Maximum Volume
Hi,
When using my 20s in combination with my custom made noise reduction plugs, the volume is a little bit too low at higher speeds (120 km/h). The "female voice" is also too quiet at speeds ranging from 70 km/h and above.
I realize upping the max volume could be harmful for users without hearing protection. But for those who do use plugs (or for the hearing impaired bikers like my father who uses a hearing aid, but can't while wearing a helmet) it would be a handy feature if we could disable some sort of "Enable Volume Limiter" toggle button in the firmware config screen.
Please let me know if this is coming in one of the future firmware updates or otherwise which workaround you would advise.
Thanks in advance!
Stefan
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I can't imagine trying to listen to music with ear protection stuffed into my ears and traveling at interstate highway speeds. I don't know what the equivalent decibels would have to be, but it would certainly need to be loud. So for long trips, I always use noise-blocking earbuds. I ride in relative quiet solitude, listen to XM radio, MP3, audio books, etc.
My 20S seems to have the same audio output volume as my SMH-10R. Never did an A:B comparison, but don't have any complaints, either.
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The Jog dial should allow you to control the volume to what you like - if you like it loud and want to hear it that way then the volume should be there. The differences in output for the FM versus just music in crazy -
Sena allow the users to control the volume - it is too soft at higher speeds.
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Just a comment/inquiry to those of you who:
- Use ear protection
- Don't Factually know if your hearing is the same in both ears
- Don't use pre set EQ settings or Custom EQ settings
- Only have an issue hearing when ambient sound/noise is quite loud
Before you make further comments or complaints, GO GET YOUR HEARING TESTED!
You'll likely be surprised at what you "THINK" you should be able to hear - vs - what you can actually hear?
Complaining the volume should be louder? Invest in custom in ear head phones.
I paid just under $300 canadian for mine and now while riding any speed. I can hear with out issue, In fact, the sound quality is Very good.
Before, with Sena provided ear speakers or, Generic "bought on sale at Best buy" in ear phones, Volume was always at or near 100% full blast.
With custom in ear phones, the volumes set just below a quarter turn, Riding with my Harley buddies, maybe half way.
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DjPaul,
Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Guess I lost some of my hearing in the 30 minutes it took me to change from the SMH 10 to the 20. That was very helpful. Guess I will go spend another 300 on custom ear plugs. Thanks for your logical comments. BTW, I love your shouting "GO GET YOUR HEARING TESTED". You are just all sorts of help to us newly hearing challenged!
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Hey, My pleasure ... (wink)
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DjPaul, while custom molded headphones are a nice option, they cost more than the Sena 20s itself and still involve wires coming down from your helmet. Many of us spent years riding with headphone wires hanging out and the Sena was the miracle solution to that (and yes, I have had custom molded ear plugs and custom molded headphones for years).
In fact, my perfect solution was using cheap Howard Leight foamy earplugs in conjunction with the SMH10 speakers turned nearly all the way up. This provided enough protection from outside wind noise while getting just enough volume into my ears through the earplugs that I could hear the music at a comfortable level.
Those of us asking for "more volume" are really just asking for it to have the same volume the SMH10 did. Yes, it is too loud and damaging without earplugs, however we are wearing earplugs and are at no risk of damage. Just trying to obtain the perfect sound without wires hanging down.
No I don't use custom EQ settings and my hearing is perfectly good in both ears. I'm an audiophile, former audio engineer (both recording and live) and a musician and I use hearing protection religiously (hence why I still have hearing in both ears).
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DJPaul - Seconding Dave's comments. I have custom moulds for my Shure SE530 earphones and my Astell & Kern audio player so I know how good my hearing is and how good the audio can be using earphones. The whole point is that if other products are capable of delivery sufficient volume and fidelity for motorbike use using their supplied helmet speakers through xDb earplugs then it's possible for the S20 too if designed and manufactured correctly. Without wanting to start an immature flame war I think your post needed some additional forethought - we know earphones work better, that's not the point!
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Lee
Your RIght.
Please take no sarcasm or malice from that.
I admit it. I'm wrong.
The point is wireless, Not wired head phones.
I guess, I've always accepted the wireless part was to communicate between bikes or groups, and accepted some time ago, that to have quality sound, in ear phones was the way to go
Yes a pretty steep cost, but most of what life has to offer, especially in the motorcycle world, is costly.
anyway... Muzzle me, I'm back quiet here untangling my wires... ... Every single ride.
:(
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I was just trying to make the switch from the G9 Scala Rider over to this. To me this headset with earplugs and freeway speeds is pointless. I can't hear anything and I guess I will switch back tot he Scala Rider. I have tried phone calls and music and also audio books. Nothing is audible once I get going with the volume turned all the way up. To bad because the quality of this device is there. But really pointless if it is unusable.
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That's a good comparison. I wish more would compare the two brands.
Does the Scala really have that much more audio output; that you can hear it even with earplugs in your ears at highway speeds? I've never tried that; have always used noise-blocking earbuds for trips that include long distance travel.
On our trip, one of our group had so much electronic interference using earbuds that he stopped using them and just went to the in-helmet speakers (I don't think he used ear plugs). He never asked for any repeats of conversations. I wonder how much louder the helmet speakers have to be to listen to phone calls, music, and audio books.
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I guess you can't talk about the real issues here. They will just remove your post.
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@Ken I am now at a stage where I will be removing the Sena and putting the G9 Back on my helmet. Even with the set you buy you can hear just fine. But there is still a little bit of a volume issue with it. The thing I just don't understand is that Both Cardo and Sena are making devices to put in your helmet. They both seem to suffer form volume issues (one more then the other). You would think they can just make the volume really loud no matter what. I can always turn it down. But I can't turn it up if you limit it.
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Talked to Help Desk - they suggested affter frimware update I needed a reset - did the reset and there was SOME improvement in volume but still VERY INADEQUATE. I don't really understand this because phone conversations have plenty of volume. Come on get this fixed - I can always turn it down. But I can't turn it up if you limit it.
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volume is way too low for highway speeds i cant hear a damn thing while riding higher speeds just terrible hopefully this will change in the future .
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There's a lot more people that are complaining, then have clicked the "I have this problem too" button on the first post.
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I have the same Problem with the beeping of the Maximum Volume or Intercom start and stop. It's teribble loud.
i wish i could adjust all Kind of volumes out of the app.
And all the other adjustments should be able to Change in the app too.
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I had the exact same problem with one of my 2 sets. The music volume was too low and the max volume beep was deafeningly loud.
I did a factory reset and re-paired my phone and it totally fixed it! Max volume beep is much softer and music is loud enough to hear at highway speed!
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I've got the same problem. My bike is equipped with XM and a Sena dongle that's paired to the 20S. With my SMH10 the volume wasn't spectacular but at least loud enough to hear it at freeway speed with musician's earplugs. With the 20S I can tell its on but can't actually hear it. My wife and I are leaving on a 15K ride Sept 2 and if I can't get this working by then I'll have to put the SMH10s back. Bummer. Marc 0 -
One more thing. After you do a factory reset and re-pair your phone, never touch the iPhone app. Something in there seems to cause the crazy loud beep problem. I'm not going to use the phone app until the firmware is upgraded from 1.1.1. My head is still ringing.
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SO I spent some time messing around with this this weekend and wanted to update people with what happened.
1) I did a reset of the device back to factroy
2) I reapplied the 1.1v to the device
3) factory reset it again.
As a result (Keep in mind I wear ear plugs all the time when riding) the phone call volume is at a level where I can hear the person and they can hear me just fine at up to 90mph. Voice commands to SIRI work okay but she has a bit of trouble understanding me at these speeds (Cardo does not). Music levels are higher now but still not at a level I would like at 90mph. Audio books are okay depending on the tone of the person talking. But still need to be higher.
I hope this helps people. All in all Because I have Both the Cardo G9 and the Sena 20S I would still lean toward the Cardo untill these items are fixed. However I will give it more time to see if they can fix the issues with a firmware update.
Tom
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Based on customer's feedback we are working on a solution to help resolve the issue with upcoming firmware update.
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Hello people.
I have bought the Sena 20s (duo)yesterday based on specs wich blew me away.
I have waited for number of years with BT systems because i still was not convinced regarding quality, usability, pricing and such.
Trough the years we used crappy com radio's with lots of wiring and thus broken cables and plugs. Every vacation i felt like McGyver to bring things working again(lots of ducttape):-).
My girlfriend did not want to ride with comms ANYMORE because of this.
Yesterday evening i spent working out this incredible device and it looks very promising because it works like a charm and i haven't tried half of its functions yet.My girl was crazy enough to go walk into the neighborhood with her helmet on in her shorts and t-shirt wich was actually very funny. She went around the block with the antenna down. I had my helmet on in the kitchen while she was a few blocks away and still perfect reception, and crystal clear, that is.
So, you can imagine after 20 years of riding bikes around Europe with all sorts of audio solutions, for us, this is really a step forward. We are riding of tomorrow to the south of Germany and test these baby's tot the max. Laptop is coming along to so if there's a firmware update during our vacation we can easily update from our hotelroom.
-Max Volume: in EU there are regulations wich state that volumes on gadgets like these are restricted. USA: things are different towards this subject. So i can imagine the tough challenge SENA is facing in developing new firmware to meet customers needs and wishes. Keep DjPauls remarks in mind when he stated; get your ears checked. He is right on that subject and it's a personal thing.For example: I don't go riding around listening to audiobooks on my bike! i do that in the car or at home or in the train commuting. A motorcycle is just not the right place for these activities i think.RECAP so far: guys from Sena, you did a great job i think. Just imagine if you had told someone 15 years ago that all of this was possible with one device build in a helmet. Cherish this people!
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I don't understand how listening to audiobooks in the car is any different then on a bike. Are you suggesting that it is more distracting on a bike over a car? Because I think I would have to disagree.
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Also please note. I have been riding for a very long time. I wear earplugs when I ride. This is to keep my hearing so this is why I stated. You can turn down the volume but I can't turn it up if it is limited at a low level.
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I have a problem hearing Sena respond to the double tap method to activate voice commands. At no speed I can hear her fine but while underway and any speed she is so low I can not hear her. I wear custom molded ear plugs to protect my remaining hearing. It would be nice if her volume would automatically increase in volume as you increase speed.
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Ok did a experiment today. I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 and have been using the "music" app on the phone and the volume was low. My phone also has a app from Google called "Play Music" well volume went up ....way up. I can and did listen to music at 100 mph on my FJR today...twice....I'm still shocked. The other app with volume full was good to about 70. At lower speeds I actually had to turn it down on the 20s.....that's a first. All this was through Bluetooth connection. Maybe Sena isnt at fault like I thought. I don't know why 1 app would be different? 0 -
Interesting.. when the 20s is hardwired, the audio output is more than adequate. However I have the same issue when I switch to bluetooth. The volume just isn't there. Can you please add additional volume under bluetooth.
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@Tom(13-08-2014)
Quote:[I don't understand how listening to audiobooks in the car is any different then on a bike. ]Thats what i am trying to say, its personal, like DjPaul was saying. You dont have to try to understand it. :-)
If you would say listening to music or whatever in your helmet to my driving instructor 20 years ago, he would say that's crazy and irresponsible Ergo; Also a personal opinion.Some people think you can drink and drive at the same time. Luckily that last one is a crime in our country. In NL(EU) using a phone etc whilst driving is also prohibited unless it is handsfree device. But even that is an ungoing discussion in The Netherlands.
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Back from a short-break in Germany(Bayern, castle Neuschwanstein, German/Austrian alps etc.) we have been using the Sena 20S every day. I can say it was marvelous and made our journey (on 2 bikes) a lot more pleasant.
We had them constantly switched on and talked to each other loud and clear. Battery life was an easy 7 hours. One day we forgot to charge them in our hotel and while riding Sena with her lovely voice stated that battery level was low. Then the device switched itsself off. Time for an experiment: my Garmin Zumo 590LM has an USB cable connection. Eureka! Sena charges while operating! SO we did not have to stop anywhere to charge the battery.(charging with the included cable which is long enough to reach helmet from windscreen)
After this week long testing period i can say:►Very good sound quality, gets even better using in-ear headphones(eg Sony/Sennheiser) open-face helmet as wel as closed helmet. Noise-canceling principle works really wel, also on the German autobahn's with 140 Kph.
►Battery life very good. Tested with intercoms on for speech only. We did not use FM radio or any of the other functions.
►Connection is regularly lost in rocky/moutain/hill-like surrounding. 2 km is no problem as long as the road is flat and no large buildings between you and your other friends. I guess that's because of the Bleutooth principle. It is not a shortwave radio.
►FM radio is not very good (with antenna up) unless you are standing still in one place and stay put. Operating the jogg-dial often makes mistakes when you are tuning/searching for radio stations,
@SENA: why no autosearch/tune?
►Speeddial phone function works tremendously good even though Sena only reacts to the voice-commands when you talk with a heavy American accent. That goes for all the functions.
(I sometimes had a feeling that i was from Houston or Dallas:-)
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HELMET note:
►Use with BMW system 6 helmet(my girl):BMW decided to put the internal sunglass slide-lever on the left there where we want the Sena to be, so she had to reach further back for the controls......damn you BMW!
►Use with Shoei Neotec helmet(myself):
Works perfect. Installing on this helmet was easy and all is in perfect place. No problems here.
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