Sena 20s - happy?

mw3230 · Dec 5, 2016

I've used Sena for a number of years and have been happy with the product. That's why when my SMH10 began to fail I was happy to upgrade to the 20s - I particularly wanted the ability to continue to hear satnav directions without it interrupting the intercom.

What's it like? The answer has got to be disappointing overall and the reason I say that is because of the intermittent strange interference on the intercom. I've ridden with different friends who have Sena intercom - 20s and SMH10 - and at times everyone reports what has been described as a drumming sort of sound - like rain on a caravan roof, like an echoing pea on a drum - sometimes quietly in the background, sometimes loud enough to drown out the comms.

We haven't been able to identify any particular set of circumstance when the interference occurs, at times it can happen when we are riding a few metres apart and at times it happens when we are spread out along the road. We've tried switching off and on again, turning off various sets to see if one of them was the cause and we've tried visor open/visor closed riding. We have not been able to pinpoint any cause.

I'm going to copy this comment onto the Sena Helpdesk site but wondered if anyone had had similar experience, and has anyone come up with a solution

Thanks

paul08 · Dec 5, 2016

I have a Sena 20S for me and my pillion. Intercom works fantastically. Never had an issue with it. Also no problems receiving satav instructions or telephone calls voa my Nav V.

I would unreservedly recommend it

russ996duke · Dec 5, 2016

sena 20s for me too, a bit of a faff to set up (nowhere near as complex as autocom), works very well for music and sat nav, phone too when i tried it altho had that paired thru zumo as i use an old ipod classic for music and sena kept confusing it with phone.
had an issue thru my ignorance with various apparently random "beeping" noises, after some research this was due to a combination of things, where 2 senas were beeping when B2B connection was lost thru distance also gps instruction beeps being heard (my co riders "beepings" too) once we realised this we could sort it
bike to bike was fine altho range not brilliant and from time to time for no apparent reason it kept dropping the connection out ( to another sena 20s), but when it worked sound quality excellent, mic good, use earbuds and quality excellent thru those, speakers fine for satnav but crap for music above 30 mph.

long thread on adv forum about this might be worth a read
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/sena-s20-experience.993790/page-66

seem to recall when users had interference, sena suggested a full reset and re pair stuff up.
hth

Reggie P · Dec 5, 2016

Came to the 20 from the shockingly incompatible SRC crap that Schubeth sell...

Absolutely love the S20. I suspect you'll love it too

Chunkstar · Dec 5, 2016

Only used twice but I'd say bloody good so far

ninjarich1971 · Dec 6, 2016

We are on the 20s too. Me the missus and another mate. We connected together so that all three of us can chat quite happily at illegal motorway speeds. When only two of you are chatting together then it's hd crystal clear but whenever the third joins in, whichever it may be then you do lose a bit of quality. Spoke to sena about it and the bod explained that it was due to the limits of Bluetooth technology etc.
With regard to range then it's good for half a mile or so line of sight and slightly less in built up areas but all in it's a massive improvement over my old autocom unit. Does like being updated software wise tho. I would heartily recommend it to anyone.

pmd · Dec 16, 2016

Overall its good. The group intercom (6 of us) can be a bit hit or miss getting initially connected but works well after that. Voice sound quality is excellent but the music lacks bass. At times we've also had some strange interference which sounds like clacking typewriters. We ruled out flapping chin straps, etc but it sounds just like it. Some of us have had problems with rain - it isn't waterproof which seems a bit crazy.

The best thing for me is following someone through blind twisty corners (e.g. route 666 - devils highway, AZ) - you can hear their throttle open and guess the radius to get your entry speed right

garan · Dec 16, 2016

I sent my 20S back because it completely failed in the rain. Sena told me that it was only suitable for use in "inclement" weather and wasn't fully waterproof. I'm sure it was due to my riding position (sports bike) putting it at an untested angle as most people who have told me "I've never had a problem even in a monsoon" are riding sports tourers or adventure bikes. I had the issue in mist let alone heavy rain.

I now have a Scala G9X and from my experience with that, if your intercom mates are all on the same brand then stick to a single brand. There's no common standard for intercoms yet and as a result I've given up on bluetooth intercoms. With hindsight I should have got the £99 on Amazon, Scala QZ which would have let me Bluetooth to my GPS and make/receive calls via the satnav if I really need to get in touch with someone. I'm not missing the interference, noise and singing over the intercom..

Maybe the Nav 7 will have a 'Pack Talk' facility as setting it up on a touch screen and being able to turn it on/off via the touch screen or the handlebar multi-control would be great. It feels like the right place to control the comms.

Roadrash Rider · Jan 24, 2017

mw3230 said:
I've used Sena for a number of years and have been happy with the product. That's why when my SMH10 began to fail I was happy to upgrade to the 20s - I particularly wanted the ability to continue to hear satnav directions without it interrupting the intercom.

What's it like? The answer has got to be disappointing overall and the reason I say that is because of the intermittent strange interference on the intercom. I've ridden with different friends who have Sena intercom - 20s and SMH10 - and at times everyone reports what has been described as a drumming sort of sound - like rain on a caravan roof, like an echoing pea on a drum - sometimes quietly in the background, sometimes loud enough to drown out the comms.

We haven't been able to identify any particular set of circumstance when the interference occurs, at times it can happen when we are riding a few metres apart and at times it happens when we are spread out along the road. We've tried switching off and on again, turning off various sets to see if one of them was the cause and we've tried visor open/visor closed riding. We have not been able to pinpoint any cause.

I'm going to copy this comment onto the Sena Helpdesk site but wondered if anyone had had similar experience, and has anyone come up with a solution

Thanks

Really late to this thread but may have a possible solution for this problem. Me and my riding buddy got a pair of 20s to play around with early last year, by September we had ditched the autocoms in favour of the 20s units, until my buddy turned up with a new helmet. He had transferred his headset into the new helmet, we had the very same sounds and it became unusable, on very close inspection the helmet clamp had been pushed too far in and although it wasn't loose the bolts were not tight closing the bracket against the body. And the mic cable was moving, just dropping the clamp down a touch and the screws clamped tight to the body stopping the mic lead movement. All the noise and feedback cured, worth a check

mw3230 · Jan 25, 2017

Roadcraft-Rider said:
Really late to this thread but may have a possible solution for this problem. Me and my riding buddy got a pair of 20s to play around with early last year, by September we had ditched the autocoms in favour of the 20s units, until my buddy turned up with a new helmet. He had transferred his headset into the new helmet, we had the very same sounds and it became unusable, on very close inspection the helmet clamp had been pushed too far in and although it wasn't loose the bolts were not tight closing the bracket against the body. And the mic cable was moving, just dropping the clamp down a touch and the screws clamped tight to the body stopping the mic lead movement. All the noise and feedback cured, worth a check

Good tip and thanks for the suggestion although in my case I'm using the stick on attachment as the clamp won't fit into my Schuberth. None theless, I'll double check all of the connections.

On a day to day basis I've come to accept that the attempting to use the 20s with more than a couple of three in the conversation isn't really practical on a ride as the varying terrain causes comms to be interrupted, and as riders drop out of the conversation the communication between the remainder is usually broken (the upcoming 30s seems to address this issue but it will be a long time before we are ready to spend more money to upgrade). The best performance, perhaps not surprisingly, is between 2 or 3 20s sets riding in sight of each other. Adding SMH10 sets into the conversation does work but the sound quality is less good then when the communication is exclusively between 20s sets.

My assessment - the 20s is very good but still has annoying shortcomings (not the least a mysterious tendency to switch off for no apparent reason and without warning)

DC · Jan 25, 2017

I use a Sena 10r , ok it's a different model, but it's sublime. Love it, not had any issues at all

Good luck with the Sena helpline, as I'm told that's the only bad part of the company !

mbnu99 · Jan 25, 2017

Poor experiences with Sena 20S, or is it?

I have a 20S as well and had it for about 18 months now. I had the same interference problem you have, although mine came about when on a phone call to someone, not all the time but very often and there appeared to be no pattern to it. I contacted Sena and they said simply replaced the unit, I still had the problem so Sena said it was probably the BMW Navigator IV so I contacted BMW and they kindly replaced the Sat Nav. However, I still had the problem and just lived with it, I recently change my phone to a Google Pixel and guess what I still have the problem when making phone calls.

There is obviously an issue out there and from reading the Sena formus my/our? problem is not just ours and is experienced by many people. . . If you ever find a solution I'd love to know.

Martyn

mw3230 said:
I've used Sena for a number of years and have been happy with the product. That's why when my SMH10 began to fail I was happy to upgrade to the 20s - I particularly wanted the ability to continue to hear satnav directions without it interrupting the intercom.

What's it like? The answer has got to be disappointing overall and the reason I say that is because of the intermittent strange interference on the intercom. I've ridden with different friends who have Sena intercom - 20s and SMH10 - and at times everyone reports what has been described as a drumming sort of sound - like rain on a caravan roof, like an echoing pea on a drum - sometimes quietly in the background, sometimes loud enough to drown out the comms.

We haven't been able to identify any particular set of circumstance when the interference occurs, at times it can happen when we are riding a few metres apart and at times it happens when we are spread out along the road. We've tried switching off and on again, turning off various sets to see if one of them was the cause and we've tried visor open/visor closed riding. We have not been able to pinpoint any cause.

I'm going to copy this comment onto the Sena Helpdesk site but wondered if anyone had had similar experience, and has anyone come up with a solution

Thanks

Deleted account Aberdeen GS · Jan 25, 2017

mw3230 said:
Good tip and thanks for the suggestion although in my case I'm using the stick on attachment as the clamp won't fit into my Schuberth. None theless, I'll double check all of the connections.

On a day to day basis I've come to accept that the attempting to use the 20s with more than a couple of three in the conversation isn't really practical on a ride as the varying terrain causes comms to be interrupted, and as riders drop out of the conversation the communication between the remainder is usually broken (the upcoming 30s seems to address this issue but it will be a long time before we are ready to spend more money to upgrade). The best performance, perhaps not surprisingly, is between 2 or 3 20s sets riding in sight of each other. Adding SMH10 sets into the conversation does work but the sound quality is less good then when the communication is exclusively between 20s sets.

My assessment - the 20s is very good but still has annoying shortcomings (not the least a mysterious tendency to switch off for no apparent reason and without warning)

Perfect Summary ... 100% my experience too.

fatbob99 · Jan 25, 2017

Not a big fan of my S20 either........any sort of speed and out comes " say a command".....fucking thing.
Loved the 10 I had for years , would buy another 10 if I had the chance again after the experience

Sena 20s - happy?

mw3230

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paul08

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russ996duke

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Reggie P

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Chunkstar

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ninjarich1971

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pmd

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garan

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Roadrash Rider

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mw3230

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DC

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mbnu99

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Deleted account Aberdeen GS

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fatbob99

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