Sena SMH 5 Bluetooth Headset Review

Joined
May 8, 2006
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295
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Palm Coast, FL
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'06 ST1300 ABS
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6311
I bought one of these a couple of months ago to pair up with a new Garmin Zumo 390LM, a new flip-up helmet and my iPhone 6. Since installing the Sena SMH 5 I have used it for a few day rides and the annual FL-STOC event last month (November, 2014). I bought the SMH 5 because I typically have no need to use a bike-to-bike intercom, so its 400 meter range was not an issue for me. I set the Sena up so it is paired to my Zumo, for voice directions only, and to my iPhone 6 for music and phone calls. Yes, I know, I do lose a few Zumo phone features by not pairing the phone to the Zumo, but if I did that I found I could not play music from my iPhone. The way I have it set up is (so far) perfect for me. When I turn the Sena on it automatically pairs with the Zumo (when the Zumo is on) and my iPhone (my iPhone is always on. LOL) within just a few seconds and the Sena tells me it has paired with each device. I can start music just by pushing one button on the Sena that brings up Siri on the iPhone and I can voice select music, play lists, etc., very easily. If music is playing and the Zumo needs to give me voice turn directions the music automatically pauses, the voice directions come through, then the music starts back up. If I receive a phone call, I can answer it by pushing one button on the Sena or simply just say, "Hello". If I want to place a phone call, again, I just press one button on the Sena to bring up Siri and tell her who I want to call and the iPhone places the call. The speaker quality is actually very good to my old ears, even at 70+ MPH and to my amazement people I have talked to on the phone, even while at speed, said my voice comes through loud and clear with NO wind noise! The Sena is very simple and easy to operate, even with riding gloves on. The internal rechargable battery seems to last for quite a while and can be charged "on the go" if necessary. So far, anyway, I am very happy with the Sena SMH 5 and my setup. I love the Bluetooth and freedom from the hard-wires that I used with my old 2720 and I have to admit, playing music while riding makes a ride a bit more enjoyable sometimes and I think, even a bit less fatiguing on longer rides.
 

T_C

Joined
Mar 8, 2012
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St. Louis, MO
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8568
and I have to admit, playing music while riding makes a ride a bit more enjoyable sometimes and I think, even a bit less fatiguing on longer rides.
Definitely makes it more enjoyable!
I'll agree with that it's a bit less fatigue. Keeps from getting the hypnosis of constant highway drone.
 

CYYJ

Michael
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Toronto & Zürich
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None any more.
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I purchased a Sena SMH-5 in early November, and like Bill, I'm very happy with the device.

I have it paired with my Zumo 590, but not directly with the iPhone... I pair the iPhone with the Zumo (only) instead. The advantage of this is that the phone does not stay paired with the helmet once I turn off the motorcycle, this because the Zumo shuts down automatically when the motorcycle ignition is turned off, and that breaks the pairing between the phone and the headset. That avoids the problem of having shut down (and dismounted from) the motorcycle, removed the helmet, and later finding out that the phone is still paired with the helmet. Hence, the phone always operates normally in 'stand-alone' mode whenever I am not actually riding the motorcycle.

The battery life of the SMH-5 is remarkable. I don't use it to talk. It's very rare for me to make or receive a phone call while riding, and I ride solo, hence no intercom use. I've found that the battery will last for at least 1,000 miles of riding, even when constantly paired with the Zumo and receiving navigational instructions and listening to music.

Music quality from the phone via Bluetooth (phone to Zumo to headset) is quite good, but music quality is better if I load the music onto a little microSD chip and put that chip in the Zumo, so that is what I do instead.

All in all, I think the SMH-5 is an excellent purchase. Relatively inexpensive, too... I think mine cost about $120.

Michael
 
Joined
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Wallkill, NY
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My SMH-5 is a couple years old and gets almost daily use. I can still get 13hrs of non-stop music out of it. I absolutely love the ability to pair with my iphone and get any info I might need, be it locating a motel or getting the scores of the games on Sunday, its all available while cruising along. Love it!!
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
911
Location
Tacoma, Wa
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2010 ST1300
So, I recently went to the darkside and bought an Iphone 6. I have a pair of SMH10's that I use when on the bike. When I first paired with the phone I could hale siri and ask her to play Pandora. Pandora would open and start playing. Then there were 2 different software updates. Now siri opens Pandora but it does not start playing. Is there a setting I need to change?
 

T_C

Joined
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St. Louis, MO
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So, I recently went to the darkside and bought an Iphone 6. I have a pair of SMH10's that I use when on the bike. When I first paired with the phone I could hale siri and ask her to play Pandora. Pandora would open and start playing. Then there were 2 different software updates. Now siri opens Pandora but it does not start playing. Is there a setting I need to change?

Yes, change back to the old Pandora.

Not that you can go back.. the latest Pandora is... umm... nicely, not worth it.

On the Droid they don't even have a way to Exit the program.
Seriously, the Sena has nothing to do with Siri and your phone, it is just passing your voice through.
Try this, without using the ena, ask Siri to do the same.
 
Joined
Aug 8, 2015
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471
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CT USA
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07 ST1300
I use the SMH5 for intercoms with my girl. Works great for that. The music and I phone work fine, but the speakers have no lows at all. But clarity is good. I also send and receive texts with siri.
I have not tried it with my iphone GPS yet. I have my pillion barking orders for that, though sometimes the order are wrong.
EDIT: I DONT like that I cannot receive phone calls while paired to my pillion. Have to unlock from her then I can send and receive calls. But typically on sunday rides we just chat away. Very nice really.
 
Joined
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Messages
911
Location
Tacoma, Wa
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2010 ST1300
Yes, change back to the old Pandora.

Not that you can go back.. the latest Pandora is... umm... nicely, not worth it.

On the Droid they don't even have a way to Exit the program.
Seriously, the Sena has nothing to do with Siri and your phone, it is just passing your voice through.
Try this, without using the ena, ask Siri to do the same.
Thanks, I was enjoying the hands free music play. I guess I will have to try something else.
 
Joined
Feb 8, 2016
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228
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Ohio
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No bike
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8899
my 2 cents.... I too am loving my Sena SMH 5, great price, very convenient for bike to bike intercom, and listening to music, but the most impressive thing is taking phone calls, I too have people absolutely shocked to hear that I'm on the bike, no wind noise at all and a perfectly clear voice coming through to them. The only down side is the speakers aren't loud enough for me, but I have heard that you can order the more powerful speakers that come with the SMH 10 and they work with the 5, but I have not tried it yet
 

v8-7

Site Supporter
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Bradenton, Fl
There is plenty of volume, but speaker placement is critical.. I even placed a spacer in between the helmet and the speaker to bring it closer to my ear.
 

rjs987

Robert
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I've found with my SMH5fm2 unit that if the speakers are even just 1/4 inch off from pointing at the ear canal the volume is very low and I can hardly hear it. But with the speakers placed right for my ears I can even turn the volume down a bit, and I even wear ear plugs all the time for the road noise. Really like getting radio while riding. And to find radio stations is VOLUMES better than with my old Scala Q2 (I had given up ever using radio out of town with the Q2 since it was so difficult). Kinda like the difference between cutting melted butter vs cutting a rock with a plastic knife.

My only gripe right now is that my new phone that I went to at the beginning of March won't BT connect to the Sena. Don't know if it's the phone or the Sena but I've heard of other BT issues with this phone since I started using it so...
Oh well. I rarely take calls anyway and mostly listen to radio or music via the BT connection on my bike.
 

rjs987

Robert
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:doh1: Finally got around to re-re-reviewing my Sena manual and realized I was using the intercom pairing procedure to attempt to pair with my new Moto X Pure smartphone. Doh.
Used the PHONE pair process (different than intercom pairing) and everything paired just fine... finally. I was very familiar with the intercom pairing with my Sena since I was doing that with different other riders many times and forgot that it wasn't the same.
 

motofisch

(Scott)
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May 18, 2014
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Berwick, PA
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Jethro77 said " I too have people absolutely shocked to hear that I'm on the bike..."

+1 to that.

Some folks can't tell at all that I'm answering my phone while riding the bike. (I use a Scala G9)

I have been using a BT headset for about a year. The bike to bike and bike to passenger communication adds so much more to the experience.

I'm not sure I am totally OK in principle with being able to make & receive phone calls while riding. Prior to getting the device I had always enjoyed the sense of being disconnected from the world while inside my helmet. But now that I have experienced it, I'm not sure I could give it up. It's amazing how fast something transitions from luxury to necessity.
 

rjs987

Robert
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I generally agree about making and receiving phone calls while riding. I NEVER "make" a call while riding. I consider the ability to do so as for emergency only. There is a setting on my phone that will announce the caller that I want to experiment with so I can choose if I really need to answer.
 
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