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10C Microphone Issues

TwoWheelTrek

June 25, 2015 12:55

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Yet another question about the Sena 10c... I seem to be having an issue with using the boom mic in my Neotec helmet where there is a heavy bass with my voice, even when I am not talking loud, and it causes the audio to crack.  I have tried adjusting the mic further from my mouth, even had it next to my chin LOL!  still have the same issue.

My old communicator, the G9x I never had this issue.  If I could somehow lower the mic gain, I might be able to have suitable audio.   I published a video on youtube, to where you can hear what I am referring to here, but not sure if that is appropriate or not.

I have not tried the other mic, but since I have a modular helmet, it could make things.... complicated for the seating. 

Like others, I am trying my hand at motovlogging, but this is a true show stopper, as I am having a hard time watching my own video takes because of the sound.  It picks up my bike perfectly, but my voice... well my voice is horrible to begin with, but I dont break mics with it LOL!

 

Thanks for the help.

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35 comments

• 1
  
  Ilya Filatov April 02, 2016 04:04

  A whole page of issues and not one response from SENA? WTF?

• 0
  
  TwoWheelTrek July 02, 2015 15:23

  Sena, my response to your lack of response.  This is a brand new product.  There should be someone taking an interest in complaints of how it is not working to try to remedy things.

   

  Look for yourselves and listen.

   

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X81RewmVtg&feature=youtube_gdata

• 0
  
  Brandon King July 10, 2015 02:43

  I am also having this issue and it is rather disappointing.  I've used both the wired and boom mic on my full faced helmet and pick up more engine noise than I do my voice.  Any audio from my voice is muffled or scratchy which ruins any video I have unless I'm not moving.  I've put the mic in front of my mouth, on top of my head (behind helmet cushion), the back of my head (behind helmet cushion), behind my cheek pads on both sides and STILL get the same result.

• 0
  
  SequelKnox July 12, 2015 17:14

  I used the small wired mic and it sounded atrocious, the boom mic is a mild improvement. All we need is control over the gain. Is this really too much to ask for Sena?
  This would be so simple to implement in a firmware patch, why are you dragging your heels on a flagship product?

• 0
  
  Ikaminker August 20, 2015 03:10

  Having the same issue with my Sena 10c. Things I've tried: Updated Firmware, Factory Reset, Changing out Microphone, Moving Microphone behind Chick Pad, Disabling Advanced Noise Control... Also went and exchanged the unit for a brand new one, still same problem....... Has anyone found a solution?

• 0
  
  Brandon King August 21, 2015 19:09

  lkaminker, your best bet is to use the SMH10 mic on the 10C.  I have loud pipes and they would cause over modulation in videos without me even talking.  So, I went back to the SMH10 mic I had since it has better noise cancellation capabilities.  Now, you can barely hear my pipes in videos.  That is my solution to the problem as I think all 10C mics are like this.

• 0
  
  Ikaminker August 21, 2015 20:04

  Thank you very much Brandon! 

• 0
  
  Brandon King August 21, 2015 20:08

  You got it!  Let us know the outcome in case someone else views this.  I hate that I had to use a previous mic, but hey, it works.  Now, I can't stand listening to the 10C on the SMH10 either because it distorts on it also.  I ruled out then that it wasn't the unit, but the sensitivity of the mic.  But yeah, give it a try.

• 0
  
  Nick Ling August 27, 2015 12:51

  I was also having this problem. I found that voice quality was ok with the chin bar up on my modular helmet, but badly distorted with the chin bar down. I disabled audio boost and made sure noise control was enabled and this seemed to improve the quality. I have yet to test this on a real ride so will report back when I do this.

• 0
  
  Ikaminker August 30, 2015 19:57

  Hi Brandon, I have contacted the support and had them send me a mic from the SMH10 unit. I just received it yesterday and tested it. The voice quality had improved dramatically, my phone is recognizing my commands  and my voice is clear and understandable in the recorded videos. The only issue now is that there is this "white noise" shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... through out my video but definitely a huge improvement from previous microphone. Thank you very much for the suggestion Brandon!

• 0
  
  Carl Masnec September 21, 2015 03:52

  BOTH MICS DISTORT WHEN TALKING. ADD THE ABILITY TO HAVE GAIN ADJUSTMENT (either automatic or manual) TO THIS CAMERA!!!!

  I have tried both mics, the low profile one, and the boom (and the boom was VERY complicated to install in my helmet, full faced SHOEI gt-air)... Distortion on both mics. There really should be a way to turn down the sensitivity on the unit. GoPro does a very good job at this, when using an external mic. Couple lines of code and this could be fixed. The primary function of the com set is to deliver clear voice. My voice on the recorded video's is completely unrecognizable over 5mph. This is my second experience with a SENA product and I have not been very thrilled thus far. The main reason anyone would buy this headset would be to record video. A video without audio is useless to the motovlogging world. 

• 0
  
  Trevor Steward October 03, 2015 08:42

  At least I'm not the only one with this problem. I have tried all of the above suggested methods, plus a triple layered mic sock with cat's fur thing... The cat's fur (or whatever its specifically called) helped a little with the windnoise, but nothing can help that atrocious GAINNNNN!!! After reading what you posted @Ikaminker, I'm damn near close to just shelling out the extra $$$ and buying an SMH10 mic, and saying a quick prayer that it'll work.

• 0
  
  Ilya Filatov December 06, 2015 21:47

  Dear SENA, please fix this issue. Too many people including me are annoyed by this. How did this get past testing? Mic gain is way too loud.

• 0
  
  Lu Vencl January 25, 2016 00:28

  I just began using the 10C as well, and I also noticed the same problem. Way too much mic gain audio. In the SMH-10's, Vers 2 at some point (I think around firmware ver4.1 and above) there was a MIC boost option, and when you had it unchecked, the audio was perfect. I suspect that the heavy mic gain might be related to SIRI performance.  I will send a note to support to see if we can get that option back again as I agree about the audio issue.. People on the phone complain that I am too loud and are clipping.. And people I talk to on the radio say that they can hear the cars driving by me (this has never been the case and is in indication of too much audio gain) and are having trouble understanding me.

• 0
  
  Brandon King January 25, 2016 00:45

  A fix is to use the Sena Smh10 mic. We've hit this point several times and no fix has come up. So, if you want better mic quality is to use the smh10 mic. I've been successful with it and others. It sucks that we had to resort to this, but it's necessary at this point for better quality.
• 0
  
  Lu Vencl January 25, 2016 02:03

  So you are saying that any SHM 10 mic will improve?  Boom or the stick on button mic like with the 10R?

• 0
  
  Brandon King January 25, 2016 02:05

  Go with the boom mic

• 0
  
  Brandon King April 02, 2016 04:53

  They have on other threads. You got two options, use the recommendation above which works well or try to get better results from the 10c mic.
• 0
  
  Brandon King April 02, 2016 04:54

  I haven't had success with the 10C mic at all. Not with a loud exhaust or lots of wind noise anyway.
• 0
  
  Peter LeTourneux April 11, 2016 17:44

  I have also had big problems with the 10C mic. I vlog and so sound is important. So far I get good video but the sound is terrible. I get static and what seems to be road sounds but my voice is barely audible. Not impressed. For that kind of money it should be perfect. I contacted Sena and they're sending me a new boom mic. hopefully that works. 

• 0
  
  Kovács Balázs May 22, 2016 09:54

  Almost a year gone and still no solution, best company ever! :D

• 0
  
  Peter LeTourneux May 22, 2016 15:56

  I've also had heartaches from my 10c mic. Sena was good enough to send me a replacement mic but that didn't help. I now use a Sony personal voice recorder which I keep in my pocket and attach the microphone to the 10c mic and match the tracks when rendering the video. It works and I get great audio from the Sony but for the price I paid for the 10c it should work perfectly in video and audio. I hope there will be either a fix or an improved product available in the future but for now I don't think I'll be recommending the 10c.  

• 0
  
  Kovács Balázs May 22, 2016 17:22

  May I ask you, how you connect the 10C to another device? Mine has a very specific plug, small 2 pin adapter like, not a common jack or something.

• 0
  
  TwoWheelTrek May 31, 2016 13:05

  Almost a year has passed. Sena did send me a second 10c but that too was plagued with the same issues.
  
  I bought and installed the smh10 mics, both normal and boom. Same sound quality. Bad.
  
  I really like this device, except the part where I sound like I am in a wind tunnel in a full face helmet going a fast 30mph.
  
  I am afraid there is not a light at the end of this tunnel for this product.
• 0
  
  Ilya Filatov May 31, 2016 15:24

  Same here, Two Wheel. They sent me another mic with better foam on it, still the same issue. Mic GAIN is way too loud. This only applies to recorded sound. Comm sound is fine., I'm thinking of going back to GoPro. The sound on it was way better even without an external mic.

• 0
  
  Lu Vencl May 31, 2016 15:43

  Hang in there folks. I hear a software fix is just a couple weeks away.
• 0
  
  TwoWheelTrek May 31, 2016 15:46

  Ilya, I have noticed the same thing.  When I talk to people on the phone, they tell me they can hear me fine.  Not too loud and no background noise (well unless I am going 80).  I can tell 100% listening to the recordings that something is awry.

   

  Lu, I want to believe, but ... it has been "worked on" for a while.  But then again, what am I going to do?  Wait... Just continue waiting.

• 0
  
  Ilya Filatov May 31, 2016 16:04

  I'll wait a few more months...but that's it. I could give it to my kid I guess, just for comms it's fine. I've ridden at highway speeds and people have told me that it sounds like I'm in an office.

   

  To SENA: I would have gladly paid an extra $100 for the unit if it had adjustable mic gain either via software or better yet with the volume wheel. 

• 0
  
  Abel June 06, 2016 05:02

  Just wanted to chime in here, I have been having the exact same issues with my Sena 10c. The audio gain on the internal and external microphone are ridiculous. I have tried three different microphones and different placements and putting tape over the external microphone. It sounds horrible. More importantly my phone cant understand my commands. 
  I tried the small, the boom, and even purchased a better quality lapel microphone. All with the same results. All microphones sound fine when testing indoors and the lapel microphone sounds way better than all of them. But once you get rolling all microphones sound blown out and unintelligible, the better quality lapel microphone, its higher dynamic range works against itself. The better the mike the more the sena 10c fails to correct the levels. It seems as if once the Sena starts picking up ambient noise, it turns up the gain on the microphone and it starts getting blown out. 

  Also, after the marshmallow update on my android phone, the volume gets really loud after an attempted voice command. I can set the volume via the jog dial to the lowest setting, then try a voice command to google by pressing the phone button on the 10c, after it says "i cant understand" the music comes back at a ridiculous high volume, if i touch the jog dial, backwards otr forwards, it sets voilume again to the previous setting.

  I could post sample videos etc if anyone wants to see them, but I dont think it would matter , we all understand the shortcoming of this device. It just really disappoints me when you pay 385.00 for a device that says it will do something and it does not do it.

   

• 0
  
  Kovács Balázs June 10, 2016 11:46

  This will take ages to release, not weeks....and the only thing they have to do is to give the option to reduce mic gain....that's it. Must be f....n difficult.