So I need audio help. I know this question has probably been answered time and time again, and I'm probably going to sound extremely vague to the more experienced people, but here it goes anyway...

I have a 2008 Road King Classic and I'm finally making the jump and getting an aftermarket fairing and stereo. I have about $1200 to spend. I'm thinking of going through Reckless Motorcycles for the fairing ($350 for Stereo-ready, Black Gel Coat). My bike is vivid black and I've been told by a couple painters, that unless you have a trained eye and know what you're looking at, the black gel coat looks close enough to the vivid black. Maybe down the line I'll worry about paint matching, but that's not a concern now. I'm also completely inept with electronics installation, so I'm leaving $75-100 for professional installation by a friend who does it for a living.

So let's ballpark it at around $750 that I have to spend on the actual audio. I'm looking for the clearest, loudest sound I can possibly get at speed within that budget. I'm open to ANY suggestions. Whether it's 2 6x9s, 4 5.25s, doesn't matter to me. Brand doesn't matter. Just the best possible sound. I listen to mainly country, metal, and hip-hop. I REALLY like my low tones, but I ride hard, usually over 80-85mph. So if I have to choose between booming bass at a stop sign or being able to actually hear my music on the highway, I'll take the latter.

My only real requirement is that I really like the idea of a bluetooth head unit. Also, I have the regular stock leather RK Classic saddle bags and like the look. Not sure if I want to or have the budget to go to the hard bags with speaker lids, although I know that would make it a lot easier for audio purposes.

So far this was the set-up I was looking at... would love some feedback.
- Sony MEX-GS600BT head unit
- Polk Audio AA2691-A MM691 6x9 3-Way Speaker
- Soundstream Pn4.520d 4-channel 520w Amplifier OR Rockford Fosgate PBR300X2 Punch 300-Watt 2-Channel Boosted Rail Amplifier

I'm so sorry to make people waste their time helping a total noob out, but I would be SUPREMELY grateful if you did.

 

My nephews King......pm you, D

 

There's no need to buy a 4 channel amp unless you plan on putting lower pods or speaker lids on later. The 6x9's in the fairing are the way to go. The MM691's are nice. If you don't plan on any additions and you don't listen to FM radio, I would use the Soundstream 2.350 amp. Otherwise, the pbr300x2 is a good choice.

 

Just saw a guy last night with a road king and the reckless fairing. . .He had the Infinity Kappa 693.11i in his fairing and those dam things are insane right up front in your face. . . Got me re-thinking my whole set up. . . AGAIN!!! This audio thing will never end. I'm gonna need a 12 step program before it's all said and done. . . lol

 

I'd go with a pbr300x2, one set BT 7.1 and then you can find a good Sony CD player with any options you like for $200 & under (lots of brand names/options in that price range).
You'd have a damn good amp that a lot of our members use, great speakers and a good HU...$150 leftover!

I went with BT's 2180 amp (and BT 7.1's) in case I add another set of speakers later, it has enough power to handle adding them.

 

I am doing the same thing with my Road King. Ordered my Reckless Fairing and the head unit I am going with is a Sony Marine CDX-H910UI. I bought that from Sonic on EBay for $189. Now the reason I am going with that one is because most of your Sony HU have a detachable face plate and the pins on them do not stay lined up after awhile with all the vibrations they get from your bike. Then your HU no longer works.

This one has a flip down face plate but is connected with a ribbon wire and not pins. This should solve the vibration problem. As well, a friend of mine has the same HU in his fish boat that is in salt water all year round for about ten years now and not one single problem with it. His boat is an all Aluminum Welded boat so it does pick up vibrations through the console and it gets hosed down a lot and it's all good.

The amp I am going with is the PBR300x2 and in the Fairing I am going with Infinity 6912m marine speakers and in my Tour Pak I am going with infinity 612m.

These are probably not everyone's choice for speakers but they do sound really good and I like the looks of them and they will go great with my bike.


Bruce

 

Thanks Pioneer, I think I'll go with the two channel now. If I do decide to switch to the hardbags and speaker lids it'll be a ways down the line, so at that point I can upgrade the amp if needed.

 

I'll definitely check those out Gannicus, thanks! I know Infinity's a really good brand. How are the low notes with them? The reason I was looking at the Polks is because you actually get a mini sub and tweeter built right into the speaker so the lows, mids and highs are all covered.

 

Thanks P'Cola. I've heard a lot of good things about the BT 7.1's. My only concern is the only fairing options through Reckless are 2 6x9s, 4 5.25s, or 2 6.5s. So I guess if I wanted to go with the 7.1's I'd have to do some trimming on the 6.5 fairing?

 

Thanks for the heads up, Bruce. I had never heard of that issue so good to know.