Are you interested in the Sena 30K motorcycle intercom and want more information about its features and prices?
In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about the 30K intercom from South Korean company Sena. I’ll talk about the pricing and the opinions of those who have tested it.
Sena 30K: Full review
For many riders, Bluetooth intercoms have become a must-have product for their travels.
We have become accustomed to getting GPS directions, answering phone calls, and listening to our favorite songs at the touch of a button instantly.
After more than a decade of development, these devices now include an incredible range of features and more processing power than their predecessors.
In this article, I’ll cover the Sena 30K, the top-of-the-line intercom from the Korean manufacturer Sena: a product with an exquisite design, excellent audio quality, and simple operation, designed to help you communicate with your passenger and fellow riders on other motorcycles.
Index
Why choose Sena 30K
30K is Sena’s new top-of-the-line intercom, which goes on top of the excellent Sena 20S EVO intercom.
The reasons why you should choose the 30K are as follows:
- is a reliable intercom
- the audio quality is outstanding
- Mesh technology allows you to communicate with an unlimited number of riders (over 30,000)
- voice commands are highly convenient and will enable you to use the intercom without ever taking your hands off the handlebars
Read on to find out all the features and opinions of the new Sena 30K
Overview
The 30K is similar in shape to the 20S, with a slightly bulky stature and a large jog dial (i.e., the large central rotary button that doubles as a button) at the front of the device.
Thanks to the newest Mesh technology (which I will cover in-depth in a moment), the 30K can connect with up to 16 users in private mode and a virtually infinite number of users (up to 30,000) in public mode.
The 30K has excellent sound quality, high volume, and large 40 mm diameter speakers.
What you will find in the box
The box is exquisite; inside, it is divided into two layers.
The top one contains the two basic units, while inside the bottom layer is a handy paper guide along with all the other accessories.
Inside the box, you will therefore find:
- Two 30K modules
- headphone clamp attachments
- wand microphones and wired microphones
- speakers
- Several foam pads for the microphone and speakers.
- Micro-USB power and data cable.
Range of action
The Sena 30K in Public Mesh mode is the only Bluetooth intercom on the market that allows you to connect with an unlimited number of riders and allows up to 6 riders to talk simultaneously.
While extremely easy to use, the Public Mesh mode has two limitations in my opinion:
- First, it works like any radio channel: anyone can listen to your conversation if they have a 30K.
- The other limitation is its range: everyone must stay within a 2 km radius to keep active communication with each group member.
When I tested the 30K with my fellow riders, we spent most of our first day of testing in Public Mesh mode, and it worked excellently as long as each of us stayed within a 2km radius.
As soon as the group began to break up, the leading and trailing riders struggled to connect.
No fear, however. As soon as they re-approached the group, the connection was automatically re-established.
But the Public Mesh is one of many options in the 30K.
To further expand the range, Sena has introduced a second mode called Private Mesh that allows up to 16 riders to stay connected within an 8km range.
Activating Private Mesh is extremely simple: all a rider has to do is hold down the mesh button for 5 seconds, which sends an audio invitation to all other riders in range to join the group.
Pilots click the button once to accept the invitation and connect in about 16 seconds.
The Sena 30K in Private Mesh mode has a claimed maximum range of 8km but, as Sena has written on its website, the characteristics that are stated may be reduced if you are facing an obstacle, driving up a hill or going through a forest.
I must admit, however, that both the Private and Public Mesh modes amazed me with their ease of use.
Audio
I tested the intercom with a full-face helmet, and the audio quality is good, up to about 130 km/h, similar to top-of-the-line competitors.
Factors that can significantly affect you are your vehicle’s aerodynamic protection and your helmet’s soundproofing capabilities.
The better these are, the easier you will be able to communicate.
What about music?
Don’t worry. The earbuds have a high maximum volume and will allow you to enjoy your favorite playlists on your runs.
Battery life
One disadvantage of the new Mesh technology is that it uses more power than standard Bluetooth.
The Sena 20S provides 13 hours of talk time, while the 30K in mesh mode only 8 hours.
For most riders, 8 hours is more than enough, but if you’re like me, riding your bike for even full days, it might be a little short.
During testing, I received the voice message “Battery level low.”
Fortunately, the new 30K is equipped with a Rapid Recharge function.
A 20-minute charge while I was getting gas was enough to increase battery life by more than 3 hours.
If you forget to charge the intercom overnight, no worries! A full charge takes only 1.5 hours-the fastest charging time I’ve ever seen on any Bluetooth intercom.
Sena 30K: Features
Although Mesh technology is the main feature of the new 30K, the new unit comes with several other gadgets.
It includes the same feature set as the previous top-of-the-line, the 20S, namely:
- allows you to connect two separate Bluetooth devices, such as an MP3 player, cell phone, or portable GPS;
- allows music sharing and an FM radio;
- features audio multitasking, a function that automatically turns down your background music when you answer a call or participate in an intercom conversation;
- for those who want to use earbuds equipped with “noise suppression,” there is a 3.5 mm audio jack and an ‘Ambient Mode’ button that allow you to hear sounds outside the helmet (e.g., the voice of the toll booth attendant).
The 30K has two separate antennas and processors, one for standard Bluetooth and another for Mesh technology.
This allows the device to connect only with standard Bluetooth (Sena or non-Sena) or Bluetooth and Mesh simultaneously.
Voice commands
A great new feature of the 30K is the presence of voice commands, a feature I love and want to devote a special section to.
There are only two sentences you need to remember.
If you say “Hello Sena” at any time, the device will enter voice command mode and ask you to “Say a command.”
Just ask “What can I say?” for a complete list of available commands.
While it may seem a little strange at first, after a few days of use, the voice assistant will become your best friend, and you can tell it, for example, to turn on the music, change radio channels, and check the battery level.
You can activate your phone’s virtual assistant (e.g., Siri, Google, Cortana) by pressing the “Phone Button” once for even more voice command capabilities.
This gives you the full range of commands available on your phone such as “Call my wife” or “Take me home.”
You also can control Sena 30K with a smartphone app that allows you to configure private networks, favorite phone numbers, pre-set radio stations, and more.
Device settings can be easily configured through the app, such as multitasking audio volume, voice command sensitivity, or audio quality settings.
Main features and functions
- Audio quality: good up to 80 mph
- Communication distance: up to 2.0 km in open, interference-free spaces via both Bluetooth and Mesh intercom
- Number of connected users: up to 16 (Private Mesh), up to 30,000 (Public Mesh)
- Battery life: up to 13 hours of use (up to 8 when using Mesh technology)
- Charging time: 1.5 hours
- Universal intercom: yes
- Music sharing: yes
- Automatic volume adjustment: yes
- Voice messages: yes
- Helmet compatibility: Universal
- Waterproof: yes
- FM radio: yes with RDS AF, 10 station slots, and an automatic scan feature (64-108 Hz).
- Bluetooth: 4.1.
- Compatibility with TFT systems: KTM MyRide (more info here) and BMW (more info here)
- Wind Noise Suppression: Yes (Advanced Noise Control), SBC Codec, extensive volume control, and 48 kHz sampling rate (DAC).
- Other features: The 30K can pair with action cams (such as GoPro) and record audio via the Sena Bluetooth Audio Pack, voice prompts, firmware update, and a two-year warranty.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Voice commands
- Option to communicate with an unlimited number of users in public mesh mode
- Option to communicate with 16 users in private mesh mode
- Excellent audio quality
- Ease of use
- Audio multitasking
- Fast charging time (1.5h)
Cons
- Not very cheap
- Bulky
- Limited battery life (when using Mesh technology)
To whom it is addressed
I recommend Sena 30K if you love traveling in a large group.
I would recommend something other than it if you are looking for an inexpensive device or an intercom for urban travel.
Sena 30K instructions
Sena 30K can be easily installed on any helmet despite being somewhat bulky.
Find out how to install Sena 30K on your helmet.
Sena 30K manual
Click here to download a free instruction manual for the Sena 30K Bluetooth intercom.
Conclusions
The new Sena 30K is a feature-rich device, but what particularly impressed me is how Sena has made everything incredibly easy to use.
Whether it is the configuration of the intercom, the voice commands, or the app, everything seems carefully designed to reduce mental effort on the user’s part.
Glove-proof buttons, clear instructions, and helpful videos to answer all your questions further promote ease of use.
If you travel in a group of four or more riders, whether you are a Bluetooth intercoms newbie or a tech geek, the 30K will become your favorite travel companion.
On the other hand, if you have been “burned” in the past by intercoms that are too difficult to use, the new Sena 30K may change your mind.