What a great idea! No longer will I need to remove my helmet and earbuds to pay tolls or go through other highway stops like Border Patrol.
I only use my earbuds for high-speed long distance riding. Never for around town. With my previous Sena Bluetooth unit, if I needed to talk to a toll booth operator while on the Interstate, it required removing my helmet and pulling my earbuds. I also require hearing aids, so communication with my naked ears isn't all that good, either.
The Ambient feature will fix all that. We had to stop several times for tolls, Border Patrol stops, National Park entrances, and quick gas stops while on the highway. Pushing the Ambient button allowed me to communicate outside the helmet without removing it or the earbuds.
There IS just one issue with the Ambient, though. It very highly favors the lower bass frequencies. Harley motors would almost completely overpower all voice communication. At Grand Canyon, a thunderstorm was booming just as we reached the park entrance. The sound of the thunder transmitted to my earbuds by Ambient was overwhelming; had to ask the park ranger to repeat several times. Wind noise (even light breezes) sounded like jet engines.
The Ambient feature will be perfect when they tailor the audio to more normal flat response or to communication audio tones.
Ken