So after not being happy with Cardo Bold or Edge for matters disused in other threads I also tried Midland BT Rush which had issues as well, although I had not tried the newest version because of lack of availability I ended up settling on the Sena 50R. I had tried the 50S a few months ago and although very happy with the sound quality and the intercom quality it did odd things interfacing with my 595 GPS and some other software issues, I sent them back because Sena did not respond to my help ticket and I really did not like the large Clunky mounting system. The unit itself was a great form factor but the mounting bracket was huge. After a great deal of research I found that the best thing going right now or the lesser of the evils was the Sena 50 R.
The updated version with the Harmon Kardon set up is an excellent compromise. The newer app works much better than the earlier version I had with the 50S and offers a volume boost setting for those with heavier earplugs. I cannot state what effect it has, I have not used it because the plain settings have had plenty of volume so far.
My issues with the GPS are no longer relevant as I sold it on the forum, it was too frustrating in many ways so I have switched to full phone use with Scenic app and Kurviger which allows for building trips on computer and sending them to the app (make sure to switch all shaping points to VIA points before sending or Scenic will reroute).
By eliminating the GPS we now have a system that works perfectly, Mesh intercom allows for the intercom to be open at all times, music plays at either full volume or it can be set to lower volume when speaking. Navigation prompts work great, using IMaps Siri will dim the music state the next direction and then return full volume. The best part of this is that my passenger (when sharing music) hears all the prompts so she is prepared for the next turn, also knows not to talk while getting prompts. This also works with Google Maps or Scenic in pretty much the same way, although the google map person feels the need to say things repeatedly so I do not use google maps very often. Scenic and Google allow for down loading maps so cell signal is not an issue. I have not figured out how to share just the navigation without sharing music so when we are not listening to music my passenger would still hear the prompts but I have not really worked on it yet either, I suppose turning the music volume all the way down would allow this, just seems silly to stream music all the time as a work around.
I wish these units would allow two sets of headphones to connect like Apple air pods do so two helmets could stream from one phone without needing to "share" music.
We did mess around a bit with the app settings, neither one of us like the music volume dropping when speaking, its odd and we don't turn the volume up and down in the car either. The music and intercom volumes can be adjusted separately via the app so once they are set comfortably then the volume buttons on the helmet or voice commands turn both up and down at the same time to adjust for environment. We both use the auto volume which adjusts the volume slightly for road noise as speed increases or decreases, this works very well and seems to use ambient noise rather than speed like a car. The noise cancelling for the microphones is amazing, once in a great while a little wind noise can be heard but even when riding with modular helmet open no background is transmitted through the system. The intercom quality is also amazing, the clarity is just like sitting in the same vehicle, so long as one speaks normally, if raised voice it starts to distort, or rather I think the microphone gets overwhelmed. So its best to speak at normal volume regardless of the ambient noise and just turn up the volume for the intercom.
Music quality is fantastic, with or without earplugs. I pretty much always wear light duty earplugs, high fidelity units. However every once in awhile when only going a short distance at low speeds I leave them out. Music quality is great either way, after adjusting equalizer to accommodate. I found all other units to be tinny when not wearing earplugs. I do use light duty plugs, I have an RT with Works Quite Ride so no need for heavy duty ones that block out too much to hear traffic.
Voice commands are also great, although I do not use the Sena commands very often I do use Hey Siri quite a bit for music and GPS purposes, also to have her read and respond to text messages. She does activate for no reason quite often though, I think she is learning though because it seems the longer we use these the less often she responds when I didn't say "Hey Siri". This is the one time that the Intercom is closed, along with phone calls of course. There is some way to share a phone call but I have no need for that.
My real only complaint is that it is not easily removed. We are flying soon and need to check out helmets because the are wider than the 9" limit and are not supposed to check lithium batteries so although I never remove the units normally I will have to disassemble the helmets to unplug the speakers and mic. I do not have any desire for Cardo's fancy magnetic mount (nothing but an overly thick gimmick) but I would like to see a single plug after about 4" of wire so the Velcro mount could be useful.
I thought I would miss the Jog Dial from my SMH 10 I had for years but with the voice commands for volume there really is very little need to touch these units, Hey Sena works quite well for volume adjustments. I cannot attest to other things Hey Sena does as that is the only command I have really used.
There does seem to be a little interference in the Mesh system at times. Not sure why but we did a four day trip a few weekends back and at odd times the Intercom got choppy. One would expect it if near an airport or some other place where signals are prevalent but this happened in the middle of nowhere often where there was no cell signal even. It cleared up right away but was odd.
All in all we are pretty happy with the units, they are a bit large but the mounts are very minimal or the unit can be mounted direct to the helmet with no mount (although the pre curve of them did not match either of our helmets so we couldn't do that). As far as functionality they work great for our needs. We can have open intercom at all times except when Siri thinks I am talking to her, listen to music at the same time and passenger can hear Navigation prompts. Passenger of course can also use their phone and listen to their own music and have open mesh running if they like. We have not rode in any type of a group but the open mesh seems like a great idea for groups with no pairing needed.
Hope this information is helpful.
The updated version with the Harmon Kardon set up is an excellent compromise. The newer app works much better than the earlier version I had with the 50S and offers a volume boost setting for those with heavier earplugs. I cannot state what effect it has, I have not used it because the plain settings have had plenty of volume so far.
My issues with the GPS are no longer relevant as I sold it on the forum, it was too frustrating in many ways so I have switched to full phone use with Scenic app and Kurviger which allows for building trips on computer and sending them to the app (make sure to switch all shaping points to VIA points before sending or Scenic will reroute).
By eliminating the GPS we now have a system that works perfectly, Mesh intercom allows for the intercom to be open at all times, music plays at either full volume or it can be set to lower volume when speaking. Navigation prompts work great, using IMaps Siri will dim the music state the next direction and then return full volume. The best part of this is that my passenger (when sharing music) hears all the prompts so she is prepared for the next turn, also knows not to talk while getting prompts. This also works with Google Maps or Scenic in pretty much the same way, although the google map person feels the need to say things repeatedly so I do not use google maps very often. Scenic and Google allow for down loading maps so cell signal is not an issue. I have not figured out how to share just the navigation without sharing music so when we are not listening to music my passenger would still hear the prompts but I have not really worked on it yet either, I suppose turning the music volume all the way down would allow this, just seems silly to stream music all the time as a work around.
I wish these units would allow two sets of headphones to connect like Apple air pods do so two helmets could stream from one phone without needing to "share" music.
We did mess around a bit with the app settings, neither one of us like the music volume dropping when speaking, its odd and we don't turn the volume up and down in the car either. The music and intercom volumes can be adjusted separately via the app so once they are set comfortably then the volume buttons on the helmet or voice commands turn both up and down at the same time to adjust for environment. We both use the auto volume which adjusts the volume slightly for road noise as speed increases or decreases, this works very well and seems to use ambient noise rather than speed like a car. The noise cancelling for the microphones is amazing, once in a great while a little wind noise can be heard but even when riding with modular helmet open no background is transmitted through the system. The intercom quality is also amazing, the clarity is just like sitting in the same vehicle, so long as one speaks normally, if raised voice it starts to distort, or rather I think the microphone gets overwhelmed. So its best to speak at normal volume regardless of the ambient noise and just turn up the volume for the intercom.
Music quality is fantastic, with or without earplugs. I pretty much always wear light duty earplugs, high fidelity units. However every once in awhile when only going a short distance at low speeds I leave them out. Music quality is great either way, after adjusting equalizer to accommodate. I found all other units to be tinny when not wearing earplugs. I do use light duty plugs, I have an RT with Works Quite Ride so no need for heavy duty ones that block out too much to hear traffic.
Voice commands are also great, although I do not use the Sena commands very often I do use Hey Siri quite a bit for music and GPS purposes, also to have her read and respond to text messages. She does activate for no reason quite often though, I think she is learning though because it seems the longer we use these the less often she responds when I didn't say "Hey Siri". This is the one time that the Intercom is closed, along with phone calls of course. There is some way to share a phone call but I have no need for that.
My real only complaint is that it is not easily removed. We are flying soon and need to check out helmets because the are wider than the 9" limit and are not supposed to check lithium batteries so although I never remove the units normally I will have to disassemble the helmets to unplug the speakers and mic. I do not have any desire for Cardo's fancy magnetic mount (nothing but an overly thick gimmick) but I would like to see a single plug after about 4" of wire so the Velcro mount could be useful.
I thought I would miss the Jog Dial from my SMH 10 I had for years but with the voice commands for volume there really is very little need to touch these units, Hey Sena works quite well for volume adjustments. I cannot attest to other things Hey Sena does as that is the only command I have really used.
There does seem to be a little interference in the Mesh system at times. Not sure why but we did a four day trip a few weekends back and at odd times the Intercom got choppy. One would expect it if near an airport or some other place where signals are prevalent but this happened in the middle of nowhere often where there was no cell signal even. It cleared up right away but was odd.
All in all we are pretty happy with the units, they are a bit large but the mounts are very minimal or the unit can be mounted direct to the helmet with no mount (although the pre curve of them did not match either of our helmets so we couldn't do that). As far as functionality they work great for our needs. We can have open intercom at all times except when Siri thinks I am talking to her, listen to music at the same time and passenger can hear Navigation prompts. Passenger of course can also use their phone and listen to their own music and have open mesh running if they like. We have not rode in any type of a group but the open mesh seems like a great idea for groups with no pairing needed.
Hope this information is helpful.
