more volume would be nice.

Comments

117 comments

  • Herman Rip
    Herman Rip

    i have a smh10 and with my htc sensation xe the volume is loud but with my other phone a htc one the volume is a lot less

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  • Scott Siperko
    Scott Siperko

    My input as a new SMH10R user.

    I have a Shoei GT Air wit the speaker installed in the pockets properly and securely. This is one of, if the, quietest helmets out there now. 

    I use a Galaxy Note II with volume mods which can, depending on how far I push them, cause distortion issues. 

    I wear foam ear plugs that are in the 29-33 db ranges.  

    I can hear the music and phone calls (on max volume settings of the phone and SMH10R) OK but not what I would call good or great, 

    I feel that if the volume level of the Sena was 50% greater it would easily solve the issues listed in this thread. I'd gladly give some battery life to get more volume. 

    The sound isn't bad for me and moving the speakers closer to my ear is not a option due to comfort. 

    Being to loud is not a concern of mine. I'm very noise conscience hence the reason I wear ear plugs when I ride. 

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  • Kyle Hale
    Kyle Hale

    Reporting back.  I updated to v4.2, and re-positioned my speakers ON the foam ear/cheek pieces. I had the speakers behind the Styrofoam before.  The volume is at about 85-90% where I would like it to be. for A2DP (music) playing.  Phone/intercom volume is perfect.  I'm pretty happy at this point and won't be a nagging complainer here anymore.  I do think Sena needs to boost the volume just a tad more, but understand if that breeches the physical output capable of the speakers.  Using an Arai XD-3 helmet.

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  • Scott Siperko
    Scott Siperko

    Don't misunderstand, I can hear it BUT just not as well as I would expect.

    A earbud adapter will do wonders for this unit and as another user proved it can be done easily.

     

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  • Jamie Z
    Jamie Z

    I recently purchased a Sena SMH5-FM with the upgraded speakers and found the same problem as many have reported here. The volume was just a click or two too quiet. I wear a full face helmet and earplugs

    If I removed my earplugs, the volume was very loud, so it wasn't so much that the speakers weren't loud enough, I quickly concluded that my earplugs were working too well.

    Previously, I used earplugs with a 30 NRR. I purchased earplugs with a 23 NRR and my problem has essentially been solved. At highway speeds I have no trouble hearing the voices in my head. I mean, I listen to podcasts and I can hear the discussions just fine. The wind/bike noise has not increased to a point where I think it's too loud.

    Of course, everyone's equipment is a little different. Your helmet, windscreen (or lack thereof), helmet type, and many other factors affect what you hear, but for me, simply using different earplugs fixed the problem.

    Hope this helps. I recognize some of the names in this thread...

    Jamie

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  • richard brearley
    richard brearley

    Hi all 

     

    Same issues sort of , bought these yesterday and wish i had read this forum but there ya go !

    I bought dual unit for intercom with the missus. Seams the volume for the phone is perfect , but the intercom between us is a diffrent matter , i can hardly hear after 50mph 

     

    Sena mentioned " then go into each communication mode and increase each profile volume to a comfortable level."  

    the manual does not say anything about this or even cover volume control on diffrent profiles ? 

     

    any ideas how i go into this profile and adjust ?

     

    Regards 

    Richard

     

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  • Matt
    Matt

    Richard,

    When you're in intercom mode and having the conversation with your wife, adjust the volume then.   It will remember that setting, vs. the phone, vs. music.

    But if at 50MPH when you lose it, if you try to turn it up and it just 'beeps' then you're at maximum.

    Good luck.

     

    -MD

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  • richard brearley
    richard brearley

    Hiya 

     

    Thx for the comment Matt 

     

    I guess im at maximum then and having the same problems with everyone else !

     

     

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  • Chris Graeser
    Chris Graeser

    Hey folks - has anyone tried the newest software update? I've had my hopes dashed every other update (not that Sena cares). The software is really buggy on Mac, so I need to borrow a PC to do it and just haven't got around to it.

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  • Paul W
    Paul W

    For me it was "adequate".  I know others that don't consider it adequate, but for me it was enough to justify the tradeoff of comfort and volume and go back to foam earplugs with the speakers.  Custom molded earplugs were awesome for sound quality and volume, but they got uncomfortable when wearing a helmet all day long.  Plus it's one more wire to plug in, which is kind of opposite the point of bluetooth. :)

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  • Chris Graeser
    Chris Graeser

    Yeah, I did get a nice set of Arizona Al custom plugs, and I use them, but really what's the point of the Sena if you need to donk around with more wires?

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  • Terry Wysocki
    Terry Wysocki

    I waited for the dust to settle and now I downloaded the latest installer and firmware. Finally, I'm happy. Volume is good enough with my galaxy S3 in my pocket and I can hear everything well enough on my Ultra Glide with loud pipes. I'm REALLY glad that the update finally allowed me to send the audio to my wife on the backseat. She says the music is too loud and turns hers down a bit!

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  • Tango Romeo
    Tango Romeo

    Shame on me.  

    Wish I'd seen this thread before buying the unit (SMH10).  

    Installed it and paired to to iPhone 5S.  Plays music great.  Spotify.  Phone volume just below phone max (distorts at max); 95%.  This is adequate for low speeds.  At highway speeds, forget it.  I can barely hear calls, and forget about music.  I wear foam earplugs.  Am not giving those up.  I'll return the SENA unit.  Whatta shame.  It just needs more volume. A lot more volume.  The booklet refers to Audio Booster, but reveals nothing about how to find it or activate it.  Am not messing with earbuds.  This (SENA SMH10) is the perfect solution if it simply worked.  But evidently it doesn't.  Wish I'd known.  Disappointing.  SENA, you guys are blowing it.

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  • Kevin Sessink
    Kevin Sessink

    Well to fix the volume problem & bass issue: I installed in-line amp (small enough to tuck under my jacket) & changed the speakers inside to a quality speaker. I appreciate Sena trying to fix it, but sometimes you gotta do things on your own. I use mine for snowmobiling & with the wind, engine, & track noise I must use the amp.  Now if Sena can just fix the poor quality in the flexible plug in 

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  • Ken Stewart
    Ken Stewart

    Wow, it's very sad that Sena just completely dropped out of this forum back in early May 2013.  There were still many complaining about the a2DP volume levels well after that and everything Sena was doing up to May 2013 seemed to simply be stall tactics.  Continuously asking everyone to re-answer the same questions over and over again ... not good.  So, summary here looks like:  1) change the speakers (considering the Tork X-Pros now) and hope that works when using Bluetooth (point of getting this unit in the first place), and/or 2) go in-line/wired and use a headphone amp.  I wear ear plugs for keeping out wind noise, but will try a lower NRR set to see if I can block out sufficient wind noise and hear my music at decent volume levels.  Rest of the features are good on this set, but Sena's horrible response to this issue is definitely something I'll let all my friends know who are considering buying this setup.

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  • Gary
    Gary
    Ken, I agree. Unfortunately a big deficiency in an otherwise pretty good product. I really like my Tork X Pros. To clarify, the greatest improvement was in fidelity with some added volume. Someone at one time said they were at the limit of their amps however it that was true speakers would not so this kind of improvement. I got them at RocketMoto.com. I sent my clamp in and they soldered the new speakers and returned. I just paid shipping one way. Excellent service. Interestingly they said they sell literally hundreds of SMH10s each year and have had very few volume complaints. Also, I use DownBeats ear plugs. Nice product designed for the music industry. Amazon has them.
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  • Chris Graeser
    Chris Graeser

    Gary

    It doesn't surprise me that Rocket Moto (where I bought my Sena as well) has few complaints on this, because the best I can tell it is only a minority of us who use earplugs, and the A2DP volume is adequate without them in (read what Webbikeworld has to say about hearing loss here: http://www.webbikeworld.com/Earplugs/earplugs.htm). Apparently we are a small enough minority that Sena chose to simply ignore us. However, eventually the people who don't use ear protection will have hearing loss sufficient to notice the issue as well and maybe then Sena will acknowledge and fix the problem. In the mean time, I keep updating firmware hoping for a fix each time. 

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  • Ken Stewart
    Ken Stewart

    I just updated to the 5.0 firmware today, so far no noticeable improvement with plugs.  I'm riding tomorrow and I purchased some 26 NRR (previously used 33 NRR) plugs today so we'll see what difference there is then.  Chris, you're right, they'll complain when their hearing starts to fail them.  What they don't realize is it's not the volume per se of the wind noise it's the pressure and turbulence the wind noise creates inside your helmet which is very significant (over 103db) even at low speeds.  Anyway, to each his/her own, I choose to save my ears as long as I can.  

    Gary, I think I'm going to see how the Fiio E6 works (started at the lower end for experimentation sake) and if not enough improvement I'll move on the Tork speakers.  My source at the moment is a Samsung Galaxy S3 with a mix of FLAC and 320kb MP3s so no low-res stuff.  Even with these and trying several different EQ settings, the stock Senas still lack bass, but are definitely loud enough without ear plugs.  Just need to find the solution 'cuz for me I need the plugs.  Hopefully others have experimented and will chime  in.

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  • Michael Goodman
    Michael Goodman

    I'm watching this request very closely.  Many motorcycle riders ride with ear plugs.  Ear plugs block out the high frequency noise such as wind, etc.  We can still hear voices, sirens, car horns, and people yelling at us from the road.  Ear plugs save our ears from going deaf but to hear a speaker system it needs to have high volume so we can adjust it to our liking for the various road speeds.  

    People are replacing their stock speakers with ones from other headphones and modifying and soldering to get something louder.  The demand is there.

    In ear custom earphones such as the ones sold at motorcycle shows and worn by motorcycle police and on stage singers will work but that means forking out more money just to get the sound to my ear while blocking out wind noise.

    I hope Sena can solve this problem soon as I believe this is the best system on the market.  Not to mention the large adjustment knob is easy to use with motorcycle gloves on.

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  • Benny Deswert
    Benny Deswert

    More then 1 thread about this huh :-)

    I'll also post here.

    I used a brand new set to stream audio of a tablet via bleutooth. Volume was low and not steady. Going up and down. But connecting the tablet via the cable did boost the audio alot. However using a simply mp3 player the volume was low again. I want to stream for the functionality,not a stupid cable running from my tablet on my steering wheel to my head. FIX IT please.

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  • Maracon1
    Maracon1

    I recently purchased the SMH10 and while riding tonight I did notice that the Bluetooth volume for mp3 is completely inadequate for highway speeds.  At a standstill, the music is clear but once you get going you can barely hear your tunes.  My old Collett communicator, (which was not Bluetooth), had great volume for any speed.  I just got tired of all the cables and wanted a full Bluetooth unit.  That's my only complaint with the Sena so far - inadequate volume.  Does anybody know how to amplify the Bluetooth volume signal?  After reading this forum, it looks like Sena doesn't give a s$#t about fixing this.

    Volume seems to be better by plugging in direct to the mp3 port but you lose the Bluetooth functionality.  Fwiw, I drive a 2006 Concours, faired in with a good tall windshield - and I am using a 7th gen ipod nano for my tunes.

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  • Maracon1
    Maracon1

    I recently purchased the SMH10 and while riding tonight I did notice that the Bluetooth volume for mp3 is completely inadequate for highway speeds.  At a standstill, the music is clear but once you get going you can barely hear your tunes.  My old Collett communicator, (which was not Bluetooth), had great volume for any speed.  I just got tired of all the cables and wanted a full Bluetooth unit.  That's my only complaint with the Sena so far - inadequate volume.  Does anybody know how to amplify the Bluetooth volume signal?  After reading this forum, it looks like Sena doesn't give a s$#t about fixing this.

    Volume seems to be better by plugging in direct to the mp3 port but you lose the Bluetooth functionality.  Fwiw, I drive a 2006 Concours, faired in with a good tall windshield - and I am using a 7th gen ipod nano for my tunes.

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  • Maracon1
    Maracon1

    Update to last post.  I have repositioned the speakers in my helmet.  I thought the default "positions" molded into the helmet were where your ears would be.  Not so - the speakers were above and slightly behind my ear so I moved them down and forward inside the helmet.  It required a little carving and digging but was easily accomplished in 15 minutes.  I tested the volume at home and it is good now! 

    Sena - sorry for the prior negative post! 

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  • Bob Henry
    Bob Henry
    Maracon1, nice to know it "works at home". I hope you're not disappointed once you get out on the open road. My complaint about volume remains. If it is impossible to improve, just say so, Sena! We, the dissatisfied, might better manage our frustration if you simply say, "Sorry, folks, this is the "state of our art." Or offer some other explanation/response to the concerns voiced in this forum.
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  • Maracon1
    Maracon1

    I just came back from the open road and the speakers performed flawlessly.  It was entirely relevant to correct speaker placement.  There is enough volume to hurt my hearing and I have it turned back now to a comfortable listening level at highway speeds.  And correct speaker placement has NOTHING to do with the speaker pockets that are molded into the helmet in my case.  (Bell Revolver Evo).  I hope this might help some folks who have not confirmed correct placement.  Over and out.............

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  • Bob Farrell
    Bob Farrell

    Hi - I hope this helps somebody ! I was resigned to having terrible music volume inside my Arai Axces-2 (latest firmware etc. etc. etc.) but came across the idea of placing the speakers inside the cheek pad container. This image shows how: http://s11.photobucket.com/user/hobie1dog/media/P1010171.jpg.html

     

    And now at full volume the music is too loud so I am really very happy about this. It was the only feature about the whole product that I didn't like - otherwise a fantastic product, as most people above seem to agree.

     

    I know this isn't a technical fix but hopefully it helps at least Arai (and maybe others) users.

     

    All the best.

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  • MatV
    MatV

    It's 2018, I just got my sena headset to replace a Bilt helmet with built in bluetooth and after one try I went back to Bilt. The volume is ridiculously low. I tried tweaking everything, from firmware to disabling the safety volume control... If you ride with earplugs this thing is not for you (and if you don't, it soon won't be for you anyways because you will lose your hearing). Either way, I'm surprised Sena thought about so many features and didn't think about something so basic.

    Also very frustrating to see that many features (call answering, speed dial, etc) don't work with Ducati's multimedia system. 

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