HONEST REVIEW: Sena 50 Series Motorcycle Bluetooth Communicators | 50S & 50R
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
- Sena 50R (paid link): geni.us/Sena50R
Sena 50S (paid link): geni.us/Sena50S
Sena 50 Series Unboxing and Installation: • Sena 50S and 50R Unbox...
Sena has released their 50 series motorcycle Bluetooth communication systems, the 50R and the 50S. We go in-depth testing their features, including a range test and a wind noise test.
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#sena #bluetooth #motorcycle
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Who is getting along with their new Sena 50 series?
It tends to work pretty well for my group. Except for the fact that the battery life when using the Mesh sucks (I am lucky to get much more than 5 hours), it pretty much works as advertised. Sounds quality is as good and a bit louder than the Cardo Packtalk JBL.
I have the 50S, replaced 20S with the new one. The new speakers seem more comfortable along my ears as well as sound better (don't know, could be that I mounted them better this time). Like the 50S so far
I just Got mine. Can’t get the wifi to work correctly. Tried for about 20 min and gave up...
I really wanted to like my 50s, the audio quality is awesome and the unit is so loud that I can hear music while cruising on the highway while wearing earplugs. The open mesh is cool. But the software still feels glitchy, cannot get the wifi adapter to connect, I cannot get the voice assistant to work AT ALL, but hey google / hey Siri works just fine. I have a cardo coming tomorrow and I 'll decide which one to keep. It has so many good things going on for it but bad software is really a deal-breaker I don't want to get stuck with bugs for the next 2-3 years. Why can't SENA figure out their sh*t?
chikosneff - Let’s know how you go comparing it with the Cardo (and which model Cardo you got)? 👍🏼
The words I had been waiting to hear. Thanks for the full run down mate.
Great info mate, saved me time of reading and searching for features I care about like waterproofing and handsfree mode when flip lid is up. Will wait for next series when device is usable under heavy rain and can enjoy riding with it when air noise will not cancel my music. Overall good product but not yet enough to pull the trigger. Great quality video, picture quality and short and on point information. Cheers
I've been using a 20s for a few years. I live in the American Southwest. Wide open desert. My device has a range of one mile. Just tested that a few weeks ago with two friends. I did an Iron butt ride a while back. I road through torrential downpour for 6 hours. Had the Sena running the whole time no problems at all. FYI for those interested. Still works well to this day!
A very good test. Thx and best greatings to Romania!
Good job - I’ve been waiting for this ... Really looking forward to your comparison with Cardo Packtalk. See if Cardo will give you any info on their next/updated unit for your comparison video, too ... ?!! 🤷🏻♂️ Cheers! 🙏🏼
All ears (pun intended)for the Cardo vs Packtalk comparison video. When you you plan to upload it LWH?
Love the content man. Was def thinking of getting this. Maybe I’ll just wait until Cardo comes up with the next pack talk iteration + USB-C port.
Your English btw is fantastic.
I have a Cardo Packtalk Bold ~ okay it doesn't have your fav USB . . . . . IMHO that is not a deal breaker.
Loved the video... i would love to see the ability of the sena 50s being in my pocket and purely using voice command to action my needs. This would mean a long wire from pocket to helmet but surely that is better that the bulky unit on the outside of the helmet... plus, no need to worry about it being water proof.
Love the review...now waiting for the comparison with Cardo PakTalk
Wow - I had to wear sunglasses for the video. That is one bright red shirt!
Love the idea of an open mesh solution. Need to get Cardo to update to this.
It's a wonderful world we live in with this technology available so our significant others can talk to us while we ride and we can tell a riding buddy hundreds of metres away that we take the next exit or need gas or ....
Great information thinking of replacing my Interphone tour that I am really happy with but feel if I do start riding with more friends it could be a problem so really cannot wait on your views on the sena v the Cardo 👍
Great review, I did a similar range test on my channel for the Cardo and it cut out around 700m so range is similar. Cardo's wind noise cancelling is better but Sena's OK google seems to work for you where as I could never get it to work on a Cardo. Pros and cons of each unit but ultimately I'm in the Cardo camp...for now. :)
great review- please compare range and “voice chat comfort” = noise when star, delays, how it is volume down music.
Great review thanks...my 30 is kind of dieing on me and wanted to see which unit to buy next...Sena doesnt convince me anymore
Thanks for the review. I wonder if you brought your helmet off ground to riding height would you get closer to 2k?
I gave up on Sena with the 20s I had 4 of them. The sole reason was I want to leave the intercom on with the passenger at all times. 30 mph and it opens the passenger mic and transmits the wind noise to the other helmet. We even use the quiet Neotec helmets with the visor down. Thank you for confirming the SENA wind noise problem, it is a deal breaker. The packtalk has the wind noise problem to a much lessor degree. I have not tried the packtalk bold. Using the Packtalk with the Shoei neotec and the passenger helmet visor open 1 notch we can go 70 mph before the passenger mic activates. The packtalk wind noise suppression works better when we open the visors than when closed all the way.
Michael Nahas I had exactly the same problem with my pillion. The wind noise cut in way earlier than Cardo.
The 20s is a piece of ... I got one so I know.
Tried to connect a smh10, got random beeps for no reason. Firmware change doesn't matter. Connect it to another 20s and beeps go away. Sena support doesn't care.
The speakers are bad. The battery warning is broken. The ambient audio doesn't work, if you don't open the usb-door, because the mic is inside the case. The FM radio is unusable because the antenna design is broken.
Honestly, I don't know what Sena got right with the 20s compared to the older smh10.
Useful info, thanks!
Waterproofing: I have had a 20S since 2015 and use it every day. Drove so many times into tropical type of rains for extended times in the rainy season. My GS had some issues, not my Sena...
In the PackTalk comparison, I would like to hear about the differences in range, noise cancellation, speaker sound quality, software implementation, etc. Thanks love your video's!!!
Rob B i tested Sena 50R for one week, Cardo Pactalk JBL speaker quality still better than Sena.
Sena voice command still sux.
Thanks for the video. I almost bought this
What a joke of a company, they had so much time to fix all the issues yet they are completely deaf to customer feedback.
Every single one of my friends, including myself, has a SENA (mostly 20S Evo). We all hate the experience and pretty much unanimously agree that we will all be switching to Cardo mesh system as soon as our unit croak.
Shouldn't take long, just need one ride in the rain.
Great review, thanks for choosing to buy the Cardo system that much easier!
Part of me wants to defend them with "we don't know their R&D budget, how profitable they are, some of those issues might be complicated to solve" but that 5min room before the battery goes dead is just WTF...
Bluetooth 5.0 - More riders on the DMC - Type C fast charge - and a new slimline device. Oh wait...we're talking about Cardo. Let's face it. Neither company has made the holy grail of headsets yet.
I'm a 20s user who wants to convert to Mesh but at the moment the incompatibility of the main brands is an issue. Also, the bugs you refer to in your review tend to dissuade me from upgrading. Do you know if Sena has upgraded/remedied any of the negative points you commented on?
Wouldn't mind ya getting hold of the LEXIN FT4 PRO, for a test mate. Alot cheaper and pretty good. Do you need me to ask em to send you a unit? Love the Channel, you and Dave are naturals. 🇬🇧🇿🇦
Great review! Still can't believe Sena aren't making these expensive devices waterproof. My £48 Chinese Freedconn is waterproof! In your Cardo VS Sena review I would like to see how easy it is to have a group of 3 - 4 riders connect please. (obviously not the open MESH on the Sena. But I do think that's a great idea by Sena!) 👊🏾👌🏾👍🏾
Yeah, I have an $80 Lexin, works fine in the rain. WTF Sena?
Good Video, good info, but if you adjust the Vox Sensitivity you will find the wind noise is gone. try Level 1 or 2 this will fix you and your open helmet problem.
Just a question: yesterday i bought a comm set. The Bold but they told me that this kind of units do not have a range in a circle but in an oval, meaning that range to the front and the back is further than to the side. In your range test you put the helmet on the ground and sideways, on the groud shortens for sure the range but possible also the wrong heading of the unit. So can you do a test with this in mind. Should be nice when this theory is confrimed to be true or not. Thanks, i like your reviews
Hi there. Do we have any other better products than Sena. If yes, please do suggest and appreciate if you can make a video with differences, pros and cons.
I think for wind noise reduction the main unit will help in the filtration process
Hello! Bulu bhai
Hey, for future tests I would suggest playing an audio book instead of music. It would lead to the music not being recognized as noise.
Plus: The mesh-connectivity itself; does it actually work properly? Is there an interruption during connection handover etc.
In theory it sounds great. But I know from my own experience in meshed WiFis, there are significant differences between manufacturers from not noticing any interruption to complete connection losses & reconnects during handover
Perhaps You can consider testing and comparing Interphone Avant to Sena 50 R/S to Cardo Pack Talk. Interphone doesn't have bells and whistles but I think this device is well made. Taking a look for the price Avant it is very good option.
Thank you for your review. I really want to buy Cardo (over Sena) upon watching your reviews, but then most of my friends have Sena (strangely SMH10 model). The next popular one among my friends is Uclear. Would you do some comparison review of highend (?) Uclear models with Cardo, Sena, etc as well ?? (^_^)
have you tried the cellularline interphone tour/sport we use it regularly and we are amazed at how good it is a little difficult to set up ( by a 60-year-old) its black magic? but once done its wonderful
Does it have noise cancelling on the mic too or only the headphones? Else how do you control wind and engine noise on the mic?
Are you able to charge the 50R while using it? Plugging it into a power port with a longer charge cable?
Waiting for your Cardo review, I think that might be the ticket.
Our group of eight bought Sena 20S... No one is intending to buy Sena again. Pretty much every unit had various problems. Looking forward to your review of the pactalk
Same issue my group is running into. 50% of the time the comms work the other 50% they don't work at all and we just get mic failed. Can't connect their stupid wifi adapter cord to WiFi to update firmware, their device manager on the PC doesn't work, in-fact mine says that the 50r is v1.0 on the device manager BUT in the app when connected it says my device is on 1.1. I can't upgrade to 1.2 cause nothing fucking works. FWIW we have the 50r
1. Have you tired a better sock for the mic? 2. Can you charge the 50S while using it? How many hours did the 50S last listening to music?
I’m like you, if wind noise negates everything then I won’t buy this unit. I believe your review of the cardo indicated they don’t have this problem
My Sena 20S died because of rain - been a Cardo user ever since - no such issues :-)
I agree with most of your opinions. Especially gimmicks like ambient voice transmission to hear someone talking. A major part of your criticism comes from the wind issue - However I really feel modulars in itself are a compromise on structural integrity & thereby safety. Now that is fine if you like the convenience of opening it during a quick stop or break to sip a drink or whatever. But riding a motorcycle with the helmet flipped up is not at all ideal, and you've made it a test environment for checking the performance of windnoise cancellation. While off road even if you ride with face flipped up, the wind won't be significant to affect sena performance. At higher speeds if you are riding with face flipped up - then Sena is not the only one with problems. Kindly review the product in a more ideal environment and ride safe :)
sometimes you want to ride with visor open to cool down in hot temperature... the sena as shown driving under 40mph would be all wind noise.
Can you listen to the same music and talk to a passenger with this unit at the same time? Or do you have to switch between talk and music?
I ride a 2022 BMW R18 TC. I'm having trouble with the radio/exertainment module talking to my helmet comms. I just bought a Sena 50s hoping this will fix the problems but I don't have high hopes
How will 50S perform during offroading and lots of dust? Because 50R is the right product for GSA, will 50S still be fine ?
I have a 20S and it's been mostly okay but I rarely ride in groups and I have a full face helmet. Last year I rode through a thunderstorm with lightning and heavy rain and my 20S had no issues getting wet. Is the 50S less waterproof than the 20S or is it the same? Great information that is unbiased, thanks.
I ride my Sena 10c pro and Sena 10c Evo through rains for years.. Never ever been a issues… water-resistant is more then enough for motorcycle riding until you wonna dive in the ocean 😄😄😄
Im pretty happy with Sena product but I see many people start to complain about.. My new Sena 10c Evo just perfect! I also have 20s and 10c pro.. No problem at all
В sena srl-mesh есть функция интеллектуальный звук и чувствительность микрофона можно регулировать от 1 до 3, и есть еще 3 режима настройки, которые помогают отфильтровывать шум и увеличивать громкость музыки при наборе скорости и увеличении уровня шума вокруг.
Hi i currently use an intergrated system with my shoei neotec 2 helmet and have trouble occasionally with voice commands and radio even after reseting the system . I have trolled there website looking for a solution with no luck and have had it replaced once. Would you know of an up grade I could look at or should I replace . Love your videos . Awesome👌😊
I bought a Neotec 2 this year and already had a packtalk bold so i just attached that, so its possible
Gotta say your review was spot on. Cardo has won the race over Sena. Its a shame about you ride but your awesome a reviews and news.
I'm not... I bought the 50R. I can't get the SENA voice commands to work and Siri with my iPhone is really bad. I called the SENA technical support and they said that Siri voice activation wasn't supported on the 50 series. The specific issue when when I say "Hey Siri" on my phone I can give a full command such as "Hey Siri play playlist riding" and it works. On the SENA 50R I have to say "Hey Siri" wait for 2 to 3 seconds for a tone then give a command. Most of the time it just doesn't work. My mesh 2.0 experience is about the same, way less than a km away. I did find a way to tune the phone and mesh settings a bit, but the app is over confusing. I tried to send it back but Fortnine wouldn't take it if I had installed it. I decided on the SENA 50R as so many CZcams Motorcycle vloggers gave it such a great review but if you pay attention they never reviewed the functionality. I'm glad the Long Way Home called it as it is.
Vince Blue Sena voice command is miles behind Cardo. I sold the 50R off in 1 week...
Same here getting rid of my 50s asap
I have found that ALL the V-Loggers who RAVE about Sena, also received Sena devices and swag for free! So in many cases, it feels like the reviewed are a wee bit tainted. LWH and FortNine are the best at giving honest unbiased reviews and also are upfront with any biases they have on products.
So my Cardo speakers go in and out, no real reason. Any thoughts 💭 or maybe their is a Gremlin in the JBL cardo speakers?
the clip on my 10s broke so ive ordered a 50s but i didnt watch any reviews beford i ordered it, i hope im not disapointed, since i have a modular helmet but i ride with it down most of the time
I was looking to upgrade our schools to the 50S series (used on open faced helmets), but watching the video I'm not sure if it's worth the investment?!? We currently use 30K and Prism to record all our students in-flight, but was frustrated multiple times this summer during video review with our students having voices crackling in/out very hard to make out any words.
Has anyone paired their 50S series to 10C EVO? When our instructors are on the ground the voice is broken up even with clear line of site. Any help would be appreciated before investing in the 50S + 10C EVO's or can the 50S be paired to gopro 7, 8 or 9 models with voices imbedded directly into the video? Cheers
range test might be bais since the helmet was at ground level!
i would like to see left and right audio balance
So after seeing your review what system do you use on your open face helmet???
Packtalk Bold
After owning a 20S I will never buy another Sena product again. It frustratingly does less than half of what Sena claims it can do and it doesn’t do that very well at all. Complete crap and I got rid of it less than 6 months later. Cardo Packtalk is hands down the better unit. And it’s waterproof !
can you connect to two phones at once ?
Thanks for this. Would you or anyone recommend ditching a 20S EVO for a new 50 series?
Based on everyone's comments, I'm answering my own question :)
After 1 year are u happy about this product ? Because I m close to buy new Schubert 5 and sena is the intercom …any advice ?
No. czcams.com/video/cgYxTeb3luw/video.html
Tks, I'll stick with Cardo, my old G9 had better wind cancellation than this "state of the art" The packtalks are quiet on my open face , my wife never complains. (at least about that anyway). Thanks for the review
Hi the range test with music in your second helmet is great. However the distance shown is probably greatly impacted by the helmet being on the floor. A perfect test should have been done with the helmet at a standard rider’s height.
But it would be again reduced by not riding in a straight line and going around some corners. Which I heard happens sometimes, when riding a motorcycle. My guess is that the range is a lot lower.
Also have the helmet facing forward as the helmet position acks as a block to the antenna
Has anyone come up with a waterproofing solution for sena communicators?
videos about music sharing on the Sena 50R
Until something else beats them, the Cardo Pac Talk Bold is my choice.
Hello, can you inform if with the Sena 50S you can hear music at a speed about 150Km/h (I drive a GSA 1200). Thanks
i have a 50c and yes, i can hear music at 150km/h in my full face helmet
You do not play around when you do product testing. Bravo, well done. Thanks for your time. Thumbs up 👍🏼 from me . The 3 👎🏽 thumbs down if from Sena owners. 🤪
So Cardo wins again ?
Testing with the helmet on the ground not greatest test. Height is a major advantage for wireless. Anything wireless placed on the ground will certainly suffer in range. The waveforms need to bounce and reflect off surfaces the ground absorbs it. Also so many more obstacles in the way.
what firmware are you running at the time of this test? i got 50r and upgraded to 1.03 and im having fun on it.
1.0.3. It's in the video.
Long Way Home ok, another issue. On open mesh. Whenever I accelerate the music turn down the volume. And randomly volume going down and back to normal. Looks like im going to return and get cardo slim
If you have the intercom on, then it's the noise issue.
Long Way Home i didnt had this issue on 10c pro. Also, folks has 30k having this as well. Is this happening on Cardo?
it is a shame that in 2020 we are still in this step with this devices. The prices are a joke, software is full of bugs, sena have 20 different apps and they keep lying about the capabilities of the devices. Sena and Cardoo, there are tons of tech available, please do something worth of your prices, the chinese do much better for 90€!!!
Thank you for your honest review
Have you ever tried a Lexin FT4 Pro?
Nope.
Ummm... Since I ALWAYS ride alone, and speak ONLY to myself.. which one would be best for me... and what’s the range of reception I can expect..?? 😉
My 50s stopped working 😢 could not hold battery charge after 2 years
Salutare! Sunt in Marea Britanie, și după cum știi aici e multă umezeală, ploi, etc.. și după review-urile urmărite pe net, incluzând al tău, sunt puțin confuz dacă să investesc în Sena sau nu, e ceva anume ce recomanzi? te rog. Mulțumesc!
waiting for your Cardo-Sena comparison but Sena's lack of water resistance makes this a no-brainer
Cardo claims a waterproof unit, but nowhere in any of their specs or certifications is there any evidence of that. Their units are not rated for US spec or Euro spec as far as a waterproof rating for splash or submersion is concerned. The only difference is Cardo rolled the dice and is willing to replace a flooded unit that cost them $5 to manufacture in china at no cost. Sena makes no such claim, and none of the units I've used to date from Sena has had any water intrusion issues.
@@lodewyksteyn1369 There's a dude who tested the Packtalk and Sena in a submersion test and the Sena died almost instantly and the packtalk was fine after like half an hour. Look it up
I thought the WiFi module was only for updating the software but you say it charges also. How does it charge over the air ??
It’s a USB cable.
@@LongWayHome OK, so you still have to plug the Sena in to cable. The way you were talking I thought the WiFi unit did the charging. Dave didn't explain that part very well. ;-)
Elaborate test however, the distance test should be more representative by setting up the helmet on a height similar to a motor biker approx. 1,5 mtr of the pavement. In all I think Sena are of the path of good performing intercom systems. Sound is hopeless, the outside bulky unit creates a lot of wind noise and the connection is NOT waterproof causing all sorts of issues you do not want to deal with when on a multi week journey.
Who will be laying on the ground it would have been better if you put the helmet on a tripod at about 2 meters that would be a better test
There is still one major downfall of all these units. That is lack of compatibility between brands. If all your buddies have brand A, theres no point in getting brand B as it just wont work properly. This in itself sucks. Im done with Sena, and want to go Cardo but all my friends still have Sena and while they still work, no one wants to spend the "considerable sum" to change when they still "kind of work". Its a bummer :-(
BIIINGOOOO!!! Open source mesh inter-connectivity between the brands would solve everything!
@@LongWayHome But will they do it? Is it in their inetrest to do it, probably not. Love your work BTW :-)
I believe you got the 50r and the 50s battery life mixed up. 50r gets 13 hours.
well skip the 50r i was about to order. Thank you.
Absolutely not, I have Cardo Pactalk Bold and bought the 50R for one week and regretted badly.
Sena still need to put more effort to catch up Cardo.
Speaker quality still cannot match Cardo JBL speaker.
Sena voice command sux too.
There are some users feedback that the new 50 series has less water resistant than 30 series.
I've had nothing but issues with my 50R, same with my buddy. 50% of the time the comms don't work at all for us, I haven't been able to upgrade my firmware in 6 months (even though there is a new version) because none of the software to do it actually works (device manager and the WiFi adapter that came with the units). When I go to replace this unit at some point, I'm going Cardo, not sure if my buddy will or not, but I'm done with Sena.
I got screwed by a cycle gear employee because they lied and told me the 50r was "basically identical" to the 50s.
Immediate return, no thanks. This is the first video I've seen that actually mentions the differences.
My 50s now in 2024 works great must of been whack 3 yrs ago it seems
I have been using Cardo products since 2007 just bought the Freecom 4 duo as I need something that is water proof because water falls out of the sky nearly everywhere on the planet. I only talk to partner and her bike is never that far from mine when we go riding. Sena fail again
Just because you were sent both the Sena 50S/R and Cardo Packtalk Bold doesn't mean you're unbiased. It could very well mean that if you want to receive future products from either company you'd naturally have a biased opinion. The only real way to convince the viewer of not having a bias is to purchase both products with your own hard earned money.
Unless your riding buddies ride with their head on the ground your distance test is unrealistic. While you went through the effort you may as well have found a fence post and placed the helmet at a comparable height to what a rider's head would be at.
I noticed it and I was going to comment on that, but I see you got ahead of me! (I'm sure most viewers caught that)
I guess he has no friends
In regards to the intercom range test in this video, Take it with a grain of salt. You can’t test the range with one unit on the ground. I have these units and they work in open rural areas with an intercom range of 1.2km to 1.8km. Also, I have used them in the rain and had no issues.
I cannot get hey sena/hello sena to work on my 50s its going back I’m getting a cardo
chikosneff me too, i sold off the Sena after 1 week...
Thank you for saving my 360€.
Sena engineering seems to be subpar. I'll stick with my packtalk slim. The Cardo is far from perfect, but it's pretty solid in most respects.
So still not ready for prime time. My 30K I like but am frustrated but it. The 50 would do the same I fear.
Update: 1 have the latest firmware battery low warning gives plenty of time 2 you don't test the helmet from the ground 3. 50r has microfon provided that goes behind the helmet lining, have Shoei Neotec modular helmet, clear sound with helmet fully open 4. Please use common sense when reviewing a product
For wind noise filtration, keep the microphone inside your mouth.
Powerful Bluetooth the highest EMF’s And easier to produce Head Tumors.
So, there are no device that :
- is waterproof with rating
- has bluetooth 5
- has mesh?
Or am i missing something?
Packtalk bold has all of the above, except BT5.
And Sena 50r/s has mesh + Bluetooth 5 but no waterproof. There would then be Intercom with BT4, without mesh and with waterproof. Tough choice.
The Cardo is still better?!
You bet it is.
Of course
Saying *HEY CARDO* and hearing everyone else say *HEY CARDO* gets old really fast. If CARDO had a remote for PUSH-TO-TALK, then I would buy it again (maybe). I bought a CARDO PackTalk BOLD Duo kit and returned it two weeks ago. Hearing *HEY CARDO* all day long was a deal breaker for me. Anyone that thinks CARDO is great, probably rides alone, me thinks.
@@deansimpson6618 Funny, my son and I don't have the problem you are describing at all! Our Pack Talk Bolds work and sound better than I expected. Neither of us hear the other say "Hey Cardo".
I have a Cardo Packtalk Bold. It's unbelievable to me the Sena isn't waterproof . . . . . that's a deal breaker right there . . . . . . plus it doesn't handle wind noise . . . . well that adds up to the Sena being junk . . . . . and they expect users to give THEM money for it!
For that price it should be waterproof.
It's not water proof? That's weird and a huge downside for me.
The only difference is that Cardo claims to be waterproof, but when you look for the certification or rating you will not find it anywhere documented on their website or in the documentation of the device. Even for the Euro certification documentation there is no indication that it is certified waterproof at the equivalent EU specs. My guess is Cardo is willing to eat the cost of a replacement if and when it happens. If you read the warranty fine print it excludes accidental spills etc - makes you wonder on the waterproof statement. Sena makes no claim to being waterproof. But the two 30S units I run has been through multiple downpours without ever getting compromised. I bet the production cost is ridiculously low, and the markup is significant. Cardo is willing to sacrifice a bit of profit vs. Sena.