I recently received the Sena SMH10D Bluetooth Stereo Headset and Intercom for Motorcycles. It was given to me to review, so I thought I’d start with a quick unboxing post. I also received a couple extra helmet clamp kits, so I can try the headset on both my modular and full face helmets. Very cool!
Inside the box was a pair of SMH10 headsets. They came paired from the factory to use immediately as an intercom. When I used headsets in the past, pairing was always a pain, so I appreciate they did that for me. It also came with a printed manual. The last piece of technology I bought just had a one page quick start with a link to their website for the real manual. It looks thick at 180 pages, but it has several languages printed. English is only the first 40 pages.
The main headset unit and speaker-microphone clamp kit. All of this will be mounted on my helmet.
The last headset I used had a proprietary charging plug. Which meant I had to lug yet another charger, this one uses micro USB. The geek in me was excited to see this. It’s the same as my cell phone! Which means, I can use the same cable/charger. One less thing to carry on a trip. The manual also mentions the firmware of the unit can be upgraded via this port.
A job dial on the side of the main unit is large and pretty easy to work with one hand. I prefer this design to style with lots of buttons. It does make the unit a bit bigger though.
The assortment of cables, mounts, and chargers. It comes with two universal wall chargers, cigarette charger, 3.5mm stereo audio cable, glued mounting adapter and extra pads.
Here are the wall charger components and the main unit.
The US style adapter goes on the wall-wart which connects to the micro USB cable to the main headset unit. Since the charger is dual voltage and connector, it is big. I’ll probably just charge off my netbook via USB or use a smaller AC-USB adapter I have.
Plugged in and charging.
I’m going to let both units charge over night even though the manual says they charge in 2.5 hours. I like to make sure new batteries are thoroughly charged before I set them working. It’ll also give me time to mount the SMH10 on my helmet which will be covered in my next post.
First impressions? Solidly built units. Sena seems to have thought about the little details such as flexible charging and future upgrades. I would have liked to have something like this on our Pacific Coast trip. My wife could have listened to Pandora while she admired the beautiful scenery. It would have also allowed us to coordinate breaks and places to stop with a bit more efficiency rather than her tapping my shoulder to get me to stop.
In the future posts I’ll cover: installing the units, upgrading firmware, and finally a review.
Definitely good stuff, and easy handling. We like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteIf you guys like them, they must be good.
DeleteWill be interesting to hear your review on this as I think several bloggers have purchased it recently and we are still on the fence.
ReplyDeleteWe have experience with the cardo q2 as well, but first impression the sena is much nicer.
DeleteChris:
ReplyDeleteI know that the Sena is highly rated but the SR10 is pricey, and huge in size. I wanted to be able to communicate with GMRS frequencies which is better for large groups.
as you say, too bad you didn't have this unit for your trip
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
not sure about the SR10 Bob. I have the SMH10 in front of me. Ah, now that I look more in the manual I see reference to the SR10. The SMH10 can pair to it, and then the SR10 into a two-way radio. You have lots of space for luggage, so shouldn't be a problem for you.
Deletethe SMH10 can also pair with up to three other headsets for intercom use
Chris:
DeleteEveryone I know use GMRS frequecies, I had to be able to pair with a standard two way radio, not link via bluetooth. I am not sure about the SMH-10 but most other BT units can only pair to ONE OTHER BT radio with the third on the 2nd channel, and if you are in a group of 8 then the GMRS radio is the way to go. The SR10 cost over $200. on ebay. I tried to buy one here but they never had any in stock, so I settled for the IMC Camos BT unit with their BTA:BlueTooth Adapter.
If I am not mistaken, only units from the same manufacturer can pair with each other. So the Sena cannot pair with a BlueAnt, or Cardio, or Scala, etc. With GMRS they can all talk to each other
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
Hi Chris, I have been following your blog for a little while now, was pointed this way from tobairitz's blogroll. My husband and I used the sena on a recent trip but it is the only unit either one of us has ever used, so looking forward to your thoughts on it. We love it for its ease of use.
ReplyDeleteWe had to pair our units ourselves and that was so easy I thought there had to be a mistake. There wasn't, its such an easy piece of equipment to use, you just point them at each other and hold a button.
Hi Brenda, thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. We have some experience with the Cardo Q2, but this one seems nicer (more features, less buttons). They have been very easy to use so far.
DeleteBobscoot:
ReplyDeleteThe Sena SR10 obviously pairs nicely with the Sena SMH5 (more price conscious, entry-level headset/intercom starting at $129) AND with the SMH10, the one Chris is reviewing.
Sena's SR10 does pair with other brands of Bluetooth headset/intercoms, though I'm sure the company would love riders to always pair them with their Bluetooth headsets.
The SR10 retails for $199 US. www.senabluetooth.com and click on "shop." Hope that helps clear up some misconceptions.
I did find this post
ReplyDeletehttp://aintnopillion.com/2010/12/sena-smh-10-review-update-dont-buy-the-sena-smh-10-headset/
The Sena SMH10 is the comms I've also been using for a few yrs now. I don't think you can find an easier unit to control while riding.. and the range is very good too. We've got about 9 of us on this unit with the fellas I ride with, and my wife and I use them 2up as well. They also work great sync'd up with my iPhone for music or taking that call on my commute to work!
ReplyDeleteThe only issue I have with this unit is I'm on my 3rd speaker unit. I've had 2 units speakers blow out and stop working. I got one of the base units to work with earbuds too, but just don't like messin with them, while the sound is much better, your ears start to hurt after a while and that blasted cable gets in the way!
I sent a product idea to Skullcandy to make a in-helmet speaker that is better quality than these stock units.. I think that'd be a great partnership for Sena!!!!
Keep it comin' Chris! Ride Fun..
Thanks for the info Bill. I now several others that use them as well. We have been using the Q2s prior to this. These seem nicer in several areas, but only time will tell how they perform in the long haul.
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