Sena SMH-10

[jbr7t]

The Product: Sena SMH-10

The Retailer: www.rocketmoto.com

Ordered: 7-8-13

Arrived: 7-10-13

 

I am by no means an electronics or bluetooth expert. I simply write this review as my experience with the product and retailer I purchased from.

 

After hearing from quite a few happy users and reading online reviews and even testing out a friends I decided the Sena was the product for me. This review covers both the product and the retailer I made the purchase from:

 

RocketMoto was my chosen retailer because my local dealer does not carry the Sena products (I'm a pretty big advocate for keeping my money local!) They also offer a discount to members of ADVRider.com (yes, i've asked him about extending the offer to BMWST.com members..awaiting response) I called to place the order on the phone and the gentleman I spoke with, Adam, was very helpful. I told him what I wanted to order and he took time to get to know me and my riding habits to make sure the Sena was the best unit for me. He also asked about my helmet. Since I have a Schuberth C3 installation of the Sena unit is a little more difficult than on other helmets (I had already figured that out from my research..1 retailer even told me there was no way to mount on that helmet) Adam walked me through step by step how to get the Sena mounted on my helmet and then included the instructions in the shipping box along with the extra 3M product needed.

 

The box arrived 2 days after I ordered and was well packaged. Using the instructions from Adam I had the unit mounted to my helmet in under 20 minutes.

RocketMoto Review= A+

 

The Sena unit:

Installation: As I said, because of my helmets design the installation was a little more intense than it would be on most helmets. Even still the directions included with the unit were clear and concise. Installation took approx. 20 mins.

The directions recommended hooking the unit up to the computer to download a firmware update. Easily found on the website and completed quickly.

 

Following the directions included I paired the unit with my iphone5. I had to toggle the bluetooth on off on my iphone twice to get the Sena to pick it up. I'm not sure if this was a Sena issue or Apple issue. The units speakers are ok, but certainly not great. They do well for phone calls and podcasts where voice is the only issue. However, for music they are very tinny. There is no bass. I am debating on switching to the base that will take earphones or breaking out the solder gun and upgrading the speakers (which btw Adam advised me of the poor music sound quality and offered to upgrade the speakers for me for a fee..but being the cheapest part of the BMW I opted to try out the included speakers...should of upgraded!) Pairing with another Sena unit is also very easy. This allows for intercom function between the units. According to the manual you can intercom between up to 4 units but I haven't had opportunity to test that function.

 

Overall I've been pleased with the unit. So far my only con is the speaker sound quality for music. But that is a fixable con. I would certainly recommend the Sena to anyone interested in getting a helmet mounted bluetooth.

[stubble!]

Good write up. I dig my Sena and yesterday I posted my review of the SMH10R version, with some photos and stuff.

[gabe04RT]

Nice easy to use units. 1st time helmet to helmet communication users we are both very happy with them. Due to using the foam ear protection I had to add padding behind speakers. Bringing them closer to my ears. I don't need to run the volume so high. Pleasantly surprised with battery life. I'd say 6 or 7 hours.

[OoPEZoO]

Nice easy to use units. 1st time helmet to helmet communication users we are both very happy with them. Due to using the foam ear protection I had to add padding behind speakers. Bringing them closer to my ears. I don't need to run the volume so high. Pleasantly surprised with battery life. I'd say 6 or 7 hours.

 

If you trade in your helmet speakers and foam ear plugs for custom molded ear buds and the Sena earbud mount, you can turn the volume WAAAAY down and easily double that run time. I've streched mine to almost 16hrs. I made my custom molded ear buds from a kit I bought from Earfuze.com

 

I like them so much, that I end up using them for all sorts of things........like when traveling by plane or mowing the grass. No affiliation, just a very satisfied customer. Love my Sena as well

[basilr]

Thanks for that write-up, jbr7t. Did you end up mounting the Sena on your C3 using the clamp on method or the glue on?

[jbr7t]

basilr, I used the glue on method. The clamp won't work with the C3..at least not that I could see. I got the 3m adhesive promoter and applied that first then applied the adhesive pad for the mount. It appears to be on there like cement. I checked it over good and I don't think it will be coming off without serious effort. FYI when using this method of the 3m promoter..be careful when you apply the unit. Once it touches that is were it is staying. I tried to slide mine just slightly and no dice! But it ended up being fine.

[jbr7t]

keith..which set did you get from earfuze?

[OoPEZoO]

keith..which set did you get from earfuze?

 

I bought the red and blue kit

[basilr]

Do the earbuds come with a built in micropone?

[OoPEZoO]

Do the earbuds come with a built in micropone?

 

It looks Earfuze now sells a version that has a microphone included on the cord for making phone calls and such, but that would be useless on the bike.

 

In order you use the earbuds with the Sena unit, you need to buy a different helmet mounting clamp for the module. That module has a microphone included with it......either a boom mic, or a low profile stick on mic depending on your preference or helmet configuration.

[basilr]

I agree that it would not be practical to use the mic on the bike if one has BT, but for walking, skiing etc, it would be a real asset. The cheap earbuds I have now have a "pause" and "volume control" togglers that are very useful.

 

Do you know if the Earfuz buds mic has any control switches like these on it? Thanks, Basil

[OoPEZoO]

I have no idea. I don't know more than what is posted on their website. Back when I ordered mine a few years ago, they didn't have anything other than the basic kit that I bought. So none of those configurations existed for me to research. They have added many new options since then.

 

I will warn you though......I'm not sure I would want to use them for running or skiing. They block out the surrounding noise so well that I would be afraid of missing something important. I use cheap earbuds when snowboarding, but they allow enough ambient noise in that I can still hear what is going on around me. My buds from Earfuze kind of put you in your own little quiet world. Great for on the bike or mowing the lawn, but not so much for hearing an out of control skier about to plow into you. YMMV of course

[StuGotz]

Just a note about Earfuze....

 

I ordered a set of black earbuds from this company Aug12 2013...They billed my Visa Aug 13,and shipped. I was sent notification that they shipped. After a week and a half no earbuds...I tracked and it was noted that they were delivered Aug 16.

 

Must have been delivered to someone else. I check USPS, that is the shipper they used. USPS says indeed they were delivered Aug 16 at 440 pm. I call Earfuze back and say, sorry I didn't receive delivery. Earfuse says sorry, they can't help, delivery was successful, check with USPS. I've never had an issue with USPS, but that's not to say anyone couldn't have ripped off the mailbox. USPS carrier doesn't remember the 5 oz package.

 

I've called Visa and will dispute the charge to my account. This will take up to 90 days.

 

If you buy from Earfuse beware. I'm surprised they use USPS and don't require signature for delivery.

 

Needless to say, I won't be using them in the future.

 

Now to get ahold of Al and get some real earplugs.

 

Happy others had a good experience. Just sayin' don't use their "free shipping" option.

 

Sorry for the hijack.

 

MB>

[jbr7t]

Sorry you had a bad experience MB. Just my 2 cents..I ordered mine and had them shipped to my business since I don't trust packages getting left at my house. Arrived 2 days after my order.

[StuGotz]

This WAS a business address.

 

Mailbox outside though and small 5 oz pkg didn't make the usual "personal" delivery by carrier.

 

On a Sena note, had an issue with the Helmet Clamp Kit for Earbuds...

Left channel dropout. Called Sena, issue resolved with a warranty replacement.

Strong customer support, prompt service by them in a timely fashion.

 

Strongly support this company and their Bluetooth headset.

 

MB>

[Bigfish]

Really like my SenaSMH10s.

Only complaint is how quickly the battery goes dead once you hear the low battery warning. Pretty much goes dead within two minutes of being warned.

Maybe the latest firmware upgrade resolves this shortcoming.

[Sil]

...Maybe the latest firmware upgrade resolves this shortcoming.

 

I just did the firmware update last Friday and you still get about 100 seconds of warning before it dies. Sorry.

[Foot]

I carry the vehicle charging cord with me on the bike. I can charge the Sena from the accessory plug and still use it. I have only needed to do that a few times but it's worth it to carry the cables and lighter adapter with me.

 

Thumbs up also in the Ear Fuze kit makes audio even better.

 

Alan

[Doug_Baliko]

I just ordered the Sena unit along with the earbud base. Many reviews talk about the flimsy way the earbud connection is attached to the unit, and many have reported it breaking. I have seen several reports of people using a pruduct called Sugru to fix it, or prevent it from breaking (Sugru.com). I have never heard of this stuff but it looks very interesting so I also ordered some. It might prevent some hassles down the road.

 

Doug

[jbr7t]

I just ordered the Sena unit along with the earbud base. Many reviews talk about the flimsy way the earbud connection is attached to the unit, and many have reported it breaking. I have seen several reports of people using a pruduct called Sugru to fix it, or prevent it from breaking (Sugru.com). I have never heard of this stuff but it looks very interesting so I also ordered some. It might prevent some hassles down the road.

 

Doug

 

Check with basilr He's done a lot of research on this issue. He was working with a company out of Florida with a pretty nice looking fix for the earbud attachment. I was actually just getting ready to email him back and steal some of his research before I made a decision!

 

[StuGotz]

Sena has corrected this issue. Some vendors may still have the old earbud clamp kit without the improvement. Rest assured if yours fails they will probably replace it with an updated unit.

 

MB>

[jb11GSA]

Agree with most of what said about the smh10, here is my experience. Battery life i have no issues with. When used, I usually travel about 400 miles plus and never had an issue with lost or degradation of power to the head unit.

 

I am impressed with the intercoms distance - when traveling with another bike I get the half mile plus distance without degradation. The clarity and simplicity is just (when all is aligned) uncanny. Wait... There is a downside: However, when passing a high power tower/station I do either lose connection or voice is very garbled.

 

Configuration is as followers, smh10 bluethoth to the naveIV, iPhone to the NaveIV and music is coming from NaveIV.

 

The short of it... Music sometimes is lost due to connection challenges, some times a reboot of the NaveIV and SMH10 does the trick and other times I just do without (or until I get off the bike and re-pair all). Re-pairing seems to be the word of the trip, it seems that we either have it all working great and /or parts thereof, or just fight it all the way through the day.

 

More not so great news; when receiving a text the NaveIV and/or the iPhone seems to forget it is paired and a that point I also lose phone capabilities. This is not a huge deal, however the spouse may think something is wrong and the passé is sent out looking for you (not a great situation to be in if you know what I mean).

 

I'm also buffered by the reason of having to pair it all up almost every time we go out on a ride. I am as my riding buddy diligent when comes to firmware updates and the SMH10 are synched with the latest.

 

In all, I am annoyed by these little challenges, but am grateful for not having a cable plugged to my helmet. Also, I don't believe that I have the room to run wires and storage of something like the AutoCom which I never had these issues but had other issues. In concept it's great in practice it's short of 100% delivery. I'll keep it for now, it does the job...not great or good, but well enough(when paired and all the moons and gods are in alighenment).

 

Good luck, I do hope this was helpful, if you have any questions I'm happy to address.

[ArmyGuy]

SENA BT SMH10-D headsets. Installed both pairs into two helmets. MY HJC RPHA10 does not have 'ear holes' in the padding for the speakers and it took a bit of trial and error to get them right. Installation was straight forward and pretty easy once I figured out the no ear holes thing. (Note to self - beer comes after installation, not before). Updated to the new firmware very easily in both headsets. Both headsets came pre-paired and paired easily to my BMW NAV V. I haven't tried to pair to my phone and probably won't. Speakers put out a lot of sound and I had no issues listening to GPS instructions/music while wearing ear-pro at upwards of 200kph. I was skeptical at first about hear-ability but not any more. Great headset. Once I'm able to put some more miles in to cover down on battery life I'll add to this post.

[Keithbob]

My wife and I have SMH-10s and both really enjoy them, for comm with each other and music via bluetooth from our iPhones, as well as making the occasional call. All has worked as advertised. We use Etymotic ear speakers for music, and just the helmet speakers blasting through earplugs for local stuff.

 

Here's a tip: on a camping trip last weekend, my mic seemed to stop working. On arrival home I pulled the unit off the helmet and did a "fault reset", While doing so, I noticed that a bug had smashed right into the juncture between helmet mount and the actual Sena unit. A little of the bug goo had squeezed into the the connector pins. I cleaned it out with a damp towel and an alcohol wipe, let it dry, and clicked it back into place. All was well again.

 

Fault reset or bug goo cleaning? One of them was the solution, but the bug goo certainly didn't help.

 

Ride safe-

Keith

[sardineone]

The battery life seems to be really good. I didn't put a stop watch to the unit, but talked on a group ride for all day with few gaps in the talking. I never laughed more per mile than with a group of friends (Canadians) for a yearly get together ride. Space the pairings to repeat off each other and we had a 5 way group conversation.

[RPG]

like my Sena unit also. One complaint is the intercom when used at highway speeds. Rode my R90s to the 40th anniversary rally in Bucks County, PA last month. Both my buddy and I used our Sena units on our R90s's. At less than 55mph, they were usable and very effective. Above that, on the freeway, they were pretty much useless. Definitely the Intercom functions as dialing my buddy (through my Iphone) resulted in clear communication.

 

RPG

[sardineone]

On my group ride in May, one out of 5 of us had a bunch of wind noise on the channel at over 50mph. You might check for proper shielding of the microphone on the windward side & orientation. There is a right and wrong side to face your mouth and my unit also came with a plastic shield for that windward side of the microphone.

[RPG]

Hi George, I do have the mic oriented correctly. Also using a Shoei RF1100 helmet with the chin guard attached which should help some with noise minimization. Recent trip to the MOA National and the Sena's the three of us were using worked fine. Except when we hit that downpour in central MI on Sunday, which shut down all three units.

 

On my group ride in May, one out of 5 of us had a bunch of wind noise on the channel at over 50mph. You might check for proper shielding of the microphone on the windward side & orientation. There is a right and wrong side to face your mouth and my unit also came with a plastic shield for that windward side of the microphone.

[TEWKS]

the Sena's the three of us were using worked fine. Except when we hit that downpour in central MI on Sunday, which shut down all three units.

 

Happened to my buddy's SMH returning from NC in May. His never regained consciousness, warrantee maybe?

 

 

Pat

 

[Gooner]

Speaking of a warranty & Sena's customer service - nothing but praise from me!

 

My fumblefingers managed to break the mounting tab on my registered SMH-10 unit. I e-mailed Sena's customer service and asked for an RMA number. After a couple additional e-mails, I received an RMA and sent off the unit to their office in California.

 

They sent me confirmation late friday that they had received the unit and would let me know as soon as possible about the claim. Well, yesterday I received word from them that they are shipping me a full system replacement direct from the warehouse.

 

I was quite happy with how well the unit worked before and the service I received here means I will be a repeat customer!

[hadfield4wd]

I have a question regarding functionality. I hope you guys and help.

 

I'm looking for units that I can talk with my wife who will be on the back.

 

We'd like to listen to the music off my iPhone together, but I don't want any phone or text functionality to come through on her headset.

 

Is this possible. She just doesn't want to hear any of my phone conversations.

[Rougarou]

I have a question regarding functionality. I hope you guys and help.

 

I'm looking for units that I can talk with my wife who will be on the back.

 

We'd like to listen to the music off my iPhone together, but I don't want any phone or text functionality to come through on her headset.

 

Is this possible. She just doesn't want to hear any of my phone conversations.

 

With one of the last firmware upgrades, you both can listen to the same music. If your phone rings, than, only you will be part of the conversation and the music will stop for her until the phone is "hung up". Also, the intercom and music sharing do not work at the same time,....you'll either be able to listen to music together or talk, but not both.

[hadfield4wd]

Just what I wanted thanks.