Sena SRL Motorcycle Bluetooth Communication System for Shoei Neotech II

I tried a bluetooth communicator about 10 years ago, and wasn't impressed. Had a recent conversation with a friend who has a Sena communicator and told me how he enjoyed it. Looking into it a little more, I learned that my helmet (the Neotec II) was designed to work with this communicator. Install is not hard - recommend looking at the available installation videos.Once I got it installed, use couldn't be easier. It connects with my phone flawlessly. Love the ability to make calls if needed (although I would like more than 3 speed dial numbers). Once you memorize the available commands, saying "Hello Sena" makes hands free operation much easier.Sound is better than I though it would be, although (as with most motorcycle helmet speakers) bass is a little thin. Volume is better than I thought it would be. I ride a Harley with aftermarket pipes and I can still hear clearly. Noise cancellation must be really good - did a test phone call and daughter and she said she could barely tell that I was on the bike.Love the ability to check battery level and skip songs without touching anything. Turning on and off is quite easy. Haven't used it in a group setting yet, but am currently thrilled with being able to connect to phone without wires.A little pricey - but as the saying goes - you get what you pay for. From that perspective, I'm very very happy.

What's not to like? The mixed reviews on the Sena SRL had me nervous to shell out $299, but it's hard to complain about something that fits flawlessly and sounds pretty darn good. I'm an audio enthusiast as well so the reviews about the sound quality being poor have me scratching my head. The installation took me a longer than expected and I had to find a video online to get it done. If you have never taken a helmet apart before (like me) the written directions are useless. Other than that everything seems to work fine, updated the firmware and paired with my phone easily.

Installed in new Shoei Neotec 2 helmet. Installation was a breeze and the SRL system fit perfectly. My previous helmet was a Shoei Air GT that was super quiet and a good host for the Sena 20S that I upgraded to. I upgraded the speakers in the 20s with some Thunder Clap units that I soldered in. That was a huge improvement. The bluetooth integration on BMW bikes isn't the best (mine bike is a 2016 K1600GT). Playback from an ipod is very good, but the poor bluetooth integration was amplified by the 20S. The new SRL has made big improvements in that regard. No humm or static, just good audio. There is still a big gap in the bass department, but overall audio is good. Just good, not great. I can talk and hear phone conversations very well, listen to spoken broadcast like FoxNews just fine and listen to music and hear the lyrics. Overall satisfaction is good given that I knew what to expect from my experience with the 20s. The SRL has improved upon that and represents a good buy. I like to communicate and listen to music, so this fits that bill well.

Bought this to go with my new NeoTec 2 helmet.I was on the fence about it for a while, in OEM form there's good and bad about it.The good:The form factor and integration with the helmet is excellent. The install is a bit fiddly and like other reviewers have mentioned, the included paper instructions are lacking. But there's several vids that show the whole process.When properly installed, the wires are neatly out of the way and, the best thing is the control panel which looks like part of the helmet. Other systems have a big do-hickey hanging off the side, which can risk damage.Yes, the buttons can be difficult to operate with gloves as it can be hard to locate and isolate them due to tactile feed back. This is the first, and very easy thing you can modify to make much better. For $3 you can buy tiny 6mm x 2mm dome shaped rubber things, called "bumpons" that are normally used for cabinet door stops. If you take a couple and trim down their diameter a little more with some sharp scissors and stick them on to the + and - buttons, it makes it much easier to locate while riding.I had no problem with device pairing (android). It works instantly and perfectly every time. No problem running the app either.I've only tested comms pairing with one other person one time and that was also easy. But I mainly bought this to use for passive listening as I rarely ride with others. Still, having the option is nice.Now onto the biggest complaint, the volume and sound quality.I ride a naked bike with a small windscreen. The NeoTec 2 does a decent job of reducing buffeting and to some degree, wind noise, but on a nakes there's only so much that can be done. Like many people, I wear ear plugs.I tested using both music and podcasts. At anything below 60mph, I can hear a podcast just fine. Music is also easy to hear, but I 100% agree with the complaints that there is no bass at all.At Freeway speeds, music is still ok but you have to really concentrate to understand what a person talking is saying. This is with all the software "tricks" applied, such as turning Audio Boost on, and maximum volume on both the helmet and my phone. Under those settings, music is audible but the sound quality is for sure tinny.So, what to do? As is, for my use case the actual sound experience was "acceptable" but not impressive. First I thought about returning it and switching to one of the more well reviewed Cardo systems or similar but then I saw with those you need a special adapter that uses tape to secure things to the helmet. I didn't love that idea. I mean, it's probably fine but it is not ideal. Someone has to have 3d printed some kind of adapter that snaps in and holds a cardo but I couldn't find anything.Here is where the review of the OEM setup ends. I give it 3 stars as is.But there is a modification that can be done for under $50 that makes the experience 5 stars. There's an after market set of speakers that are the same size but much better: XS2.1R Helmet Speaker with Foam Spacers Kit. They are a little louder, but the sound quality is MUCH better. Other people have done the mod with Alibaba speakers for $15, so it can be quite cheap.Online you can find threads on how to adapt them to the Sena. If you've ever used a soldering iron, its completely doable. You'll obviously void your warranty, but I''ve read Sena support is nearly worthless anyway.Most people just put those new speakers into the recess with velcro replacing the OEM speakers. But I took it a step further. I took apart the Sena speakers to reuse the top plate with the tabs that snap in to the helmet. I then glued the new speakers on the top of those. What this does is move the speakers closer to your ear by a good 10+ mm which is 2x as close as the old ones. Inverse square law, anyone?This setup is 5 stars all the way. I can make out every word of any podcast with ease at any speed. 100 mph? No problem. Also no tinny sound or distortion at max volume and music has actual bass in it. Max volume is actually too loud unless I'm going 100mph.Best of all worlds now. I realize this could be beyond many people's ability or they may not want to void the warranty, but if you're a DIYer like many riders are, this is completely do-able.End.