Sena SMH10 Bluetooth Headset & Intercom Review

Sena SMH10 Bluetooth Intercom Review

FEATURES :

• Bluetooth 3.0
• Bluetooth Intercom up to 900 Meters (980 Yards)
• Four-way Bike-to-Bike Conference Intercom
• Conference Phone Call with Intercom Participant
• Multipoint: 2 Phones or 1 Phone + GPS
• Bluetooth Mobile Phone Handsfree
• Bluetooth Headset for GPS Voice Instruction
• Bluetooth Stereo Music Streaming
• Bluetooth Music Playback Control by AVRCP
• Stereo AUX Input by 3.5mm Audio Cable
• Easy Operation by Versatile Jog Dial (Patent Pending)
• Can Be Used While Charging by Cigarette Charger
• Individual Volume Control for Each Audio Source
• Sufficient Sound Level with Integrated Audio Booster
• Voice Prompts
• 12 Hours Talk Time, 10 Days Standby Time
• Water Resistant for Use in Inclement Weather
• Firmware Upgradeable
• 2-Year Limited Warranty

After having a few  days to test the Sena SMH10 Bluetooth Headset & Intercoms in the field and putting them through their paces, I felt it was time to share our results.

Our trips included both dry and wet weather, open terrain, and dense bush.

As soon as we took them out of the box you could tell they were a quality product.   We chose to mount the speakers in our full faced MX style helmets and rather than using the boom mic, installed the external wired mic into the front of our helmets.  All wires were easily hidden under the helmet padding and the speakers fit nicely in the ear pockets.   If your helmet foam is too thick, the kit includes a spacer to move the speakers closer to your ears.  The base plate clamps to the helmet and comes with a wrench to tighten the clamp bolts. Once installed they are very solid and don't move around at all.

When you first use the devices you have to pair them  to each other which turned out to be an easy process.  We then decided to pair them to our iphones (or any bluetooth phone) as we wanted to listen to music and to send and receive phone calls.

We attempted to test as many functions as we could and managed to do so successfully.  Sound quality between helmets was excellent.  There was no delay in transmission and wind noise was not an issue.   We pumped music from our iPhone's into our helmets over bluetooth while travelling down the trails.   You could also attach a music player via hard wire (which is included) if  you didn't have bluetooth. It did take me awhile to get the hang of using the jog dial to change songs.  I kept turning the communicator on as if I wanted to talk, but once I got the hang of it, the process was slick.

Sending and receiving cell phone calls was very easy…the music would pause and the phone was answered hands free.  Using voice control to place calls also worked great.  We both wore gloves and the Sena's were easy to use without having to take them off .  They are very light and don't add a lot of weight to the helmet and they are so simple to turn on and off.  Battery life appears good, and we haven't had to charge them for the last few outings.

In a wide open area,  the range was good.    As you can see in the video (links below) at approximately a quarter mile line of sight (could have been more or less)  the units worked flawlessly.   As to be expected the distance in dense bush was reduced.  As you lose the signal it starts to get garbled/digital sounding,  however as soon as you get back in range the sound picks right back up.

 We found this product very easy to use, very functional and high quality.  On the downside the trails we ride often have thick bush and sometimes it would be nice to have a little more range.  

Overall we highly recommend the Sena SMH10 Bluetooth intercom system. They greatly enhanced the ride by providing the ability to instantly communicate back and forth with your riding partner.  This also turned out to be a great safety feature!

For more information and available accessories check out Sena's website at:

www.senabluetooth.com

They can also be found on Facebook at:

 www. facebook.com/senabluetooth


Check out our Sena unboxing video at :

SENA SMH10 Bluetooth Unboxing 

Our  "A Wet Return To Ticksville - Sena SMH10 Testing And Review" video review can be viewed at:

 Sena SMH10 Testing And Review

October 4, 2012 - SENA SMH10 UPDATE

After using the Sena's for awhile we noticed there was a slight "bug" in the software.  Reported the issue to Sena, who quickly confirmed our findings.  Today we received an email from Sena.  Not only did they confirm they had a fix but sent us the new firmware!  We flashed it to the Sena's and will test them out the first chance we get.