SCSETC S-9 Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmet Headset - 2000m Range, 6-Way Intercom, CVC Noise Cancellation, Waterproof & Hands-Free with Voice Control - Perfect for Group Rides, Commuting & Adventure Motorcycling

Long review. So I had been eyeing this brand for a while and was going to go with the S-1 model due to the decent reviews. I finally needed to get one due to a biking trip with a friend to the Back of the Dragon. I found out the S-9 was their latest model so decided to give it a try. My review is pretty long as I wanted to cover all my experiences and some cons that maybe due to the design of my helmet and some that are not.Fit: The metal clip that comes in the kit that attaches to the base of the unit is basically useless. This is supposed to allow for a clamp like mounting option and let you move it from helmet to helmet if desired. They must make helmets over there in China super thin as it's WAY too small to fit on any regular US helmet. I even tried it on my 3/4 open face Daytona helmet which has a super thin low profile outer shell and it would not go on that one either. I was afraid if I forced it in anymore that it would break either the base unit or the metal clip. Basically what I'm saying is that you're going to have to tape or glue the base onto your helmet. Which brings me to the other point, the 3m tape provided for this purpose was also useless and did not provide a good stick. I had to go buy a thicker, stronger industrial strength double-sided tape that seemed to do the trick. The back of the base however is in a U shaped design so the contact area is pretty small but it still seems like it's stuck on pretty good.Now for design. I have two major gripes about the buttons. For whatever reason they decided to separate the voice command buttons for Siri (iOS) and Google Assistant (Android). In the instructions it says that it supports only Siri through the big round function button that is easy to press and use. I have an android phone and found that my Google Assistant wouldn't work with that big round function button. In digging through the instructions I found that there is another voice command button hidden at the bottom of the base unit. This button is relatively small and hard to get to with winter style riding gloves. Same goes for the volume buttons, they are pretty small and hard to use with thick riding gloves. I had used the headset with thinner summer style gloves before it got cold and it's not as big of a problem with those but I also have somewhat small hands and it still may be a problem for people with larger hands and fingers.The second problem with the volume buttons is that they are too "squishy". There seems to be a softer rubber covering over a harder plastic button. This basically creates a sweet spot where you have to press in order to have the button work. It's like there is a slight air pocket between the outer covering and the actual hardware button. Again, with thick gloves this is a hassle, not so much with thinner gloves which give you a better feel of where that sweet spot is. I would HIGHLY recommend SCS update the buttons to bigger, solid/harder rubberized paddle style buttons. I haven't tried their S-1 model but the buttons on that look to be a better/bigger design.Use: I have the Scorpion EXO helmet which due to its design, is a VERY loud helmet compared to completely enclosed full face helmets. The front fascia actually comes off as well as the lower half of the helmet so there are crevices that allow for more wind noise than a regular full face helmet. Another issue with my helmet is it doesn't have the normal hollowed out spaces near the ears to put in earphones for headsets. The straps of the helmet actually go over my ears and are triangular shaped and go over my ears like earmuffs. This is where I had to mount the headset speakers. I used some extra strength fabric glue to stick the Velcro pads to the helmet straps. This did the trick and puts the speaker right up against my ears. I found out later during the trip that with a balaclava on this did cause some discomfort after a while due to pressure on my ears. Then again I rode for 6 hours each way and for 2 days of riding. Those with the crevices for speakers might find it a more comfortable fit although it might take some modding like adding some cut out foam pieces/spacers to close the gap from the speakers to the ear.That being said, the speakers are LOUD! To the point that you could probably get ear damage if set to the highest setting. I ride a Yamaha road star warrior 1700cc with Cobra swept exhaust which are LOUD. I could still hear the music clear enough through all that motor and pipe noise even at over 100, ugh I mean 55mph. =) I didn't have to turn up the volume to the obnoxiously loudest setting to still be able to hear. The one thing I do need to tinker with is the volume settings for the music and alerts as the music would be turned down on the phone to a certain level but then the system sounds of the actual headset would still be at a very loud setting so I need to find the balance. The noise cancellation on this thing is amazing! The people on the other end said they heard me crystal clear while I roared up to 80mph with crazy wind noise and my loud motor/exhaust. They stated they would hear a slight buzz like off in the distance but that they could hear me almost like I was talking directly on my phone in my car. I at first thought the Mic was broken as the other end couldn't hear me but found that I hadn't plugged in the mic jack all the way into the base unit. Once I did and felt a click it worked perfect.The only other thing I need to figure out is why the Google assistant seems to work while stopped but not while riding. I'm thinking that it may be the noise cancellation interfering while riding and activating it on my phone when I say "Ok google". I would like to be able to activate it by voice without having to use my hands or the Voice activation button at the base of the unit. I also didn't get a chance to use the intercom as I only had one unit but hope to have my friend buy one for our next ride. I think that it'll work great though.Battery life: As stated earlier. I bought this for our bike trip to Tazewell VA and the Back of the Dragon. Up until the trip I had only used it a handful of times as I bought it about a week before our trip. We rode for about 6 hours to get there and another 6 to get back. I had the GPS going but mostly music at a pretty loud setting. Rode for a couple more hours there once we arrived and I never got any of the battery notification warnings. I charged it to full overnight just in case and rode all day the second day and again with no low battery warning. I'd say the battery life is pretty darn good considering I had the volume pretty high due to my loud bike and wind noise in the helmet.Weatherproofing: It was supposed to rain a little but we missed it so didn't get to test out the rain proofing but I'll assuming it's good as it has the IPX5 rating. I did experience some malfunctioning due to the cold weather. When we left Tazewell it was in the teens and then got up to the 30's. The wind-chill on the highway was pretty cold and we ended up getting home at night where it felt even colder. Some of the buttons wouldn't work like they were earlier in the day when it was warmer and I couldn't get Pandora to work. I however think this might have been due to my phone instead of the unit. I had my Samsung S9+ mounted on my handlebars and from previous experiences phones and cold weather don't mix, they start to have issues if it's too cold out. I had my phone in a thin open case and not a heavy duty fully enclosed case. I'll have to do more testing to see if it was the phone and not the unit.This is my first Bluetooth headset and I've never tried the Sena brands/model or any other for that matter but for the price and functionality from my first real world test, I'd highly recommend this unit. I would've given it 5 stars if the buttons were bigger with a more solid feel and feedback. Also, they need to integrate the voice command button into the big round function button for us Android users.