SenaSMH10-10 Motorcycle Bluetooth Headset/Intercom Communication System (Single)

I installed the unit today and then took a ride on the expressway. I easily installed the unit in my new helmet and then paired it to my phone. I've tried several helmet speaker methods such as having regular phone earbuds in my ear. That works OK but the problem is keeping earbuds in my ear when I put the helmet on and the mic positioned near my mouth. At highway speeds the wind noise makes it difficult or impossible for the other party to hear. I tried a dedicated wired motorcycle helmet headset but the volume was too low to hear clearly at highway speeds and it was a hassle connecting the dangling wire from the helmet each time I got on and off the bike. Thus my purchase of the Sena bluetooth unit. I read many reviews of other units. Most had volume complaints or were double the price.The volume on this unit is simply amazing!!! At 70 MPH on a phone call I can hear the other party very clear and loud. Believe it or not it actually hurt my ears and I had to turn the unit down. The same is true of music. How is the music quality? Good enough. It's not five star orchestra quality and there's not much bass but it sounds good and most importantly LOUD rolling along on a bike. The amp in the bluetooth unit actually drives the speakers to the edge of distortion but that's a good thing.I believe one key is to make absolutely sure that you use the included pads to position the speakers where they press right up against your ear when you put the helmet on. Proximity probably makes a huge difference in sound volume. 1/4 to 1/2 inch away would probably reduce the volume in half which would make the system much less effective.I have a Motorola Razr Maxx phone and the volume button on the unit does not affect the phone volume. Most bluetooth units work in conjunction with the phone volume. If you lower or raise the volume on the bluetooth unit, it correspondingly raises or lowers it on the phone. With this unit, volume controls seem to operate independently of each other therefore you need to turn the phone volume to max and adjust volume from the bluetooth unit. The unit is firmware upgradeable so perhaps that will be corrected in a future release but I am so thrilled with the performance of the unit that such a minor detail is insignificant.There is a plus to this arrangement in that music playback and phone conversation volumes are independently maintained. In other words, if you set the volume on a phone conversation and then switch to music and set a different volume the unit will remember the phone and music volume independently. So I guess it's designed to work independently of your phone volume and as I thought about it, that's probably a better arrangement. Your helmet system would always be set to motorcycle preferences regardless of what level you set your phone.I haven't tested the intercom features and performance. My wife is terrified of my motorcycle therefore I usually ride alone so I don't need the intercom feature but it's there if I ever do need it.Pros:1. Volume is FANTASTIC and you can hear phone conversations or music clearly at 80% volume at 70mph.2. The person on the other end hears virtually no mic wind noise at 70mph. They couldn't believe that I was on a motorcycle at 70mph. They heard NO wind noise which was hard for me to believe but I was talking to my mother so I knew she was telling me the truth. Of course I had on a full face helmet with the visor down.3. Unit can operate while charging. The battery life talk time is rated at 12 hours with a standby time of 10 days. I haven't tested that yet but if it truly lasts 12 hours and you do happen to talk longer than 12 hours at a stretch you can plug up the unit and talk while charging. I've never ridden more than a few hours in a day so a 12 hour talk time before recharging is NOT going to be problem for me. I'm going to poop out long before the bluetooth battery. Talking while charging is something that most bluetooth units can't do.4. Volume control button is big. On a motorcycle with gloves the button is easy to find, turn or push.5. It looks cool on your helmet with the blue blinking light.6. Good price. I bought the H10 instead of the H5 since the price difference was not that much and it appears the H10 comes with better speakers. I'm not sure about that as I couldn't fully tell from the descriptions but it read like the H10 had better speakers than the H5. The upgrade speakers cost the difference between the two units but the H10 does more. It's about a $25 street price difference between the H10 and the H5.7. Uses a standard micro USB port for charging.8. Has a standard 1/8" port to plug a wired music player.9. Ports covered by rubber plugs for weatherproofing.10. Easy to remove from the helmet if necessary.Cons: NONE that I've found so far.I installed it in this helmet:Bluetooth Ready Modular Flip-up Motorcycle Helmet Matte Flat Black DOT #936 (XL)I am just as impressed by the helmet as I am the bluetooth unit. I can't believe the quality of this helmet for the price. I've got five helmets. This is the cheapest one and it seems to rank right up there with the quality of the very expensive helmets if not better. It has perforations in the helmet liner for the speakers so it works perfectly with the Sena bluetooth unit.

Excellent

Arrived quickly. Paired up with phone and other sena units within seconds. Audio quality is great. Must have for riding with others.

great product. the Speakers are better than expected and easy to navigate on my bike

I wanted something that would allow me to use Bluetooth for my iPhone in my Harley-Davidson motorcycle helmet. I am getting back into motorcycle touring after a multi-decade layoff -- the last time I was into cycling there was no such thing as either Bluetooth or cellular phones. So this review will be written from the standpoint of a complete novice.First, the hardware. It appears to be very well-made. Some hardware is made of cheap plastic and some is made of heavier duty better plastic -- as this device is. They supply you with a USB charging cable as well as a cigarette-style charger. The device is divided into basically three parts -- the microphone and earpieces, the battery/control module, and the helmet interface. This modular design allows you to leave the helmet interface on the helmet all the time while you easily remove the battery/control module for charging or for interfacing to the computer for a firmware upgrade.The helmet interface attaches more or less permanently to the helmet. You basically clamp it between the hard plastic liner and the foam liner of the helmet. This may sound a bit hairy, but in practice I had no trouble at all doing this. This module stays on the helmet more or less permanently, and the speakers and microphone are attached to this.For my helmet it was a 1 minute job positioning the earpieces because my Harley-Davidson helmet happily has netting specifically designed to accept ear speakers. There was no trouble positioning the microphone. The unit comes supplied with various stick-on attachments for attaching the speakers to the helmet but I did not need this.Pairing the unit to your iPhone is very easy. Further, the SMH10 has voice feedback so it tells you when you are in pairing mode, when you are paired, when the unit is powering up or down, etc. in English or several other selectable languages.The battery/control module snaps onto the helmet interface and as I noted above is easily removable for charging or for updating firmware.I had the whole rig set up in about 15 minutes or less. Pairing with the iPhone was a snap. No issue there. This unit has very good sound fidelity and plenty of volume. Even on the road I can very much enjoy listening to music or talking on the iPhone. The unit has a "hands-free" mode where you can answer the phone simply by shouting (and you do have to shout) "hello!" and it has a speed dial function which I have not yet tried. Music from my iPhone sounds great.The unit is used by a lot of riders for bike-to-bike intercom. I have not tested this feature. I bought the unit primarily to interface to my iPhone.I updated the firmware on the SMH-10. This is very easy. You go to Sena's website and it will guide you through the process. No problems doing this.Overall I am giving this one five stars because it works well, has excellent hardware, and installed easily in all respects. Can't ask for more. RJB.