Trauma

No, have never noticed that, have only had these to 120 so far, and very rarely. But the noise canceling is awesome, even on the Pani people cannot believe I am on a bike talking.

Duc1199

I have the F5 single unit with the optional handle grip remote. Overall I'm more than satisfied with the unit. The issue that I’m running into is that no one I ride with (FITZ) use the F5, most riders use SENA. No one that I would ride with has the F5 or F4, this makes it impossible to communicate via intercom, I would have to call them if it came down to communication between riders.

As previously mentioned the F5 is solid as far as build, the speakers are loud, but little bass. The FM tuner actually can pull stations you actually want to listen to and stations are programmable. Bluetooth audio streams very well it only skipped out on me once or twice.
Battery life will not be a concern trusts me on this one! Running audio and navigation on an iphone or droid works without issue on the iphone Siri kicks in and tells you what turns is next…. You also can give Siri voice commands or use the standard NAV buttons on the F5.
The F5 also has over 5 languages to choose from. There was a firmware update that I performed on the head unit but I honestly can’t tell you what it did.
The device is expensive even for the single unit in my opinion. I will try out the new slim line SENA (SMH 10R) and if I like it the F5 and handle bar unit will be up for sale, pics will follow soon if you might be interested in purchasing send me a PM hope this help.

Trauma

Great, thanks for this post. I think you just cost me $165! The new slim one is awesome! I've had no issues with my "fat" one, but I think I'll be trading up!

Duc1199

Good to go I received an email last week from Revzilla saying it was available.
Should be delivered in the Morning I will have pics up of that as well. I guess Revzilla has a warehouse in Vegas, cause this is where the unit is shipping from Vs Philly???

I also seen a non working unit at the International bike show in Dc looked pretty cool but you have to make a compromise the battery thats about the size of a stick of gum mounts in the back (outside the helmet) I will try to mount it under the neck roll on my Bell Rs1.

Duc1199

Previously I mentioned I was waiting on the SENA (SMH 10R) well it arrived yesterday.

I must say this unit appears to be much smaller than what was on display at the bike show, and I like it!

Compared to the Interphone F5 that I own it’s much smaller... I will give a small review once installed.

A few things I want to mention upfront after opening the box.

1. No wall charger, just cigarette adapter and micro USB Same used on Samsung Android phones instructions state, " Any usb power adapter can be used to charge unit, and unit can be used while charging."

2. Appearance and feel wise the SENA speakers appear to be of better quality Vs the F5.

3. Both kits have a flex boom and wired mic option.

4. F5 has the optional handlebar remote which does come in handy.
5. Options for mounting for the SENA (1) Velcro (2) Double Sided tape.
6. Options for mounting the F5 (1) plastic helmet mounts with screw tensioners (2) plastic mount with double sided tape, the F5 also comes with (2) of every mount mentioned for another helmet, although and additional head unit will need to be purchased, or sourced off eBay for just the head unit without mounts unless your just swapping between your riding helmets.

7. The F5 clearly states that it’s "Water proof" SENA "Water resistant."
8. SENA can conference up to (4) riders F5 (6), FM has an FM tuner, I don’t see the mention of a tuner on the SENA but will find out.
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bronch

Thanks for the write-up, I'm looking into this one now. I have the Chatterbox slim, which by the looks of it, is bigger. That's fine, but I'm having issues with the speaker and mic set-up in my full-face. Really bulky.

Let me know how the set-up goes in the helmet and how you find the fit/comfort.

Trauma

This really doesn't look that much smaller than my SMH-10, which I like the size of as it is easy to adjust controls with winter gloves. So I am not sure about this now...

Sena does not do FM, also when will you find 3 other riders with the same device that want to take to time re-attaching to all those Bluetooths, much less 5 of them.

Zaid1199

Is the Scala Rider just too much in cost for everyone?? i have had ZERO issues with mine, and up until now have not heard of the SENA comms, etc,

1199 dreamer

I have chatterbox stuff now, and handled both the Sena, Scala and Interphone at the NY show.the VOX delay and simplex only on the chatterbox makes me want to upgrade. The Sena only comes with a boom mounted mic and have heard from others that there speaker wire is very delicate and prone to damage. The Scala involves to much button pushing while riding to be user friendly. The F5s has voice commands, comes with both boom mic and permanent mic installation. F5s looks to be my best choice out of the available communication line that I know of. Good luck in your pursuits......

Duc1199

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IMG_1100.jpgInstall was a breeze once you committed to a mounting spot for head Bluetooth unit. Be certain of where you want it cause the adhesive on the tape is the real deal. I went with the Velcro option, instead of the permanent install route.

The Bell Star helmet already had cut outs for audio, the speakers are a perfect fit circumference wise... I opted to use SENA's optional (included in packing) ear pads to bring the speakers closer to my ear canals'.

For those wondering, the SMH 10R does have a wired mic as well as a flexible boom style mic.


Compared to the interphone F5 the 10R’s audio sound is clearly better, simply but it’s clear and in my opinion very crisp, but missing the base just like the F5 unit.




Pairing was very easy, honestly took about 6 seconds, you can reach a higher volume on the 10r than you can of the F5, don’t get me wrong the F5 is plenty loud but not as loud as the 10r; Yes audio is still pleasing with Surefire Sonic Defenders Plus earplugs in.

Incoming calls just say hello and line is answered, one press of the center button hangs up. You can set the Audio volume for each source Vs just one setting for all.

The F5 has auto volume, but it really lacks luster, you have the option to turn it off “ and you will” but if you do all audio volume will be the same meaning if you have your music blasting every audio source with blast!

Button feel on the 10r and the F5 are about the same in my opinion did the glove test and they both faired out equally, there not such a no brainer like the regular SENA SMH10, however button feel is still pronounced even with thick gloves.

What I liked about the F5 is that the voice prompts let you know what mode your in such as, phone, Bluetooth audio etc… the 10r is missing this feature but it might come in a firmware update.

Also I purchased the optional grip remote for the F5, I find it useful no need to take my hands off the grips when at speeds, but unfortunately it’s only compatible with the F5 unit, so if you have an F4 your out of luck and interphone does not guarantee it will work on future models.

I forgot to mention the SENA does not have an FM tuner, which is not a problem, but I will admit not like some that offer FM tuners the F5 gets stations that you would actually listen to. The weight difference is noticeable from the beginning when installed on the helmet the slim profile is a must have for my taste.

Overall I’m choosing the SENA, although it lacks the voice feature, it does what I need it to do right the first time, and is more bang for the buck in my opinion I will admit although you can turn it off the voice on the F5 could be annoying at times yet useful.

Also the SENA had no delay when Bluetooth audio was selected the F5 has a delay and also delays when switching tracks. The battery for the 10r is to be mounted on the rear of the helmet, I opted to install it on my neck roll for now, the curvature of my helmet would not allow a flush fit if centered on the outside of the helmet.

Battery life:

F5 (11hrs) talk time/ (700hrs) standby
10R (8hrs) talk time/ (7 Days) standby

Features:

Interphone F5= Text to Speech, Waterproof, FM tuner, Stereo audio, Bluetooth audio, optional grip remote, includes both wired, and boom microphones, 6 bike intercom, 3.5mm audio jack, firmware upgradable via usb.


SENA SMH10R = Light weight, slim compact design,
Stereo audio, Bluetooth audio, 4 bike intercom, weather resistant, Charge while in use, auxiliary charge cable, USB cable, can be charged with any micro USB charger/adapter, superior voice and audio quality, 2yr warranty.












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1199 dreamer

Duc1199, thanks for the info!!!! The Sena sales guy told me only the boom mic was available. No hardwired mic for inside the helmet.. I will have to redo my comparison.

jarelj

The Sena SMH10R comes with both a wired mic and boom mic:

Sena Bluetooth

$164.25

1199Bangkok

Too bad that the SMH10R seems to be sold out everywhere, RevZilla has no more of them :-(

Trauma

I think I'm staying with my SMH-10, I don't like having to mount a seconad unit somewhere else on the helmet. It's a miniscule profile differeence compared to the whole helmet.

Duc1199

[QUOTE=Trauma;49814]I think I'm staying with my SMH-10, I don't like having to mount a seconad unit somewhere else on the helmet. It's a miniscule profile differeence compared to the whole helmet.[/QUOTE


I just read on SENA's web page that you can perform a firmware update on your SMH 10 to give you voice prompts.

Sena Bluetooth


Besides the size this the only feature the differs the 10 from the 10R

Trauma

[QUOTE=Duc1199;50894]That size thing is misleading, there is a big module you have to mount elsewere, so not nuts about it anymore. I have had 2 firmware upgrades, so they really do keep improving. And the oversize knob is easy to turn with winter gloves anyway.

jarelj

We have them in stock, I just got one for myself:
http://www.motospecialties.com/store...met Audio-Comm

Duc1199

[QUOTE=Trauma;50902]I see your point....but the battery pack is about the size of a stick of Big Red Gum. You do have some trade offs depending on what your looking for I would give it an 8.5 out of 10. So I will put the setup through it's paces and see how it holds up. When I the display at the Dc bike show the battery placement really turned me off, but I still took the plunge thinking I could find better placement for the battery.

Everything in the pictures look huge but honestly the 10r has a small foot print compared to whats on the market today.

Duc1199

Thus far what's your opinion on the size and battery placement???

jarelj

Haven't mounted it on my helmet yet, literally just got it this morning so I'll take it home and mess with it over the weekend. The battery unit is really pretty small though, so I'm thinking I might be able to mount it inside the helmet pretty easily, we'll see.