Sena SMH-10 compared to Cheapo Ebay headsets

Sena SMH-10



Bluetooth Stereo Headset and Intercom for Motorcycles - SMH10

I purchased a set of the Sena SMH-10 bluetooth headsets for my FZ6 and Buell so my gf and I could communicate while out riding. The Sena headsets seemed to have the best overall features for the money ($300/pair). They have a great range when using the 2 way bluetooth communications (around 1/2 mile), they link up to my phone/gps great and the sound volume is adequate with foam earplugs. The battery life is amazing on them, we can easily get 1.5 days of riding out of them (average 6 to 7 hours ride time per day)

They are light, easy to set up and overall work very well. My only issues have been the clear rubber coating is peeling off the bottom of my gf's headset and sometimes the link between the headset and the phone will drop. They are DEFINITELY weatherproof, we have ridden in some very heavy rain with them and had no issues. You can hear pretty well with them up to around 70mph while wearing ear plugs. I do wish they were a little louder but if you are one of those people that ride without ear plugs ( ) then these headsets are VERY loud.

EBAY headsets



http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-BT-interp...260?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb5165114

I picked up a dual sport bike this summer and after a month of riding we found ourselves really missing being about to chat while riding. I did not want to spend a lot of money on a set of bluetooth headsets for the dual sport since we use it 99% of the time off road going through deep mud and water as much as possible. Knowing the chance of getting the headsets completely submerged in water/mud I wanted to try and find a cheaper set in case I ruined them. After doing a lot of research online I decided to go with these for $78.00. I was not expecting much for such a cheap set but these are actually not too shabby. With the dirt bike helmets which flow significantly more air than a street helmet



the wind noise is a little more of a problem but we can hear our conversations on these up to around 40mph pretty well. The sound quality is not quite as good but it is good enough and the bluetooth connection between the headsets and the phone work very well. We have some issues with the connection dropping but not to the point where it is a big deal. The volume is not quite as loud on these but again if you are one that does not wear earplugs ( ) then these are quite loud. Well they will be considered such until you lose your hearing from all the wind noise without earplugs lol.


I wish both the high end and the low end headsets had more volume (with earplugs) but overall I am happy with both.

The sena's are definitely better but the ebay set are not bad at all if you are looking to get away with a cheap set. The battery life on the ebay set seems to be around 5 to 7 hours on average compared to 10+ hours on the sena's.

Good find, i want to try out the ebay ones for my daily commute. Thanks for the review

I love my Set of Sena's.....best kit ever!

Interesting that the Ebay items work ok....just goes to show, if your willing to compromise a little on quality, you can still get some great bargains.

:thumbup:

There are two FZ6 in the ebay pics lol, maybe they changed it since this was posted on an fz6 site.

One question, how does the ebay mic fit inside the helmet? It looks like the mic is connected to an ear piece. On my Shoei there is a built in spot for the ear piece and im wondering if the mic would even fit well in there.

It fits in the helmet like any other mic, it goes in front of your mouth and you talk into it lol.

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So when photoman posted his review, I went ahead and popped or a pair of the cheapos. The GF and I always talked about it, but dont she doesn't pillion all that often, so going the high end route on our budget didn't seem appropriate based on the use. For $76, I figured why not.

Let me make one thing clear: no matter your expectations, music through these isn't going to be like rocking out on your best pair of headphones. They, despite my best attempts, will sound "tinny" no matter what. I can hear the music relatively well, and that is good enough for me. If I wanted to blast music on motorcycle, I'd have bought a gold wing or something. I can speak to the music sound versus other headsets, sorry. It may or may not be normal to have that "tinny" sound.

The cell phone and intercom, however, are crystal clear and robust In fact, the first time I called my GF, she was shocked. I was at highway speeds, and halfway through a twenty minute conversation I in ally told her I was on the bike. She even joked that it sounded better than my normal iPhone. Intercom picked up reletively quick (pairing was a little tedious because the instructions appear to have been translated an illiterate seven year old) and have the same clarity as my cell conversations.

Have not had them in the rain, so I can't speak to that aspect. I have heard that they aren't as waterproof as stated, but I'm more of a fair weather rider.

With gloves, the two main buttons are easy to operate. The volume buttons may be difficult with thicker gloves, but once you have it set, it shouldn't need to be fiddled with all thy much.

I've only had them for a few weeks, so I cannot attest to long term use. That's usually where I find major differences between the brand names and the knock offs, but at $76, I can run through a few sets and still be cost effective.

I'll post later on if something happens, but so far I'm pleased. Thanks photo for the post!

Scorpio


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