ARC Audio MPAK 6 installed (it sucks)
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 515
Likes: 2
From: Colorado
Not to hijack this thread, but have always done my own work as long as I had the right tools, but was always on older bikes. Nothing you can't learn to do with good resources and the proper manuals. Since this was my first NEW ride, was a little nervous also. However, the enticement of tearing into it overcame me, and had it torn down within the first week of purchase. Nothing like learning about your ride. May help you someday out on the side of the road.
Get a Service Manual...and do exactly what you are doing by getting help on these forums and HAVE FUN!!!
Get a Service Manual...and do exactly what you are doing by getting help on these forums and HAVE FUN!!!
Many thanks to all that responded. I am going to take the plunge and pull the fairing myself and try and adjust the amp setting per the suggested link. I guess I gotta grow a set sometime....after all, how hard could it be to pull 7 screws, right.....
Ratrod, I sure do appreciate the offer and may end up pinging you Saturday if thing go south! Your a great dude for making the offer. Thanks!
Ratrod, I sure do appreciate the offer and may end up pinging you Saturday if thing go south! Your a great dude for making the offer. Thanks!
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 988
Likes: 1
From: Ashevegas
You'll need to know how to pull the fairing off if your headlight burns out on the road anyway. Better to learn how to do it in your garage.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 297
Likes: 1
From: Pacific Northwest
Glad you are taking the plunge! Shouldn't be too bad. I recommend taking the windscreen off, replacing the center bolt to hold the batwing, then remove the other screws. Then you don't have two items to juggle when you remove that final middle windscreen bolt.
As for the Sensitivity of those speakers. I'm hopeful you can adjust the gain to get some oomph out of them, but 86 dB seems pretty poor compared to others.
To compare to the current UN pick... Polk MM651's - they spec at 94 dB.
Real world of course may vary a bit, and i'm unsure if that is at 1w1m or 2.83v.
How that relates to "loudness" (a poor indication of SQ really) is aparent when you look at how many w needed to hit "x" SPL:
(from chuckhawks site - lots of good info)
So after you adjust your gains, if still unhappy w/ them it may be worth looking at a different speaker. Hopefully you won't need to do so, but if you do - the above hopefully shows how much less power you need w/ an efficient speaker.
Anyway - food for thought and hopefully moot once you setup your amp correctly!
HTH and GL!
As for the Sensitivity of those speakers. I'm hopeful you can adjust the gain to get some oomph out of them, but 86 dB seems pretty poor compared to others.
To compare to the current UN pick... Polk MM651's - they spec at 94 dB.
Real world of course may vary a bit, and i'm unsure if that is at 1w1m or 2.83v.
How that relates to "loudness" (a poor indication of SQ really) is aparent when you look at how many w needed to hit "x" SPL:
Required Power: The RMS watts per channel required to produce music at the desired SPL at the listening position.
speaker sens. (1w/1M) listener distance desired SPL amp. headroom required power
104db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 27 watts
101db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 53 watts
98db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 106 watts
95db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 212 watts
92db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 422 watts
89db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 842 watts
86db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 1681 watts
83db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 3354 watts
80db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 6691 watts
77db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 13,351 watts
speaker sens. (1w/1M) listener distance desired SPL amp. headroom required power
104db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 27 watts
101db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 53 watts
98db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 106 watts
95db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 212 watts
92db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 422 watts
89db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 842 watts
86db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 1681 watts
83db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 3354 watts
80db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 6691 watts
77db 15' (4.6M) 90db 15db 13,351 watts
So after you adjust your gains, if still unhappy w/ them it may be worth looking at a different speaker. Hopefully you won't need to do so, but if you do - the above hopefully shows how much less power you need w/ an efficient speaker.
Anyway - food for thought and hopefully moot once you setup your amp correctly!
HTH and GL!
Last edited by sl33py; May 7, 2013 at 01:17 PM. Reason: trying to fix formatting of table.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 5,190
Likes: 5
From: Eastern Washington
Many thanks to all that responded. I am going to take the plunge and pull the fairing myself and try and adjust the amp setting per the suggested link. I guess I gotta grow a set sometime....after all, how hard could it be to pull 7 screws, right.....
Ratrod, I sure do appreciate the offer and may end up pinging you Saturday if thing go south! Your a great dude for making the offer. Thanks!
Ratrod, I sure do appreciate the offer and may end up pinging you Saturday if thing go south! Your a great dude for making the offer. Thanks!
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 406
Likes: 1
From: Houston, TX
Gonna give it a try this weekend. I will report back my findings.
Thanks everyone for the help.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,670
Likes: 139
From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
2 things wrong with this statement.
- Dealers don't have "audio techs". Probably some kid who washes bikes put this in for you
- you expected a dealer service department to do something right?
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 513
Likes: 2
Received my MPAK 6 on Friday , installed it on Saturday . It sounds awesome , the instructions were spot on . Install took around 3 hrs at most , set the amp gains up with the help of the sticky that UltraNutZ posted . This was the first time doing an audio install , it was easy and straight forward . The MPAK 6 may not be the best upgrade out there , but it is much better then the boom speakers that were on the bike . Next upgrade will be lower fairing speakers and amp .
I hope the OP gets his system figured out .
I hope the OP gets his system figured out .
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Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 406
Likes: 1
From: Houston, TX
Well, finally got the chance to get the fairing off, it was much easier than I thought it was going to be. Not sure how to tell what the settings are for BX2 Freq, and gains since they are just little Phillips screws.
Here are the current settings on the amp:
BX2 is set to ON
BX2 freq seems to be set at half way. I did play with this a little and the bass response change is minimal
The gains are set to about 3/4 of max. I turned the stereo up to 3/4 and adjusted these to what seemed about right (whatever that means to the pros lol)
The crossover does absolutly nothing when turned either way.
The tech did wrap the speakers in polyfil but just 1 layer. I doubt this is doing anything.
It appears that the speakers are wired directly into the amp (like they should be) but no bridging is apparent ( not sure if this right?)
A few pics, but not sure these will help. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them.
What is this box that was on top of the amp?
I hope I am not expecting too much from this system.......seems the boom amp/speaker setup was much clearer and louder.
Sorry the pics are upside down. I'm trying to fix that now.
Appreciate the help as always.
Here are the current settings on the amp:
BX2 is set to ON
BX2 freq seems to be set at half way. I did play with this a little and the bass response change is minimal
The gains are set to about 3/4 of max. I turned the stereo up to 3/4 and adjusted these to what seemed about right (whatever that means to the pros lol)
The crossover does absolutly nothing when turned either way.
The tech did wrap the speakers in polyfil but just 1 layer. I doubt this is doing anything.
It appears that the speakers are wired directly into the amp (like they should be) but no bridging is apparent ( not sure if this right?)
A few pics, but not sure these will help. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them.
What is this box that was on top of the amp?
I hope I am not expecting too much from this system.......seems the boom amp/speaker setup was much clearer and louder.
Sorry the pics are upside down. I'm trying to fix that now.
Appreciate the help as always.
Last edited by craving94509; May 14, 2013 at 02:37 PM.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,670
Likes: 139
From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
ok...
Pic1 - yeah this amount of polyfil ain't helping anything. Those speakers need to be wrapped up to look like a gigantic white cotton ball.
Pic2 - here's what I would do. The gains on the amp need to go all the way to min which on most amps is a counterclockwise rotation til it stops. Set your BX to off position. Turn bass and treble on radio to flat positions (if stock radio then that would be the middle bars of each option). Drop in a good high-fidelity CD like Van Halen. Turn volume on radio up until you hear distortion, then turn it down a little. Now turn your left and right gains up equally until you hear distortion again and then turn it back down a little.
the reason you're not hearing any difference with the crossover is because the switch right above the crossover is set to full which disables the crossover. I'd leave it like this.
I'm not sure what that box is but do you have an iPod, XM, or CB option on the bike?
Pic1 - yeah this amount of polyfil ain't helping anything. Those speakers need to be wrapped up to look like a gigantic white cotton ball.
Pic2 - here's what I would do. The gains on the amp need to go all the way to min which on most amps is a counterclockwise rotation til it stops. Set your BX to off position. Turn bass and treble on radio to flat positions (if stock radio then that would be the middle bars of each option). Drop in a good high-fidelity CD like Van Halen. Turn volume on radio up until you hear distortion, then turn it down a little. Now turn your left and right gains up equally until you hear distortion again and then turn it back down a little.
the reason you're not hearing any difference with the crossover is because the switch right above the crossover is set to full which disables the crossover. I'd leave it like this.
I'm not sure what that box is but do you have an iPod, XM, or CB option on the bike?
Last edited by UltraNutZ; May 14, 2013 at 02:51 PM.