SenaSRL 2 Motorcycle Bluetooth Communication System Compatible for Shoei GT-Air 2 Helmet

I would give this a 4.5 star rating mainly due to the complicated button usage and having to have the helmet where the charging happens but I rounded up since that wasn't an option. I should start by saying that when we replaced our old Shoei helmets with new ones and we saw the integrated comms, we decided to try them out. Our previous 2 comm systems were Cardo ScalaRider PackTalk systems that are 6-7 years old, so that's where my comparisons to our "old comms" are from.Install was easy and the integration with the helmet is outstanding. The drawback to being integrated with the helmet is that we now have to keep our helmets in the house if we don't want the cold garage to drain the battery in the wintertime. We also don't have a lot of outlets in the garage near our helmet shelf, so we have to bring the helmets in to charge.Compared to our old comms, the buttons are harder to use, especially with gloves on. Both of us have accidently turned the Sena unit off and also somehow got stuck in FM radio mode. There is also a very fine line between tapping a button and holding it for 1 second. I'm sure practice will make things better but currently we're in that struggling phase of the learning curve.Battery -- Our old comms batteries didn't seem to last as long. We could use them for about 6-7 hours and then it seemed one or the other would start giving us low battery warnings. So far on the Sena, we haven't charged them yet and they are still displaying 70-100% full when we turn on the comms. I've gone for 3 3-hour+ rides and mine still shows high battery. I also like that you can see battery status, the old comms didn't have that feature.We are using a full faced helmet with fixed microphone and a neotec with a boom mic -- wind noise in the boom microphone is much less than our old comms.Pairing was easy between the 2 units. Unsure if we can easily add other people or other comms.Pairing was easy between my phone and the unit and/or an iPod and the unit.Volume hasn't been an issue with the Sena. The old comms would limit the music volume when 2+ paired devices were both on at the same time. Not only would it dim the volume while we were talking, but it would not allow us to turn the music up as much as we wanted when we weren't talking. Sena does not appear to have this limitation. We have both been turning up and down the volume as needed during the ride and whether we're talking or listening to our individual music doesn't seem to affect anything. As far as speaker quality, I don't really have an opinion -- the speakers provided are good enough for my use. I've never been someone who absolutely demands to hear every little nuance in the music they're listening to. For those people, I believe they can substitute other speakers if they don't find these adequate.

Very nice comm system

Pros:1) Comms system fits into helmet as designed. The instructions are lackluster, but ultimately, I was able to install it with no exposed wires, and it seemed pretty legit (visually). That should be a given though, considering it was designed specifically for the Shoei GT-Air 2 helmet.2) Updating firmware and connecting to Bluetooth was a breeze. And every time I turned the comms system on after that, it reconnected to my phone automatically.3) The charging time was as-advertised, and battery life seems to be good (I used it for 3.5 hours at max volume, and it only took 30 mins to re-charge after).Cons:1) The first thing I did was upgrade the firmware. Then, per a Reddit forum I read, I turned on the audio boost before trying it out. The audio boost was almost deafening with only treble, so I turned that off. Sound quality improved but was still not great, and it was only audible under 60mph.2) The advertised “noise-canceling” was an absolute joke, and the adaptive audio made no difference at all. The sound was too loud ant lower speeds and almost inaudible on the highway, at max volume. Again, audio boost only seemed to boost treble, which was deafening.3) On the highway, the GPS voice was almost completely inaudible, rendering GPS-by-ear useless.4) The charger is a micro-USB (outdated), and it plugs in the bottom of the Bluetooth module, meaning you can’t (or shouldn’t) stand the helmet upright while charging. The whole system is wired together, so the Bluetooth module cannot be removed for charging independent of the helmet.Overall, the only rider I can see this headset working for is someone with a quiet bike that keeps it under 60mph. Otherwise, you’re in for a huge disappointment, especially considering the price point.

Works great

Good Product! I had reservations about this system because of all the negative comments regarding the speaker quality. Download the device manager from the Sena website, update the firmware, THEN TURN THE SOUND BOOST (I believe that's what it's called, not sure on that) ON in the manager. This changes everything. You also have to save it to the system. It will ask again if you want to 'save' or 'update' the firmware. The first time I did it, I thought it did it automatically. It did not. When I plugged the system back in the sound boost was not checked, I repeated it and saved it to the firmware and BOOM! Problem solved. You would not want to wear the helmet with it on max. volume. The sound is the best quality I have had. I'm a four-season rider. I've had a motorcycle endorsement since 1981. Been riding for several years before that. New tech is not my thing, but this system is NICE. Perfect fit to my NEOTEC 2 as it was made for it.Sena's installation pamplet stinks. You Tube is your friend. Watch the video(s) first. There was a small tool that came with the helmet which makes taking out the blank plugs and installing the system much easier. It would have saved me a lot of grief if it was made mention of before in the Sena instructions. Among other things.DO NOT make a judgment call on the speakers until you are sure the sound boost is ON.Linking the system to my '23 BMW GSA was flawless. You Tube again saved my bacon.GOOD LUCK!!