Road Test: Sena SMH10 Bluetooth Intercom

[taranis]

I decided to put this update in a separate thread, since we've done two road tests now with the Sena units and I have a more thorough impression of them. The original review thread is here.

Update:

Ann and I have taken two rides with the Sena SMH10's. One on Saturday for about four hours and yesterday on a 10-hour, 410-mile romp through the east Texas pine country.

Battery life: The Sena's held up to a full day of intercom and Bluetooth music. We had a few problems switching between music and intercom, mostly because we're still figuring out how to use the A2DP controls.

Range: We typically don't ride more than 1/4 mile apart, but there was one instance where Ann was about 1/2 mile behind me and we could still talk and hear each other clearly. The connection only started to drop when terrain got in the way - in this case, a hill.

Sound clarity: For those with 1/2 or 3/4 open-faced helmets, wind noise can and will be an issue. We discovered that Ann needs lowers on her bike because the wind buffets her head (and therefore, the microphone) pretty bad, which garbles communications. Although the Sena's work with 1/2 helmets like my EXO-100, sound quality isn't up to par with such an open helmet. I'm probably going to replace my EXO-100 with a 3/4 soon.

Also, the mic boom isn't as stiff as it could be, allowing the wind to frequently move it out of position from in front of the rider's mouth. We fixed this by rolling the mic boom tightly in a couple layers of electrical tape to stiffen it. Works fine now, but Sena needs to improve this.

Useability: The "Jog Dial" is a joy to use, even with winter riding gloves on, we never had problems switching between music and intercom all day on either occasion.

Overall, we're still happy with the purchase. I wouldn't have any reservations about recommending this unit to others.