Carl, on my 2009 Ultra, I had 5.25 Hogtunes in the rear pods, and 5.25 JMs in the front, with a HD HK amp under my tour pack 40/watts per channel. The Hogtunes had way more bass than the same size Jms. The 5.25 Kenwoods bass seemed 100% better than the Hogtunes. So, this was my initial influence. I also read some posts confirming this as well [e.g. “Demo'd JLs, MTX, Boston Acoustcs, Rockford Fosgate, and Kicker speakers in my 02 GP and by-far liked these the best. They're very "bright" and efficient and work well as a comp set paired with Rockford Fosgate T2 tweeters. These definitely play below their rated 74 hz, and in fact were clearly playing down to 45hz in factory doors if that's your thing, but I recommend them HPF'd @ 80hz.”] With both speakers, I could hear the music just fine at highway speed (though no bass as you would expect). Keep in mind this was with the HK amp that was not all that powerful.
With that personal knowledge of my first bike with a fairing/stereo (which I said I would never buy since I “used” to like the wind in my face), that is all I really had to go on from my own listening experience at highway speed.
So know, I am going with JL 400/4 kick-ass amp, which will drive a 5.25 to its full potential without any effort and I thinking a 5.25 should be much improved.
So, my crazy thought process. There is no doubt in my mind that the "best" (money is no object) decision for speakers would have been to go with the Focals 6.5 in the upper fairing. This is based upon my listening to a pair installed on a friends 2011 Road Glide with an ARC 125.2; they sounded great with good bass response. So, I do realize that I am giving up bass with the 5.25s in the fairing.
However, I have never ridden a bike with 6.5s, so this will be my first – and from what I understand, the bass gets lost. (The stock unit has no bass to even be considered) I have never listened to Hertz or JL so I have no opinion on them and I was not going to buy anything unless I could listen to it first. Like I said, I listened to Focals (6.5s only), ARC, Kenwood, and Alpine – both on the showroom floor and in bikes. The 5.25 Kenwoods sounded pretty good, and in fact, had more bass than the 6.5 ARCs.
Before I read the info on Hogtunes about 5.25 inch holes with 6.5 speakers, that was actually my first thought on 6.5 adapters as well – I just could not see 6.5 inches of speaker pumping out a volume of air through a 5.25 hole. So, when I read that on Hogtunes, it kind of confirmed what I was already thinking. What would sell me is a test with a decibel meter – or a direct comparison with my very own ears.
I am thinking that when moving at 75 mph, all that is heard are the mids and highs – I can never hear my friends subwoofers when on the highway.
So, in my opinion (and its just my opinion and theory too), I was not worth the investment for something I may never hear while I need it most – on the freeway. I will “experiment” with the equalizer in my head unit, I will be able to adjust most of the bass to the 6.5s in the lowers, and my mids and highs to my 5.25s and separate ARC tweeters. This is one of those things where I am going against the overwhelming tide of putting adapters in the fairing. If I can hear the bass in my lowers at speed, then I can promise you that I will be putting 6.5 Focals in the upper within 6 months.
So, this is more like an experiment just to find out 1) if I can attenuate the amp and/or head unit for lows in my lower fairing, 2) whether I can actually hear the bass while moving at highway speed, and 3) how they weather the rain (none of my selections are marine grade, which actually goes against my better judgment), and if the speakers do not work out then 4) its easier to replace the speakers with Focals then it would be to replace the head unit and amp.
Simply put, I put all my money into the head unit and amp; and for the quality sound they produced, the Kenwood speakers [especially the 5.25] were the best bang for the buck. In other words, when it came down to it, I heard the Kenwoods on a Road Glide Ultra and they sounded great for the money – and the 5.25s were also cheaper and no expense on adapters. Why pay more if the bass effect is not going to be heard? If they don’t work out, and I go for the 6.5 focals, it will be a cheap lesson learned – and we can all benefit from my little experiment.
BTW: I am cognizant that by the numbers, the Focals are better than Kenwoods, especially the 6.5s. The 6.5 Focal (e.g. Focal 165 KRC) Frequency Response is 60 - 20,000 Hz, compared to the Kenwood eXcelon KFC-X1730 Frequency Response - 63-24,000 Hz. The Kenwood eXcelon KFC-X133 Frequency Response: 74-24,000 Hz. So, these numbers indicate that the bass is nowhere near 20 HZ in any of the speakrs, so I already know the bass will not be there regardless of whether I use a 6.5 or 5.25. I guess I was thinking why spend the extra money on bass that I will never hear at highway speed. All I know is that it WILL BE an improvement from my Ultra.
Also, while in Sturgis, I listened to the JM 500 watt complete system, and I was not very impressed with the bass response in the 7" as I am with my friend’s 6.5 Focals with a small amp. So, that also made me conclude that just maybe, just maybe, the difference between the 5.25 and the 6.5 in the fairing on the open road would be negated by itself, especially through the small opening.
For my complete project including install and all, it is exactly $1,600.00, and this is a completely new head unit. I have seen 2 pairs of 6.5” Focal 165CVX speakers, speaker fairing adapters, and an ARC Audio KS125.4 (older technology than the JL) would run somewhere around $1,700.
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Topic: Best aftermarket amps that might fit fairing? (Read 17435 times)