Sena paired with SR10 using MP3?

[luvtoride]

I have joined the wireless gang & now own Sena equipment for the upcoming years. I have a question that has yet to be answered by Sena technical support & decided to see if anyone here can answer my question:

I have paired my Sena SR10 Bluetooth adapter to a Sena SMH5 headset. Using the supplied cord that came with my SR10 unit, I plugged my Sansa MP3 player into the SR10 & got sound into the SMH5 headset... not good sound (It sounded awful)... but sound. Does anyone know if my MP3 player will play nice with this unit? Maybe I need a certain cord that I need to buy? Anyone know?

 

[Ignacio]

Using the supplied cord that came with my SR10 unit, I plugged my Sansa MP3 player into the SR10 & got sound into the SMH5 headset... not good sound (It sounded awful)... but sound. Does anyone know if my MP3 player will play nice with this unit?

I thought the SR10 was the non-stereo piece more used with things like radios. I would imagine it's not ideal with something where you want good audio quality. I thought the SM10 is more for stereo stuff like MP3 players.

Edit: Yeah, here it is on Sena's page. "Connecting music player to SR10 is not recommended. SR10 outputs mono audio which will diminish audio quality of stereo music player."

I've used the SM10 with SMH-10 headset for years (assume its similar to the SMH-5 in this regard) with one channel for MP3 and the other for Radar Detector and continue to use the SM10 with my 20s in a very similar configuration. I never saw the utility of the SR10 personally unless I wanted to interface with a radio or CB.

 

[Geezer]

Iggy is right. The SR10 is not stereo. I'm not sure if the SMH5 supports stereo bluetooth, so it may not give you great sound even if you use the SM10 mixer. I have the SMH10 headsets and they allow me to plug an MP3 player directly into the headset. Does the SMH5 have that?

 

[luvtoride]

I'm really not particularly looking for stereo output. Not sounding like a tin can would be fine. I have a couple of friends that own this particular unit & use bluetooth for their music & it sounds great according to them.

 

[luvtoride]

I think that I just figured something out... My friend with the same unit that I have is transmitting Bluetooth directly to his headset which is stereo. DUH! I'm thinking that I will be in the market fora Bluetooth something that plays music that will pair with my headset.

 

[JamesK]

Using the supplied cord that came with my SR10 unit, I plugged my Sansa MP3 player into the SR10 & got sound into the SMH5 headset... not good sound (It sounded awful)... but sound. Does anyone know if my MP3 player will play nice with this unit?

I thought the SR10 was the non-stereo piece more used with things like radios. I would imagine it's not ideal with something where you want good audio quality. I thought the SM10 is more for stereo stuff like MP3 players.

Edit: Yeah, here it is on Sena's page. "Connecting music player to SR10 is not recommended. SR10 outputs mono audio which will diminish audio quality of stereo music player."

I've used the SM10 with SMH-10 headset for years (assume its similar to the SMH-5 in this regard) with one channel for MP3 and the other for Radar Detector and continue to use the SM10 with my 20s in a very similar configuration. I never saw the utility of the SR10 personally unless I wanted to interface with a radio or CB.

My setup and use has been very similar to Iggy's, in the past I was piping music from a Zumo550 and now that I've upgraded to a Zumo660 which does support BT Stereo natively I'm still not sure if I'll bother with direct BT or keep going through the SM10 BT Hub.

 

[wyowanderer]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013DTU97I/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is your ticket unless you have a smart phone that has music loaded on it. I have one of these and it paired up with a smh10. This mp3 unit isn't the most user friendly but there aren't many small mp3 players sporting bluetooth on the market currently

 

[LKLD]

I use my iPhone bt'd to my SMH-10, and have my music, Pandora, etc. to listen to. Also, using Siri, I can make/receive calls and listen to text messages. Personally, I didn't like the music quality bt'd from my Zumo660, so I only use it for directions while on trips. Ymmv.

 

[Happytrails63]

Have the SMH10 here paired with SM10. Its nice depending on what your doing with it.

 

[Uncle Hud]

LKLD posted: I use my iPhone bt'd to my SMH-10, and have my music, Pandora, etc. to listen to. Also, using Siri, I can make/receive calls and listen to text messages. Personally, I didn't like the music quality bt'd from my Zumo660, so I only use it for directions while on trips. Ymmv.

Ditto. My Zumo has far more MBs for music storage than my iPhone, but the audio quality -- even when using the A2DP channel -- leaves a LOT to be desired. So, the GPS is on mute and I'm stuck with the 1,000 or so songs on the iPhone.

I'm trying to figure out how to put podcasts on the Zumo, because it would be the bomb to listen to The Moth or Snap Judgement for a couple of hours, and audio quality isn't as critical with spoken word rather than music.

 

[Intech]

I bought a SM10 stereo Bluetooth adapter to try the XM music from my Zumo 665. The 665 does BT for directions and phone, but has to be wired for music. I had been listening to music BT from my iPod to the Sena. Sound quality is excellent. The sound quality through the SM10 falt out sucked. I went back to the iPod and now have a useless(to me) SM10. I even plugged my earbuds directly to the 665 audio output and found that the sound quality is terrible, so it isn't the SM10.

 

[luvtoride]

I'm thinking that I'm going to go the route of trying to put music on my phone & pair directly to the headset. Music is only used for a droning on trip, anyhow & not listened to in the twisties. I'm hoping this works since this has definitely been an investment for me. I'd hate to think I've spent that much money only to be disappointed.

 

[Uncle Hud]

luvtoride posted: I'm thinking that I'm going to go the route of trying to put music on my phone & pair directly to the headset. Music is only used for a droning on trip, anyhow & not listened to in the twisties. I'm hoping this works since this has definitely been an investment for me. I'd hate to think I've spent that much money only to be disappointed.

I also bemoan money that appears to be ill-spent. With the phone plugged into the glove box, it's safe from rain and falling off like my first Zumo. It's also powered, so I can listen to music, talk to people, run the Spotwalla, and still have the camera fully charged for snapping and emailing Big Money Rally bonii.

In your words, a LOT of my riding is "droning on trips". I prefer to think of them as mental floss: quiet, decompressing adventures with the panorama of America passing by my visor. Perfect for books on tape or podcasts that may be compatible with the low-fi Garmin. (Or hi-fi Diana Krall, Joni Mitchell, Frank Sinatra, Beatles ....)

However, luvtoride, there's nothing better in the twisties than Rage Against the Machine, Blue Oyster Cult, or Jet blasting into my ears.

 

[Intech]

I, too, enjoy some spirited music during a spirited ride. Nothing like a little Molly Hatchet Flirting with disaster while peg scraping!

 

[TomInPA]

I have great results streaming music from my iPhone through a Zumo 590 to the uClear BT headset equipped with ear buds. The music has great fidelity, and the ear buds exclude most outside wind noise. There is very little fidelity difference streaming directly to the headset vs through the Zumo, and the Zumo has all the music controls easily accessible. It also can hold 65 GB to be played through the internal MP3 player. This is where Garmin has really advanced their game in terms of sound quality and accessibility.

 

[Happytrails63]

Having an android phone pipe music into sena smh10's has been fairly decent as long as I use the phones custom settings. Using the sm10 for music I agree it sucks quality wise but if you want to use a Nuvi and bluetooth it to the sena along with music then its not bad. I'm just having an issue with spending all that money on a zumo I guess. And a nuvi 2797 is priced so much nicer and its huge for my old eyes.