Motorcyce Dave......Sena 20s vs 10S or SMH 10

[ThreeWheels]

I've got the SMH-10 and the volume is just barely adequate.
Do any of the other headsets offer more volume ?
What are the improvements that the 10S offers ?
I ride mostly alone, but occasionally 2 up.
I'm thinking of keeping the SMH-10 for the passenger and upgrading the headset for myself.

[Highwayman2013]

My SMH -10's have lots of volume. Is it your music that you can't hear? If I turn up the volume on my phone it gets louder.

[ThreeWheels]

My SMH -10's have lots of volume. Is it your music that you can't hear? If I turn up the volume on my phone it gets louder.

Thanks for the input. Just to clarify:

I have the BRP set-up and use my ipod as a music source.
The volume of the music output is fixed by the electronics.
I have the SM-10 set to maximum
The only volume control I have is on the SMH-10 itself.
I ride wearing earplugs to cut down on the ambient wind noise.
I'm probably the only motorcyclists in his 60's who doesn't suffer from tinnitus.
I'd like to boost the volume of the music.
What I have is OK, but I'd like an improvement.
If either the SM 20S or SM 10S has a higher volume than the SMH-10, then I'm home free.

[robmorg]

I know you put Dave's name in the title, but thought you might like other opinions as well. Hopefully, Dave will mention some things I forgot.

I also ride mostly solo, and recently upgraded from the SMH10 to the 10S. Your plan to keep the SMH10 for the occasional duel ride will work well. I gave mine to my grandson and when he and I ride together, the two headsets fine together.

The improvement I appreciate most in the 10S is the music fidelity. It's still not as good as a quality set of stereo ear buds, but the music is much more crisp and clear than the SMH10 was - and there's plenty of volume. Other improvements I like is the new "selective pairing" mode, which allows more flexibility when pairing to several different devices. There is a related feature that I think is called "audio override" which allows me to seamlessly switch between listening to music from my iPod via the SM10 BT dongle, or listening to Pandora on my phone. I no longer have to get off the Spyder to turn off the SM10. I can now just control the switching by turning on the A2DP protocol for the 10S in the phone's BT controls, allowing music from the phone to "override" the SM10 dongle. (Hands free phone connection is always on, regardless of the music source.) Lastly, the Bluetooth 4.1 upgrade outshines the BT version 3.0 on the SMH10. It is both more dependable, and also more power efficient, giving the S10 a long battery life. The 10S is also smaller, sleeker, and the jog dial is a little easier to operate. All in all, a very nice upgrade from the SMH10.

The more expensive 20S has all of these features, plus enhanced group riding capability (more group connections and longer range).

In case you do go for the 10S upgrade, I've attached some paring hints that I wrote during my initial set-up. You may find them useful, since you and I have a similar "riding style". (There are, of course, several different ways to pair various devices, depending on your individual needs.)

[robmorg]

What I have is OK, but I'd like an improvement.
If either the SM 20S or SM 10S has a higher volume than the SMH-10, then I'm home free.

From my experience, I'd say that the 10S does offer more volume at higher fidelity than the SMH10. That's definitely my impression, but I never compared them "side-by-side".

[SpyderGTL]

Thanks for the input. Just to clarify:

I have the BRP set-up and use my ipod as a music source.
The volume of the music output is fixed by the electronics.
I have the SM-10 set to maximum
The only volume control I have is on the SMH-10 itself.
I ride wearing earplugs to cut down on the ambient wind noise.
I'm probably the only motorcyclists in his 60's who doesn't suffer from tinnitus.
I'd like to boost the volume of the music.
What I have is OK, but I'd like an improvement.
If either the SM 20S or SM 10S has a higher volume than the SMH-10, then I'm home free.

Have you considered something like S-Plug earbuds for decent and affordable in-ear audio and noise protection? I've used these for years with both the SM-10H (need a different mounting bracket to provide a line out audio port) and now the 20S. I just ordered a new set of S-Plugs on Thursday. With these, I have the opposite problem - I have to add an in-line volume control to provide a lower minimum volume. I did have one of the earbuds break on my current set of earbuds, so I've been using the helmet speakers with the 20S lately and had a similar problem and couldn't get the volume loud enough at speed. I do have a bad case of tinnitus from a loose visor on a helmet from a number of years ago, so having the music blaring to overcome the wind noise is just compounding the problem.

[Deer Slayer]

Change out the poor quality Sena speakers. I now use J&M speakers now and wow! I have a previous thread on this wonder.

[robmorg]

Interesting idea, Deer Slayer. HERE is a link to that thread for folks who want more information.

[Deer Slayer]

Interesting idea, Deer Slayer. HERE is a link to that thread for folks who want more information.

Thanks for the fancy computer work.

[robmorg]

Motorcyce-Dave-Sena-20s-vs-10S-or-SMH-10

ThreeWheels, FYI, in case you didn't see it, see Dave's post here.