GZ Coax tuning
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 142
Likes: 3
From: Aurora, IL
Fireball -
I am curious to what you setup in your DSP for the GZ Coax and MMats. I am running a similar setup but havent tuned it yet at all. I enjoy the building/wrenching/pulling wires and so on. I just know when I am out of my depth and setting up the DSP to allow the speakers to do their thing is not something I know how to do.
I am curious to what you setup in your DSP for the GZ Coax and MMats. I am running a similar setup but havent tuned it yet at all. I enjoy the building/wrenching/pulling wires and so on. I just know when I am out of my depth and setting up the DSP to allow the speakers to do their thing is not something I know how to do.
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 399
From: Vancouver, BC
lol.. no worries Dsm. This is another one of those things that will always be debated and why I said it was in my opinion. I was absolutely convinced I could tell the difference back in my "audiophile" days...and I could when it was a pair of McIntosh tube monoblocks up against an early-era solid-state amp. The eye-opener (ear-opener?) for me was when I had a unique opportunity to do blind listening tests using identical signal chains where the amps (all solid-state) were swapped out. There were 3 or 4 different amps (one of them the same as my own amp at home) and I think I was almost 100% incorrect in guessing which amp was which IIRC.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 9,741
Likes: 1,598
From: Danbury CT
lol.. no worries Dsm. This is another one of those things that will always be debated and why I said it was in my opinion. I was absolutely convinced I could tell the difference back in my "audiophile" days...and I could when it was a pair of McIntosh tube monoblocks up against an early-era solid-state amp. The eye-opener (ear-opener?) for me was when I had a unique opportunity to do blind listening tests using identical signal chains where the amps (all solid-state) were swapped out. There were 3 or 4 different amps (one of them the same as my own amp at home) and I think I was almost 100% incorrect in guessing which amp was which IIRC.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 5,749
Likes: 1,603
From: High Point, NC.
Well IMHO, all amps can sound different....in guitar amps you have Fender, Marshall, Mesa Boogie, Ampex and many more that have their own unique sound. Even amps within the same company sound much different. In home stereo McIntosh was always warmer (tubes), Yamaha was always very clean. Many other brands have their own sound but you need good speakers to hear the differences too. On motorcycles, well at 75mph with all the other associated sounds from the bike, can we really hear the difference? Maybe in the parking lot or slow speeds but once you get to speed, you need power and clarity to take over otherwise it's just distortion.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 295
Likes: 19
From: South of Atlanta Georgia
I most definitely could hear the difference in sound quality ( and I’d describe that difference as one being Warmer than the other or more mellow ) when I switched from my old stinger amp and went to a SD800.4. It was clearly different sound. My wife even noticed and she doesn’t care about any of it at all as long as she can hear “her” song when it plays.
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 399
From: Vancouver, BC
I most definitely could hear the difference in sound quality ( and I’d describe that difference as one being Warmer than the other or more mellow ) when I switched from my old stinger amp and went to a SD800.4. It was clearly different sound. My wife even noticed and she doesn’t care about any of it at all as long as she can hear “her” song when it plays.
There were a few good articles published on AudioXpress that go into the whole debate (here and here). At the end of the first article, there's even a link where you can try to tell the difference between 2 different recordings (one through a solid-state amp and the other through a tube amp). Give it try.
The bottom line though is that if there is a difference it's subjective and that's good enough. I know I can't tell the difference using proper blind tests because I've tried. If you can that's great.
Last edited by hamah; Mar 28, 2022 at 09:02 PM.
I most definitely could hear the difference in sound quality ( and Id describe that difference as one being Warmer than the other or more mellow ) when I switched from my old stinger amp and went to a SD800.4. It was clearly different sound. My wife even noticed and she doesnt care about any of it at all as long as she can hear her song when it plays.
I have also noticed the same thing between a couple amps when doing a swap in my bike. I'll leave the 2 amps out of the discussion until I hear your answer.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 5,749
Likes: 1,603
From: High Point, NC.
I've not compared stinger and SD amps side by side, but im running SD amps now. Different speakers though.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 295
Likes: 19
From: South of Atlanta Georgia
While it's true that you can measure subtle differences between low and high-quality amps (particularly if there is induced THD) it's highly unlikely you would be able to reliably tell the difference between 2 amps of roughly the same quality, operating within the performance envelop (no clipping), with the rest of the signal chain being equal. Certainly not on a bike that's moving.
There were a few good articles published on AudioXpress that go into the whole debate (here and here). At the end of the first article, there's even a link where you can try to tell the difference between 2 different recordings (one through a solid-state amp and the other through a tube amp). Give it try.
The bottom line though is that if there is a difference it's subjective and that's good enough. I know I can't tell the difference using proper blind tests because I've tried. If you can that's great.
There were a few good articles published on AudioXpress that go into the whole debate (here and here). At the end of the first article, there's even a link where you can try to tell the difference between 2 different recordings (one through a solid-state amp and the other through a tube amp). Give it try.
The bottom line though is that if there is a difference it's subjective and that's good enough. I know I can't tell the difference using proper blind tests because I've tried. If you can that's great.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 295
Likes: 19
From: South of Atlanta Georgia
i felt like the stinger amp sounded WAY better. Warmer is the best way to describe it. I know that word gets tossed around a lot but to me thats the best description. The stinger seemed to play every range of frequencies clearer and made pro audio speakers sound more like regular lower efficiency speakers. But still loud af like a pro audio driver. But as mentioned earlier what I know about audio will fit in a thimble. So dont put a whole lotta stock in my opinion lol