Mammut released the Barryvox S2 in October 2024.
The Mammut Barryvox 2 and Barryvox S2 were recalled on November 8, 2024 due to a manufacturing problem that affects the power/send/search switch. These devices must be returned to Mammut for inspection/repair. This recall was announced less than a month after the devices were released. Learn more about this recall.
This is a summary of the differences between the Mammut Barryvox S2 and Barryvox S. See the Barryvox S's review to read about their shared capabilities.
Don't confuse the Barryvox S2 with the Barryvox 2. Learn more about Mammut's confusing naming strategy.
Enhancements to the S2
- The Barryvox S2 is small. It is 25% smaller than the Barryvox S, 34% smaller than the Tracker 4, 35% smaller than the Ortovox Diract, and 36% smaller than the already small Pieps Pro IPS. It is 10% larger than the ARVA Evo 4.
- The S2 has a new "Memory in Pixel" (MIP) screen that improves the contrast in direct sunlight and when wearing polarized glasses, and it uses less power. That sounds like marketing hype until you see the Barryvox S and S2 side-by-side—the S2's screen is noticeably brighter and easier to read. Combined with its huge graphic display, the S2's screen is unparalleled.
- The Barryvox 2 and Barryvox S2 no longer support the W-Link frequency that was in previous Mammut transceivers. Instead, the "2" models transmit this additional data using Bluetooth. As such, previous Mammut transceivers will not transmit additional data to the newer models and vice versa. I think that is okay—Bluetooth is more appropriate.
- The Barryvox S2 has verbal prompts (similar to the Ortovox Diract Voice, I presume), but the verbal prompts are not available if you live in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, or the United States. I assume this limitation is due to Ortovox's patent.
- You can change the S2's settings via Bluetooth using an app. The app isn't as polished as the Pieps app but it is quite functional. You can also change the settings on the device using the up/down and Flag buttons.
Setbacks to the S2
- The S2 does not have the extended range mode that is in the Barryvox S. When this rarely used mode was enabled, the Barryvox S's display would turn off which extended its reception range dramatically. I suspect it was removed because people would unknowingly enter this mode and then be confused by the blank display. As a rescuer, I miss this mode.
- All modern transceivers have the ability to automatically switch from search to send after a specified amount of time and almost all transceivers will avoid switching if they sense motion. However, the Barryvox S2 requires a lot of motion or it will still switch to send.
To test this, I set my S2's revert time to 2 minutes, put the transceiver in search mode, and set it on my desk. Every 30 seconds I picked up the transceiver, walked across my office, and then placed the transceiver back on my desk. The S2 still reverted to send mode after two minutes.
The inability of the Barrvyox S2 to sense this significant motion makes it much more likely that the transceiver will return to send mode unintentionally. Note that the S2 did not return to send mode if I put it in my pocket and walked for two minutes and it does beep for 30 seconds before reverting, but as a beacon tester and avalanche instructor, I am sure I will have S2s unexpectedly return to send mode.
Conclusion
The Barryvox S and S2 are on par with the Pieps Pro IPS. These are the most capable avalanche transceivers at the time of this writing. The Barryvox S2's bitmapped display is superior to all other transceivers (even the outstanding Barryvox S). It is small, lightweight, has a great reception range, easy-to-use controls, and outstanding audio. The simple menus do an outstanding job of hiding the advanced features.
