Sena 10U or 20S

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Hi folks. I have been using an Autocom for about 10 years now and have just ordered a new R1200RT LE, which is still being built! I am going to take this opportunity to upgrade to bluetooth and a couple of mates are using Sena SMH10 kits, so I am looking at Sena too.

My helmet is a Shoei GT Air and I really like the idea of the neat fitting of the 10U, which I am sure would be a great piece of kit but I am not too sure about the handlebar remote control being a pain to use next to the BMW rotary control thingy.

For virtually the same price, I can get a 20S, which it appears to be a better kit in every way but is not such a neat fitting clamped to the side of the lid. I have a couple of questions that you may help with:

1. Are the speakers of the same quality - I have read differing reports
2. Is Audio multitasking on the 20S the show stealer?
3. Is the 10U remote a pain to use?
4. The 20S has a 2km range but my mates only have 900metres range. Does that mean that no matter what I buy, the range will be dictated by the SMH10's range?

Is there anything else that I should be aware of?

K
 
Hi SR

I have the 10u in my GT Air. Friend has the 20

The 20 in almost every way is superior except it doesn't integrate in the helmet like the 10u.

If I was purchasing now I would buy the 20
 
i looked into this for both of these models.... the remote on the 10u won't go next to the wheel on the RT,there is no room for it, so you ned to fit it next to the master cylinder and to operate it means hands of bar, etc.

It depends what you want from the bluetooth connector. but when linked to the BMW Nav5/6 the wheel should do most things,like scrolling through a phone book, or music library.
 
Me and two other mates bought the 20s. For a forthcoming trip. We're pretty new to on bike comm but the units worked from the box. It drops out when the sat nav gives directions but soon picks it back up. As for the range DO NOT expect 2km. This will be with the daisy chain and with three units you might get 500m or so and it has to be line of sight. nice twisties with dense growth on the verges and the signal may not get through.

The 20s for us is ideal Simple to use with crystal clear sound from the headphones ( even with foam plugs in and tinnitus I can still make out the conversation, instructions, music very easily ).

20s very recommended
 
I have a 10u in a neotech. I much prefer not having a lump stuck to the outside of my helmet. I find speaker quality is very good and that's coming from in ear molded speakers. I have a hexhead and there room on the grips to mount it unobtrusively. Does everything I want out of a BT headset seamlessly in a neat package. Battery life is good as well, will last a full day listening to music.
If you have a comms wheel it will obviously limit room on the grips but with a nav 5/6 you can carry out many of the remotes actions on the sat nav. Volume is easily done on the helmet itself.
 
The group of friends I regularly ride with have used SMH10s for several years without problem. As they got older they began to be a little unreliable so we upgraded to 20s which are much better but not perfect (are any?)

a couple of points -

- don't expect good clear comms with the 'up to 8 riders' advertised. The range and distance between the riders invariably means that the signal drops out
- the 20s works best with 2 or 3 riders in quite close proximity
- the 20s allows sat nav instruction to be heard without interrupting the intercom conversation, a plus point

Most importantly, SENA are soon to bring to the market what I think is to be called the 30s. This seems to be a significant improvement in that it has a system which means that if riders in a group go out of range the intercom conversation is maintained between those still in range - it seems to do away with the daisy chaining. I would definitely wait for that before making a decision as it will potentially be a step change in intercom performance and remove the single biggest frustration, that of the conversation failing because the group has become too strung out
 
We upgraded to the 20s units from Autocom, all the above advice is solid, I would just add we have found them really easy to use, met up with a 3rd riding mate last week who also turned up with a new 20s, 5 minutes of button pressing and all 3 paired and worked perfectly for a good 9 hours. As long as it's easy to pair the 20s to the 10u and sena say it is then I also would go with the 20s
 
Thanks for all the replies gents. Much appreciated.

I am inclined towards the 20s but I still like the neatness of the 10U. I have ordered a Navigator 6, so from what you said spm0912, the BMW 'wheel' may solve the 10U remote issue?? I presume that if I wanted to talk to another bike I would have to use the remote though?

K
 
There is also a 10S now which does pretty much the same things as the 20s but cheaper.
 
I moved from an Autocom SPA to a 10U (Neotec). The 10U is a very tidy install and has to be the way all intercoms will eventually go. Battery life is good (very good) and the sound quality of music and comms is excellent, although for some strange reason the sound quality of nav instructions from my Zumo 590 is not as good as with the Autocom, yet everything else routed through the Zumo is excellent :nenau It's perfectly acceptable though.

Riding one-up I'd go with the 10U again due to the tidiness of the install, it gives near perfect integration with everything via the Zumo, nav, phone & music. Riding two-up or linking bike-2-bike the downside is that it needs to be switched between comms or music and cannot do both together whereas the 20S has the audio multitasking. It beggars belief that Sena would put so much work into the 10U range yet not make it the flagship model :( It's frustrating that the Autocom would do everything so brilliantly yet moving to bluetooth I've lost some functionality even at the price level of the 10U, I'm heading 2-up to the Picos later in the year and tempted to refit the Autocom just for the trip.

Regarding the remote, I have mine clamped horizontally to the clutch reservoir and secured in place with a couple of cable ties to prevent thieving hands so it stays on the bike until it needs charging, this is over a month with near daily use at which point I snip the cable ties to charge it. I've experimented with the charging cable and it appears the remote can be used fine whilst charging so at some point I'll add the cable to the bike and make the fitment permanent. In practice I tend to only use the remote for volume control.
 
Hi folks. I have been using an Autocom for about 10 years now and have just ordered a new R1200RT LE, which is still being built! I am going to take this opportunity to upgrade to bluetooth and a couple of mates are using Sena SMH10 kits, so I am looking at Sena too.

My helmet is a Shoei GT Air and I really like the idea of the neat fitting of the 10U, which I am sure would be a great piece of kit but I am not too sure about the handlebar remote control being a pain to use next to the BMW rotary control thingy.

For virtually the same price, I can get a 20S, which it appears to be a better kit in every way but is not such a neat fitting clamped to the side of the lid. I have a couple of questions that you may help with:

1. Are the speakers of the same quality - I have read differing reports
2. Is Audio multitasking on the 20S the show stealer?
3. Is the 10U remote a pain to use?
4. The 20S has a 2km range but my mates only have 900metres range. Does that mean that no matter what I buy, the range will be dictated by the SMH10's range?

Is there anything else that I should be aware of?

K

The 20s is good but has issues.
1. the buttons are quite difficult to find on the side of the unit with gloved hand
2 range is variable, 1/2 mile is a bout limit before comms start breaking up, might be a lot less in towns or cities when big buildings get in the way
3 speakers are OK but with earplugs music quality is pants at anything like speed. I use UE wired thru 20s for this reason, quality for both nav and music excellent then!
4 there is a remote that works on sena 20s, a handlebar remote and a wristband remote, both expensive, I thought about this but on checking with sena (support is not great) I discover that it does not have all the functions for all the buttons on the sena! (I wanted to be able to switch on ambient mode for use in say petrol stations, but in fact its not an issue that justifies the expense)
linking to non sena headsets is limited, you need to check if more than one non sena headset is in the group.
5 sena to sena comms is crystal clear within the range restrictions, its a bit weird at first (having used the autocom system and got used to the pauses beween receive and transmit over walky talkies) Its like having strange voices in your head telling you to go even faster!!!

the PC based sena device manager app is poor, no list of paired devices, no list of stored settings.....sena are not interested in developing it
hth
 
I got a 10u for it's neatness, not keen on those things sticking out the side of the hat. Used it for the first time for comms at the weekend, Crystal clear but deffo drop off if the terrain is hilly or wooded but quickly ones back on. The downside for me is I can't seem to cancel music sharing, contacted Sena and all they say is good the joystick down for 2 seconds but all that does is pause the music.

As for the remote not fitting on the left grip with the jogwheel, that's rubbish mine fits just fine.
 
Cabby;4700596 As for the remote not fitting on the left grip with the jogwheel said:
How ?
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Bobbin Man - You say..... Riding two-up or linking bike-2-bike the downside is that it needs to be switched between comms or music and cannot do both together whereas the 20S has the audio multitasking.......

Do you mean that you cant actually listen to music at all when speaking in a group? OR Do you mean that when someone speaks, the music simply cuts off?

I am assuming [and hoping] that I can be listening to music and if someone speaks, I can hear them?? I can live with the music cutting out if that is the case.

K
 
To enter a conversation with my pillion (or other bt headset) it's necessary to tap the front button on the remote (or use the "-" button on the helmet), same as starting a conversation with another biker. This cuts out the music. To go back to music you end the bt conversation by tapping the front button again. It's just not as natural as an Autocom setup where you can have the music on and easily talk over it. I've not used a 20S but I assume the audio multi-tasking gets round this shortcoming.
 
I've just bought a 10U to go in a GT Air. Audio quality is fine for my needs but am having trouble with the handlebar remote in that it hampers operation of the left hand switch cluster on both of my bikes - '08 GSA and K1100RS. It makes for an awkward time specifically operating the left turn signal. Its no big deal for me really as I can do everything I need from the two button panel inside the helmet but I can see it being a bit of a pain to change volume. I come from a Scala G9 which had good automatic volume control which took account of ambient noise but the Sena seems to rely on manually changing the volume - unless I haven't sussed that bit out yet.
 


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