I use a sena 20s. I’m not sure what the need for a discrete brick is, but if it’s to prevent/deter theft the senas allow you to pop the main unit off with the press of a button, so when I go into stores I just do that and slip it into my pocket while leaving my helmet locked to my bike.

I like the cardo freecom 4x I just bought for my helmet, comes with JBL speakers. They are never as good as earphones but very convinient. Plus you can answer phone calls If you wish.

I’m liking the Cardo I splurged on

The secret is, don't. Use headphone earplugs. Well, unless you're one of those heathens with a phone you can't plug a pair of headphones into.

I have a Sena 20S Evo and it's... tolerable... for intercom duty when riding with friends. You can play music through it, too, but having a middleman with yet another battery you have to manage always seemed silly to me. I use Plugfones with it anyhow, so it's much less of a hassle and you get better audio quality to boot to just plug the 'phones into your audio device directly, stick it in your pocket, and go about your day.