Hello, I have been a member for several years. Read a lot, but post very little. Please don't hold that against me. I have a 2010 Electra glide ultra classic CVO. I'm upgrading the sound system over the winter. After gathering much info on here I bought 4 infinity kappa 62.11i speakers and a PA RZR 2000d amp and pods for the lowers. Usually ride without tour pack so leaving stock speakers back there for now. Now a buddy of mine is upgrading his system and offered me 4 Focal 165ac 4ohm speakers for $100. I know they are more expensive but reviews are very much the same as the kappas. So for the audiophiles out there would you get the Focals, do they sound so good I should change my original plan. If so would the PA amp push them or would I need a bigger amp. So other than changing the head unit, I like it, what would you do with these components. I could get a bigger amp as I would sell what I don't use to pay for it.

Sorry post is long.
Thanks for your time and ideas.

 

I'm not extremely familiar with either of them, but have been VERY pleased with the higher end Focal's such as the KRC165.

With that being said... from the spec sheets alone, I think I would stick with the Kappa's you have already. They appear to be a louder speaker, take more power, and play lower frequencies in the mid range which will give you a little more bass. Kappa shows a range down to 45hz vs Focal at 60 hz. However, I wouldn't put my high pass down that low as you are going to lose those lower notes at speed. I personally, would start tuning the Kappas at 60hz and the Focals at about 80hz. After listening to them I would adjust higher or lower based on what I heard.

I have no idea which one will have a clearer sound, but I'm going to bet if tuned right there won't be a tremendous difference. Just remember that more power doesn't always mean better.....meaning don't jack the gains up on either of them just b/c you want them louder. Too much gain will cause clipping and distortion which is what blows speakers out. Tune the amp with the receiver on flat/natural at 75% volume and adjust the gains up from there..... Post back up what you decide and how it works out. I'd be interested to know where you end up with the frequency on the Kappas if you stick with them.... Best of luck!!

 

And you do NOT need a larger amp. PA is rating that amp at 160RMS per channel at 4 ohms and 250RMS at 2 ohm with 4 channels and you have 4 speakers.....

The focals are 4 ohm speakers rated at 60RMS....Even though you won't have enough power delivered from the bike to reach 160RMS from the amp.... You have PLENTY of power..

The Kappas are a 2 ohm speaker, meaning the amp is rated to deliver 250RMS to each channel for that speaker's impedance. The speaker is rated to 75RMS......So you are way over powered for those 4.

Personally, I think a better amp choice would make the system sound better. I don't know much about the Power Acoustik line, but they are a lower end amp. That concerns me about how clean the signal coming out will be. Dirty signal creates noise and distortion which is the main cause for speaker failure. I would have gone with a lower watt higher end amp to protect your investment and allow you to enjoy the system more. Receiver, amp choice, and proper tuning are more pertinent to a good system than the speakers....within reason. Just my .02 based off the specifications for the products you mentioned. Hope it helps.

 

The specs on that amp aren't accurate by a long shot. Tested amps and there specs are in the stickies.

 

Where do I find the stickies to see the tested specs to this amp. Sorry...new to the forum thing. No amps are going to play to ratings, especially ones that are shown for 14v. Even good D class amps are going to reach 70% efficiency for the most part. Am I correct that this amp is 11" long?

 

The Stickies are at the top of the page. Here's a link to the bench tests.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/audio...ch-6-amps.html

 

PA RZ4-2000D (specs call out for 250W at 2 ohm, which is complete BS as we all know)
2 ohm: ~140Watt
4 ohm: ~91Watt

Good info.... I didn't see the receiver used listed in the report. Do we know which one was used?

So, even at these specs there is more than enough power to push either of the speakers. If that amp is that off on specs it makes me even more concerned about it. Over heating? Dirty Signal? etc.... and it's 11" long. The reason why I'm focused more on the amp in his setup is because I think it's more important to the sound quality and performance he's going to get using either of these speaker choices.

 

Thanks for the quick responses. Lots of good info. I thought I paired the amp and the kappa speakers right. Read the bench test showed amp at 140 w at2 ohms. Putting it at almost 50% headroom. The amp had good reviews. but it was on the lower price range of similar amps. Haven't decided yet but I feel the focals may not be worth the added added cost. The knowledge base to draw from here is priceless. Thanks again

 

Rcwagner, what all have you purchased already for the upgrade? Let's start from there to figure the best course. I have a feeling I'll different in opinion from some....but I'm always up to learn something new from other people's input.

 

Sure. I will be using stock head unit. I have in hand PA RZ4 2000D amp,4 infinity kappa 62.11i speakers and pods for lowers. I can get 4 Focal 165ac speakers cheap. Would be willing to buy better amp if needed. Leaving stock speakers in tourpack For now because rarely have it on bike. Wondering which direction to go.