Sena SMH10 Bluetooth headset/intercom

[scootertrash]

http://senabluetooth.com/


Folks, I think have found motorcycle communications nirvanna. I have tried and returned the latest offerings from Chatterbox and Cardo. They just were not worth having, imho. Bluetooth for motorcyclists has, up until now, been somewhat of an emerging technology.

I have been using an elaborate set up from Autocom for years, and athough it does get the job done reasonably well, it is quite cumbersome as it involved all sorts of isolators, adapters, etc to incorporate things like Garmins, plones, radar, etc. You end up with a lot for connections, wires, and complicity so it often required a bit of tending to in order to keep everything working.

Using only my Droid X smartphone (with it's optional car cradle fastened to a Ram mount and using a car power cord to keep the phone battery up on long rides) and these headsets, my current set-up gives me bluetoothed feed of my Pandora radio, bluetoothed operation of the phone including voice dialing, Google NAV with bluetoothed voice instructions, (I'll never use my Zumo 550 again) bluetooth intercom to my pillion, bluetooth intercom to two other riders (as long as they also have these headsets) and of course, most any other functions of the Droid are bluetoothed as well. As an example, I installed the Sirius/XM app, and can listen to that in lieu of the Pandora.

The best part it it all works perfectly, with simplicity and amazing clarity and sound quality. These headsets have a big 'ol volume control knob that is easily turned up or down with a gloved hand. They are powerful enough that I never need full volume even with the music cranked up.

I carried on a business phone conversation for about ten minutes and then when I told the caller I was on a motorcycle on the highway doing 70 mph he didn't believe me.

Folks, it's THAT good! So simple to use. Battery life seems great too.

Best of all, it's CHEAP!! You can find the dual set (two complete systems, each with both ac and car chargers) for $249 shipped!

I used this place: http://www.mrhit.com/2_SENA_SMH10_In...ena-smh10d.htm

but there are other vendors as well.

The only downside I can find is that I haven't figured out a way to wirelessly connect my Escort Redline radar detector to it. I may try a bluetooth adapter. Obviously, I could simply connect the radar to the aux in on the Sena using a cable, but that kind of defeats the biggest benefit here which is NO WIRES!!!

[gsMark]

Hello.

I have also been looking for a good intercom system and I have heard only good things about the Cardo Scala Q2. Basically is the same thing as the Sena that you have mentioned but I have noticed that this company has been around for a while which makes me believe they probably have something good going on.

Here is a full review of the unit:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcyc...cala-rider-q2/

[scootertrash]

Originally Posted by gsMark

Hello.

I have also been looking for a good intercom system and I have heard only good things about the Cardo Scala Q2. Basically is the same thing as the Sena that you have mentioned but I have noticed that this company has been around for a while which makes me believe they probably have something good going on.

Here is a full review of the unit:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcyc...cala-rider-q2/

Hi Mark,

I bought these, partially because of that review, and returned them a week later. On the 1-10 scale, I'd rate them a 5. The bluetooth connection to my phone was random at best, sound quality was ok but not great, and sound volume was barely adequate. Overall operation continued to be inconsistant during the time I tried them.

These Senas on the other hand are seemingly light years ahead. I'd rate them a solid 9 with little room for improvement. Sound quality and volume are awesome, and operation is so much more simple and logical. Plus the voice dial feature to my Droid X works flawlessly at speed! Even the physical quality of it's parts are noticibly nicer.

I tried the fancy bluetooth set from Chatterbox as well, and it was even worse.

Seriously, if you have a chance to try these side by side, you'll see what I mean. I have no financial interest here, just trying to share my experiences with other GS enthusiasts.

And of course, as they say, your mileage may vary

Ken

[PDCCEO]

Hi,

I'd like to use the Droid X as my GPS as well.
can you tell me which specific RAM mount you purchased, and does it connect to the optional car cradle from Motorola without any additional mods.

Thanks.



Using only my Droid X smartphone (with it's optional car cradle fastened to a Ram mount and using a car power cord to keep the phone battery up on long rides)

[scootertrash]

Originally Posted by PDCCEO

Hi,

I'd like to use the Droid X as my GPS as well.
can you tell me which specific RAM mount you purchased, and does it connect to the optional car cradle from Motorola without any additional mods.

Thanks.



Using only my Droid X smartphone (with it's optional car cradle fastened to a Ram mount and using a car power cord to keep the phone battery up on long rides)

I don't know which exact model it is, it's just your basic (3")ram mount bolted to the handlebar. I just ran two self tapping screws into the back of the cradle. See the photos attached. Works great, very solid and easy to view.

[maduko]

That's good to know.

I've used Cardo's Q2 and G4 units quite a bit and found them more than adequate and very reliable. The G4 is worth the extra money.

Cardo is also the system used in the Schuberth helmets so you can yack with them.

[PBGS]

I'll add another voice praising the Sena. It works fantastically with my iPhone. I got the earbud 'back' for the Sena (so I could use my custom molded stereo earplugs [bigear he-1c's]) as well. I always just plugged into my iphone directly, started the music and was out of luck if I didn't like the volume, track, etc.
Now I can use the voice control to pick albums, shuffle, place calls, etc. Being able to quickly pause/start the music, change the volume, change tracks all while wearing thick gloves, man it's a dream. I don't like to talk on the phone too much while riding but it's nice to have if someone needs to reach me or if I need to call someone to tell them I'm running late, etc. One surprising thing is that even with wind/road noise people don't think I'm riding at all. They think I'm in a building talking directly on my phone. I haven't tried the intercom yet though.
Definite big thumbs up for the Sena.

[gdayjr]

I have been using the Sena Bluetooth for a few months now, and it is by far the best i have ever used or seen.
Quite a few people have asked me about it, and when they have seen how it fits, and how easy it works, they have said they are going to buy one.

Comunicating with the back seat is so easy, and remarkably clear. Phone calls are easy, and probably easier than the the one i have in the car.

Delivered to Sydney Australia a pair cost me $330. Best money spent on the bike by far.

[CCTiger]

I used mine for several weeks, mostly just listening to music.

Went on a ride with a buddy, paired them to talk bike to bike. When we finally got them paired, they worked fine, line of sight. It was pretty good overall, but will just unpair, or stop working after a period of time.

We found that switching between intercom and other modes was enough trouble we left it on intercom. You do continuously hear background noise from the other rider's microphone, when the intercom is "on". I don't have a good comparison and think it works pretty decently overall, but wonder if push to talk would be better on intercom.

[coolrider]

I have it used for the first time this weekend. Paired with Zumo 660. Impressive sound level and tone.
Been using Chatterbox XBi and Scala Rider G4. I would say this one is the best.
Very stable connection with Zumo 660. Unlike my Chatterbox XBi, which is plagued with continuous disconnection by itself every hour or so. G4's connection to Zumo is also a stable one.
Sound tone of Sena is my favourite. So is the XBi. But Sena has more volume power in case you need it louder. No good to your ear though. G4's tone is the worst. Too much treble for music listening IMO.
I use my bluetooth headset for listening to music from GPS and intercom, switching speed between music and intercom is also a concern of mine. XBi is the champion here. Instant response. With G4 and Sena, you need to be more patient. There's a few seconds lag between the time the button is pushed and the channel is opened.
There are issues which Sena's engineer still working on though. Activation of intercom will disconnect the blue tooth connection to GPS and stops the music player. Connection to GPS will resume after intercom is deactivated though, but we need to push the play button in music player to resume the music. Unstable volume level is also reported, but I haven't got this problem.
These issues are plaguing the new generation of Sena which has upgradeable firmware capability. Owners of old version report that they don't have these problem. Sena says they are aware of these problems and the next firmware will deal with it and also will upgrade the intercom feature to conference connection in case more than 2 units are paired (max. 4 units)