Let's talk speakers again

[Freebird]

I've tried the Pioneer speakers and now have the Polk speakers in the front but I'm still not happy with the sound. Now I'm thinking about trying to fit a pair of 4 x 6 speakers in the front. Assuming that I can make them work, how much improvement will they be over the stock 4" round speakers?

 

Don

[flb_78]

What are you not liking about them?

 

I have the Polk DB401's and they are a vast improvement over factory. Im not sure you'll get much more sound out of a set of 4x6's. My Pontiac used em up front and they were always kinda puny sounding compared to the 6x9's in the back even after I changed them out with aftermarkets.

[Christo]

How much power you runnin thru those Polks? I have a set in my '99, I love them! Better than what came stock. I want more sound - but every person I speak with says the amp system on our bikes just aint that good - not clean and not enough power. So it may NOT be the speakers....

 

[BuddyRich]

Looking for is more bass? Need to get a sub-woofer built in and hooked to an amp to get decent sound out of it. Wonder if one of these could be put in the fairing somewhere

 

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=29

[Redneck]

I've done some measuring (a year or so ago) and I didn't think 4x6 speakers would go unless they were very low profile. The problem I ran into was finding a quality speaker that would perform well on 8 watts. All the speakers I found were 100 to 200 watts speakers and we just don't have the power to make them perform well. If you find a good option I would like to know.

[Freebird]

Yea, I have a small amp installed where the cassette player once was. Not sure how much it really helps but I still get too much distortion if I try to crank up the volume. I know that the bass blockers would help but I just feel that we need MORE bass...not block what we have. I'm going to mess with this over the winter and see what I can come up with.

[flb_78]

With nothing behind the speaker to "contain" it, the speaker is mostly just flopping in the breeze. One could mount the speakers in a box or add some baffling behind it to increase the sound, bass, and stop the distortion.

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_696B050311/Boom-Mat-4-Speaker-Baffles-Slim-line-2-1-4-depth.html?search=4%22+speaker&tp=2809

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_237XT40/XTC-4-Speaker-Baffles-3-7-8-depth.html?search=4%22+speaker&tp=2809

 

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2007/696/h696B050311-fp.jpg http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2002/237/h237xt40p.jpg

[KeithR]

I installed the XTC speaker baffles in the front only with the pioneer speakers and found that they made a big improvement. I have the bass blockers but are still in the package.....spring project.

 

Keith

[kevin-vic-b.c.]

If you had a car that you wanted better sound in what they do is box the speakers in or if they are door mounted they add door deading products to direct the sound to you not away from you.

 

 

 

 

With nothing behind the speaker to "contain" it, the speaker is mostly just flopping in the breeze. One could mount the speakers in a box or add some baffling behind it to increase the sound, bass, and stop the distortion.

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_696B050311/Boom-Mat-4-Speaker-Baffles-Slim-line-2-1-4-depth.html?search=4%22+speaker&tp=2809

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_237XT40/XTC-4-Speaker-Baffles-3-7-8-depth.html?search=4%22+speaker&tp=2809

 

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2007/696/h696B050311-fp.jpg http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2002/237/h237xt40p.jpg

[BradT]

Okay I have to ask

 

What is/are Bass Blockers ?

 

Brad

[crockettrider]

Great stuff!

Unfortunately I bought some Walmart 100 watt speakers and mounted them....they sound like shyte, if you know what I mean.

I knew I should have looked more but I live in a small town and we are talking a 2 hour drive to a decent place.

I like to see what I am buying to boot:Avatars_Gee_George:

 

The speakers I put in are the pits and have to go. The stock were way better.

Do I need a lower wattage as was mentioned earlier? I could end up with $400 dollar multiple sets of speakers:whistling:

[flb_78]

Okay I have to ask

 

What is/are Bass Blockers ?

 

Brad

 

 

Bass blockers are an electric "filter" that stop the bass from going to the speaker so the speaker does not distort as bad.

[BradT]

Bass blockers are an electric "filter" that stop the bass from going to the speaker so the speaker does not distort as bad.

 

Still confused So is this std on our bikes ? Or should we get one..

 

I too would like a little more bass.

 

Brad

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Bass blockers are an electric "filter" that stop the bass from going to the speaker so the speaker does not distort as bad.

 

Or, just turn the bass down a bit so the distortion goes away...thats what I do.

 

The members needing more audio, I suspect, are trying to listen thru 3/4 or full face helmets, with no built-in helmet speakers. With a shorty, or no helmet, I find the audio acceptable. Not great, but not terrible.

 

Deep bass notes are hard to contain in the noisy, windy, open environment of a motorcycle. Bass is non-directional, and no matter what you try, the bass notes are going mostly everywhere else, and not towards your ears.

 

Of course, some of us who ride these bikes, and have some hearing loss from years in the saddle, tend to be half-deef in one ear, and cant hear out the other!!

 

 

[KeithR]

An E Bay listing for bass blockers with some info on them

 

Keith

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Bass-Blockers-Crossovers-for-3-5-4-or-4x6-Speakers_W0QQitemZ290264594328QQihZ019QQcategoryZ14936QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[kwisor]

hello all

as you may know i just repainted my 99 rsv when i was doing the prep wprk to paint i modifde the reae speaker housing and put 5 1/4 " speakers in the back i am still reassembling the bike hope to hwve done this weekend in between the xmas decerting i will post phots when done now i do get better sound from the rear speakers but i will know more when i take it out for a test drive

kevin wisor

99 rsv

jax fl

[KiteSquid]

but every person I speak with says the amp system on our bikes just aint that good - not clean and not enough power.

 

The stereo in these bikes is made by Clarion. IMHO, Clarion is in the bottom 10% of electronics manufactures.

 

I don't know why Yamaha motor Corp, can't get Yamaha Electronics to make the stereos.....

[V7Goose]

I have not done any work on the RSV speakers since I use headsets in my Nolan helmet 100% of the time. But I have done a lot of high-end stereo work in the past, so I thought I would share a few thoughts.

 

In general, speaker size or shape plays no significant role. Putting slightly larger or oval speakers in an existing bike or car installation will have absolutely zero effect on sound quality or volume from speaker size. Speaker design, quality, compliance, and matching with the amplifier, all DO play a huge role in both sound quality and volume. So changing speakers certainly can and will effect the sound, either good or bad, but that comes from other factors, not from the size.

 

Bass frequencies do often contribute to distortion in cheap speakers or over-driven speakers. But, I don't understand why anyone would use something to block the low frequencies in a system that has a bass control. Sound distortion can come from both the amp and the speaker. Turning down the bass is much more likely to improve the sound quality than letting the amp try to push those frequencies and then trying to block them from reaching the speakers. This is especially true for low quality amplifiers where turning up the volume often drives the amp into clipping and the resulting distortion. Using better quality speakers may handle bass frequencies better without distorting, but if they are not properly matched to the amp (generally this is mostly about power handling capability or efficiency), then when you turn up the volume more to try to get more sound you generate the distortion in the amp.

 

Speaker enclosures can have a greater impact on the sound quality than just about any other factor, but just putting any speaker in any enclosure is not going to automatically improve the sound. It will change it, but the change could be either good or bad. Some speakers are specifically designed for use in an enclosure, others are not. Some enclosures are completely sealed, some are not, and some utilize a tuned-port. The point here is that adding or changing the enclosure with any speaker is mostly a trial and error process to find something you like. Using a spectrum analyzer is the best way to evaluate the actual effects to the sound output from any changes.

 

So, before you begin making changes to the speakers, you should know the RMS power rating of the amp and make sure you only try speakers that are designed to operate well with that power. Ones that are designed to handle a lot more power will likely cause sound quality problems from the amplifier, and ones that are designed to work well with much lower power are easily pushed to distortion when you turn the volume up.

 

Don't know if any of that is helpful to anyone, but thought I'd offer it anyway.

Goose

[V7Goose]

The stereo in these bikes is made by Clarion. IMHO, Clarion is in the bottom 10% of electronics manufactures.

 

I don't know why Yamaha motor Corp, can't get Yamaha Electronics to make the stereos.....

Just posting an opinion from the other side. KiteSquid is certainly entitled to his thoughts on Clarion, but I don't share them. I haven't paid much attention to car audio in quite a few years, but I know for a fact that Clarion made some great top-end stuff in years past. Now, history is full of companies that once made good stuff and now don't, but I did a quick internet search for Clarion quality reviews; the vast majority of what I found sure seems to say they are still making excellent stuff.

 

I'm not passing judgment on the quality of the unit in the RSV, just that IMHO Clarion in general makes some really great stuff. I do think that the audio system in the RSV has a terrible user interface, but I haven't given much thought to the sound. Frankly, I don't really care if a motorcycle sound system is high end or not. The listening environment is just so poor anyway, what with road noise and all, that I believe even just a fair system is good enough.

Goose

[skzoid]

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105CSBB2/JVC-CS-BB2.html?tp=114&tab=morephotos&s=0

 

I saw this subwoofer last year and have considered it for the bike (Note: it now says discontinued). It is meant to add some bass for vehicles with little space. With this you could then use the existing speakers for mids and highs and the subwoofer for the lows. Our bike doesn't really produce much in the lows. I haven't checked to see if this product was upgraded, replaced or simply discontinued. If it's available I'm getting one. I've noticed most of the negative (non-positive) reviews were from people expecting too much out of this item. It's not a fix all million watt subwoofer. It is added bass for vehicle with little space.

I switch the bass settings when I switch from speaker to headset but I can't remember which I add and which I lessen. I have added the Pioneer speakers in the front and do believe they are better than stock but I need to go to a secluded area away from neighbors to really test things. I have the Pioneer speakers for the rear but dread breaking the armrests apart to make the change.

[Big Daddy]

The bass blockers should only remove frequencies from say 150 or 250 on down this is the potion of the spectrum that is felt rather than heard. It takes a great deal of energy to power those frequencies therefore the blockers help the overall sound. Short of mounting a large subwoofer cabinet on the bike it is unreasonable to expect the configuations of a motorcycles sound system to overcome all the road/ wind noise to produce sound in these ranges.

Besides unless your listening tastes fall into the rap catagorie most music is not recorded with strong bumps in those areas. (Think kids in the thumpa thumpa cars going by!)

[yamahamer]

I thought of something like this befor for the trunk.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BLAUPUNKT-8-POWERED-SUBWOOFER-ENCLOSURE-BOX-SUB-AMP_W0QQitemZ230308785090QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCar_Subwoofers_Enclosures?hash=item230308785090&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

[Guest tx2sturgis]

The bass blockers should only remove frequencies from say 150 or 250 on down this is the potion of the spectrum that is felt rather than heard.

 

Or just remove all the bass players from the bands.

 

[stardbog]

Hey Don, I Know we have new President, I hope thats not reason to upgrade speakers,and boom box jet, at last not 'till January.:doh::ignore:

[MikeM8560]

I installed the XTC speaker baffles in the front only with the pioneer speakers and found that they made a big improvement. I have the bass blockers but are still in the package.....spring project.

 

Keith

improvement in what way more bass? ive got a set of polk db400s with a sony 52 watt per channel stereo Ive got great sound but added bass blocker for thoose surprise distortions at high volume. would the backer cover really do that much for improvement?