If you’re sick of fiddling with the fiddly screws to mount your Bluetooth intercom, this budget EJEAS Quick20 is worth considering with its excellent audio quality.
It is Chinese made (as most Bluetooth units probably are!) and costs just $A185 each ($US129, €113,￡103) through their EJEAS website.
Quick clasp
This unit is as slim as the top-of-the-line Sena 30K which is good for reducing drag and wind noise.
It features a fast-attaching bulldog-clip-type clasp attachment, so there is no need for fiddling with small allen keys and tiny screws that you can drop and lose.
The clasp simply grips the side of your helmet. There is also a stick-on pad and velcro attachment, if you prefer or your helmet doesn’t have access.
I thought the clip-on clasp might shake loose, but it hasn’t moved after prolonged riding in high winds and on bumpy roads.
However, the control unit doesn’t lock into the clasp firmly and while it won’t shake loose, you can bump it off when taking off your helmet, so be careful.
Bluetooth
As for the quality of the Bluetooth 4.2, it’s excellent.
It will only link up with one other EJEAS unit and won’t connect to other Bluetooth brands I have, but it does work very well between the two units.
It pairs quickly to your phone, GPS or another EJEAS intercom with handy audio prompts and always re-pairs when you turn the units on.
In fact, if you go out of range, it will revert to music or FM if you’ve been listening to them and will automatically reconnect once back in range.
They claim range up to 1200m, but it starts getting crackly about 800mm and you need line-of-sight connection.
Deploying the antenna improves reception a little as well as improving weak FM signals.
Controls
The button arrangement is similar to the Sena units with a rotating knob and central “multi-function button” (MFB) that is easy to access even with thick winter gloves.
However, the raised motorcycle icon which is the on/off and intercom button can be difficult to find with thick gloves.
There is a separate FM button on the back and a “RST” reset button on the top that quickly turns off the unit.
Not sure why you need the RST button as you can turn the unit off and on using the motorcycle icon button by holding it for two seconds. Perhaps that’s a second you can save!
I also found that holding the MFB button two seconds only ever switched the unit on at the second attempt.
The rotating button handles both volume adjustment and radio station selection or skipping/replaying music tracks. To toggle between functions you have to hit the MFB again which makes it a little confusing.
Selecting FM stations is also difficult as there is no audio prompt to tell you the station you have selected.
Audio
The thick and large diameter speakers provide excellent audio quality with nice bass and plenty of volume.
But that makes them quite bulky, so they may not fit in some helmets.
They are a snug fit in my Harley-Davidson Vintage Stripe helmet which has deep ear recesses.
However, there are soft foam covers you can fit to the speakers to improve comfort against your ears.
It also comes with a choice of boom microphone for open-face helmets and bud mic for full-face.
Despite the loud wind noise in this helmet, the microphones effectively dampen background noise even at highway speeds.
Switching between music and intercom or phone calls is easy with a touch of a button.
But there is a delay of several seconds during which time you might think it’s not working and hit the button again.
After a while, you learn to have some patience and trust it will work.
Messy wires
One thing I don’t like is the messy speaker and mic wires.
Also, the plug is big and hangs low, getting caught on the collar of some of my jackets as I turn my head.
Even though this is made in China, the instructions are well written in easy-to-understand English. But the print is way too small for me to see even while wearing my reading glasses!
Conclusion
If you want high-quality audio and only need two-way intercom, the EJEAS Quick20 is well worth the money.
EJEAS Quick20 bluetooth intercom
- Bluetooth: 4.2
- IP Rating: 65
- Talk range: 1200m
- Bluetooth Protocol: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP & HSP
- Frequency Range: 2402MHz ~ 2480MHz
- Battery Capacity: 530mAh
- Standby Time: 300 hours
- Talking Time: 8 hours
- Charging Time: approx. 1 hour
- Operating Voltage: 3.7V
- Charger Requirements: DC5V/500mA
- Working Temperature: -10~40℃
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com