Sena SMH10 Upgrade

Currently, I am using the Scala Q2. I believe this will be my third summer with this unit. I'm getting ready for a long trip and was considering switching to SMH10.

Switching to the SMH10 : Looks like I would get longer battery life (12 hrs versus 8 hours), car chargers included, USB updates to the unit and I heard better sound quality.

Would this be a good upgrade?

Thanks

I have been pro Scala since I bought the Q2 powerset. Last year I bought the G4 and sold the old set to a friend. The issue I had but always dealt with was the small buttons that are to work with gloves. I have seen quite a few on here recommend Sena but I had no personal experience with them. Last week I bought the Sena Dual set so even though I have owned a short time I do have an opinion. I cannot speak to the battey life yet but the set came with a car charger which the Scala Rider does not. I never had an issue with Scala Battery life and just got back from 4400 miles trip and we talk and pump music through them. If it was an issue the Sena includes the charger. The sound quality is noticeably better in the Sena headsets. Especially for music and the stereo effect is much better. The speakers are bigger and heavier and the first I noticed when switching out headsets. The best part is the difference in function. The Sena jog dial is easier to use with gloves. Only two buttons, the jog dial and the phone button. I got frustrated with the operation of the Scalas almost every ride and the headsets failed prematurely on them but they were replaced under warranty. Overall even though I owned for a short time the Sena has the edge by far. Perhaps someone who has owned long term can speak to the life and ownership experience after lots of use. So far I am happy and would recommend over Scala.

Can't compare it to the scala, but I just got the sena about a month ago and it is a really nice piece of equipment. Everything I've encountered is as advertised. I would highly recommend it.

If you do buy the Sena, make sure you get the latest version (just out) which allows you to update the unit's firmware (USB cable from unit to computer).

marcopolo said:

If you do buy the Sena, make sure you get the latest version (just out) which allows you to update the unit's firmware (USB cable from unit to computer).

Click to expand...

I have that version and just FYI, there are no updates available yet.

Sena has an upgrade program going on so I just ordered the upgrade style.

Oh, and I read on the zumoforums that there will be a software upgrade to the sena headset soon to fix an oddball issue with connecting to a zumo 660.

Anti-Sena

After using the Sena SMH10 headsets for several months last year, we ended up having a whole host of problems and had to replace them when they broke irrevocably (at a very high cost to us) in Mexico City with Cardo Scala Rider G4 headsets...

The entire review is here: Sena SMH10 Review Update: Don't Buy the Sena SMH10 Headset

Big long debacle involving several breaks, replacement boom mic/headphone units and in the end, the pins on the connector unit don't line up properly. This is what I was reduced to in Mexico City, and it barely worked for a few hours:


Taping the Sena

Lots more pics of the flaws in my full review.

We've had zero problems with the G4 (rode about 15,000 miles with them and used/charged them daily for three months) and feel it's a superior product. We like the functionality of the Sena and the jog button is really convenient, but the long-term durability just isn't there and there are some definite design flaws. These may have been addressed by the new version, which Sena offered to send me to re-review, but I haven't seen it yet so I can't say for sure.