Sena SMH5 Users- sound question...

02BusaMark

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I have a SMH5 headset mounted in my Scorpion EXO-500 helmet and just don't have the sound quality I was expecting. Is there a trick to this or am I missing something?

The pads that were provided are inserted, but I've noticed the ear holes for the helmet are deep. Checked to make sure the speakers are facing out and tried to readjust to move them around a little bit. Not having as much difficulty with the intercom as much as the bluetooth music- just gets loud and distorted.

Any suggestions? Will doubling up on the backing pad help? I've also seen the speaker upgrade kit. Guessing that would also be an alternative.
 
I think you may have answered your own question in there. I have the SMH10 and the speakers are more than adequate in regards to quality and volume while riding on the interstate. It seems that the SMH5 was not really geared toward music as much as the SMH10, but that is my uneducated guess.
 
I had been using an Akuma Phantom II, but I have since bought an Arai RX-Q from Big-E on the forum. I have yet to ride with the RX-Q, but it is a much nicer helmet and the SMH10 sound can only get better with it.
 
I have the SMH5 and I also tried the upgraded 10 speakers. I didn't notice much difference between the different speakers. The closer you get the speakers to your ears the better/louder it will be. I also found that it sounds better when I use ear plugs. There's still plenty of volume. I have a Shoie helmet.
 
A lot of ppl complain of the smh5 speakers. I use the new smh10r, the speaker are pretty loud. The base could be better. There isn't really any lows.
 
I've been using my SMH10 with the earbud compatible base (not speakers), and sound quality is *still* lacking over bluetooth. Really hope they fix this in the future with a firmware upgrade. I stream over bluetooth to my car stereo and it sounds perfect, there is no excuse for a high end headset not to match. Almost wonder if they only support the crappy SBC codec over A2DP.
 
I have the SMH5 as well and the sound quality is pretty crappy. I think this is the exact reason why Beats should make helmets. If I could get my studio HD in my helmet Id be a happy man. I have seen the upgraded speakers for the unit but I don't think its the speakers so much as the unit itself. if it supplys a crappy signal the best speakers in the world will still sound like poop. Im currently looking into upgrading to the SMH10 unit and speakers or bite the bullet and buy a different brand all together. at least the GF cant intercom me anymore and catch me singing away like a retard.
 
I have the SMH10 with earbuds, then I use Beats By Dre earbuds. Can't complain about quality at all. I'd start with a better (read quieter) helmet. My system sounds much better in my Arai than in my Shoei.

:beerchug:
 
Okay, Bluetooth audio essentially sucks no matter what platform you are using, They purposely cut bass and highs are clipped. This is because the bluetooth signal has limited bandwidth. Add to that the small speakers on these headsets are incapable of producing bass. I have the option of using bluetooth audio in my fancy car stereo and can't even listen to it because of the lack of bandwidth. Communicators work well for communicating and that's about it.

Headphones that seal in the ear canal can produce lot's of bass because of that seal. Best sound comes from in-ear headphones that are hardwired directly to a music source and not through bluetooth.

Hard to beat an MP3 player, iphone, etc with hardwired, in ear phones. I highly recommend any of the Ultimate Ears line, they produce great sound and are low profile so as not to hurt your ears with the helmet on. You also get the benefit of sealing out road noise but you need to make sure the volume stays down in traffic so you can still hear emergency vehicles and such.
 
ear plugs kinda defeat the whole purpose of having sound coming from my helmet which is why I have held off on purchasing any bluetooth setups cause they all seem to suck. especially if u have a helmet like mine which is a little noisy. personally, I cant stand the feeling of wires hanging down from my helmet while im riding and mp3 ear plugs end of hurting my ears after about 30 minutes.

I have a bell star carbon. its light and gets lots of airflow but like any helmet that has good air flow ur gonna get noise to go with it. there is no way around that. tons of vents means tons of air but also tons of noise. with the vents closed its not too bad tho.
 
This didn't start out as a helmet thread, but I can assure you of one thing... You can have a very well vented helmet without wind noise.. Arai found out how to do it, they are about the only one I've worn that is quiet and cool.

I understand what you mean about ear plugs and the wires involved, but it works two fold for me. Cuts out ambient noise and also allows me to have the volume softer on the music/communication. It does suck to take the helmet off and still have wires attached to your head, but you take the good with the bad I guess..

:(
 
This didn't start out as a helmet thread, but I can assure you of one thing... You can have a very well vented helmet without wind noise.. Arai found out how to do it, they are about the only one I've worn that is quiet and cool.
yea I dont doubt that Arai does it better then my bell star. I wanted an Arai and still do but they dont offer a photocromatic lens and im just not willing to give that up since by the time I get home from riding its usually dark.
 
This didn't start out as a helmet thread, but I can assure you of one thing... You can have a very well vented helmet without wind noise.. Arai found out how to do it, they are about the only one I've worn that is quiet and cool.

I understand what you mean about ear plugs and the wires involved, but it works two fold for me. Cuts out ambient noise and also allows me to have the volume softer on the music/communication. It does suck to take the helmet off and still have wires attached to your head, but you take the good with the bad I guess..

:(

Exactly my point. Hard wired ear plugs give you better sound, cut road noise and allow for a lower volume when necessary. they also allow you to "Crank it Up!" when conditions permit. Nothing like jamming to a favorite turn on a twisty road. When the music and the ride mesh and sounds good it's hard to beat!

Are there any communicators out there that allow you to use phones instead of the supplied speakers?
 
Starting to get used to the sound quality of the Sena just not being as good as a set of plug-in Sony or JVC earbuds. I like the convienence of just putting on my helmet and holding two buttons down. I don't like removing the unit everytime I leave my bike, though. Pretty sure its going to be a toss up between headset or ear buds depending on the situation.

It's been touched on a couple times now, but my helmet is noisy whether music is playing or not.
 
Okay, Bluetooth audio essentially sucks no matter what platform you are using

Disagree :) A2DP with the right codec can sound very good. Depending on the device it can stream using MPEG-4, AAC, or others. It's all re-compressed so I wouldn't use it with a nice home stereo, but in my car I can't tell the difference between music over Bluetooth and a direct cable connection. With the SMH10, using real canal-style earbuds and the same phone over Bluetooth, it sounds horrible.
 
I agree that there isnt any bass on my Sena smh10 but it is pretty loud. I wonder how a regular mp3 player plugged into the unit sounds. I will have to try that out just to see...
 
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