Sena 20S - Intercom Review / Installation Guide

[@AnthonysWestTexasRides]

Just sold my Cycle Sounds speaker system and used that to buy the Sena 20S. Really excited to get it and use it! Thanks for the detailed review and tips!

[@LambChopRides]

No problem Anthony, you will love it it's a great bit of kit

[@michaelbennett8847]

Hi, A few reviewers online have said the wired mic did not work well, and they went to the boom and things were much better. One phone call complaint was not hearing the other person. Boom install fixed it. thanks!

[@buica4658]

I just bought this one. and this review is one of the best I ever seen. u good men. thanks

[@ConnorFXDB]

good stuff! Was on the fence on the Sena but thanks to your review answered all my questions! Thanks!

[@CodeNameABK]

Nice vid man! I bought the 20S couple of weeks back, opened the box, saw a ton of stuff, closed the box and put it back on a shelf :D Was too lazy/busy to get it installed but today saw your vid, opened the box and now I am typing this after installing on the helmet and trying some its features! So thanks a lot! Btw I became a big fan of you after seeing your video riding Baron's super duke :) Keep vlogging and ride safe!

[@LambChopRides]

Haha that's funny :) glad your finally fitted it matey, great bit of kit doesn't feel right to ride without it now! Thanks for the kind words also :-)

[@bikermart]

Once again an excellent review John, looking forward to the in use video.. My logo looks like it needs a professional update though LOL

[@LambChopRides]

Thanks Simon appreciated :)

[@LambChopRides]

Simon will have a go with Blender the program I did the lamb chop rides logo with if you like?

[@zippysworld]

Simon Parker Ill agree with the logo update matey, interested to see what Mr Chops does for you. A good service needs a good logo! :)

[@flippflopps4026]

Brilliant review. Just subscribed to your channel. Installed my 20s and tried it out yesterday. Very crackly and couldn’t hear the Satnav instructions at all at speed. Need to have another play around but the install looks spot on 🤔

[@ivanandhismightysteed]

love it!! I can see why you got the dual pack rather than the single - save all the faffering around moving it between lids - i gotta get one for me next trip

[@LambChopRides]

It's a great bit of kit Ivan, dual pack wasn't all for me the other was wombles :) you can buy the helmet mounting kit separately, I need another for the X-lite as the kits on the Variant now. Think it's about 70 quid...

[@juggalotuz04]

best review on this product, thanks mate.

[@bradsouders3438]

Thanks for posting. Yours was very helpful & informative Ride Safe, Brad

[@thomasschmitz3765]

Thank you for your reply. Thoroughful, and very helpful. Thanks, mate, great stuff and excellent work. Please keep it up :-))

[@stefbbx6011]

I have the same helmet and it doesnt fit, it looks like you are using a different shape of clip that goes inside the helmet where doyou get this

[@lisajones2831]

When installing the dual system does each rider install the Sena app on their own phone? How does the intercom work? Sorry for sounding stupid. I am a newbie.

[@ninjasandteles6012]

If you plug earbuds into the device, will it mute the ear-speakers? Im asking because im thinking of using a 3.5mm male-male cable to connect the sena and a gopro via the sena's earbud-output to the gopro's mic input, so that all the communication between riders can be recorded in the gopro video too.

[@dan675t6]

Great vid, easy to follow. Looking to use this with the Sena GoPro Hero 4 Bluetooth backpack. Allows rider and others to add audio to a GoPro recording.

[@LambChopRides]

Yep indeed, you can also record the intercom and phone conversations with the Sena 10c or the sena prism via the 20s. But backpack is the cheapest way to do it for sure.

[@TOURMANBOB]

My new Sena 20s EVO has no FM Radio built in. The instructions say so but it simply doesn't exist. I saw a post that indicated that Sena has removed the FM Radio function from their latest units. Can someone confirm this; otherwise it is a defective unit and must go back.

[@TOURMANBOB]

UPDATE: I just spoke to Sena Tech Support and they confirmed my new 20S EVO built in 2022 doesn't include an FM Radio function due to shortage chips. Sounds legitimate and frankly, it doesn't matter really as I can stream FM through my smartphone if I want to. But given that FM radio is so bad, not likely I will do so other than streamed music. But if anyone wishes FM radio, don't buy the latest Sena 20 S -11 unit

[@lisajones2831]

Do you force the clamp between the helmet and liner?

[@federico02072]

well I just took the plunge and bought the set of 20s for me and one for the wife the install was easy just need to practice the commands and buttons but it sounds great

[@sheepish9538]

I tried pairing with my partners simple on sena headset but it won't connect any idea or help would be great all her headset can do is search for bluetooth thats it, I've tried everything to connect my sena, any help would be great??

[@zippysworld]

Nice video chops! Looking into these bad boys for myself. Just need to find out if I can use it to replace my drift HD Ghost Mic too.

[@LambChopRides]

It's a great bit of kit Zippy, I fancy the 10c now which is the 20s with a camera built in basically!

[@zippysworld]

really? that sounds good, cheers

[@xavier415]

I'd recommend the S10 if you are going to be riding in heavy rain. My 20S started to Spatz out in the rain, kinda sucked. After un mounting it and air drying it luckly it worked perfectly fine again. Great Bluetooth though.

[@MotoQuickShifter]

Awesome vid Lamb :)

[@LambChopRides]

+kingbullykutta thank you! 😀

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

I think you should have included one more chapter in your review: Actual Use on the Road. I have an expensive Arai helmet and once the Sena 20S was installed my helmet was no longer comfortable to put on or to take off. Also, in actual use on the freeway, at 70 or 80 mph my friend and I had real problems hearing each other. I don't know the reason for this, but I'm guessing it's wind noise in combination with engine noise. At 40 mph or less, our hearing each other talk was not a problem.

[@LambChopRides]

+waytoosquirrelly I would say you have your speakers positioned wrong, we have no problems hearing each other up to about 100.. anything over a ton and yes it's tricky but wind noise is super loud at 100. Double check the position, I started out with them too high in the helmet. It sounds silly but your ears sit much lower than you think

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

I have a Ducati Panigale and I simply have to wear earplugs to dampen the engine noise alone. Add the effect of hurricane-level freeway wind noise to those two other effects, and the Sena 20s's narrow volume range is inadequate.

[@thomasschmitz3765]

(I am a newbie, and I am German, so please be gentle with my comments & questions, and my English) Great review, thank you very much for making and sharing. Can I just ask for your feedback on the following topics, - According to your best guess, how well will this kit fit to other X-Lites? I just bought the X-661, and I don't know how much of your excellent installation hints I can use for having this properly installed in mine. - How robust is this device (once mounted) when pulling your helmet on, or off? - Is it a big deal to upgrade the firmware once the kit is fitted to your helmet? - Is there anything you need to keep in mind or consider, when de-installing the device? Again, thank you very much for your help and feedback. Thomas

[@LambChopRides]

Hello Thomas, I cant comment on the fit to other X-lites but I have one of these fitted to three helmets and never had any issue getting it to work in the end. If all else fails there is a stick on mount included in the kit. Its very robust when fitted, you can pull hard at it and it wont move at all, you really dont have to worry about it coming off. Firmware upgrade is done via another app on the PC but there is an apple version too, you just download the new firmware file plug in your 20s and follow the on-screen prompts to update, its quite easy to do. To get the best possible fit you need to pull the removable part of your helmet liner out to root the cables and speakers in the best locations. Ive removed my 20s kit as installed the 10c kit which uses different harness. There was no problem at all with the removal, no damage to the helment in anyway. Hope that helps! Chops

[@scottjayson72]

What is it that keeps the speakers in place in the helmet recesses?

[@LambChopRides]

+Scottay velcro pads which stick to the helmet liner

[@roberthaynes7057]

If the speaker wire acts as the radio aerial antenna across the top inside, if you use your own in ear monitors and plug into the jack plug do you loose the radio signal or is there another option?? Great video and heading to the recommended site for ??£

[@LambChopRides]

Hmm good question Robert sorry not sure buddy :(

[@roberthaynes7057]

Lamb Chop Rides radio section 3.4 of manual details use with ear buds apparently use both...

[@tomblok2209]

i also have a xlite 802r don't the speakers push on your ear?

[@LambChopRides]

No it's fine, I don't use the raiser blocks of course but mounted directly it's perfect.

[@tomblok2209]

oke thank u. i go buy the sena. i also heard that the sena can connect with other brands is that richt? my dad has a n-com b1.

[@texaslonestarrider]

Thank You! That was helpful!

[@LambChopRides]

+lonestarrider thanks glad it was useful 👍

[@mochi65]

so it doesn't work in the rain? thanks for letting us know. I almost purchased one of those.

[@LambChopRides]

It does Mochi but will shut down if it get too drenched. It's the jog wheel prevents it from being 100% waterproof

[@mochi65]

+Lamb Chop Rides okay, I'll keep that in mind. During the rain season Hawaii gets a lot of it. Right now I have a Nolan N-com that is inside the helmet and it gets wet and shuts off a lot.

[@joevidya]

I used both the clamp and stickpad, might as well use them for extra grip then throw them away.

[@a4wong]

Thanks for the review. I am new to rider/ passenger intercom, and I see a headset port, is that meant for pillion to connect to the main unit? i.e, there is no need to have blue tooth connectivity considering that both rider and passenger are on the same vehicle..

[@andy44646]

Love mine

[@MuddySump]

Hi. Just been looking at these. You still happy with it 1 year on? Is the range between intercoms as bad as what some people are saying? 1/4 mile and losing signal

[@LambChopRides]

I love it but they only work in line of sight, any thick trees or houses and it looses contact. You don't get the mile they say but realistically half a mile I would say.. It's more than enough

[@MuddySump]

+Lamb Chop Rides thanks. To be honest it would mainly only be for when my girlfriends on the back or something

[@mungos991]

Might be a silly question, but I'm banging my head for a while now... how do you start a conversation between two 20s devices? Do I have to push some buttons or what? cheers mate!

[@LambChopRides]

Take them off the mount and shake them together for the quick pairing Mungos or I think you hold the jog wheel down for 6 seconds.. They have to be paired though. Look at the quick guide on the app

[@womble3182]

Good review buddy! So looking forward to trying this out should be a laugh, just no singing please!!!!

[@LambChopRides]

I can't promise that... :)

[@Shkadoom]

Which is better? The boom mic or the wired mic?

[@Shkadoom]

And out of curiosity, can you use it while it is charging? Say, if you carry around a battery pack?

[@LambChopRides]

+Shkadoom yes indeed you can, would probably charge faster than it draws current so would run for ages! Tbh you get 6/7 hours of talk time anyway so probably no need

[@LambChopRides]

+Shkadoom mic sound exactly the same just depends on helmet as to which to use

[@flyingcatsofthesalishsea.]

Hey, can you offer any advise regarding mp3 and pairing ?? thx

[@LambChopRides]

+Michael Hollier Works flawlessly when I've paired it with anything, instant with my Android phone or with multiple devices. Not tried it with a dedicated MP3 player but Spotify via the phone works great :)

[@flyingcatsofthesalishsea.]

Ok great, thanks for your insight and prompt reply!! Have a great day!

[@Notorious_BFG]

+Lamb Chop Rides this is one question i was desperate to get answered..never been a fan of gadget apps that control your music so knowing i can use spotify is a great relief..great video absolutely full of information!

[@LambChopRides]

Yeah works amazingly Mr BFG, use it all the time with Spotify

[@flyingcatsofthesalishsea.]

Ok cool, have a great day!

[@phillip23]

Great review! Just waiting to get my sena 20s in the mail.... Just wondering, I've watched multiple reviews, can u and wouldn't be easier to to run all the wiring with the cheek pads and liner out of the of the helmet, or is it just too much of a hassle?

[@LambChopRides]

+fantastic phantasm yes it's how I install them now. Just pop pads put completely it's much easier 👍

[@danielmeade3377]

Hey Lamb Chop Rides, how did you get the Sena to fit well with the lining of the X-lite?!

[@LambChopRides]

It fits very well, the inner lining sticks with the Velcro on the Sena speakers. Takes 10 minutes to fit to this helmet I've swapped it between my variant and the x-lite several times now :)

[@samlamberts2036]

does it work with Siri on iphone?

[@amcombi-careltdservice9134]

Yes

[@motogroover2789]

Sir Chop, I've noticed on the Toro Adventure vids you're now using the Cardio packtalk. How do you compare it to the Sena 20s? Ive got the Sena 20S & im thinking of going to the Cardio. Im basically interested in the speakers & music sound levels. I feel the speakers aren't good enough for me in the Sena 20S. Id love to know your opinion on the two. Cheers groover ;-)

[@LambChopRides]

Yes its a big improvement over the 20s, still not decided which is best between the 30k and Packtalk. I dont think its any louder sorry. Some have commentated that the Packtalk is quieter than their 20s! I think speaker positioning is allot to do with it. I have the packtalk and a 20s / 30k fitted to identical helmets and now & have just purchased a DB metre so will do a complete comparison video soon and take DB readings shows which is the loudest.

[@pccoder]

Nobody ever gives a good example of how to get the headphones installed right with all the wiring all inside the helmet.

[@grbrum]

It's not a review unless you use it on the road...

[@LambChopRides]

Look at my second road test video :)

[@buica4658]

I just bought this one. and this review is one of the best I ever seen. u good men. thanks

[@LambChopRides]

Thanks Buica glad it helped :-)