[66sith]

So, I've never had the need to listen to music/communicate with other riders or answer cellphone calls. I just never had a bike that I enjoyed riding as much as I do the FZ-10!
Now, because I'm so obsessed with the fun of riding my FZ-10, the bike has quickly become my 'daily driver'. The only times (literally) that I'm not riding it is when I'm either sleeping or at work. Minus having to perform basic hygiegene duties or eating, I'm riding the **** out of this bike.
So now I have a small dilemna- I'm in need of a audio/communicator for my helmet. Unfortunately, everything I have read about communicators tell me that the sound quality for the 'audio listening' function of communicators are horrible at best.
I'm hoping that one of the members of this forum can recommend an in-helmet communicator that also has high quality sound for listening to music.
Currently, for listening to music on long rides, I am using a pair of Beats Wireless X in-ear Bluetooth headphones. They are great for sound quality. But, I cant communicate with other riders or take phone calls with them.
Can someone point me in the right direction on which communicator I can purchase to achieve the results I'm after?

 

[66sith]

I should probably add that whatever communicator system I go with, it will need to be able to fit with the HJC RPHA 11 Pro Kylo Ren Helmet.

 

[Ludicrouspeeds]

I can only comment on the Scala rider G9X[/URL] unit. The G9X can accept any earphones or speakers you wish beyond the OEM. It works very well, and has a decent app to easily adjust all the settings. The button layout is a little hard to remember at first, but becomes natural like anything else after time. VOX works pretty good for hands free operation. I have only answered a few calls, mainly from the governor(wife) and clarity is good. I mainly stream music while on longer rides, and it does that flawlessly. No one else I ride with has a bluetooth, so I have never used the rider-to-rider function. scala rider G9x - Cardo Systems

I think the quality of sound is going to be directly linked to the sound level your helmet has. I use earplugs and that seems to block out tall the unwanted road/exhaust noise, and makes the sound almost as good as earbuds without turning the volume to the maximum level.

In short, I like it. I know the Senas are very popular and have great reviews as well. Their 10R is very minimal in the space it requires. https://www.sena.com/product/10r

 

[fjrchuck]

Morning! Having used both brands for many thousands of miles, my BEST advise is...........go SENA! I had Scala Rider G4's, G9's and a G9x and the audio was okay but not great and all of them had issues with staying paired with other riders. And the little rubber button covers will split after a while and allow water in...not good! And any software updates were few and far between. On to Sena, and what a difference. I have used the older shm10 series, both the clamp on model and the slim version and they worked great. Had great battery life and were EASY to pair with other riders. I have since moved on to the newer 10U (bluetooth 4.1) units on both my Schuberth C3Pro helmets and have riding buds who have a 10C (with camera) and a new 10S that mounts really slick to some of the Bell full face helmets. As recommended above, the new 10R would be a great choice. Just be aware that you will probably opt for either a handlebar or wrist remote at sometime as this is the only real way to access all the features available on the 10R. In closing.....go Sena or go home!

 

[66sith]

How is the audio quality while listening to music? That's my biggest issue.

 

[Jeff_in_pdx]

I second the motion for SENA; I have a pair of 5 year old SENA 10B's that still sound great, hold a charge, etc. etc. I'll probably upgrade here in the new future but only because they're no longer doing firmware updates for that model headset and I'd like some of the new features like BT4.1, and the phone app to control things.

I think the sound quality and wind noise cancellation are awesome; have been on the bike and on the phone many times (anything under 65mph) and no one can tell that you're on the motorcycle. That said; I always ride with custom earplugs. On the rare occasion that I've forgotten to put them in, I think the sound quality is probably **** compared to high end earbuds.. You can solve that by getting the SENA with the audio jack rather than the speakers and just use whatever buds you want. Personally, I like not having to deal with a cord and stuff, so the helmet speakers are just fine for me.

The other thing I like about the SENA's is the ease of pairing with other riders (and other brands), and that we can do a group conference call if needed. That came in pretty handy the other day when I had two people on bikes that were behind me a corner or two and I came up on some pretty deep snow with car tracks in it in the middle of the corner. Was able to warn both parties ahead of time that they should slow down. Great tool for group rides.

 

[Jeff_in_pdx]

Hey @66sith:

Check out the Sena website. I seem to remember seeing on there that they have a headset that's already purpose built for HJC helmets (not sure about yours specifically). The headset is built into the cheek pads of the helmet so that there's nothing sticking out of the side of the helmet. Seems like a pretty slick solution if you have an HJC helmet.

 

[Ghostrider.1127+]

scala rider ...

 

[USArmyK9]

I have a Scala Rider Q3 that I've been abusing, I mean using for several years. I use it primarily for bluetooth audio streaming and the occasional phone call. Connectivity and voice commands with my iPhones has been seamless, but voice commands with my Samsung Galaxy S5 just didn't work. Audio quality from the factory speakers is pretty good. The speakers connect to the unit base by a standard 3.5mm jack, so they could be swapped in favor of your preferred speakers, buds, etc. Durability of the unit has been great. I tend to be finicky about songs at times and I've probably pressed the main button on the unit a thousand times while scrolling through songs, and it hasn't worn out.