ALECK Punks Wireless Bluetooth Helmet Speakers

Product Doesn’t Pair With iPhone

Don’t waste your money. The product does not pair. The factory reset doesn’t work. Device only blinks red and blue which research said was a bad audio chip in the new unit. There is no customer support.

E.Lopez

December 4, 2023

Not ready for prime time

The setup process on the iPhone was not simple but the Android setup was very easy.

You have to pair them to the phone and again in the app.

You have to install the app and create an account, so will your partner.

This allows you to create chat groups and track each other’s location

Creating and sharing groups is easy via QR code or Message or Email link.

Cons

Bluetooth cut outs when phone is in pocket are common

Controls will take a while to learn, not super intuitive limited to one button on each headphone. Two buttons for volume and music would be nicer for new users. But this does make it easier for gloved hands

Audio is pretty flat and the EQ settings make virtually no difference.

Noise canceling is not stellar in the wind.

Apple’s “Voice Isolation” improves this quite a bit, otherwise it’s garbage.

Android noise canceling did not require additional settings

May be hard to fit on some helmets

The flat sides may interfere with glasses

There is no mesh option so if you don’t have cellular service your are SOL.

Charging cord is about a foot too short.

5 hours of music play used less than 50% of battery (57% left 65% right)

Started around 5:15-10:10 (57L 6R)

11:25 49%

A stress test playing music yielded over 15 hours of music

They do not always charge to 100% if left on the charger. They top out at 50% and stop charging. It took me a couple tries to get to 100%.

PTT not available

Pros

App looks great

The build in user guide is a welcome feature

You can hear the world around you

You can take calls

Sound feedback is good

If the glasses aren’t in the way, comfort is not an issue.

Never worry about your earbuds falling out again.

Overall there are a lot of small bugs to work out, noise canceling leaves a bit to be desired. Given the price, I’d give them 3 stars at best until things get sorted out

5:31

TT

November 16, 2023

Great Helmet Earphones

I got these headphones to use while biking and they turned out to be excellent.

In the box are two “headphones”, a charging cable, small storage bag, and a quick reference guide. Attaching the headphones to my helmet was very straightforward; the rubberized backing kept the headphones securely attached to my bike helmet’s straps. Several reviews have mentioned this before, but I’ll put it here again: these headphones act as a pair and can’t be separated. If you want to talk with someone else using these, you’ll need two pairs.

Now onto the sound quality. What impressed me most about the headphones is how directed the sound is. Even though it is open ear, most people next to you won’t be able to hear what you’re listening to (as long as it isn’t too loud with respect to the ambient noise). On the contrary, outside noises are still very audible even when listening at a decently high volume. The sound quality is decent, but definitely falls far short of traditional headphones/earbuds (which is expected).

Some minor points I found annoying about these were that (a) the headphones automatically turn on when you unplug them from the charger, and (b) you can turn both headphones off at the same time but you can’t turn them on at the same time.

Overall, these are an excellent pair of headphones for biking and I’d highly recommend anyone looking to make their bike rides more enjoyable with some music or a podcast.

FoxTrot

November 13, 2023

Make sure to use the app - nice communicators

So I got a pair of these and a pair of the “nunchucks” so my daughter and I can talk as we ski. Different helmets so different setups with the Aleck communicators. Sound is decent - not a heavy base but it also doesn’t sit inside your ear - and great that your ears aren’t blocked so you’re very aware of surroundings. Music works fine. But most we use these for the hands free communication, which is done through the Aleck app using “go live”. It sets up for hands free talking with a small delay (maybe a quarter second) between talking and receiving. Works great for us skiing and it’s easy to add more people to the group so my other daughter can join when she comes with us next time. Awesome tech that works perfectly for us. Nice.

I’ve been waiting for a product like this! Decent sound, nice app, safe: you can hear around you

Finally, a great product to give me tunes on my bike in a safe manner. I’ve had in-helmet audio in my ski helmet and have wanted a similar product for mountain biking. Music is a great distraction when grinding up a steep trail but I won’t wear earbuds when riding because I need to hear around me (other bikes, hikers, or cars if I end up on a stretch of road). I also think it’s rude to have a speaker on your bike.

The speakers/controls

These little speakers attach to the helmet straps, with the speakers pointing toward your ears. They do not cover or block the ears in any way. Left and right are clearly marked. Make sure you get the straps completely in the slots. The control buttons are raised and are easy to find. Most of the controls are intuitive but since many functions are done with just 2 buttons there are different sequences to remember. I’m going to love the ability to answer or make calls from my helmet and without digging through my pack for the phone. The only control I haven’t learned to love yet is the volume – it cycles high to low to high so you don’t the ability to pick the direction. The speakers are lightweight and didn’t distract me or cause any uncomfortable pressure.

The sound

The sound is crystal clear and sounds good for a small external speaker. It’s better than my snow helmet and my sport earbuds. It is not as good as quality in-ear buds and I’d like more bass.

The app

The app installed quickly on my iPhone and provided a guide to pair the headphones. It has a few settings (I love the equalizer feature!) and includes instructions/pictures of the controls in case you need a reference. Battery level for each speaker is clearly shown. The app is also where you can set up your friend groups.

The group features

I don’t have any friends with these yet so I can’t test that out at this time. It looks pretty cool though; I can imagine it being convenient to keep a group together or to get in on all the exhilaration and struggles using ‘party mode’. I’m not aware of other speakers with such a feature. I hope some friends have a little extra spending money to get some. Note: the group mode can be any distance because it uses a cell signal. The tradeoff is that you have to have a cell signal for it to work (i.e., it’s like a voice chat; not a walkie talkie)

Overall, I am thrilled to have these. In my short ride before it got dark I could hear my music and I could hear my tires on the road. For me, this is the big deal: my ears aren’t covered, I can hear what’s happening around me, I can talk to people without removing them, and I’m not annoying others with my music. The most important controls are a single push on one of the control buttons. I’m excited to get out for another ride.

Update: The weather cleared up and I did a 90-minute road bike ride today. I love these. The music is present, but I could also hear a bike coming up behind me, people talking, and cars on the road. They are so comfortable; you can't feel them on your helmet at all. Buttons are easy enough to find to stop/start the music or to skip forward.

Not for Serious Mountain Bikers

I got the Aleck Punks in hopes of replacing my set of very old, but still functional Cardo BK-1, which are "comms" that were designed specifically to be mounted on cycling helmets. Unfortunately, the Punks omit the one feature that serious mountain bikers need the most.

The Good

- Convenient form factor. My old Cardos use two ear pieces that must be attached to each side of a helmet with Velcro, and then wired to the control unit mounted on top of the helmet. Compared to that headache, attaching the Punks is a pleasure: simply hook the modules to the helmet straps, and the rubberized backs keep the units firmly in place.

- TWS. No wires during use (just like your favourite wireless earbuds).

- Communication through the Aleck app on your phone. This may be convenient for road cyclist group rides, where the group may be scattered along a large distance.

The Bad

- Communication ONLY through the Aleck app on your phone. My old Cardos can connect to my phone via Bluetooth for calls and music, but importantly, can connect TO EACH OTHER DIRECTLY without a phone -- if you're a serious mountain biker and often find yourself in areas with spotty or non-existent cell reception, the Aleck Punks are completely useless as "comms." At the time of this review, the item listing touts "unlimited range," which one can surmise requires a phone, but omits "smartphone and data required for operation." Without such a disclaimer, the premium price led me to believe that direct helmet-to-helmet communication would also be possible (after all, if my 10-year-old BK-1s can do it, surely a modern product can).

- Terrible for music. Many active users may know that "open" headphone designs (bone conduction, air conduction) sacrifice some degree of music quality for environmental awareness, but the Aleck Punks are the worst "open" headphone implementation I've ever used. "Open" often means "less bass," but in the case of the Punks, it means "almost no bass." I do not expect booming bass out of any open design, but listening to music through the Punks even indoors will have you wondering where the low frequencies in your music went, and it only gets worse while riding. In short, the experience is best described as listening to music through a tin can phone.

Adding Insult to Injury

- The main draw of the Punks (their functionality as comms between riders) rests entirely within the Aleck app, which states that it will work with ANY Bluetooth headset. I would have happily tried one of my many bone conduction or air conduction headsets (which all sound better) if I had known that the Punks hardware itself brings nothing to the table aside from its strap-mounted design.

If you absolutely must have helmet-mounted headsets, the attachment method of the Punks is as convenient as I've seen, and their relatively-low profile makes them quite unobtrusive. However, their inability to create their own mesh network for direct helmet-to-helmet communication (and their resulting dependency on phone, app, signal, and data) means that they contain absolutely no technology to justify their exorbitant $280 price tag, making them no more than $30 air conduction headphones in an unusual shell. Given the definition of the word (something or someone worthless or unimportant), I'd say that Aleck accidentally nailed the branding by calling these "Punks."

Well done, challenging to get setup.

This kit comes with two sets of dual ear devices. They are set out of the box to work with the corresponding ear piece, but you must pair the two sets yourself. Each set has a single button, and the instructions are minimal, so setup can be challenging and time-consuming. I wish they had provided more thorough instructions. The sound is quite good - you can easily hear even when the units are several inches from your face. They are designed to attach to your helmet strap, without causing discomfort - they sit on the outside of the strap so they should not be too annoying. I have not gotten around to pair the two sets together, so I cannot comment on how well they work together. But the construction is pretty good - the single button design can be frustrating to use.

The App Bombs

Deduct a Star for every major shortcoming:

1. The app will not open.

2. The audio isn't very good.

3. I thought I was getting helmet to helmet comms, but not so much. This is only half the setup.

Add a Star for ever outstanding feature.

1. Nice "Apple-like" packaging.

2. Exciting marketing that unfortunately, fell flat in real life.

I hope they release a fix for the app so I can get it working 100% and not just play music off the iPhone.

Works only as a Pair

It may not be quite clear from the ad how these speakers work, so I'll summarize:

1) They pair to your phone, just like any other earbud;

2) The R and L speakers work only as a pair. You can't buy a single set and split them between two people.

3) Group communication happens via your phones (which must have cell internet reception) using the Aleck app.

I don't know anyone else who has these speakers yet, so I haven't been able to try the group communication. I've just used them as I'd use any other earbuds while riding my bike.

These speakers are quite small, so I don't even notice that they are mounted on my helmet straps. They mount securely. The sound lacks bass, but the volume is adequate and is easy to adjust simply by holding the button on the L speaker. Since they are near, but don't cover my ears, I can still hear traffic noise pretty well, and I feel safe using them for music or phone calls while riding around the city.