Review: Sema SMH10 Bluetooth Intercom

[54zamboni]

After reading that same review, I bought the SENA last fall, when my wife and i spent a week in the smokies on the nomad. we used the vox which worked great for us, although i have to admit to reading the directions a fw mornings to get it set. if there was a break in talking of more than a few minutes, it would take a second or two to start up, but that wasn't a problem. the volume was more than adequate even at 80 mph on the interstate. we had some long days, but never ran out of battery life -- charged it every night. 'i;ve never used any other intercom system, but can't imagine they could be easier to use. . . . haven't tried it with my mp3 player yet and have interest in using my phone on the bike.

[thedude]

My Wife and I use the Sena as well. I've found it to work pretty well with my iphone for steaming music and making/taking calls. I tried the vox for dialing outbound calls, but it has a hard time dialing the correct person. Not a big deal for me as I hardly make calls, so I'm nitpicking really. For the $250 the Sena is a great value. I would recommend.

[Blueraven]

I did purchase the intercom soley on this review. I am very pleased with the performance and the volume you can get it to while riding on the hiway. The battery life is GREAT on it. I would purchase another one if needed.

[aeropilot]

For those that have the Sena, how has it been holding up for you? The charge cord you mention (photos aren't in the thread anymore) I suspect plugs into the back of the unit directly while it is on the helmet? Where have you ordered it from? My wife and I currently ride with a battery powered tethered together system that we picked up off ebay. Works ok, but we both would like louder volume and clarity, as we can't really talk to one another above 35mph with our tethered system.

We ride with 3/4 helmets and face shields, what helmets are you using and is the mic in the wind or protected?

Thanks,.. looks like a great christmas gift for both of us

[Blueraven]

It has held up for me for over a year. I used it to go to MV Rally and listened to my MP3 plugged in to the back of it. It was great. Didn't run out of battery after 12hr of listening to tunes. Tunes could be heard at 130km/h with out an issue and even conversations on the highway were great. I HIGHLY recommend this product.

[petenomad]

Ann and I used a pair this riding season. She paired her phone and used it to stream music. I paired mine with the zumo and got MP3 via BT connection. The intercom works well on the same bike. We had no trouble with battery life and the only errors we had were operator induced. Highly recommended.

[aeropilot]

Thanks guys. Ordered one tonight from a local shop in Philadelphia, so I should have by this weekend's fall folliage ride and have time to get it charged and mounted. Hope she is surprised !

[05nomader]

I agree the Sena SMH10 is a excellent communications device, I bought a set about a year ago and I’m very satisfied with the battery life, sound quality and ease of use. My wife and I ride our own bikes 99% of the time and we rarely loose communications with each other and if we do get out of range these units will connect back up automatically as soon as we are in range. One reason I bought these is because of the option of being able to charge them when is use but I have never needed to as the battery lasts for hours and we have been on some long rides.

[aeropilot]

Wahoo! just arrived at work. Wow, they are nice. I really like the simplicity of the Jog dial. This is going to be a big step up from the tethered battery box intercom we have. Already plugged in for charging, going to install tonight when I get home!

[dyetube]

Just FYI, I had mine about a year when Sena offered to replace it with the new model for $50. The new version can be firmware updated! I don't think they are offering that deal anymore but if you buy the new Sena headset now, you get one where the firmware can be updated. Without a doubt it's THE best headset for motorcycles! On a side note, does anyone use this headset with a stereo built into their fairing? I ordered the Reckless Motorcycle fairing for my 01 nomad and was hoping I could use the stereo of it with the headset.

[rickyboy]

I also have the Sena and got it last summer. I ride solo so I use it to connect to the Zumo and my iPod classic. I have a dongle connected to the iPod and that allows streaming to the headset. I have a great Bluetooth ready Alpine marine radio in my fairing. It has a USB connection for the iPod in the back of the head, and I had hopes to stream my iPod when it was plugged into USB in the BT radio, to the Sena. But no luck. I bought the BT unit that makes the BT ready radio actually BT. and that didn't help do the trick either. I also tried plugging RCA jacks to the radio head and then from there to the dongle. But that didn't work for me either. So unless someone comes up with an idea I have resigned myself to accepting my tunes through the "dongled" iPod.

The only other thing I didn't appreciate is that you can't have a conference call with multi users. One person at a time. They say there is a fix coming... but when is anyones guess. In general I like the Sena.

[dyetube]

Originally Posted by rickyboy

I also have the Sena and got it last summer. I ride solo so I use it to connect to the Zumo and my iPod classic. I have a dongle connected to the iPod and that allows streaming to the headset. I have a great Bluetooth ready Alpine marine radio in my fairing. It has a USB connection for the iPod in the back of the head, and I had hopes to stream my iPod when it was plugged into USB in the BT radio, to the Sena. But no luck. I bought the BT unit that makes the BT ready radio actually BT. and that didn't help do the trick either. I also tried plugging RCA jacks to the radio head and then from there to the dongle. But that didn't work for me either. So unless someone comes up with an idea I have resigned myself to accepting my tunes through the "dongled" iPod.

The only other thing I didn't appreciate is that you can't have a conference call with multi users. One person at a time. They say there is a fix coming... but when is anyones guess. In general I like the Sena.

I remember seeing a radio that supported the a2dp bluetooth profile leading me to believe it would stream to a headset. I can't believe there's not one out there. Also, If I don't get a marine designed stereo, will I really have to be concerned with moisture? I know the fairing will be sealed and I'll have a marine splash cover over the radio. I'll keep looking...

[qfarmer]

I have had the Scala Rider Q2 set for almost two years. I agree that the speakers that come with the set are crappy! I can't even listen to music becuase it sounds so bad. I does OK with communication bike to bike as long as your stay within 150 yards of each other.
Thanks for the review. The next set I get will not be the scala rider set. It seems that they use cheap materials for an expensive product.