Wow! Dead silence standing at 70 mph. Not “quiet” or “not noisy”; I am talking dead silence, like when you walk into a soundproof recording studio and close the door behind you. That silent! The new Sena Phantom ANC full-face helmet is unbelievably soundless in undisturbed air. Behind the windshields of my shorty-shield Yamaha Venture and the Ultimate Motorcycling Honda CRF300L Rally Project Bike with an adventure shield, I heard toned-down wind, but standing, I heard nothing, nada. Communicating with my riding partner on his 50S over Sena Mesh 3.0 when I was sitting, he could hear the normal background sounds my mic was sending. However, if I stood on the pegs and was not talking, he assumed I had muted my mic or taken a phone call. All he could hear was the silence, too.
The new, $699 MSRP Sena Phantom ANC (active noise cancellation) helmet is a feature-rich full-face helmet with an integrated enhanced Sena 60S communication headset. The Phantom has an intermediate oval head shape, and the Medium fit me perfectly as it usually does. Of course, we always recommend you have your new helmet fitted by a professional.
I wore it right out of the box for about two hours on my Venture touring bike, and it was comfortable and quiet the whole time. On the Venture, with ANC activated by a right-hand button press, the exhaust and road noise disappear until I hit 70 mph. Sena claims the ANC reduces noise by 20 dB, so all I could hear was the wind in a muffled, rapid flap pattern. The wind noise in the helmet was at the same level from 40 to 70 mph—never increasing. With ANC off, the exhaust and road noise were present but very dull at all speeds up to 70.
Sitting on the Rally while riding, I could hear the same wind noise when the ANC was on or off. However, the exhaust and road noise were gone with ANC activated. Where is an unmuffled chopper when you need one? When standing on the Rally, I could not hear the engine or wind noise at any speed, regardless of whether ANC was on or off.
Most helmets have a crevice, vent, or button that catches the air and creates some noise. The Phantom ANC had none. While riding standing, I opened and closed the two chin air intake vents and the three forehead intake vents. With the shield closed, I didn’t perceive any sound at all.
With the faceshield open, the experience was still quiet but not dead silent like with the faceshield closed. My prescription glasses temple arms fit comfortably in the ergonomically designed pathways. It is possible that my ears and skull shape form a snug fit to the speakers’ ear cups, and my face seals the entire front. Whatever it is that makes this helmet so quiet for me, I hope everyone who buys one has the same experience. Not having to wear earplugs is freeing.
The Phantom’s five intake vents are glove-friendly, as are the control buttons on the left and right sides. There are three closely grouped exhaust vents in the rear. Plenty of air flows for temperatures up to 90 degrees, though not enough to keep the faceshield from fogging at 40 degrees under 30 mph.
While the faceshield is PinLock ready, the $40 Pinlock insert doesn’t come with the Phantom in the box. Sena didn’t have a Pinlock available, so I am using Muc-Off Premium Anti-Fog spray to keep the faceshield and my glasses fog-free.
The clear faceshield can be changed without tools, and it has a generous left-hand ledge for lifting and lowering. It has eight positions from locked down to fully open. The cracked position worked great to keep the fogging down when moving in slow traffic. Sena’s only optional shield right now is a tinted one for $40.
The steplessly adjustable interior drop-down sunshield is operated by an easily accessible slide tab located at the top of the helmet. The sunshield does a good job of lowering the intensity of the bright daylight and helps when riding into the sun.
The Medium-size Phantom ANC weighs in at 3.13 pounds (1733 grams). That’s pretty light, and its weight was not an issue, even after wearing it for six continuous hours. The only potential fit issue would be for those with a large nose or prominent lips, as the front of the helmet is quite close-fitting. If I purse my lips, they touch the chin bar. My nose nearly touches the breath deflector.
The washable, moisture-wicking interior has a soft texture and is very comfortable on my cheeks and forehead. My ears fit nicely into the acoustic ear cups, so there is no speaker pressure to discover after several hours. The neck roll and chin skirt are one piece, with the two ear cups and crown making up the four interior pieces. With the chin skirt integrated into the neck roll and reducing sound, there is no way to add extra airflow up under the chin on the very hot days.
If you are okay with riding with the Sena app open on your phone, you can control most functions with a finger touch and do not need to physically press the buttons on the helmet—especially those on the throttle side. The brake-sensing (via accelerometers) taillight and the active noise cancellation functions are typically set and forget.
The Sena app and voice commands handle all the functions of the Phantom ANC electronics. You will have plenty of time to explore all the features of the Phantom on your Iron Butt Association Bun Burner 1500 challenge, as the battery can take you almost all of the 36 hours allowed to complete it.
If you do come up short, you power it while riding through the USB-C port at the rear of the helmet. Back home, it charges from empty to full in just 2.5 hours. When you stop, the Phantom will power down if it hasn’t moved in three minutes, and power back up when you pick it up to put it on. There is a lot of technology built into the Phantom, and Sena covers it all with a three-year warranty.
The great music and talk clarity you hear comes from the 2nd-generation Harman Kardon speakers. Sena says the advanced internal acoustic chamber design creates an unmatched level of silence and audio clarity, and I totally agree. The sound clarity in the Phantom is the best I have heard in a motorcycle helmet. The Phantom uses mesh and wave intercom systems, with smartphone and GPS connectivity. It does not have Bluetooth intercom connectivity or an FM Radio, neither of which I have personally used in at least three years.
The new Sena Wave communication system is a cellular network-based intercom app that resides on your smartphone. With it, you can conveniently talk to your chase truck driver or talk to and geo-locate everyone in your group as you gather to meet anywhere in North America.
The LCD light on the chin bar is a handy feature. You can use it in the dark to read a map or check something on the motorcycle. If your bike’s switch gear isn’t backlit, it can help you find that rarely used button right when you need it.
Safety is further enhanced by a brake-sensing lighting in the rear of the Sena Phantom ANC. As you aggressively decelerate, the lights on the helmet come on to alter riders or drivers behind you. It’s similar to the Brake Free light I reviewed in 2021.
Besides overcoming the distance factor of motorcycle intercoms, it also overcomes brand incompatibility. All you need is cellular service to be able to talk to anyone because the actual connection is through your smartphones—the helmet units are simply microphones and speakers. The Phantom can switch between mesh and wave with a double-tap of the mesh/wave button on the left side of the helmet.
In the box for the Sena Phantom ANC, you’ll find the helmet, a protective helmet bag, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, two mic muffs (which I never needed to use), a quick-start guide, Sena stickers, and a Sena keyring. The Phantom ANC is available in five sizes, ranging from Small to XXL, and you have a choice of either Gloss White or Gloss Black finish. The helmet has DOT and ECE 22.06 certification.
The Sena Phantom ANC Full Face helmet redefines what full-featured means for a helmet. Every function works as intended. Its silence, comfort, and communication clarity make every ride feel effortless. From short rides to long days in the saddle, the Phantom ANC delivered consistent performance, excellent fit, and an almost surreal absence of noise when standing in clean air. This is not just another helmet; it is a quiet, complete riding experience.
Sena Phantom ANC Helmet Specs
- Sizes: S – XXL
- Weight: 3.13 pounds (1733 grams) in Medium shell
- Shell: Composite fiberglass
- Certifications: DOT, ECE22.06
- Colors: Glossy Black; Glossy White
Electronics
- Smartphone pairing: Bluetooth 5.3
- Intercom: Mesh Intercom 3.0
- Range: 1.24 miles in open terrain; Open Mesh: 6 channels; virtually unlimited number of participants
- Group Mesh: 24 participants
- Talk time: 35 hours
- Charging time: 2.5 hours
- Operating temperature range: −4°F to 131°F
- Speakers: 2nd Generation Harman Kardon w/ active noise cancellation (AHC) and Ambient mode
Sena Phantom ANC Helmet Price: $699 MSRP
