I have put Hog Tunes amps/speakers in my '04 & '14 Ultra Classic's and wasn't that impressed with the improvement in sound quality. I just picked up a 2018 Road Glide Ultra and want to upgrade the fairing audio only with an amp/speaker combo. My budget ceiling is $800 - $900. I have been doing a ton of reading and opinions are all over the place given audio is so subjective. I'm leaning toward Biketronics or JM Rokker. Plug and play is important, I'm capable of splicing wires (retired A&P mechanic here) but prefer not to.
From a pure "reliability meets good sound" perspective, any advice regarding these two?

Thanks in Advance.

 

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NO RADIO FLASH NEEDED Stage-6 Kits come out of the box pre-tuned for the stock Harley radio flash and are 100% plug-n-play into the electrical system. FREE GROUND SHIPPING to the Lower 48 states.

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Welcome to the forum OP. Don't be concerned over plug and play. With all the vendors available, there is no reason to have to cut a harness. Everybody and their brother makes connectors and pigtails to tie just about anything together. Guys on here have been doing upgrades for years and cutting into a factory harness is long gone. I would encourage you to look beyond your original two choices because there is so much available. If you insist on those 2 then it's biketronics hands down. I have owned both and still run biketronics speakers in one tourpak and have their amp on the bench out of the 18 I traded in on my current CVO. Will either put it in my 16 or possibly the 23 depending on when the interface is available and how it is working on the new bikes. Add a couple hundred bucks to that budget and you can get a very capable 2 speaker system.

Consider that not all watts are created equal and just because a system is loud doesn't mean it sounds good. You stated that you've read a ton and you're correct that sound is very subjective. How many times have you seen the guru's on here recommend those systems? I'd recommend going back through threads until you find a time that someone did, but it hasn't happened since before the GT radio came out in 2014 and don't want to waste your time. Do,,,not,,,drink,,,the,,,koolaid

 

Good advice, I'm also eyeballing Hawg Wired.

Thanks!

 

Hello and welcome to the forum.
What Hog Tunes amps/speakers kit did you get that you were unhappy with?
What was the issue?
Thanks

 

On my '04 that I bought new from Space Coast H-D when I lived in Florida, I installed only the Hogtunes speakers, which were 5 1/4" coaxial speakers, and I remember thinking what a huge difference they made. Looking back, I bought a new 2013 Ultra Classic and did the same thing - Hogtunes speakers only. It was a new '14 Rushmore Ultra Classic I bought the following year that I had the dealership install the amp, SiriusXm receiver module and what I'm pretty sure were those Boom Audio brand speakers and amp. After having that bike a while, I felt that while it got loud enough, it just didn't sound as "clear" in the higher frequencies as the Hogtunes did, like the tweeters just weren't as good, so I put Hogtunes 5 1/4" coaxial speakers in the fairing and rear pods (I don't remember the model numbers). I recall there wasn't much, if any difference to my ears between the two brands. So, in hindsight I shouldn't criticize Hogtunes amps because it was a different brand, but that being said I don't know if their speakers were much better sounding than H-D's but that was close to nine years ago. I clearly remember what a pain in the rear those newfangled plastic pods under the fairing of that Rushmore were when I opened her up. When I started that project on a Saturday I was thinking "this won't take long, been here & done this" and I would be done, cleaned up and riding down to the bar in a couple hours. Man, was I wrong Lol.