Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 IRON BUTT MAGAZINE | Winter 2014 INITIALLY ANNOUNCED IN Octo- ber  but only recently released, the Sena S Bluetooth motorcycle helmet system again moves the bar upwards in the premium communication systems category. Sena continues to prove they understand their market space and have been listening to what riders want in the way of features and enhancements to previous models. However, the ques- tions remain. Does a rider need all these features, will they be able to remember how to use them when needed, and do the features really function as advertised? While this won’t be an in-depth review of every feature of the new S, it will be from a rider’s perspective and my actual experience. As always with new technol- ogy, your mileage may vary. History According to Sena, “(It) has been pro- viding a wireless communication solution for industrial applications since .” In technology years this is a long time, and Sena obviously understands both Blue- tooth and how communication systems are used on motorcycles. The still-avail- able Sena SMH Bluetooth intercom setup has been an industry-leader since its introduction in early , and my wife and I have been using a pair of them for years. Mine has served me well, from the extremes of a dry Death Valley National Park to a rain-soaked Homer, Alaska. Being a tech guy I’m always on the lookout for better things, so I decided to see how the new S stacked up against the dependable SMH. New Features In addition to sporting a new pop-up antenna that claims to help increase intercom range, the S also adds an additional Ambient Mode button on the bottom of the backing plate, and many new features. One particular feature I personally had been waiting for was the ability to have both a dedicated plugin for both earphones (aka earbuds) and helmet-installed speakers that would turn off if earphones were plugged in. For the SMH this was an either/or proposition. Other new features of the S: Built-in FM radio with presets and the ability to seek/scan, Group Intercom ability, free Smartphone app (Android or iPhone) for easy programming of the S, latest Bluetooth . technology, audio multitasking that allows back- ground GPS and music during an inter- com conversation, and NFC (Near Field Communication) for quick pairing with other NFC Bluetooth devices. In The Box My Sena S Dual-Pack contained everything needed to install the S in two helmets and keep them charged. The included printed manual (English and French) is detailed at  pages, and includes many diagrams for various pair- ings and usages. A PDF version of the User’s Guide is available for download. Store it in your Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud storage account so you’ll always have it with you. Unlike the SMH,the S contains a myriad of solutions for mounting on various helmets along with three different interchangeable micro- phones to suit each installation type. Various Velcro and rubber spacer pads are included to accommodate installa- tion in just about any helmet. A single v cigarette-lighter type charging cord is included, as well as two Micro-USB cables as commonly found with most non-iPhone smartphones. This USB cable can be used with any A/C char- ger you already own. Two AUX cables are supplied for plugging in an external music source such as an iPod, an MP player, GPS or SiriusXM radio receiver. Firmware Updates One of the first things you’ll see when opening the S package is a large notice telling you to upgrade now. This refers to the S firmware. Without getting too technical, firmware is the software (or program code) that’s stored internally in electronic devices such as the S. As with computer programs firmware can contain bugs that may need to be patched (fixed). Firmware updates also give programmers the ability to update Sena 20S Bluetooth Headset Comparing and contrasting Sena’s 20S with the SMH10 By Dennis York ProductEvaluation