My last long highway ride, I finally tried the radio on the SG but couldn't really hear it at highway speeds. So like a lot of others, I'd like to get more volume and clean sound, but keep it as simple as possible.

I've spent about 8 hours searching and reading, and now would like to ask a couple of questions before pulling the trigger on a Rockford Fosgate PBR300x2 and Infinity Kappa 62.11i's.

• I don't want to lose FM.
• I listen to a wide range of music - pretty much everything except C&W.
• I'm looking for the best value - price matters, but weighed with overall SQ/volume.
• I'm not looking for engine-off sitting-in-the-parking-lot best sound.
• I am looking for a system that sounds really good while riding and can be heard clearly by me at highway speeds.

Questions:
What's the drawback of the Infinity 62.11i's that has so many willing to risk the higher failure rate of the Polk MM651s? Is there a significant difference in SQ or max volume?

Did I miss anything in 2-channel amp choices, or is the RF PBR300x2 pretty much it (keeping FM)?

Did I miss anything in speaker choices?
Most other speakers mentioned seem to be 4 ohm, have lower sensitivity, and/or lower power handling (meaning less clean volume).
I did see the JM and BT stuff. Are their SQ/volume/etc. 2.5x as good?

 

I think that is a great choice and you will be pleased. Don't forget the adaptors.

 

+1 on the infinity X2 set up!

 

make that 3... I started with Stock HU, RF300X2 and - in my case - the polks.
My brother now got that setup on his 13 SG in Amsterdam.
I was just looking for more - and it is one of my hobbies...

YOU WILL hear them on the Highway...

 

I'm going to ask you what it is your wanting in your final product. Not becouse those are not good products becouse they are. However, the more time I spend playing this audio game with my bike and watching others do the same it never fails that most people always try to start off affordable only to spend more in the end. Including myself!! Here is what I say..... If your wanting a good set of speakers that can be heard going down the road the pbr and the kappas should be fine. If your like me and want a bad *** stereo on your bike but just can't justify spending the huge money of say biketronics that your odviously curious about then stop and think long and hard about what you want in the end. You may be better off buying the high dollar stuff one peace at a time rather than settling for something else becouse you can afford it all at once. I'm only pointing this out becouse I myself have spent more in the end by doing it more than once. Actually I'm still trying to faze out my amp to get the good one. Do it once and you will save!

 

Here's my thoughts.

I've noticed some differences in various speaker brands. Not a lot but some things that I consider to be subjective. That is, another person may feel different and it's hard to quantify. Kicker, Polk, Infinity, HAT and others all make very good speakers, in my opinion.

Sensitivity, can make a difference as some speakers are rated 86 db 1 watt/1 meter while others 94, 95 and in between. So they will play louder, typically, everything else being the same. At home, my Paradigm Monitor 11's sound superb. But need some power to sound the best as they are average sensitivity.

My opinion is that at 75 mph, it sounds clear but it's not great sound quality. The wind is loud, semis, the v-twin, pipes, all that makes things very difficult to discern or even enjoy high grade quality audio. It's the best I can do with that much noise. A pair of 6.5 speakers can only do so much.

Now, I DO know what the H-D factory stereo system sounds like at 75 mph and even at slow speeds.. Mule fritters. So upgrading does help significantly.

Now, at 45 bipping around town, yes, I have noticed a difference and it sounds very good. And that's why I went with the system I have (FR PBR300x2, Kenwood KDC-BT558U and Infinity 62.11 Kappas). But the other speakers, I believe are a good choice as well.

I haven't lost FM with the setup I have.

After all the researching, trading out, trying this, trying that, I've realized that with my system (just two 6.5 in dash speakers), it can only sound so good. They are not carefully tuned speaker boxes and I have to keep that in mind. It's hard to do sometimes. I want a system that sounds like my car and that's not going to happen. But I've got it to sound pretty good for what it is.

It's a tradeoff. A small efficient amp will provide enough power but not shut down from overheating. The environment for bike audio can be brutal.

I would LOVE to have about 400-800 watts RMS on tap but I'm not willing to let go of any room from the saddle bags. I stuff them on trips. To be honest, I got a good sound system so when I'm putting around town, I've got some tunes. I've realized that 75-80 mph is too much noise to make audio anything but sound average at best.


I agree with ridedaddy in that you have to spend some money and get high quality components. I'm sure if I spent $3000, I could probably hear it better at highway speeds. But I've spent about $600-$700. For just two speakers, an amp, and a good in dash receiver on a motorcycle, it sounds good.


That's just my opinion, I'm sure others have theirs.

 

AZ Rider and Ridedaddy - Both very good opinions! Bottom line: There is no such thing as "affordable" When dealing with accurate sound reproduction at 80 mph. It's a pay me now pay me later proposition. You are either going to spend money on the front end and be done with it or you are going to go through countless speakers and amps trying to get it right. In the famous words of Eshaw301. . .Ask me how I know. . .lol

 

You would be amazed at how little room you lose with lid speakers. And there are plenty of high power amps that fit in the fairing.

 

You want to hear what they sound like? Inbox me and let me know what part of atlanta you are in and we can meet up somewhere.

 

It's really difficult to answer the "will I be happy with these" questions. The last thing I wanna do is make someone feel like they are going to have to spend more than they can afford to. But on the other hand it's not cool to talk someone into something that they may wish they hadn't bought either. It's also like comparing apples and oranges when comparing an affordable speaker to one thats three times the cost. I just find it hard to recommend polks ect ect when that setup didn't live up to my expectations. The only thing I know for sure is good components are not good enough!! On a bike it takes great components to sound good.