kiwi
Well-known member
Equipment:
SENA SMH10 Bluetooth Headset
Apple iPhone 3GS and also Apple iPhone 4
Background.
I ride a lot - Commuting to work, and also weekend pleasure rides sometimes with other riders.
One thing I wanted to have was the ability to listen to audio while riding. I didn’t want the hassle of having wires with the potential of tangling, or trying to have ear-buds stay in my ears under the helmet. I initially purchased the Chatterbox XBi2 bluetooth headset. This worked great for my music playback – but not much more. I found the buttons on the XBi2 unit next to impossible to find when stopped let alone try using whilst riding. Also, the call button did not support the iPhone’s voice control features.
I did some investigation on the internet and saw the Scala G4 teamset. www.Webbikeworld.com has a comprehensive review of this headset and it seemed to be quite good, though here in Canada the price was over $400 for a set with two units – ouch.
Webbikeworld.com did mention a headset called the SENA SMH10 – they gave it a very positive review and after doing some more research on it, I decided to take the plunge and order it.
See http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-intercoms/sena-smh10-intercom/
As far as I am aware this headset is not available from any Canadian resellers yet, therefore after tracking down a reseller (http://rocketmoto.com/) I was able to get a Duel Set system delivered for about $300!!! A big savings compared to the Scala units.
The SENA units come packaged really well with a manual that is easy to understand. The units are well built and were easily fitted to my helmets. Initially I didn’t think I would like the boom mic, but its perfect for a full-face helmet as it allows you to adjust the location of the mic in relation to your mouth if you are having audio problems. The speakers are thin and easy to fit in the recess made for speakers in the helmet.
I have been using the headset daily for the past 3 Months, in all types of riding conditions and have the following observations:
SENA SMH10 Bluetooth Headset
Apple iPhone 3GS and also Apple iPhone 4
Background.
I ride a lot - Commuting to work, and also weekend pleasure rides sometimes with other riders.
One thing I wanted to have was the ability to listen to audio while riding. I didn’t want the hassle of having wires with the potential of tangling, or trying to have ear-buds stay in my ears under the helmet. I initially purchased the Chatterbox XBi2 bluetooth headset. This worked great for my music playback – but not much more. I found the buttons on the XBi2 unit next to impossible to find when stopped let alone try using whilst riding. Also, the call button did not support the iPhone’s voice control features.
I did some investigation on the internet and saw the Scala G4 teamset. www.Webbikeworld.com has a comprehensive review of this headset and it seemed to be quite good, though here in Canada the price was over $400 for a set with two units – ouch.
Webbikeworld.com did mention a headset called the SENA SMH10 – they gave it a very positive review and after doing some more research on it, I decided to take the plunge and order it.
See http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-intercoms/sena-smh10-intercom/
As far as I am aware this headset is not available from any Canadian resellers yet, therefore after tracking down a reseller (http://rocketmoto.com/) I was able to get a Duel Set system delivered for about $300!!! A big savings compared to the Scala units.
The SENA units come packaged really well with a manual that is easy to understand. The units are well built and were easily fitted to my helmets. Initially I didn’t think I would like the boom mic, but its perfect for a full-face helmet as it allows you to adjust the location of the mic in relation to your mouth if you are having audio problems. The speakers are thin and easy to fit in the recess made for speakers in the helmet.
I have been using the headset daily for the past 3 Months, in all types of riding conditions and have the following observations:
- Small unit – very easy to remove and fit on helmet. Waterproof and great build quality. It doesn’t look as bulky as the Scala models, or require a little antenna on the side for transmission.
- Very fast to turn on and connect to Bluetooth (and off!) – 1second!! None of the “keep finger on button for 5 or 10 seconds”
- Very easy to use: 2 Buttons – one dial button that works like an iPod – spin one way, volume goes up, spin the other – volume goes down. Tap button – chat over intercom to your friend on their intercom (up to 3 others) tap again to return to your music. Etc. The Dial button answers the phone if one is connected, and if you have an iPhone you can use the voice control – this is simply awesome – you can say things like “Call Sandy” and the iPhone will respond “Calling Sandy..” (if Sandy has several phone numbers you are asked which number to call!) You can also say “Play music by Metallica” to start your music, or “Play Album Master of Puppets” to play a particular album.
- Battery life – great - I can use the headset for at least 4-5 days, playing music over Bluetooth for 3 hours each day. Sometimes I just connect the headset to the phone and don’t play music. Depends on traffic/conditions, level of attention needed etc.
- Speakers are loud! Easiluy heard with earplugs in. For the majority of my recent riding over the past few months I have been riding a motorcycle with a Two Brothers slip on pipe. As many of you know, this slip on is quite a loud one – with earplugs and the pipe, its not a problem for the headset. Music and Intercom can be heard fine at speeds of up to 130km.
- Intercom range is good. SENA claim 900m. Have tested in a straight line to another rider and it was about right.
- Did I mention it’s easy to use? Especially when riding with gloves on - Just two buttons !
- The Units come with a wall charger that also doubles as a USB charger – ie. Connect to your PC to charge the unit. An automotive charger is also included. If you buy the duel set, you get 2 sets of everything. This is great.
- You can connect a device to the unit via a std headphone cable as well.
- Technical Support/Customer support seems good. I got some responses to queries pretty fast. I understand the warranty is good too with SENA being very proactive with warranty returns. (From what I read online)
This headset really gives great bang for the buck, and I would suggest Canadian riders try and get their hands on these. Hopefully there will be a Canadian distributor in the future.
One last thing, phone calls are easy to make and work well while riding - a few weeks ago I was first on scene at a two car collision and using my headset in my helmet I was able to call 911 for emergency services and talk to them while using both hands to rip open a jammed car door to check on the occupants.
My rating of the SENA SMH10 is 4.5/5
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