Sena SMH10R

[David Foley]

I got one of the new Sena SMH10R Bluetooth headsets in this afternoon and installed it on my Shoei Neotec.

Things I like.

1.) Easy to install

2.) Very low profile. A small controller on the left side and small battery pack on the back.

3.) Blends in very well with the Anthracite color of the helmet.

4.) Controls are easy to operate.

5.) Paired instantly with my Nokia Lumia 920 phone. (You all are running Windows 8 phones aren't you

)

6.) Music sounds better than average.

7.) Phone calls are easy to make and receive. Sound clarity is very good. Should be even better when I get behind the windscreen of the FJR. Tested on my CBR250R.

8.) Easy to charge headset while riding.

Things I don't.

1.) Nothing yet. Will keep you posted.

Things I haven't tested

1.) Paired with other riders headsets

2.) Paired with my GPS or Radar Detector

3.) Battery life although I hear its not too bad.

I am still strongly considering an Autocom system but this will do while I figure it out.

 

[wyowanderer]

They sure slimmed the smh10 down. I like. Mine looks like a tumor on the side of my Shoei. I really like the smh10 also.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Same feedback on my recent SMH10 addition.

Too bad the "R" didn't come out a few months sooner...

--G

 

[Pauls927]

I had no idea the R even existed till I read this. I just got my SMH 10-11 yesterday and installed into my Shoei Qwest. Tried it out today,works as advertised. Paired instantly with the iphone 5. Main use will be to listen to Pandora and receive phone calls. I'll test out Google Maps for GPS function tomorrow.

I'll be content to live with my tumor.

 

[Enn]

Wow, another nice piece from Sena, thanks for posting! I too have been running the SMH10 the last 3 years and am very happy with that, but the R looks much neater indeed. I wonder what are the other differences with the SMH 10 besides the size? Is it any better or worse in terms of quality, functions and handling?

BTW, why are you still considering Autocom? You want to mess with wires?

 

[LAF]

Nice. I too wonder what has changed along with size and shape? I can not say enought on the Sena. I have Phone, I-Pod, Zumo 660, and Rider to Rider all at the same time. I love mine and would never choose another. I did have to buy a Bootaroo to get good volume on the Zuma but that too is a great item. I use a Mix It Amp to collect all the inputs and get them to the Sena and a blutooth dongel off the Mix it. Have it all powered from the Twisted Throttel electric tank bag with a duel charger in it with duel usb chargers plugged into it. Everything is charging while I use it and it is a very nice setup for me.

Let us know if you find the differances other then size and shape.

 

[yamafitter]

I like using earbuds and from what I can tell that option is not available with the SMH10R. If I'm wrong please correct me.

I came across this review of the SMH10R and they felt that the new unit was more difficult to use without the joggle and a little more difficult to install.

SMH10R Review

 

[David Foley]

The battery in the SMH10 lasts a bit longer than the battery in the SMH10R and range is slightly reduced as well. The price you pay for the smaller footprint I suppose. The reviewer yamafitter referenced in his post calls this the "High price of fashion". Maybe so but I have to disagree with the reviewer on ease of installation. This thing was very easy to install. I took my time and had it installed and paired with my phone in less than 30 minutes and this is a first time install for me. My installation looks very clean, with the controller and battery mounted low on the helmet with no wires visible. Certainly no "gaffers tape" required as claimed by the reviewer.

As far as ease of use, it seems easy to use to me, although probably not as easy to use as the jog dial on the SMH10. The three buttons on the SMH10R controller are easy to differentiate due to the ridges that divide them.

Ear buds would be a nice option. I read where an ear bud interface would not be available at product launch but would be made available later as an add-on. Hopefully so.

Battery life is what has me still considering the Autocom. All indications are that the SMH10R can support a full days ride without charging, but you still need to plug it in at the end of the day. It comes with a power cord that allows charging while riding with easy reach to the power outlet on my Touratech GPS mount. We'll see how that works over time.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Let us know if you find the differances other then size and shape.

I don't think there is anything different as far as capabilities, the 10R is slimmer with a detached battery (that doesn't last as long between charges) and cannot be detached from the headset (speakers and mike). I just bought a SMH10 dual pack and 3 additional headsets so I have 5 helmets (4 different sizes) permanently wired for passengers or friends and I can carry the 2nd unit as a backup when I ride with friends that have their own Sena units. I'm still learning how to use all the functions with winter gloves but the only thing the Sena does not do is allow a rider and passenger listen to the same music source (you can have a 3 way phone conversation with the 4.2 Beta firmware upgrade).

 

[fjrob1300]

Ear buds are now an option.

 

[yamafitter]

Ear buds are now an option.

Do you have a link or a part number? I did not find any mention of this in the accessories page on the Sena site for the SMH10R.

 

[rmcobb]

I've got a friend looking at these who asked my thoughts, and after looking at everything, I wouldn't buy one. I'd stay with the regular Sena or Cardo units. Why.....battery charging! You need both the unit and battery together to charge it. So you either have to disconnect both the unit and battery from the helmet or take the whole helmet to wherever you want to charge it. If you plan on disconnecting it every time, this causes wear on the connections plus you have to leave the wires accessible or easily retreivable from under the lining.

And........they don't even provide a wall charger...thats extra! Who's going to leave their helmet plugged into the socket on the bike after your days ride?

As far as charging while you're riding,...that defeats the purpose of going wireless.....you now have a wired connection to the bike!

I like the slimness of the main unit, but the rest of the setup misses the mark in the area of user friendliness IMO.

 

[RiderX]

A cool thing they added to the SMH-10R (and subsequently the standard SMH-10 with firmware 4.2 jan 2013) is the ability to connect to 2 HFP in addition to 1 A2DP music feed. (Used to be one and one), this allows me to connect 665 (taking one of each) to SMH-10, phone to the Zumo and SR10 taking other HFP. To the SR10 I have corded radar and corded second GPS. Need some more miles, but so far pleased.

 

[David Foley]

You don't need a charger. It charges via a standard micro USB (one comes included in the kit) cable so connecting to a computer or any USB to AC adapter works just fine. I keep a retractable USB cable in my bag (several actually - to charge tablets, phones, portable speakers, etc) to use on the road. At home, when I'm done riding I put the helmet on the shelf in the closet with the rest of my riding gear and plug in the USB cable. I only plan on using the power cable on the bike if I am camping or forget to charge it the night before.

Yes - batteries (and Bluetooth idiosyncrasies) are the main drawbacks to these types of units but I don't think the SMH10R is any worse than the others in terms of battery charging.

FYI - takes about 2 hours to go from empty to full charge. Indicator lights, and audio prompts tell you the state of the battery.

 

[LAF]

As far as charging while you're riding,...that defeats the purpose of going wireless.....you now have a wired connection to the bike!

I do not charge the Sena as I ride just the I-Pod, the Bluetooth dongle, the Boostaroo and my phone, and of course the Zumo 660 in it's cradle. I did carry my spare on my 7500 mile trip and had it charging too so I was never without a fresh Sena.

No wires except to the tank bag ring that stays on the bike. Pull the release and all my stuff comes off in the bag.

Sounds like the new unit misses the mark and I will start looking for any deals on another two pack to keep as spares.

Since I have a summer and winter helmet I need them anyway. Glad I do not have 5 helmets for sure!

 

[AKjitsu]

Does that R let you put a full face helmet in one of the panniers? My regular SMH-10 won't fit.

 

[David Foley]

Akjitsu - yes my large Neotec fits in the pannier. Two large Neotecs would also easily fit in my Givi E55 top case. The controller and battery, mounted low, fit beneath the curvature of the helmet lines and do not add any additional width or depth.

 

[ElectricFJR]

A cool thing they added to the SMH-10R (and subsequently the standard SMH-10 with firmware 4.2 jan 2013) is the ability to connect to 2 HFP in addition to 1 A2DP music feed. (Used to be one and one), this allows me to connect 665 (taking one of each) to SMH-10, phone to the Zumo and SR10 taking other HFP. To the SR10 I have corded radar and corded second GPS. Need some more miles, but so far pleased.

Can you pair with both a Garmin 665 for GPS voice prompts and satellite music and a dongle plugged into a radar detector for alerts and hear them both simultaneously? Can you use any dongle or does it have to be the SR10? I have a small Pama Bluestream dongle that I velcro'd to the bottom of my radar detector that plugs in with a short 3.5MM cord that I pair with a Motorola bluetooth receiver that accepts earbuds, but it will not pair with my GPS at the same time. Is the Sena earbud adapter now available for this? Not currently listed on the Sena website for the SMH10R, only the SMH10.

 

[RiderX]

If the dongle uses the HFP (hands free profile) vice A2DP, you would be good to go with the latest firmware on a SMH-10 or a SMH-10R. As both devices can now handle three. One each for the 665 and an "extra" HFP that ought to now work with dongle.

As for the Sena website bring up the 4.2 beta instructions circa Jan 2013 and is written like the SMH-10R.