Hey,

Currently have a 2012 Ultra Limited. Head unit is a Sony MEX-M70BT. A RF PBR300x2 powering a set of Polk Audio MM651's in the fairing. Bought the speakers and amp from a forum member here as the first upgrade. Head unit went in two weeks ago. Can't believe what a difference that was! I went from muddled sound to clear, great sound at highway speeds.

Planning on getting the Soundstream PN4.100d because I want to add 6x9's in the speaker lids, and I'd like to have one amp powering all four speakers instead of two. My questions:

How are the Infinity Kappa 62.11i compared to the Polk MM651's? Is there a better choice for a fairing speaker that is comparably priced?

I was originally thinking about the DD-VO9x9's for the bag lids based on what I've read about them here. But I recently looked the bag lid kit made by Rockford Fosgate that comes with the templates, grills and speakers. I haven't heard these in person yet, but I like the fact that they are a reasonably priced solution and I don't have to find someone to paint a set of lids.

To answer the standard forum questions about budget and so on - not looking to break the bank or have a competition system. Just looking for a decent-powered 4-speaker set up that I can hear riding down the highway. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

Paul

 

I don't think the Kappas are worth another expense meaning spending $100 on top of already buying the Polks. Also on the 6x9s consider something full range the Pioneer Pros and Hertz MPX are all the rage here. I have Polk 692s and like them. I think the Polks front and rear and the PN1000.4 would be an impressive combo.

 

I have the RF lid kit and I am impressed with the fit and finish. The tms 69 speakers don't look like much but will surprise you with the sound. You can also change speakers in the lids if you want. Keep in mind that some speakers like the vo's will need the ears trimmed a bit to fit those lids as others like the hertz don't need any modification to fit.

As far as kappas vs polks, that is personal preference. I personally like the kappas better than the polks but others prefer the polks. Choices for 6.5 speakers are abundant and there are a lot of choices. In my opinion the hertz hcx 165 are hard to beat. I suggest you find a gathering of bikes and listen to some. Also keep in mind that TUNING is an extreme part of how a setup sounds.

For amps I prefer the stinger spx 700/4 over the pn4-1000 as it is easy to install, all the connections are out front and easy to tune.

Again these are just my opinions and we all know how opinions are......

 

I also like those polk 692's but had a problem with them getting hot as hell when the bags were loaded and melted the cross over cover on the speaker. Marshall and others have no problems but they got real hot on me. I don't know why they did but so just beware. The hertz mpx 690's are what I am currently running in the rears.

 

If you don't have speaker lids already GET the RF kit and try the included 6x9 they are pretty decent.
IMHO if you're using coaxs in the fairing there isn't much to be gained by spending hundreds of dollars over and over to only gain inches of SQ when you're looking for feet. Try what you have.
Again my opinion but dollar for dollar I don't know how the PN1000.4 can be beat. The install however is a pain I'm not sure I've seen one in a pre Rushmore, so be prepared for that. If you're after simplicity the stinger will be easier most likely.

 

I absolutely agree. The pn4-1000 is real bang for the buck for an amp. Just a pain to install. I just like the stinger better. I have also spent WAY WAY too much $$ buying speakers looking for that sq upgrade only to find with proper tuning and at 70+mph there isn't a lot of difference in most quality coax. Sitting still you can hear differences but at speed it is damn hard to tell the difference at least for this old man.

 

I was able to find some pics of the pn1000.4 in a pre Rushmore so it's doable.

 

Thanks everyone for the input so far. What I'm reading/getting is that my Polk speakers are fine for now, but if I hear some Infinity's and feel like I j=have to have them then do that then.

Also, I was wanting the Soundstream amp because of the 2-4 ohm switching. The Polks are 2 ohm, the RF speaker lid kit comes with 4 ohm speakers. I know going up is okay, its the going down from the amp to the speakers that isn't good. But an amp like the Stinger that is 4 ohm - would I have to bridge it to use it for the 2 ohm Polks up front? I do like that all the connections are at one end of the amp.

I haven't seen pics of the Soundstream installed in a bike like mine but everything I've read here says it will fit with a little care. I have the RF in there now sitting on top of my Sony deck. It's on a mounting tray that the seller let me have with the amp. It's worked great on the stock HU, and works on the Sony, but overlaps it due to the smaller chassis size of that HU. The RF looks a lot smaller than the Soundstream though.

 

Those polk are 4 ohm. With both the ss pn4 and the stinger, they are 2 ohm stable and you can run the kappas (2 ohm) up front and any 4 ohm speaker in the rear. What you cant do is run 2 ohm speakers (kappa's) parallel with a 4 ohm speaker (kappas in the fairing and polks in lower per say off the same channel or run the kappas off a amp bridged.

So with that being said, either amp will work with your polks and the rf lid kit even if you change the fronts or the rears as long as you don't mix 2 ohm and 4 ohm on the same channel.

 

Okay, I get it. I thought the Polks were 2 ohm tho. The specs say they are 2.7, and I thought in reading here before they were 2. My bad. I'm learning, but I've never really gotten the whole electrical thing (impedence, volts, watts, etc.) That used to drive my dad crazy trying to explain it to me when he was alive. For some reason I have no ability to retain it, so I have to remember the "absolute do not do" things like you explained it.

Thanks