Sena 50S & 50R Headset Review 

Glad to see Sena come back from the dead with these new systems. That said, this should've happened two years ago. No reason to ditch my Cardo Packtalk Slim, still going great-guns two years later.

"If you're more than a mile apart, you might be trying to lose someone anyway" lmfao love it

Been waiting for this. thanks for the review Aslan. Nice of you to visit us from Narnia.

You forget a huge difference. The S you can remove the unit from the helmet and charge or put on another mount (on another helmet). On the R, the cables come out from the unit, not the mount.

My cardo freecom 2 is less than half the price and does everything I need it to do. Sena is out of their minds charging so much

I feel like I’m watching a 2016 Cardo Packtalk video. Welcome to the mesh club, Sena...better (years) late than never! Yes, I know the 30K was “mesh”, but I owned one and I’m purposely omitting that goose.......you’re welcome.

"lots of voices in your head, I've already got plenty" haha

First thing I need to know, even before the price, is the IP Rating. If they’re not waterproof, there’s no point in me taking it any further.

You should have Dan do all the headset reviews, he is a fountain of knowledge with com systems.

Sena 50R Battery life and charging in Real life. Just got a double pack of Sena 50R and tested a few things at home ( first upload latest firmware 1.09 from 1.03 and fully charge ) with both units connected at the same time approx 5 meters (15 feet) between. Battery life with full radio music at 75% volume non-stop and at the same time Mesh connection, 2.0 and connection to the mobile (3x con) which draws extra power from the battery at the same time gave about 7.5 - 8.0 hours (No batteries are exactly the same so they got some small difference in power) With no Mesh 2.0 and with only Music/Radio it will bee longer. Very impressive. With a 3 amp, 15-watt charger Charging 20 min about 75% and 5-6 hours of use showed battery in the app (Take it with a pinch of salt as the app showed some strange values sometimes). Full charge in 1 hour with a 3 amp (15 watts) charger then it turned the charge off by itself. In my case only 50 min with a 3.0 amp (15-watt charger). But it does not work a normal (old) USB 2.0 and 1 amp charge from eg a laptop ( USB 2.0 1amp 5watt) then you probably get double or triple the time. Recommend a USB charger 2.0 -3.0 amp or 10-15 watt and new cables USB 3.0 then it goes fast (old USB 1.0 0.5 amp 2.5 watts will take over the night). The Charge source and cables are of great importance when you want a quick charge. Recommends that you bring a small flexible Power Bank with USB-C and charge it when you take a short break if you are going to be out and about for more than 7-8 hours if you play music or radio while using Mesch with a friend. I will bring a small flexible power bank USB-c if I am on a long trip. It can be charged while driving and can be put on the back of the helmet or in the pocket if you do not want cords hanging to us charger on the bike with a magnetic tejp/bracket and short cable 10-15 cm (3-4 inches). What was good was that when the charge status in the app said = 0% battery left and in the speakers, it went on for 30 minutes with full music and Mesh on. but it warns even before about 20-25% battery left "Battery Low level" in your speakers but then it was around 1.5 hours left. If you are depending on your navigator and talking to you it is very good. But It remains to be seen how long it will last with the only connection to Mesh and mobile. But I'm clearly impressed as reality does not usually live up to the manufacturer's promises. Here it exceeds my hopes. To play music nonstop from Radio and ongoing Mesh 2.0 nonstop and con to your phone is very tuff for the battery and 7.5 to 8 hours is really good and a very small 5000 mah power bank only cost 30 -40 dollars and it will recharge the battery in Sena 4-5 time. I will come back when tested with only Mesh 2,0 and see how long the battery lives. And how " Hey Sena" works (It doesn't sometimes) have some trouble with that Google assist jumps in sometimes ( when I say Hey Sena) and I can't turn it of (google ass) off in the app then you turn everything off incl Hey Sena. But the sound ( HDsetup ) is better than you can ask on a bike and I like to have a good sound when I play my rock and roll. But it depends on your helmet and wind protection. I have a BMW R 1200RT and a very good helmet Schuberth C4 Modulär . And I can play at 50 % volume with (Bass boost off on this new Sena 50R HD sound activated in the app ) the sound is very good in these new HD speakers and the volume if you have a good helmet. The mesh 2.0 talk is crystal clear no lagging at all so far. And so simple just one button to press after you start it (the Sena 50 ) and you connect to the other and your phone( have a Samsung Note 8 ) you don't need to do anything it connects by itself. Can't be more simple. And I paid 580 dollars or 525 eur. Do I live in Europe (Sweden) looking forward to doing my long trips with my son on his bike this spring and summer with a Big power bank in reserve to charge my phone as a "navigator" that eats my battery on my Samsung Note and my new Sena 50R. Yes I have a double BMW USB 4 amp (20watt) charger on my bike but you still need a Power bank when you camping or eating a burger or so to charge on a long trip.

They're only like 3 years late to the mesh game. Also, $350 per unit? No thanks, I'll stick with Packtalk.

I’m using 20S, and like the 10S, no music and intercom at the same time without audio dropouts. So, what I’m more interested in is better speaker 🔊 technology and less intercom frustration.

Decent details. I'm guessing you meant the fast charge is unique as PacTalks can be charged whilst in use too. I think I still prefer the PacTalk over this, what would Revzillas thoughts be.

isn't there a difference in mounting? btw nice helmet (link?) thx

Sorry Spooj. This was a sales pitch, not a review. After going from S20's to 50S's, I wish I'd gone back to Cardo for a PackTalk set.

Is Sena still keeping up their waterproof-but-no-warranty bullshit with this one?

Still have my Sena 20s it’s still good and it still does the job!

but did they get rid of that popcorn sound when 3 people are connect?

Does this connect to all Sena devices?

If you do reviews like this, could you please DEMO the units? I have a 20S and I hate the wheel. Too many button combos to do simple stuff. The price is about the same between units, but I wish the 50S didn't have a wheel. Is if far simpler than my 20S to use?

So is this Sena trying to catch up to Cardo's mesh system?

How’s the wind noise with an open face helmet? The Cardo totally sucks even with mic sensitivity set on low.

No mention of mics?

Lovely review 😍😍

3 or more riders: Cardo Packtalk for premium features. 3 or less rider: Yideng BT-S2/S3 budget comm that works, upgrade headset speaker to a JBL standalone.

I’m looking to use my own purple panda mic. Is there a way to connect your own mic?

Pass , still not water/splash proof and noise/wind cancelation far superior on cardo , i will keep my Packtalk slim.

Hey There- my current SRL can charge while riding but not talk. Does this version allow function while charging like the older models?

Is the 50S compatible with the Harley Davidson WHIM Harley Davidson solution

Went with the 50s only because of compatibility with my father riding with a sena unit. Had to send the first one back for a bad speaker and the second one has a bad microphone. The "improved" speakers do sound better but they are much quieter than my old smh5-fm unit.

Wondering when Sena will come out with a 50R or 50S equivalent that integrates with the Shoei Neotec 2?

Thanks for the info, but which Arai helmet (and colour way) is that? 😊

Returned my 50R. They did a small improvement on speaker but still mediocre. Gets distorted. And the bad part is the noise cancelling. It cannot identify voice or just noise. The results? Music and open mesh at the same time is very aggravating. Whenever you rev your bike the music fades. Also any noise without talking music fades. Got cardo bold and its lightyears ahead with Sena

Very interested in head to head comparison of Sena and Cardo together

Need noise reduction. Anything over 30 mph transmits noise from the passenger mic to the rider's headset if intercom is constant on.

What is the best offering wireless / bluetooth offering for Harley-Davidson. The reviews on the H-D site for wireless with a half-helmet are terrible...I have the WHIM installed as I want/hope to use this with Apple CarPlay through the head unit and the wireless unit. I am just looking for CarPlay for solo riding with the ability to community with my passenger...not interested in bike-2-bike etc... Thanks.

Got my 50s dual pack for $450 I think this unit is worth it for that

I’ll go with Cardo Pactalk Bold with JBL speakers and being water proof and also saving some money.

I had the spider and after 2 of them quit I went up to the 50s and it’s nice an all but it’s way too quiet. You can barley hear it on the highway on a pretty quiet helmet an both it and my phone are maxed out on volume.. I’d like something that’s just a bit louder and more suited to music since I mainly ride solo anyways.

Honestly don't see a single reason to go with either of these vs. an offering from Cardo for half the price...a 2-pack from Packtalk or Freecom from Amazon is same price (or a bit over) as a single one of these... That's a no from me dawg.

does the sena mesh work with the cardo mesh networks or do they have to go with a blue tooth option

Got a dual Sena set as a birthday gift. I am shocked that they are not waterproof...why would you make a rider comms device that is not waterproof?

How do the speakers on the 50s/50r compare to the Spider series? I'm coming from a SMH-10 unit and would like a little more volume.

Hi sperge, what arai helmet model you got there? Thanks

I've had the 50S since early June, I bought it mainly for phone functions like music, calling, assistants while riding. The Hey Sena doesn't work at all for me now, Hey Siri does however.. I feel this thing is pretty expensive for what it is, but seems everything motorcycle is expensive. The app doesn't have landscape mode. The audio is nice but the adaptive volume (music) is silly, if you turn the music down it'll just adjust it to max volume again in seconds (I feel like it should honor a max setting of the jog wheel). I did a factory reset to see if maybe upgrading firmware left some bad settings but still the same. Audio quality is good, but I don't have anything to compare it too. I bought this because a riding buddy is a Sena user, sad its like everything else and you have to buy into ecosystems. I've never used the comms yet, yes my riding buddy hasn't actually ridden with me.. lol

Is there any videos out there where a large number of people are using the open MESH? I can't seem to see many videos of the Sena 50 Series in the real world.

The price is outrageous!

can you connect to two phones at once ?

Can you "mesh" Sena units with Cardo units?

does the mesh thingy connects on multi vendor bases or only Sena to Sena kind of mesh ?

USB-C and maybe the thinner speakers (if your helmet can't fit the JBLs) are the only advantages Sena has over the Cardo units. The Long Way Home channel did a great comparison that shows how Cardo is still king with the Packtalk.

Man, back when I got my Cardo 2 or 3 years ago I figured maybe I should wait until Sena comes out with their next unit. Good thing I pulled the trigger, years later and just now on par with Cardo if I am understanding all the features correctly. Are these water proof/resistant?

Are the new 50k speakers backward compatible with a 30k and a 20s?

Just to point out that Cardo units are rated at IP67 and are relatively waterproof (backed by the manufacturer) whereas Sena units are NOT waterproof or water resistant in any way. Sena units come with 'dust covers' for open ports and button gaiters etc but are not suitable for rain! Sena make no mention of 'weatherproofing of any of its product documentation. I live in Northern England and found out the hard way. Wet weather riders be warned!

can i buy the new speakers and attach them to my 30k?

What unit do you recommend, if all I want to do is to listen to music?

Just bought the 50S today and you're wrong it is so quiet Compared to my cardo freecom 2X unlike the senna you can actually hear the music blaring while I still have the helmet on me

What’s the difference between the 50S and 50R?

Which Sena models have hands free access to Hey Google and Hey Sena commands?

Why 50r & 50s? Jog wheel vs. Buttons, that's basically the only difference and a little less battery life. I'll stick with my uclear which my group of 4(can accommodate 6) works just fine.

can anyone point me to a technical paper or document explaining how the mesh system works? Would highly appreciate the help

It's a great unit for music and voice controlled assistant, but if you use it as an intercom- look elsewhere, the wind noise is horrendous and Sena's suggestions to fix it (ie put a latex glove over the boom mic and tie it off) is ridiculous especially with a full face - if they know there's a problem since the 20S and the solution is a latex finger tip, should it not come in the package or fix this problem?

I guess these were not selling well initially? They're currently $265 on Amazon.

Do you have any idea why my 50s will not charge to 100% , this is the second unit I have had with the same issue . I set the headset up following the instructions but it won’t fully charge up or hold a charge for the time it states , I get about 3-4 hours

This price is ridiculous! I'm still using my SMH10R

hi there. will this work with an old Sena SMH10? My pillion has an older SMH10 which works perfectly. so wanted to just upgrade 1 headset only that could work with SMH10

Damn it spurg, when you said "hey Google" it paused my video and brought up my voice assistant.

But is the cardo better?

Are the new speakers backward compatible?

The R is hard wired!! You cannot remove it from the helmet for charging. Key difference between the two!

That's a hard "pass" for me.

Lol the algorithm isn’t constantly changing. Adjusting to the new connections IS the algorithm. 🤓🤓

Surprisingly I'm still using my Sena 3s from 4 years ago..

Going Cardo on my next comm. Sena cost too much and the battery life / waterproofing is a joke.

My Packtalk slim with JBL speakers for 100 bucks less is still the best value for your money.

4:10 the borg LoL 😅

Wish they had them in black

the 50s is not able to bridge universal intercom connections into the mesh. whereas the 30k is able to do this. i'm really disappointed w/ the 50s in this regard.

Packtalk bold came out over 3 years ago and Sena still hasn't caught up...smh

You had both headsets in front of you but didn't even put them next to each other even after you said the size is different

Price is ridiculous, especially for Sena products.

Has anybody ordered anything from Zilla lately? I went to re-order my brake pads and all of a sudden the fitment guide said they don't fit my bike. Baloney. So either the guide is wrong or the listed part number is. Not interested in figuring it out, I switched to Dennis Kirk and everything's perfect... at a cheaper price.

Still has a ton of bugs in their software, many of them carried over from their previous models. No thanks Sena. Your consistently crappy products have made me a Cardo man for life, which can easily be had for far less. Give these a hard pass.

If it doesn’t work they won’t let you return it

A joke that it's still not waterproof. My 20S stop working when it rains

50r is better I hate 50s I had broken mine thinking 50s would be better but I had to trade it in for 50rs again

Really unhappy with the Sena 50 s. So buggy.

This price is fucking insane. The technology involved is not worth this much money.

Did you guys know that Bluetooth was an Australian invention ? Your welcome ! (like I had anything to do with it LMAO !!!)

“HEY!THISISANTHONYWITHREVZILLA WHEREYOUCAN WATCH, DECIDE, AND RIDE. Welcome to our detailed breakdown of the NEW.... Sena 50s, and 50R headset.... AVAILable......atrevzilladotcom.” .....still miss it.

For all that size I was expecting it to take longer to discharge. It's ok to have a day's battery, but they could have differentiated themselves from the Chinese knockoff for the price this is. That thing is bulky as hell.

Meh. Had to use my AirPods pro when my 10c died, don’t think I’m going back to com.

Anyone else's 50s volume way too low when playing music compared to a 20s?

what happened to their helmet?

Respected sir, it is sad to see you got a little chunky in stay home months. Please switch to pedal bike and get healthy again.

Hellllllll no!!! $350 pairs 600+? Nah it ain’t that serious lol

Just got mine in the mail. Upgrading from my 20S. Can’t wait to hear the difference.

Great sales job...I lost interest at soon as you quoted the price...Ride safe take care...

How the f... can they charge for a piece of plastic with 4 buttons, a battery, some headphones and a BT comm unit more than a smartphone which has all these and more? Cardo and Sena are thieves and no one should allow such business practices.

Is their phone up still the same unusable pile of junk?