Communicators...

[BKP]

Does anyone use a communicator regularly?

I'm looking for a good pair, and have these scoped out:

• Sena SMH-10 (the new one with the universal mike)
• Interphone 5
• Cardo

The SMH-10 seems to be in the lead right now... any thoughts?

 

[-uBer-]

I got the scala cardo g9 powerset couple months ago. So far I am impressed. Got it mainly for wireless music/phone/other bluetooth device, however its also really nice when me and the girl go out for a long ride. When using it on two separate bikes, you get about a mile (flat open road) distance, which is pretty impressive for bluetooth.

Couple buddies that have tested it are looking to buy one for them-selves soon / upcoming winter.

Only complaint I really have with it is that above 65ish, I can hear wind noise from the others riders helmet. However I can probably change the sensitivity levels of that units mic, or maybe his helmet has just that much wind noise. He said that he couldn't hear any from my mic while wearing an hjc-16 helmet (which has more wind noise than i personally like to begin with, but the music helps block that out)

 

[Nastybutler]

I have the Sena SMH-5 set for the wife and I. Works great. Long battery life.

 

[JT]

Check out the reviews on revzilla.com


Sent from my one and only iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gixerhp]

Jen and I are use Scala G4's. work great!

 

[Rabbitman109]

We have the G4's as well.....work awesome

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[BKP]

Thanks, guys... good to know who's using what...

The Cardos and Senas always seem to be at the top of the list...

I did take a look at "Hi, I'm Anthony from Revzilla... where you can watch, decide, and then ride..." Thanks, JT. Man, does that guy have time to do *anything* else, with all the vids he's done?

I'm one of these penultimate buyer's remorse guys... If I don't get all the bells/whistles up front, then there's usually that only one that I missed, that I decide I really needed...

So, it's either the Sena SMH-10, or the Cardo G9... (or, I can skip 'em and eat real food next month, instead of sharing my cat's Fancy Feast...).

 

[BKP]

Finally (after just not getting around to it for a while) pulled the trigger on the Sena SMH-5.

It was down to the 10 and the 5, and it seemed the 5, while not having the range or extra battery life of the 10 (which I didn't need), had a number of other advantages... voice prompts, smaller size, wired or boomed mike, USB 3.0, not to mention a great sale on them at Revzilla, etc. I also ordered the speaker upgrade for it (same speakers, I think, as the SMH-10).

I'll let you know how it works out.

 

[Nastybutler]

Let me know about that speaker upgrade. I didn't know that was an option. That's the one thing I'm not super thrilled about. I'd like them to be louder.

 

[BKP]

Let me know about that speaker upgrade. I didn't know that was an option. That's the one thing I'm not super thrilled about. I'd like them to be louder.

Sena SMH5 Upgraded Speakers - RevZilla

Relatively cheap upgrade... I'll let you know how it pans out...

 

[yellowfz]

Scala , no problems at all, Bluetooth to phones, Radio works fine, speakers are loud and clear, haven't tried MP3 yet.
Range is pretty good.

 

[0150r]

No love for the chatterbox?

 

[BKP]

I looked at the Scala G9 also... Great, solid unit. Excellent reviews, and seems to set the bar. However, at 3x the price, I think the Chevy (SMH5) is giving me everything I wanted, and just couldn't justify the G9 Ferrari...

Also took a look at the Chatterbox, but the reviews seemed pretty mixed, especially on the newest unit, the XBi2-H, as far as sound clarity, and volume.

These things are like bikes... everyone has their priorities, and as long as the one you choose does what you want, it's gold...

 

[0150r]

I really like the positive reviews and price tag of the SMH5 and SMH10, but I also really like that the chatterbox uses GMRS/FRS radios. That would make it easy to give someone one of my Midland radios (better version of the Motorola talk-about radios) in a car when we are going somewhere. The X1 Slim is what I'm looking at. The down sides are the $350 per unit price, and lack of reviews as this product is so new.

I've also heard good reviews of Midlands BT2's. They have a connector to allows you to hook up to a GMRS/FRS radio as well as the bluetooth intercom.



Does anyone know if you can sync the bluetooth units together if they aren't made by the same company? I'm guess not because they all seem to offer different ways to connect to multiple riders (4 people in a group, 9 people, 6 sets of 2, etc).

 

[BKP]

I really like the positive reviews and price tag of the SMH5 and SMH10, but I also really like that the chatterbox uses GMRS/FRS radios. That would make it easy to give someone one of my Midland radios (better version of the Motorola talk-about radios) in a car when we are going somewhere. The X1 Slim is what I'm looking at. The down sides are the $350 per unit price, and lack of reviews as this product is so new.

I've also heard good reviews of Midlands BT2's. They have a connector to allows you to hook up to a GMRS/FRS radio as well as the bluetooth intercom.

Does anyone know if you can sync the bluetooth units together if they aren't made by the same company? I'm guess not because they all seem to offer different ways to connect to multiple riders (4 people in a group, 9 people, 6 sets of 2, etc).

I like the channel capability of FRS radio, and being able to set up multiple communication points, as well as the serious distance you get with FRS. But, then again, you're getting pricey.
*However,* Sena has also come out with the SR10. So, if you have an SMH-10, or SMH-5, and decide you want FRS capability, the SR10 can pair with the bluetooth units (5, or 10), and then plug into a few different types of FRS radios, including Midland, which you'd mount on the handlebar, or stick in a tankbag in front of you. And, voila... instant FRS capability through your helmet based SMH unit. Best of all worlds...

 

[0150r]

*However,* Sena has also come out with the SR10. So, if you have an SMH-10, or SMH-5, and decide you want FRS capability, the SR10 can pair with the bluetooth units (5, or 10), and then plug into a few different types of FRS radios, including Midland, which you'd mount on the handlebar, or stick in a tankbag in front of you. And, voila... instant FRS capability through your helmet based SMH unit. Best of all worlds...

That is true, but then you are dealing with three devices, which means three batteries to charge. That setup also costs more than a Chatterbox

 

[BKP]

That is true, but then you are dealing with three devices, which means three batteries to charge. That setup also costs more than a Chatterbox

Yup. True. And I'd only go the SR10 route if I wanted the push to talk route down the road.
However, its more than just an FRS bridge. It will pair with multiple Bluetooth devices, so if you're on a long trip/tour, and you wanted to communicate (via Bluetooth) with say a phone, a GPS, and an FRS radio simultaneously, that's where the SR10 comes in. It acts as a hub.
But, for my purposes, I don't see any benefit in an FRS for now. The SMH5 is easier to use, and more functional in terms of what I would want to pair with.

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[Nyuu]

Will the Sena SMH5 fit my Scorpion Exo 1100 full face helmet without crowding my ears? It's the only thing I'm nervous to pull the trigger about.

 

[BKP]

Funny that you should ask that... I *just now* finished installing the Sena SMH5 on the very same helmet -- Scorpion exo-1100. Fits like a glove, and I used the optional (larger) speakers for the SMH5. Just finished pairing it with my Droid, and works like a charm...

If you feel around, you'll find that there's a little pocket by your ears inside the 1100. I didn't even have to Velcro anything -- just attached the larger pads to the speakers (comes with them), and slipped them into the pockets. They stay quite solidly.

I then fed the wire for the far speaker around between the bottom of the liner (around the back of the helmet), and the helmet itself, so everything's hidden. For the boom mike, I pulled the liner away from the helmet (just one snap), on the left side, towards the front, and fed the boom clip right in there. Snapped it back, and it's held rigidly, placing the mike (with the wind cover) right by my mouth. There's a wire for that mike that hooks up to the speaker wire harness, and I just connected that, and tucked it inside the liner (between the liner and helmet) as I did with the wires... couldn't have worked better. No 3M adhesive, no modification to the helmet.

Takes just a bit of time and patience to get everything where you want it... but it does the trick!

And, as an aside to Nasty, the speakers are great. I don't have a reference, as I didn't hook up the smaller speakers that came with the SMH5, so I can't make a direct comparison, but I'm *very* pleased with the sound of the optional larger speakers.

 

[BKP]

Here are a few pics to help you visualize:

This is the SMH5 attached to the Scorpion:

This is the mike boom location. Most of it is hidden behind the liner:

This is some of the wiring. What you can't see is the wire I tucked in between the helmet and the liner for the right hand speaker (the small looped wire you see there, actually goes to the mike boom):

Hope that helps...

By the way... I have a Shoei Neotec, an Arai Signet-Q, and the Scorpion exo-1100... The Scorpion is far and away my favorite lid (despite the lofty pricing of the others). The only weirdness about the Scorpion, is I had to get an extra large - the thing runs so small, and the Arai is a *medium*! Go figure...