tinny so if you want one to listen to tunes and you've got your wind noise sorted you'll be disappointed with the audio quality. Something I'd like to point out on here in case any of you consider it is that the handlebar remote available for the F5 didn't work for me. I returned it as there was no way to mount it that didn't foul the indicators and it took up too much grip space, I think they'll have to re-think that one. The remote is also pricey so have a good look at it first, there aren't any useful reviews of it on the web as I post this.

 

[GS TRV]

a pic wouldnt do any harm

 

[masterman21]

I have had a pair of these for about a month. Use them bike to bike as my daughter is learning to ride !
So far so good. Excellent range and battery power. Speakers are a bit tinny! I had no problem fitting , as we have Shark Evoline helmets that are manufactured to fit intercom.
What I like is the audio instructions , when scrolling through the menu.
Havnt got the remote , but think I will invest as controls on the unit are a bit hard to feel with winter gloves on !

 

[Blart]

I have had a pair of these for about a month. Use them bike to bike as my daughter is learning to ride !
So far so good. Excellent range and battery power. Speakers are a bit tinny! I had no problem fitting , as we have Shark Evoline helmets that are manufactured to fit intercom.
What I like is the audio instructions , when scrolling through the menu.
Havnt got the remote , but think I will invest as controls on the unit are a bit hard to feel with winter gloves on !

Have a good look at the remote before you buy it. It fits on the twist grip, so you lose about 15mm of grip and can't reach the indicator switch

 

[Nutty]

a pic wouldnt do any harm

Why?

 

[Davy F]

Why?

Because there are different models available and this might be something so new many may not have seen it yet.

 

[judge]

This review relates to the Interfone F5s and they look like this:

Not to be confused with the F4 which is still available as a current model:

HTH

Available from all good stockists (and some shite ones)

 

[Blart]

Because there are different models available and this might be something so new many may not have seen it yet.

As an update to this there appears to be a new model available not called Interphone F5S but called the Interphone F5XT, so the review is not much use now without a comparison review. I can't find any detail on what the F5XT has that the F5S doesn't as yet.

This review is about the:

Interphone F5S

and also contained information about the:

Interphone Wireless Remote

not the

Interphone F5XT

or the

Interphone F5

or the

Interphone F4