I'm looking at upgrading my bike's should system, and am probably going to go with one of ARC's kits. Specifically this one http://www.arcaudio.com/productdescr...cle/mpak-1.asp. I don't know much about audio stuff, so which way would be best to wire this, 2 ohms or 4 ohms, and what's the difference? Also, what exactly does "RMS power handling" mean. Shouldn't you have speakers that will be able to take half of the amp's full power?

 

Nobody???

 

Mine is wired for 4 ohms for 4 4ohm speakers.

 

Hey Jeff, I had the ARC and it was a nice amp but took up a ton of space under the faring. I was also concerned about the heat sink that the big unit put out. After a couple of month, I changed the ARC out for a Biketronics set up. I think the sound is cleaner and the unit is much smaller. With the ARC, I had to move my XM module under the radio and had to take out the CB module (well I was taking the CB out anyway because I did not use it) I might have been able to squeeze the CB module in if I tried but not all 3 modules (ARC,XM,CB) I dont know what the price diff is between the ARC your looking at vs. the BT unit but check them out.

 

J&M's sound better even without an AMP.

 

J&M with a amp, even better!!

 

There's a ton of info out there on the arc amp, as well as others. I did a ton of reading on this and other forums and decided on the Arc KS 125.2

I can only speak for my setup. I have an 09 Street Glide with an ARC KS 125.2 amp and Focals 165 cvx. All I can say the sound is amazing and I would seriously be hard pressed to believe a set of speakers alone could compare to amp and speakers, but I can only speak for my setup.

As for installation, with the MPAK instructions it's pretty much idiot proof. The are several guys on the forums who you can deal with , Firecap, onthello and others.. I dealt with onthello (sean), great guy, fast shipping, great price, and always a call or email away to answer questions. Also , from what I've read Firecap is another great resource.

Whatever way you go if you end up with the arc feel free to pm me and I could send you some photos and installation instructions........

 

But 2 ohm or 4 ohm, and why?

 

Talk with Firecap he can fix you up. I have the arc mini amp with arc 6.5 speakers and also a Kenwood -X493 stereo. I really do like the sound, and my hearing is not the best in the world. Been a mechanic for 30 years and it has taken its toal on my ears. I don't have any problems hearing the music at any speeds. Talk with Wayne " Firecap " he will be more than happy to answer any of your questions.

Ronnie

 

An excellent resource for information of the type you want is crutchfield.com.

As for 2 ohm or 4 ohm, 4 ohm is a virtual standard for automotive type speakers so there is a much, much larger selection of 4 ohm speakers than 2 ohm. Electrically, a 2 ohm will play slightly louder than a 4 ohm given equal amplifer output (watts). I'm no tech or aduio engineer; just read a bit on the subject.

Good luck with your project.