Product review: Sena SMH-5 communicators

I had been considering a communication set for quite some time now. After reading many reviews, there are two that seemed to rise to the top: The Cardo-Systems units, and the Sena units. I wanted a "budget" set, that would allow me to communicate both with my passenger on my V-Strom, and also with another vehicle, as we ride ATV's often. Range was not a big issue, nor was any amount of features such as phone or music.
I had been reading about the newest Sena SMH-10R, which has the most features, the longest range, and the longest lasting battery and stand-by time. They run about $165 per set ($330 per pair), which was more than I wanted to spend, so I chose the low end SMH-5. I bought the SMH-5's for $189 for a two head set package, from Motorcycle Super Store.
The units mounted up easily, although running the speakers in my wife's HJC helmet required that I make 2 small slits in the liner - no big deal to me. The speakers and the mic mounted up easily in my AFX dual-sport helmet, although the mouthguard had no fabric lining for the Velcro backed mic to stick to. A small piece of duct tape stuck it in place nicely.
The units charged up in a couple of hours, off of my computers USB ports, and I bought a USB wall charger later. While they were plugged in, I took the opportunity to download the newest software upgrade from Sena. Since I had not used them previously, I have no idea what changes were made. I do know that they charged up, and paired up just fine, though.
The Sena units are pretty simple to operate. They have an audible voice that tells you that they are powering on or off, or pairing. I should mention that I have zero Bluetooth knowledge, so I was a bit nervous about getting these units, but all of that worry was for naught.
Reviews of these units have mentioned that the speakers are "tinny", but at over 50 years old, everything pretty much sounds tinny to me. We are not (yet) using these for music, so the sound quality is fine. The volume control works well, and I can hear very well at any speed. Range on the road seems to be close to the advertised range - 300-400 yards. In the woods, the range is a bit less, maybe 100-150 yards, but it seems to be just enough for our purposes.
I must be honest and say that I have spent very little time reading the "Quick-start" instruction manual (the only manual included with the system - A full manual can be downloaded off of the Sena site), and I was a bit frustrated that it seemed that I had to pair the units every time I turned them on, but I stumbled upon the proper way to turn them on, and just hit one button and they were immediately paired.
My wife and I used the Sena units for a late night ATV ride that took us from 7 PM well past midnight, and they never faded or shut down. That is impressive. During this ride, my wife, who was a doubter about the whole communication thing, was completely turned around and is now solidly endorsing the SMH-5. They really complete the riding experience, as well as enhance the safety factor ("Watch out for that big rock!").
Overall - The Sena SMH-5 works very well, and I am very happy with them, but if I had to buy again, I might consider paying another $100+ to get more range. Perhaps, if I decided that I wanted to stream music or my phone to my head to completely ruin my ride, the fancier units might even be more appealing, but for now, the SMH-5 does the job quite well.

If you do want to listed to music I would recommend the upgraded speakers. I rarely listen to music but I could barely hear gps directions on the highway which is why I upgraded. Now the audio seems clearer and louder. btw, I use a Bell Star.

Nice review.

I haven't used the Sena units, but I like the design. I have a Scala G4 headset. Almost the opposite of you; I use mine mostly to pair with my phone for tunes and to occasionally take calls underway. I commute a lot and much prefer to have some tunes going. To each their own in that respect.

My biggest beef with the Scala is the user interface. The buttons are small and fidgety. And every button does (at least) two things. Most of the feedback from the device is a series of long and short, high and low tone beeps. I can never remember which button combination I want nor which beep combination I need in response from the device.

Pairing with other Scalas has been hit or miss. They have a quick pair option which has "just worked" a couple times for me without any issue. Meanwhile I recently tried to pair with Dave (Stonkythepig) here and we couldn't figure out how to make the devices work at all. Midway through the ride I mashed a few more buttons and at a stop we tried 'em again. This time we found Dave's volume was all the way down. After that we had trouble free comms.

Overall, I'd buy a Sena device were I doing it over again now. That spoken feedback is gold. I also dig that rotary control. Much more intuitive than the miniature buttons on the Scala.

Not sure why Chatterbox doesnt' seem to make these reviews. A bunch of us have been using both the original X1 and the Slim version. Great range, interface to phone and itunes. I did away with the 'speakers' as soon as I got them. Too clumsy and the sound wasn't very good. I have been using Audio Technica Noise Reducing ear buds for about 4 years and am really happy.

Comm has changed the way we ride in groups dramatically. I resisted for a long time but for group rides they really help things move along. And, honestly, I find I enjoy listening to music when I'm alone....!

If you're looking for better range but for $10-$20 less than the 10R, the SMH-10 (non R) is the exact same as the 10R. It also uses the jog wheel like the 5. To me, the jog wheel seems more user friendly for the gloved hand than buttons do.

I bought the dual pack of the SMH-10 communicators last summer and so far I'm not impressed. My girlfriend and I both use them on our bikes and my dad has a single unit he also bought last summer. Half the time someones speakers or mic aren't working. My dad and I went away for a 9 day camp and ride trip last year and 2 days into it his speakers died. I could hear him but he couldn't hear me. We ended up using a mixture of hand signals on my end and him talking to get through the trip. There has been multiple times where my girlfriend and I were heading out for a short ride around the house just to find out someones audio or mic wouldn't work. Most of it seems related to the sort of flimsy plastic mounting plate that attaches to the helmet. If the screws attaching the plate loosen slightly, connection is lost, if they tighten slightly, connection is lost. I have also tried to take calls on it on numerous occasions where I can hear the person on the other line but they can't hear me. I'll have to fiddle with them a little more this season but it gets a little frustrating after spending that kind of money for something.

My friend and I bought a dual pack of SMH-10's and we haven't had an issue. Music is loud and clear, intercom works beautifully, on calls people can't even tell I'm on the bike, voice commands work okay but that's more an issue with Siri. Well worth the money IMO. Got the dual pack for $228 shipped.

GearHd6 - have you contacted the manufacturer with these issues? From what I've read, they are really good about replacements.

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Originally Posted by loki32687

My friend and I bought a dual pack of SMH-10's and we haven't had an issue. Music is loud and clear, intercom works beautifully, on calls people can't even tell I'm on the bike, voice commands work okay but that's more an issue with Siri. Well worth the money IMO. Got the dual pack for $228 shipped.

GearHd6 - have you contacted the manufacturer with these issues? From what I've read, they are really good about replacements.

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Was gonna say this. I and about 25 of my friends have these and we all love them. Definitely try contacting them to see if they can alleviate any issues.

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Originally Posted by loki32687

GearHd6 - have you contacted the manufacturer with these issues? From what I've read, they are really good about replacements.

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I haven't thrown in the towel on these just yet. I'll work with them a little more and try and dial in the mounts before I give up and call SENA. I'll start from scratch and load the latest firmware and then mess with the mounting and settings.

Do any of you guys ever get the voice activation for the intercom to work? No matter what I set that on I still have to press the jog dial to start and stop an intercom conversation.