Sena 20S vs Sena SMH-10

[stevenolts]

My Sena SMH-10 will not take a charge any longer so now I have to buy a new bluetooth system. I need this ASAP because we all know once you have it you can't live without it. I have always loved this system and have done the unit only replacement once before when my first unit would no longer pair.

Is the Sena 20S worth the extra cost over the Sena SMH-10?

I have currently have 3 helmets all with the Sena SMH-10 mounts.


If I upgrade to Sena 20S: $341.95

Sena 20S = $269.99
Sena 20S Universal clamp kit = $ 71.96

-------------------------------------------------

If I go with another Sena SMH-10: $142.00

Sena SMH-10 (replacement unit) $108.00
Sena 20S (speaker upgrade only) $ 34.00

I have read that the speaker (upgrade splice wires yourself) is 10 times better than the original speakers.

If anyone has owned both of these systems please let me know if you think it is worth the extra cost $200.00 +

I would love to go with the Sena 20S but I am not in a good place to be spending $341.00 right now. I may just wait for the next version of Sena next year since I have the initial investment already in the helmet mounts.

Do you think I am wasting my money on the older technology?
Steve

[Kolsch]

For what it is worth, I really like my 20s. I want to say I paid around $260 for it. Use it for phone/gps. Works great!:yes:

[Deer Slayer]

We like them. We both upgraded the speakers. I used my old J&M speakers from my old helment. Ken installed some from the internet also wowing. The blue wire is the FM antenna and not connected. I use a doggle for my XM Sat radio. I turn the doggle on and off with a relay in the neg goggle battery lead. That way the doggle battery does not die if you forget to turn it off. Good luck.:cheers:

[stevenolts]

Is the audio quality better with the Sena 20S?

Is the volume higher with the Sena 20S?

[stevenolts]

I have been reading from Sena that the audio quality is better on the 20S / but from forums etc on the internet people do not think the sound volume or quality is very good. There are some that did speaker upgrades to a Koss headphone type mod. Does anyone know about this?

I use my Sena for music / GPS / phone / I Heart radio (nationwide) (no bike to bike or radio) so I don't know if the extra $250.00 is worth the money to switch everything over to the 20S.

I can get a replacement SMH-10 for $100.00 and would not need to buy an extra helmet set up for my other helmets.

Maybe I should get the SMH-10 and do a speaker upgrade.

Steve

[Jimmytee]

I ended up with the 10 in a dual pack. My wife bought them as a gift. She misunderstood which ones I had been looking at. I had been looking at the 20s. When I checked them out, I figured it wasn't worth returning and paying the extra money for the 20s. I've been pretty happy with the 10s and figured a few less options to deal with for more simplified use was better. As far as sound quality, on my modular helmet, I did install a clamp/ dock that allows me to choose between the in helmet speakers or plug in some ear buds. No question ear buds provide a much better sound, but you have to then deal with the extra complication of the cord etc... My sound system on my bike pretty much nulifies using the system for music anyways, so I primarily use mine for bike to bike communication,GPS and phone calls.

[stevenolts]

The bike stereo sounds great with a 3/4 or 1/2 helmet. When I use the full face/modular helmet I use the Bluetooth. I also use the Bluetooth for GPS with all my helmets along with the bike stereo at the same time when traveling cross country.

This stereo thing on the bike is always making me crazy. I thought I was happy with all the options available short of the 2nd amp, rear speakers, and sub until my Sena SMH-10 stopped working this morning. Now I am obsessed again I have 2 trips comming up in October. St Louis to Denver / then St Louis to Panama City Beach.

I can play the bike Bluetooth Sena / I can play the Android cell phone Bluetooth to the bike / I can play the cell phone to the Sena Bluetooth / I have the JBL speaker upgrade / I have Kuryakyn USB charger on handlebars / I have the phone mounted on the handlebars.
Steve

[Jimmytee]

The bike stereo sounds great with a 3/4 or 1/2 helmet. When I use the full face/modular helmet I use the Bluetooth. I also use the Bluetooth for GPS with all my helmets along with the bike stereo at the same time when traveling cross country.

This stereo thing on the bike is always making me crazy. I thought I was happy with all the options available short of the 2nd amp, rear speakers, and sub until my Sena SMH-10 stopped working this morning. Now I am obsessed again I have 2 trips comming up in October. St Louis to Denver / then St Louis to Panama City Beach.

I can play the bike Bluetooth Sena / I can play the Android cell phone Bluetooth to the bike / I can play the cell phone to the Sena Bluetooth / I have the JBL speaker upgrade / I have Kuryakyn USB charger on handlebars / I have the phone mounted on the handlebars.
Steve

The ear bud thing I was talking about works pretty well with some quality ear buds.
But with the 4 speakers and a sub on my bike... well :icon_biggrin:

The thing is, that volume is not an issue. However, if I am needing to run for an extended time on the Interstate (which I don't do often, because Interstates are boring) having the ear buds allows me to have a more subtle volume level that won't tax your ears after several hours.

I had read about upgrades people had dine by installing some speakers from some quality head phones. SOunds like a possibility. I had thought about it myself.

I have the Sena bluetooth transmitter that will transmit everything that is on my system to my headset. Problem with thiis is it works, but I had to also install a switch to turn off my amplifiers. This is because there is a delay between the stuff coming through the bluetooth transmitter compared to what is playing through the amplifiers. So running both simultaneously this way is not an option.
I have a wide assortment of options as I have an aftermarket head unit.

[stevenolts]

I run the 1/2 helmet with the SMH-10 using earbud connection.

I never really had a problem with the Sena SMH-10 / I have had it for 5 or 6 years now.

But I need to buy a replacement and now I hate to not upgrade to the 20S. It is just going to be costly because the extra helmet setups are $75.00 each and I use 4 different helmets for different purposes (I got the SMH-10 helmet setups for like $25 each on sale). It may be just time to bite the bullet and pay the man.

I have been going back and forth all day. I am going to try to see if I can get my SMH-10 working / maybe it is just the charging cable??? If I can get it running I may go ahead and get the Sena 20S so I am guaranteed a bluetooth device on my trips just in case the SMH-10 fails again. (but this morning it would not turn on)

Steve

[Jimmytee]

I run the 1/2 helmet with the SMH-10 using earbud connection.

I never really had a problem with the Sena SMH-10 / I have had it for 5 or 6 years now.

But I need to buy a replacement and now I hate to not upgrade to the 20S. It is just going to be costly because the extra helmet setups are $75.00 each and I use 4 different helmets for different purposes (I got the SMH-10 helmet setups for like $25 each on sale). It may be just time to bite the bullet and pay the man.

I have been going back and forth all day. I am going to try to see if I can get my SMH-10 working / maybe it is just the charging cable??? If I can get it running I may go ahead and get the Sena 20S so I am guaranteed a bluetooth device on my trips just in case the SMH-10 fails again. (but this morning it would not turn on)

Steve
Summer months I run the half helmet, but I have speakers in the flaps that come down with the chin strap. I hadn't really priced the clamps for the 20s for obvious reasons, but those prices are quite a bit more than the clamp prices for the 10s.

[stevenolts]

They are $75.00 each that is why I may stay with the SMH-10 then I only need to buy the replacement unit for $100.00.

[MisterB]

Steve, I found this thread in the sena forum: https://support.sena.com/entries/20448542-Does-SMH10-support-battery-replacement-
Of interest is a post by member 308 who offers battery replacement.
If you're comfortable spending the money on a new system I'm sure you'll love it, but if you can determine if it's the battery you can hold out a little longer.
Does your headset light up at all when you plug it in? Most electronics that use li-ion batteries have intelligent charging systems to prevent over-charging and to keep you from charging a battery that is below a safe voltage level. That level is a point of much debate, but if it gets too low and you try to charge it there is a lot of heat generated and unlucky users will experience "Venting, with Flame". That's an industry euphemism for exploding.
One of the posters in the above thread said it is simple to open the unit and replace the battery. You could open it up, remove battery and test resting voltage. If it's below, oh.. lets say 2.7V (for fun, as mentioned there is much discussion on this) it is probably shot and your unit refuses to charge it. Having access to the battery would allow you to get numbers and dimensions off of it and see if you can find a replacement. Sena is not in the battery business so it's probably something they bought off the shelf which means you can too!
Oh shit, forget everything I've just said. I read a little further and the helpful folks posted this:

"It's possible to replace the battery in the field. The initial investment is simple: soldering pencil and /rosin core/ solder (never, ever use acid core for any wiring!), wire strippers for fine gauge wire, T7 Torx driver. I found a T7 Torx bit in a $6 USD collection of small flat blade, phillips, etc. bits and handle from Lowe's. The electrical stuff should be there, too. Or there's always Amazon or eBay. The battery can be found on eBay for under $10 USD. Use the 602448 number as the guide. It'll be a 3.7V Li-Po battery. Do /not/ go for a bigger battery - there is almost no spare room inside the SMH-10.

Opening the case is easy: undo the screws with the Torx driver and gently encourage the back to come out of the SMH-10 housing. Do not try prying with anything - ding the case and the SMH-10 case won't have a hope of keeping out water. There is a gasket around the edge of the back of the SMH-10. Be nice to it as it's the water seal.
Here's the bad news: the new battery will not have the little while Molex connector the OEM battery does. You have to cut the connector off (in the middle of the wiring, of course) and solder it onto the new battery. This isn't difficult but it helps to be comfortable with soldering before doing this job. With the wires soldered and insulated (hint: stagger the cuts so the joints can short out), put the battery in place and close up the case. It's that simple.
Another do-not: Do not grease the seal with petroleum jelly (Vaseline, etc.)! Use a silicon-based grease (di-electric grease will do - get some at an auto parts store).
Finally: OPENING THE CASE VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY!!! But if you're good with soldering, and don't want to either wait for a repair or buy a replacement module, this is the way to go. "



Here's the battery! http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-7V-650-mAh-Li-polymer-rechargeable-Battery-Li-Po-ion-602248-for-mp3-mp4-GPS-/251643457682

Dig around on that thread, it's a gold mine!
If you need help replacing it I was weaned on a soldering iron and I'm in your area.
All of this is moot if your unit is actually broken. Either way, let me know if I can help.

[stevenolts]

Misterb

I will look into this thread and try the battery replacement.

Thank you, Steve