Perfect answers!!!! 
Where to start???
Where to start???
So I finally have made the switch to Harley, landing with a 14 Street Glide Special.
Now it's time to do something with the stereo. I want to start with an amp and the fairing speakers, have been told the Hertz MPX 165.3 PRO will sound great. Any opinions here?
What kind of amp is needed for these with the capability of adding lid 6X9's this winter?
I have a fair amount of allowance I have been given permission to spend on this, but am hoping to get it right the first time.
Now it's time to do something with the stereo. I want to start with an amp and the fairing speakers, have been told the Hertz MPX 165.3 PRO will sound great. Any opinions here?
What kind of amp is needed for these with the capability of adding lid 6X9's this winter?
I have a fair amount of allowance I have been given permission to spend on this, but am hoping to get it right the first time.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,416
Likes: 187
From: Near St. Louis Mo.
At the risk of a blind leading the blind situation... I'll at least get you started.
First Off
Important to have a end goal, plan and budget in mind, try to avoid buy overs. Look at the classified section for value, but ultimately you want a system where the speakers and amp work well together with consideration of the type of music you enjoy.
From the factory HU comes your first decision point...as you need to correct the factory f*cked equalization.
1) equalization flash of the head unit ... No experience personally, seems to have mixed reviews, couldn't find it in my area if I wanted that.
2) Biketronic's line levelers...solid choice minimum of 1, 2 if you want to enable fade in the factory head unit, which will require a flash of the factory head unit. I went with the front and rear Line levelers and the Ultra flash at the dealer (4 speakers no amp)
3) DSP digital sound processor - most expensive option with the most flexibility for tuning and building down the road. Rockford Fosgate DSR-1 is popular choice these days Arc audio PSM also a popular option ... I actually bought one from the classified section last night and in the near future will be selling my set of BT Line levelers
My advice keep your end goal and budget in mind, You can pick up a used pair of line levelers for less than $110 BT stuff is great and simple. I'll be in $325 for my DSP and front and rear harnesses to make it plug and play. May not have been my best idea.
Amp ... go with a 4 channel if you want that lid or lower option down the road and you can bridge it if you need/want the power while running 2 channels, strictly my opinion and much of that based on others suggestions... Rockford Fosgate TM400X4AD, Stinger 700/4 JL audio XD400/4, Diamond audio 800/4, Focal Power Sport... Biketronic's 4180 Currently I'm running a Arc Moto 600.4 I bought used from the classifieds section of the Forum...not a favorite among the Forum gurus ... My best buy opinion RF TM400X4 ...can pick up a factory refurbished for about $330 Biketronic stuff takes a hit for lack of adjustibilty but their customer support is exceptional
Front stage... my OPINION .. ditch the pods and buy Biketronics pod eliminators ... saves your knuckles frees up space and allows you to mount most any 6.5 or 7.1" speaker, damn near impossible to find used about $275 from BT... Front speakers Lots of opinions and options the Hertz you reference are good speakers but in my opinion better value for the dollar is out there. Find some deals in the classified section. I'm running some JLZR650CSI's I picked up used...My advice get a popular coaxial design... Infinity Kappa's, DB Moto's Arc 602's... etc.
Rear speakers... My opinion tough to beat the Rockford Fosgate Cut your own lid kit... I bought off ebay "Make Offer" for $400. Speakers in the kit are sounding much better than expected and buying after market lids having them painted to match and speakers can easily get to $1000 point. My opinion RF kit is a great value. Another consideration is doing lowers rather than lids... as the speaker orientation to the rider is better than with lids. Critical to keep in mind the properties of lower frequency sound waves and the challenges of an open air 60mph+ audio environment. Without lots of cash and or a willingness to give up bag space the Chase for Bass is futile... My opinion and advice unless your going all in with deep pockets the RF kit is the best deal / compromise. Tough and expensive lesson for me...
In closing, I'm a newbie myself after a couple years in I still have a ton to learn and some of the lessons I've learned hit me in the wallet... Seek guidance along the way, but ultimately your ears and wallet will make the decision. The most expensive isn't always the best sound. Sled audio can be a lot of fun but can get very expensive PDQ... As Clint said - A man's got to know his limitations... and the hunt for the unicorn is never ending. Make it a winter project lurk and learn..
Enjoy the ride...
First Off
Important to have a end goal, plan and budget in mind, try to avoid buy overs. Look at the classified section for value, but ultimately you want a system where the speakers and amp work well together with consideration of the type of music you enjoy.
From the factory HU comes your first decision point...as you need to correct the factory f*cked equalization.
1) equalization flash of the head unit ... No experience personally, seems to have mixed reviews, couldn't find it in my area if I wanted that.
2) Biketronic's line levelers...solid choice minimum of 1, 2 if you want to enable fade in the factory head unit, which will require a flash of the factory head unit. I went with the front and rear Line levelers and the Ultra flash at the dealer (4 speakers no amp)
3) DSP digital sound processor - most expensive option with the most flexibility for tuning and building down the road. Rockford Fosgate DSR-1 is popular choice these days Arc audio PSM also a popular option ... I actually bought one from the classified section last night and in the near future will be selling my set of BT Line levelers
My advice keep your end goal and budget in mind, You can pick up a used pair of line levelers for less than $110 BT stuff is great and simple. I'll be in $325 for my DSP and front and rear harnesses to make it plug and play. May not have been my best idea.
Amp ... go with a 4 channel if you want that lid or lower option down the road and you can bridge it if you need/want the power while running 2 channels, strictly my opinion and much of that based on others suggestions... Rockford Fosgate TM400X4AD, Stinger 700/4 JL audio XD400/4, Diamond audio 800/4, Focal Power Sport... Biketronic's 4180 Currently I'm running a Arc Moto 600.4 I bought used from the classifieds section of the Forum...not a favorite among the Forum gurus ... My best buy opinion RF TM400X4 ...can pick up a factory refurbished for about $330 Biketronic stuff takes a hit for lack of adjustibilty but their customer support is exceptional
Front stage... my OPINION .. ditch the pods and buy Biketronics pod eliminators ... saves your knuckles frees up space and allows you to mount most any 6.5 or 7.1" speaker, damn near impossible to find used about $275 from BT... Front speakers Lots of opinions and options the Hertz you reference are good speakers but in my opinion better value for the dollar is out there. Find some deals in the classified section. I'm running some JLZR650CSI's I picked up used...My advice get a popular coaxial design... Infinity Kappa's, DB Moto's Arc 602's... etc.
Rear speakers... My opinion tough to beat the Rockford Fosgate Cut your own lid kit... I bought off ebay "Make Offer" for $400. Speakers in the kit are sounding much better than expected and buying after market lids having them painted to match and speakers can easily get to $1000 point. My opinion RF kit is a great value. Another consideration is doing lowers rather than lids... as the speaker orientation to the rider is better than with lids. Critical to keep in mind the properties of lower frequency sound waves and the challenges of an open air 60mph+ audio environment. Without lots of cash and or a willingness to give up bag space the Chase for Bass is futile... My opinion and advice unless your going all in with deep pockets the RF kit is the best deal / compromise. Tough and expensive lesson for me...
In closing, I'm a newbie myself after a couple years in I still have a ton to learn and some of the lessons I've learned hit me in the wallet... Seek guidance along the way, but ultimately your ears and wallet will make the decision. The most expensive isn't always the best sound. Sled audio can be a lot of fun but can get very expensive PDQ... As Clint said - A man's got to know his limitations... and the hunt for the unicorn is never ending. Make it a winter project lurk and learn..
Enjoy the ride...
Last edited by No U Glider; Sep 3, 2018 at 08:39 AM.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 3,367
Likes: 689
From: indiana
At the risk of a blind leading the blind situation... I'll at least get you started.
First Off
Important to have a end goal, plan and budget in mind, try to avoid buy overs. Look at the classified section for value, but ultimately you want a system where the speakers and amp work well together with consideration of the type of music you enjoy.
From the factory HU comes your first decision point...as you need to correct the factory f*cked equalization.
1) equalization flash of the head unit ... No experience personally, seems to have mixed reviews, couldn't find it in my area if I wanted that.
2) Biketronic's line levelers...solid choice minimum of 1, 2 if you want to enable fade in the factory head unit, which will require a flash of the factory head unit. I went with the front and rear Line levelers and the Ultra flash at the dealer (4 speakers no amp)
3) DSP digital sound processor - most expensive option with the most flexibility for tuning and building down the road. Rockford Fosgate DSR-1 is popular choice these days Arc audio PSM also a popular option ... I actually bought one from the classified section last night and in the near future will be selling my set of BT Line levelers
My advice keep your end goal and budget in mind, You can pick up a used pair of line levelers for less than $110 BT stuff is great and simple. I'll be in $325 for my DSP and front and rear harnesses to make it plug and play. May not have been my best idea.
Amp ... go with a 4 channel if you want that lid or lower option down the road and you can bridge it if you need/want the power while running 2 channels, strictly my opinion and much of that based on others suggestions... Rockford Fosgate TM400X4AD, Stinger 700/4 JL audio XD400/4, Diamond audio 800/4, Focal Power Sport... Biketronic's 4180 Currently I'm running a Arc Moto 600.4 I bought used from the classifieds section of the Forum...not a favorite among the Forum gurus ... My best buy opinion RF TM400X4 ...can pick up a factory refurbished for about $330 Biketronic stuff takes a hit for lack of adjustibilty but their customer support is exceptional
Front stage... my OPINION .. ditch the pods and buy Biketronics pod eliminators ... saves your knuckles frees up space and allows you to mount most any 6.5 or 7.1" speaker, damn near impossible to find used about $275 from BT... Front speakers Lots of opinions and options the Hertz you reference are good speakers but in my opinion better value for the dollar is out there. Find some deals in the classified section. I'm running some JLZR650CSI's I picked up used...My advice get a popular coaxial design... Infinity Kappa's, DB Moto's Arc 602's... etc.
Rear speakers... My opinion tough to beat the Rockford Fosgate Cut your own lid kit... I bought off ebay "Make Offer" for $400. Speakers in the kit are sounding much better than expected and buying after market lids having them painted to match and speakers can easily get to $1000 point. My opinion RF kit is a great value. Another consideration is doing lowers rather than lids... as the speaker orientation to the rider is better than with lids. Critical to keep in mind the properties of lower frequency sound waves and the challenges of an open air 60mph+ audio environment. Without lots of cash and or a willingness to give up bag space the Chase for Bass is futile... My opinion and advice unless your going all in with deep pockets the RF kit is the best deal / compromise. Tough and expensive lesson for me...
In closing, I'm a newbie myself after a couple years in I still have a ton to learn and some of the lessons I've learned hit me in the wallet... Seek guidance along the way, but ultimately your ears and wallet will make the decision. The most expensive isn't always the best sound. Sled audio can be a lot of fun but can get very expensive PDQ... As Clint said - A man's got to know his limitations... and the hunt for the unicorn is never ending. Make it a winter project lurk and learn..
Enjoy the ride...
First Off
Important to have a end goal, plan and budget in mind, try to avoid buy overs. Look at the classified section for value, but ultimately you want a system where the speakers and amp work well together with consideration of the type of music you enjoy.
From the factory HU comes your first decision point...as you need to correct the factory f*cked equalization.
1) equalization flash of the head unit ... No experience personally, seems to have mixed reviews, couldn't find it in my area if I wanted that.
2) Biketronic's line levelers...solid choice minimum of 1, 2 if you want to enable fade in the factory head unit, which will require a flash of the factory head unit. I went with the front and rear Line levelers and the Ultra flash at the dealer (4 speakers no amp)
3) DSP digital sound processor - most expensive option with the most flexibility for tuning and building down the road. Rockford Fosgate DSR-1 is popular choice these days Arc audio PSM also a popular option ... I actually bought one from the classified section last night and in the near future will be selling my set of BT Line levelers
My advice keep your end goal and budget in mind, You can pick up a used pair of line levelers for less than $110 BT stuff is great and simple. I'll be in $325 for my DSP and front and rear harnesses to make it plug and play. May not have been my best idea.
Amp ... go with a 4 channel if you want that lid or lower option down the road and you can bridge it if you need/want the power while running 2 channels, strictly my opinion and much of that based on others suggestions... Rockford Fosgate TM400X4AD, Stinger 700/4 JL audio XD400/4, Diamond audio 800/4, Focal Power Sport... Biketronic's 4180 Currently I'm running a Arc Moto 600.4 I bought used from the classifieds section of the Forum...not a favorite among the Forum gurus ... My best buy opinion RF TM400X4 ...can pick up a factory refurbished for about $330 Biketronic stuff takes a hit for lack of adjustibilty but their customer support is exceptional
Front stage... my OPINION .. ditch the pods and buy Biketronics pod eliminators ... saves your knuckles frees up space and allows you to mount most any 6.5 or 7.1" speaker, damn near impossible to find used about $275 from BT... Front speakers Lots of opinions and options the Hertz you reference are good speakers but in my opinion better value for the dollar is out there. Find some deals in the classified section. I'm running some JLZR650CSI's I picked up used...My advice get a popular coaxial design... Infinity Kappa's, DB Moto's Arc 602's... etc.
Rear speakers... My opinion tough to beat the Rockford Fosgate Cut your own lid kit... I bought off ebay "Make Offer" for $400. Speakers in the kit are sounding much better than expected and buying after market lids having them painted to match and speakers can easily get to $1000 point. My opinion RF kit is a great value. Another consideration is doing lowers rather than lids... as the speaker orientation to the rider is better than with lids. Critical to keep in mind the properties of lower frequency sound waves and the challenges of an open air 60mph+ audio environment. Without lots of cash and or a willingness to give up bag space the Chase for Bass is futile... My opinion and advice unless your going all in with deep pockets the RF kit is the best deal / compromise. Tough and expensive lesson for me...
In closing, I'm a newbie myself after a couple years in I still have a ton to learn and some of the lessons I've learned hit me in the wallet... Seek guidance along the way, but ultimately your ears and wallet will make the decision. The most expensive isn't always the best sound. Sled audio can be a lot of fun but can get very expensive PDQ... As Clint said - A man's got to know his limitations... and the hunt for the unicorn is never ending. Make it a winter project lurk and learn..
Enjoy the ride...
Last edited by travelingypsye; Sep 3, 2018 at 09:50 AM.
At the risk of a blind leading the blind situation... I'll at least get you started.
First Off
Important to have a end goal, plan and budget in mind, try to avoid buy overs. Look at the classified section for value, but ultimately you want a system where the speakers and amp work well together with consideration of the type of music you enjoy.
From the factory HU comes your first decision point...as you need to correct the factory f*cked equalization.
1) equalization flash of the head unit ... No experience personally, seems to have mixed reviews, couldn't find it in my area if I wanted that.
2) Biketronic's line levelers...solid choice minimum of 1, 2 if you want to enable fade in the factory head unit, which will require a flash of the factory head unit. I went with the front and rear Line levelers and the Ultra flash at the dealer (4 speakers no amp)
3) DSP digital sound processor - most expensive option with the most flexibility for tuning and building down the road. Rockford Fosgate DSR-1 is popular choice these days Arc audio PSM also a popular option ... I actually bought one from the classified section last night and in the near future will be selling my set of BT Line levelers
My advice keep your end goal and budget in mind, You can pick up a used pair of line levelers for less than $110 BT stuff is great and simple. I'll be in $325 for my DSP and front and rear harnesses to make it plug and play. May not have been my best idea.
Amp ... go with a 4 channel if you want that lid or lower option down the road and you can bridge it if you need/want the power while running 2 channels, strictly my opinion and much of that based on others suggestions... Rockford Fosgate TM400X4AD, Stinger 700/4 JL audio XD400/4, Diamond audio 800/4, Focal Power Sport... Biketronic's 4180 Currently I'm running a Arc Moto 600.4 I bought used from the classifieds section of the Forum...not a favorite among the Forum gurus ... My best buy opinion RF TM400X4 ...can pick up a factory refurbished for about $330 Biketronic stuff takes a hit for lack of adjustibilty but their customer support is exceptional
Front stage... my OPINION .. ditch the pods and buy Biketronics pod eliminators ... saves your knuckles frees up space and allows you to mount most any 6.5 or 7.1" speaker, damn near impossible to find used about $275 from BT... Front speakers Lots of opinions and options the Hertz you reference are good speakers but in my opinion better value for the dollar is out there. Find some deals in the classified section. I'm running some JLZR650CSI's I picked up used...My advice get a popular coaxial design... Infinity Kappa's, DB Moto's Arc 602's... etc.
Rear speakers... My opinion tough to beat the Rockford Fosgate Cut your own lid kit... I bought off ebay "Make Offer" for $400. Speakers in the kit are sounding much better than expected and buying after market lids having them painted to match and speakers can easily get to $1000 point. My opinion RF kit is a great value. Another consideration is doing lowers rather than lids... as the speaker orientation to the rider is better than with lids. Critical to keep in mind the properties of lower frequency sound waves and the challenges of an open air 60mph+ audio environment. Without lots of cash and or a willingness to give up bag space the Chase for Bass is futile... My opinion and advice unless your going all in with deep pockets the RF kit is the best deal / compromise. Tough and expensive lesson for me...
In closing, I'm a newbie myself after a couple years in I still have a ton to learn and some of the lessons I've learned hit me in the wallet... Seek guidance along the way, but ultimately your ears and wallet will make the decision. The most expensive isn't always the best sound. Sled audio can be a lot of fun but can get very expensive PDQ... As Clint said - A man's got to know his limitations... and the hunt for the unicorn is never ending. Make it a winter project lurk and learn..
Enjoy the ride...
First Off
Important to have a end goal, plan and budget in mind, try to avoid buy overs. Look at the classified section for value, but ultimately you want a system where the speakers and amp work well together with consideration of the type of music you enjoy.
From the factory HU comes your first decision point...as you need to correct the factory f*cked equalization.
1) equalization flash of the head unit ... No experience personally, seems to have mixed reviews, couldn't find it in my area if I wanted that.
2) Biketronic's line levelers...solid choice minimum of 1, 2 if you want to enable fade in the factory head unit, which will require a flash of the factory head unit. I went with the front and rear Line levelers and the Ultra flash at the dealer (4 speakers no amp)
3) DSP digital sound processor - most expensive option with the most flexibility for tuning and building down the road. Rockford Fosgate DSR-1 is popular choice these days Arc audio PSM also a popular option ... I actually bought one from the classified section last night and in the near future will be selling my set of BT Line levelers
My advice keep your end goal and budget in mind, You can pick up a used pair of line levelers for less than $110 BT stuff is great and simple. I'll be in $325 for my DSP and front and rear harnesses to make it plug and play. May not have been my best idea.
Amp ... go with a 4 channel if you want that lid or lower option down the road and you can bridge it if you need/want the power while running 2 channels, strictly my opinion and much of that based on others suggestions... Rockford Fosgate TM400X4AD, Stinger 700/4 JL audio XD400/4, Diamond audio 800/4, Focal Power Sport... Biketronic's 4180 Currently I'm running a Arc Moto 600.4 I bought used from the classifieds section of the Forum...not a favorite among the Forum gurus ... My best buy opinion RF TM400X4 ...can pick up a factory refurbished for about $330 Biketronic stuff takes a hit for lack of adjustibilty but their customer support is exceptional
Front stage... my OPINION .. ditch the pods and buy Biketronics pod eliminators ... saves your knuckles frees up space and allows you to mount most any 6.5 or 7.1" speaker, damn near impossible to find used about $275 from BT... Front speakers Lots of opinions and options the Hertz you reference are good speakers but in my opinion better value for the dollar is out there. Find some deals in the classified section. I'm running some JLZR650CSI's I picked up used...My advice get a popular coaxial design... Infinity Kappa's, DB Moto's Arc 602's... etc.
Rear speakers... My opinion tough to beat the Rockford Fosgate Cut your own lid kit... I bought off ebay "Make Offer" for $400. Speakers in the kit are sounding much better than expected and buying after market lids having them painted to match and speakers can easily get to $1000 point. My opinion RF kit is a great value. Another consideration is doing lowers rather than lids... as the speaker orientation to the rider is better than with lids. Critical to keep in mind the properties of lower frequency sound waves and the challenges of an open air 60mph+ audio environment. Without lots of cash and or a willingness to give up bag space the Chase for Bass is futile... My opinion and advice unless your going all in with deep pockets the RF kit is the best deal / compromise. Tough and expensive lesson for me...
In closing, I'm a newbie myself after a couple years in I still have a ton to learn and some of the lessons I've learned hit me in the wallet... Seek guidance along the way, but ultimately your ears and wallet will make the decision. The most expensive isn't always the best sound. Sled audio can be a lot of fun but can get very expensive PDQ... As Clint said - A man's got to know his limitations... and the hunt for the unicorn is never ending. Make it a winter project lurk and learn..
Enjoy the ride...
Is an 8ga wiring kit heavy enough or should I go heavier?
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 679
Likes: 109
From: Minnesota
2. Yes
3. Yes
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,416
Likes: 187
From: Near St. Louis Mo.
Be sure you get a line leveler for 14 and up ... no cutting splicing required plug and play.
I run 8 gauge power and ground , 16 gauge twisted pair speaker wire from Knuconcepts or something similar. I believe most would agree no need for lower gauge stuff...
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,832
Likes: 174
From: Indiana
My .02 if you buy Hertz or Arc get it from an authorized dealer! After some conversations I had Saturday I believe we may have a lot of counterfeit product floating around and it is definitely inferior.
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