Review: Sema SMH10 Bluetooth Intercom

[taranis]

As some of you may have read in another thread of mine, the Scala Rider Q2 Bluetooth intercom system that Ann & I have been using for the last two years finally gave out. Specifically, the battery in one of the units would not stay powered on for longer than 30 minutes to an hour at most. That, coupled with intermittent connectivity issues, and we finally bit the bullet on replacing our Scala Rider Q2 Multi-set units with a different model.

After researching different models available on webbikeworld's Intercom Review site, I decided on the Sena SMH10 Dual Motorcycle Bluetooth Headset & Intercom. This is a package of two complete bike-to-bike communication setups - one for each rider, or rider and passenger.

Why Sena? Although the Sena SMH10 and the Scala Rider systems both have non-replaceable batteries, I was reluctant to go with another Scala system after the problems we had with intercom connectivity. I've read both professional and user reviews all over the web, and the SMH10's consistently gets excellent marks for connection reliability compared to the new Scala G4 and other next-generation Bluetooth intercom systems. There are other reasons I chose the SMH10 as well, which I'll get to below.



The SMH10 is an 3rd-Generation motorcycle communications system compared to the Scala Rider Q2's, which are Second-Generation. After reading over all the documentation on what exactly that means, it basically boils down to a few things:

- Improved multi-pair Bluetooth connectivity (3-4 units)
- Increased battery life on a single charge
- Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP/Stereo over Bluetooth)
- Increased range - up to 1/2 mile
- Music playback control (play/skip/back/volume)

The first thing I noticed after unpacking the box was how much bigger the main units are compared to the old ones. I was surprised that the additional size didn't mean a lot more weight. The SMH10 is just a little heavier than the Q2, but not enough to notice when they're on our helmets.


Scala Rider Q2 on top, Sena SMH10 on bottom


Scala Rider Q2 on left, Sena SMH10 on right

The next thing that stood out is the complete and utter lack of a bunch of buttons. The Sena has two - the so-called "Jog Dial" and the "Phone" button on the back:



The dial does what you think it does: It adjusts volume, starts/stops the intercom, and controls basic playback functions of a supported MP3 player. The phone button - you guessed it - controls a paired mobile phone. No more fumbling for the volume up/down buttons with winter riding gloves on!

Another thing that stood out was the size of the speakers on the SMH10. These are very large when compared to the Scala's, which directly translates to better, fuller sound in the helmet, especially if you have ear recesses in a 3/4 or full-face helmet. Ann told me that listening to music was like wearing a quality pair of headphones - a far cry from the tinny-sounding Scala's speakers.


SMH10 speaker on the left, Scala Rider Q2 speaker on the right.

The SMH10 supports A2DP - stereo Bluetooth connectivity with other supported devices. Those of you that have iPhones or MP3 players that support this feature will be pleasantly surprised with the SMH10's. Pairing my iPhone 4 with the Sena unit took a simple 5 second push of the Phone button. I was jammin' some Nickleback over Bluetooth in no time!



For those with older MP3 players without Bluetooth, you can use the supplied 3.5mm cable to connect the player to the back of the helmet mount:


3.5mm input jack on the helmet mount

Other features of the Sena SMH10 that I think set them apart from the crowd:

First and foremost, is the ability to charge the unit while it's in use. No other Bluetooth intercom that I found had this feature. The SMH10's have a claimed talk time of 10-12 hours, but being able to refresh the charge on a long ride, or use the charge cable if we forget to plug them in the night before is a huge plus. The box came with two 12v cigarette-lighter socket type cables, which are plenty long enough to reach from the helmet to a handlebar-mounted 12 socket:


Bike charging cord for the Sena SMH10

The units also come with standard wall chargers that use a USB connector, so you have three ways to charge the unit - from the bike using the 12v socket, from a laptop computer, or using the wall adapter. For those of you with iPhones, you can also use the Apple wall adapter. Charging time out of the box was about three hours. The manual says 2.5 hours, so that's pretty close.

As you can see below, the wall charger also supports international wall outlets in case you use the system abroad. The plates are available from Sena's website.



Mounting the unit on the helmet is exactly the same as the Scala Rider Q2. The unit comes with a helmet mount and microphone boom, which uses either a clamp system to attach to the helmet or a stick-on type plate for helmets like mine. Either way seems to be very secure in holding the mount in place on the helmet. I had no issues at all with the Scala Rider Q2's mounted this way, and I don't expect a problem with the SMH10's.



The comm unit itself is clipped in using a Tab-A-into-Slot-B connection, then snaps in at the top. It's much easier to get in and out of the mount than the Q2, yet seems to hold the unit very securely.



Pairing two Sena units together is literally a 15-second affair. Tap and hold the dial for 5 seconds on one until the light flashes red, then do the same on the second. Next, tap the dial on either unit and voila, you're done.

VOX (voice-activated intercom) is not enabled on the SMH10 by default. Since Ann & I had so many problems with VOX either coming on or cutting out on the Q2's, we decided to leave it disabled on the SMH10's. To initiate a conversation on the Sena, you tap the dial once. In about three seconds, the intercom comes on and you can both talk. Either unit can initiate or end a conversation - something we could not do with the Scala Q2's. VOX is supported on the Sena SMH10's, however, and works just like the Scala setup. We will give that a go if we don't like the default setup.

The SMH10 supports almost all features the Scala Q2's do with the exception of FM radio. Frankly, we never used this feature anyway since it is so cumbersome, so we don't miss it. It supports communication prioritization as well, in the following order (highest to lowest):

- Phone/GPS
- Intercom
- Music

This means we can be listening to music, wireless over Bluetooth, and if either one of us initiates the intercom, the music is paused and we can talk to each other. Also, if a phone call comes in, or if I'm using turn-by-turn on my Garmin 1490, both intercom and music are interrupted so either the call can be taken or I don't miss the turn. Phone calls can be answered either by tapping the phone button or using voice-activation. We tried this prioritization out last night and it works really well.

Hopefuly I've covered all the major points of the Sena SMH10 Intercom System. Webbikeworld.com has a more extensive review here: Part 1 and Part 2.

So far, we're very pleased with the Sena comm system. It's just as rugged - maybe even more so - than the Scala Rider Q2, has all the features we want and none that we won't use. The large dial and lack of small buttons are a huge plus in my book, especially when wearing gloves. With the extended battery life and the ability to charge the unit while on the bike, I'm fairly confident that even if the battery in one of the units die, I can simply use it like a wired system and rig a 12v connection under the seat somewhere.

Compared to the $420 I spent on the Scala Rider Q2 Multi-set two years ago, I think this bike-to-bike communications system was a steal at $250. We can't wait to try them out tomorrow!

Thanks for taking the time to check out my review. If you have any questions, feel free to post or PM and I'll be happy to answer them.

[ballast]

That's a great write up. Wish I had read it 2 months ago before I bought the Scala. I will have to keep it in mind for down the road. I am moving up from a wired Chatter-Box so I am sure I will be happy with the Scala.

On a side note: How do you name a link in a reply? You have "Part 1" and it goes to the review. ??? I don't want to take this thread on a tangent but inquiring minds.... ???

[taranis]

To name a link, you highlight the word or phrase you want to use as a link and click the globe tag (tags are above the smileys). The format will look like this: (I'm going to substitute { for [ so you can see what I'm doing)

{url}Google Search Page{/url]

To add the destination link, add an "=" sign and the address of the site you want to link to, like this:

{url=http://www.google.com}Google Search Page{/url}

Again, replace the { } characters with [ and ] respectively, and you'll be all set.

Hope that helps. :)

[ballast]

KawaNOW

Cool. Back to Comm Sets now.

[jmax5105]

Thanks for the write-up! I've been looking at the Scala G4 as well.... I think you may have just swayed my vote to the Sena. Where did you end up getting it from?

[Blueraven]

Fantastic review. I have yet to purchase a intercom and I think your review just made the decision for me. Appreciate the info.

[Jared]

Nice write up. When it comes time to replace my scala, I will definitely keep this in mind.

[taranis]

I did a price check on Google. Buy.com came in the lowest at $244 + free shipping.

I'll update the review tomorrow after we get back from a long ride.

[nomadbehappy]

Great review! I don't have an intercom set, wife won't get on the bike, but like the phone/GPS feature. I have read the SENA review a few times from web bike world and felt it would be the best. Look forward to hearing about it after a real world test. I'm guessing SENA will be what I get

[aldridgekennedy]

This info. is very helpful. I just bought (and quickly returned) the scala G4. Maybe i got a bad set but this thing was terrible. The VOX did not work. Intercom was no good at all over 20 yards. Has anybody else tried the G4? what were your experiences?

[petenomad]

One question for you. If you pair an A2DP MP3 player with the rider unit can the passenger hear it too?

[taranis]

No. You pair your device to your phone and she pairs her device to hers.

[redjay]

Great write up. Looking forward to your road test review.

[sly]

On the "to get" list

[blowndodge]

The fact that you can intercom with another biker up to 900 meters away amazes me!