I upgraded my Sena SMH10 headset today to the new 10S that came out a few months ago. I'm glad I did. There are a lot of nice features on it. I thought I'd post a report for those wondering about the 10S. (SMH10 on the left, 10S on the right) .....
The 10S is now the immediate replacement for the SMH10 that was Sena's top headset until the 20S came out early last year. It is very much like the 20S, although a bit smaller. The main differences between the two newer units (10S & 20S) are that the 10S has only 4 group intercom channels instead of 8; and the 10S has about 33% less stated range (1 mile vs. 1.5 miles). And, of course, the 10S is less expensive. There are other minor functional differences, but those are the main ones. Since I won't be using it for group communications, the 10S was the perfect upgrade for me.
What I like about the 10S vs. my original SMH10, is that it is smaller, sleeker, and a bit more streamlined. AND it has the same speakers and sound system as the 20S. I would not say that the sound difference is "night & day" - the SMH10 had decent sound, but the 10S is noticeably better, making the music a bit more clear and crisp. Phone calls are more crisp as well (for both ends of the conversation, according to my wife). It also has a longer battery life, and the sleeker new 20S style jog dial is easier to use.
I don't ride duel, so I cannot comment on the intercom, but it does have the same "multi-tasking" audio system that the 20S has. In my case, that means that I am able to switch seamlessly between two paired music sources - like my iPod played through the SM10 BT dongle, and any music source on my phone, such as Pandora Radio. I no longer have to get off the bike to turn off the dongle in order to listen to music from my phone. I love that feature. Bluetooth technology has been upgraded to v4.1, which means lower power consumption, more sound clarity, and longer range.
There is also an FM radio built into the 10S that wasn't there in the SMH10. And, all the new "S" series Sena units also feature a mobile phone app (both Android and Apple), which makes it easier to change feature settings, setup phone and radio pre-sets, and keep track of firmware updates. The apps also contain the Quick-start guide and the user manual.
Pairing devices is a bit different from the SMH10. The SMH10 had a pairing mode called "Multipoint Pairing" which allowed me to pair a third device - my Zumo GPS - which gave me the ability to have two different A2DP music devices and still hear GPS directions from the GPS and use my phone (both HFP protocols). "Multipoint Pairing" has been replaced on the "S" series units with "Selective Pairing", which means you can pair a third device (like a GPS) in only HFP audio mode, and still use it with two music inputs. However, because of the new audio "override feature", if I turn BT on for my Zumo, allowing me to hear directions, it "overrides" my ability to make and receive phone calls while the Zumo is connected. (However I can still listen to music from the phone, or the SM10 dongle, since that is a different protocol.) There IS a work-around... I can open an HFP BT link between my phone and the Zumo, which gives me back the phone functions via the GPS. There are more details about how I paired all 4 devices in the attached PDF document. (Sorry to get a bit technical here, but I figured some folks would want to know about this.)
Bottom line: The 10S is sleeker, easier to use, and sounds better than the SMH10, all of which makes me happy that I upgraded. The intercom functions are also better, but I don't use those.
Some additional reference material for those who may be interested...
Sena Press Release describing some of the upgrades of the 10S from the SMH10
A detailed description of how I paired the 10S with my phone, my SM10 BT dongle, and my Zumo GPS in both "Hands Free Phone" (HFP) and Media Protocols (A2DP) is attached to this message in PDF format (updated 5/14/16) for those who may be interested. (Mostly I wrote this for myself. I spent most all day learning how to pair everything together on the 10S, so that it all worked the way I wanted it to. I do NOT want to have to repeat that "learning experience" when I upgrade the firmware in the future. )
Coming off a Harley where the intercom and music was a wired function, we went wth the Sena 10s, and have been pretty happy with it, but unable to to get the music and GPS to work at the same time. Hopefully your PDF will fix that. I will say, that the intercom function is superb, and to be able to use my phone at 60 mph with no wind noise is amazing, almost magic. Thanks for your post, I've go my fingers crossed that I will be able to pair everything up so it works as you describe.
David
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?
I have the SMH10 and would love it upgrade but my Bell Helmet Mag-9 only accepts the SMH10, it has a builtin in slot. Hopefully there will be a new version for the 20s or 10s. My son has the 20s and really likes it. Thanks for the review.
Coming off a Harley where the intercom and music was a wired function, we went wth the Sena 10s, and have been pretty happy with it, but unable to to get the music and GPS to work at the same time. Hopefully your PDF will fix that. I will say, that the intercom function is superb, and to be able to use my phone at 60 mph with no wind noise is amazing, almost magic. Thanks for your post, I've go my fingers crossed that I will be able to pair everything up so it works as you describe.
David
Good luck with your pairings, David. Hope my info will help you. If not, Sena has a really good customer service department. If you've already downloaded that PDF file prior to the date stamp on this message, download it again. I have tweaked it a bit to clarify some of the points.
I have the SMH10 and would love it upgrade but my Bell Helmet Mag-9 only accepts the SMH10, it has a builtin in slot. Hopefully there will be a new version for the 20s or 10s. My son has the 20s and really likes it. Thanks for the review.
My helmet also has a slot for another brand of BT headset - not a Sena. Fortunately, the slot also has a cover. I just left the cover on the slot and used the helmet clamp that comes with the Sena device. I mounted that right over top of the slot in the helmet. It fits very snuggly, and is fairly low profile.
Good luck with your pairings, David. Hope my info will help you. If not, Sena has a really good customer service department. If you've already downloaded that PDF file prior to the date stamp on this message, download it again. I have tweaked it a bit to clarify some of the points.
Thank you for your interest, and I just downloaded the PDF yesterday, but did find out that I also downloaded it a while back, so, I assume I have your latest. I plan on trying your recommendations asap, but I seem to be loaded down with honey do's all of a sudden, and trying to catch up for being sort of inactive for the past 3 years. We can make things work now, but have to give up some features as we go. Fortunately, we seem to be flexable, and the ride is whats really important, and everything else is gravy.
David
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?
Upgrade to Sena 10S
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Originally Posted by Devious56
