Here’s another thing nobody tells you about group intercoms: you buy ten headsets and spend a weekend trying to get them all to communicate. Half that time is people yelling "Can you hear me?" through helmets. BETOWEY S5 actually tries to solve that. It’s a Bluetooth intercom for ten riders per group that ships as two units, uses dual chips and handles music, GPS and calls at the same time. And it costs roughly half what one top brand unit costs you. Cost matters more than specs because S5 covers you and your passenger right out of the box without mortgaging your garage.
Ten bikes stand along a back road and no one volunteers to pull over and pass around phones to pair headsets. That's exactly what this product was designed for. 
Currently, S5 averages 3.6 stars on Amazon from 45 reviews. That's not a good score and you should treat that as a warning before you buy. Specifications look impressive on paper but reviews tell a more honest story. Let's look closely at what you actually get.
Specs and Build Quality
Bluetooth 5.3 plays a central role in S5. It's the latest wireless standard that excels at fast and dependable connections while conserving power. S5 uses two separate chips. One handles intercom traffic between riders and the other manages your phone, music and GPS. Because those tasks are handled by independent chips, the headset can multitask audio without anything dropping. That is the distinguishing feature. Usually budget headsets put just one chip in there and force you to decide between intercom and music. S5 avoids that dilemma.
Speakers measure 40mm and match those found in pricier headsets. Included velcro pads easily drop into standard helmet pockets. Build quality is on par with price. It's good enough but not fancy. A clamshell clamp firmly grips the shell and buttons remain accessible through thick winter gloves. Powered by a 1000mAh battery which is significant capacity for this segment. Included too are two microphones: one boom type and one button type. Minor detail but both are useful: the boom mic works with modular and open face helmets while the button mic fits tight full face shells. Value really lies in the two pack format because two riders get covered roughly for what some brands charge for a single headset. See how this headset stacks up against other 10 rider options in the intercom comparison table here.
Audio and Microphone Performance
Budget intercoms are notorious for sounding tinny and hollow. The S5 manages to avoid that. Speakers of 40mm size produce enough volume and decent bass for music. Group speech stays clear enough to work with voice recognition. One nice feature is that music reduces instead of completely cutting out when someone talks in your group. Wind reduction comes from Digital Signal Processing plus CVC processing and BETOWEY claims a factor of 98 for wind reduction. The boom microphone does most of the heavy lifting. Voice is understandable at highway speeds even with a chin curtain in a full face helmet. Practical performance is good but at high sustained speeds some wind noise still leaks through. This is true of most things at this price level. Reviewers do point out though that button microphone performs noticeably worse in open helmets compared to boom microphone. If riding with half shell or modular and your face open use boom mics. That is where S5 really excels. Among budget chips S5 excels at multitasking audio. Running intercom, music and GPS prompts simultaneously without losing any of them is huge for commuters and tourers who rely heavily on navigation. Dual chips and Bluetooth 5.3 make that stable and low latency mix possible. The Bluetooth 5.3 standard is what makes that happen in the first place.
Intercom Range and Battery Life
Range is where people tend to overestimate performance. BETOWEY claims 500 meters for direct conversation between two riders and 3000 meters for a full group of ten. Two S5 units perform pretty close to those numbers in open terrain with nothing blocking them. But in cities with buildings and traffic around, range just drops off dramatically. Expect around 200 to 300 meters in city environments and performance closer to claimed numbers on rural open roads. Battery life is actually quite reasonable. The 1000mAh battery pack gives 16 continuous hours of talk time and 150 hours of standby. For weekend tours or commutes that last past eight hours, 16 hours of intercom use is plenty. Standby lasts past seven days so you can leave the headset mounted in a helmet for a week between rides and still find it fully charged when you need it. That buffer is good for anyone who doesn't ride every day. Charging uses USB-C which is convenient because most phones already use the same cable. Regarding that selling point of ten riders, that is the headline feature but let's be honest most buyers get two or a small group. S5 scales up when larger groups form and it pairs with headsets from other brands via universal Bluetooth for simple calls for two riders. Group communication works best when everyone has an S5. Check pricing on Amazon to see if two packs work for your group size.
Who Is This Intercom For?
This headset is for riders who frequently ride with a companion and occasionally join larger groups and who like multitasking audio. If that sounds appealing to you and you ride together most of the time, this 2 pack covers both of you immediately and leaves room for larger group days. Commuters who rely heavily on GPS and music every ride will benefit the most from multitasking. This headset isn’t for you if you really care about premium build quality and perfect elimination of wind at high speeds. Reviews with 3.6 stars out of 5 and 45 reviews tell you why. Reviews have also raised some flags about inconsistencies. BETOWEY talks a lot about their boom mic supposedly killing wind noise but reviewers report some bleed and issues show up across different units. Consistency is the question here.
If buying top quality audio and rock solid firmware is important to you and you prefer to buy just one unit from a well known manufacturer and pay more for reassurance, BETOWEY S5 probably isn't the headset for you. Take a look at intercom reviews here before you make a final decision. Value-wise especially for two riders, S5 packs an extraordinary amount of capability into a low price. Ten riders supported, dual chips, multitasking audio, 16 hours talk time at essentially half the cost of one top brand unit. Those reasons make S5 serious competition in today's budget intercom market.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many riders can communicate together at once?
Up to 10 riders when using group intercom. Calls also work using universal Bluetooth with just two riders.
How far can real life calls go between riders?
BETOWEY claims 500 meters for two riders and 3000 meters for a group. In practice, urban areas yield 200 to 300 meters and performance approaches claims on open roads.
Does it allow music and intercom to run simultaneously?
Yes. Dual chips allow multitasking so music, GPS and intercom can all run together and none drop out.
How long does the battery last?
Talk time lasts for 16 hours and standby time is 150 hours with a battery of 1000mAh. Charging uses USB-C.
Will it pair with other intercom brands?
Yes, basic two person calls work via universal Bluetooth. Best group features work between S5 units.
What comes in the box?
Two headset units, two mounting kits, boom mics and button mics, speaker pads and USB C charging cables are included. If you want to double check numbers before ordering you can look at full specs on Amazon listing.