Newbie here looking for advice, although I have literally read the last 2 years of relevant posts here (some more than once) and I've also had some phone convos with some of the better known shops about stuff who have mostly been receptive and helpful, but here goes....

'14 SG current setup is Sony XAV100, Hertz MP coax in front, SV200 in SBD lids w ST35s. 2x RF TM400X2AD in fairing. Above 75mph I can hear it but it's just background noise. I'm sure a DSP and better amp would help but my assessment is there are much better, louder options, and I'm not the type to be happy when I know there's better available. Not running lowers or tour pack. No plans to run bag speakers at this time either although I know that would make a difference.

My Goal: to use the same 4 holes and upgrade speakers, amps and add a DSP. I realize these holes aren't optimal but that's a set parameter. I know I won't have "bass" from my setup, but I want loud, clean power that I can hear rock music clearly at 90mph and not be shrill. Maybe where my lids drop out at 75mph instead of 45mph, or something like that.

I don't want to get into the amps on this post, but I'll say that I will likely look to SD products to provide ample headroom for whatever the chosen speakers. And I have no issues with using 2-3 amps and putting one in a bag.

Last caveat - I know specs don't tell the whole story but all I have are YOU smart people, and specs!!

So here's where I'm at with the fairing:
1. Beyma 6CX200nd - seems to be popular but I'm not sold on the idea of a "coax" (I know the highs can be wired separately) or on the potential effort to fit those particular speakers.
2. FaitalPro 6HX150 - again a "coax" that sounds like another good option with 2 very reputable good reviews and a couple not as good reviews, also from reputable shops.
3. DD B3 horns in XBS grills with one of the following
A. Beyma 6P200nd/PRO6Q200nd - 8/4 ohm choices, basically same woofer in the 6CX200, with the PRO not getting quite as high in the range, 60-6000 vs 60-9000khz
B. Beyma 6G40nd/PRO6Wnd - 8/4 ohm choices, also getting into lower range, less sensitivity than A, 92 vs 95/94. Both rated 70-9000
C. Beyma 6GMNd - the one with absolute most good reviews from shops I've talked to, not as low in the range as the ones above, 90-12000, high sensitivity.
D. AW65s if I can find them, SV165s, or any other suggestion but not MMATS or PRV. I'm just gonna bypass those to narrow things down. Also I presume the AW and SV won't be loud enough.

As for the lids, I will keep my ST35s and here are my thoughts on the 8s:

1. Keep my SV200s, just send them more power and tune them. Leaning against this because change is good
2. Beyma PRO8Q300nd - a 4ohm choice with a bit more on the lower end but nobody has tried them. 70-7000
3. Beyma 8MC500nd - a new, untried 500watt rms 80-6000 speaker that I'd love to power up with a SD1600.1, send them 1000 watts each, tune and balance them out with the fairing. (How could this be a bad idea?)
4. Beyma 8MC300nd - same but less power handling, 80-4000
5. Ground Zero yellow basket but also presume not loud enough
6. Any other strong suggestion with good rationale

So yes, leaning toward Beyma products, many of which have a lower range but I realize they may not sound good cut off there, just hoping to meet my goal stated above with these options and a brand that there's not much negative about. Also, I do have spec sheets on all the Beymas if anybody wants them. Some I had to get directly from Beyma.

Any and all help appreciated!! Not looking for a "budget" answer either, just the very best choices for my objective for the 4 holes even if those 4 holes already aren't the best answer, thanks in advance!! Mike

 

if it were me, i would get the dsp first, then re-tune what you have and re-evaluate the system performance. if it's not where you want it, step up the amp choice. you've got pretty good stuff, so that is where i'd start.
m

 

Any updates on this Mike?

 

Yes sir, big brown truck coming tomorrow...
I went with the PRO6Q200Nd/B3 in front. This is the same woofer in the 6CX200Nd and also as the 6P200Nd, but 4 Ohm. I did want my front stage on their own channels in stereo. The lids are the 8MC500Nd that are newer and I don't think anyone has tried them from what I can tell, so I'll be the guinea pig. (and my existing ST35s). More on amps/and config once I have it all installed and tuned (DSI2). May be a while due to an XBS grill part for the B3s that is still in final development, but I'm hoping for the best! Thanks for asking...

 

Mike I'll throw in one thing I encountered with my Rockford amp (TM400x4ad). It basically wants speaker level inputs. I don't know about your 400x2 model but I suspect it is the same. If you look at how to switch from speaker level to low level inputs they just tell you to cut off the RCA plugs which is a dead giveaway.

I found that I wasn't getting the sound out of that amp that the spec sheet said I should until I boosted the signal voltage to the inputs. After that the amp sort of "woke up". At first I used a cheap PAC LD-10 line driver which did the trick:
Adjustable Line Driver

Once I got the ARC PSM DSP I was able to boost the voltage to the amp enough to ditch the LD-10. I have talked to a couple of other folks on the forums that had the same issue with this amp. One indication that you may be experiencing this problem is if you have the gains of the amp turned up enough to get noticeable floor noise. When I added the LD-10 (and later the PSM) I was able to turn the gains down a bit on the amp and still get good volume.

I am running the TM400x4ad powering my 6x9 lid speakers and 6.5 pod speakers and I can hear them fine at high speeds now. I would think that with 200 watts going into each lid you should be able to hear them OK, especially considering RF rates those amps very conservatively. The test sheet on mine says it really puts out 480 watts as opposed to the 400 watts advertised.

Just another .02 in the can...

 

Hoyt, thanks, your input is appreciated!! However, I am selling my whole system to a buddy and starting over. Won't be running the RFs. I have SD amps coming to run the new speakers and they have RCA inputs so shouldn't be any issues going from Sony->DSI2->SD amps!

 

 

Thanks! I can't imagine the new setup will sound bad, but I get tuning will be everything!

 

Mike I think your buddy will like the sound of those RF amps. I almost decided to just go with a second RF amp in the fairing and skip the DSP. Those EQ controls can really warm up the sound of the speakers. If he uses speaker level inputs he should be fine, but if he thinks they don't get loud enough the line drivers might be worth a try.

I was so impressed with the sound quality of my 400x4ad it made me wonder what the 400x2ad units were capable of. If I had one though I would probably just wind up blowing my 6x9s through the bottom of the tour pak.