Have a buddy with a 17 RGS. He wants upgraded audio and has started putting together a list of equipment to get. He's asked which is better and why, ease of use, sound, etc....

 

How knowledgeable is he in tuning and DSP's

 

Ahh the old "I'm asking for a friend" bit. Lol. For two speakers the Fix will be a hell of a lot easier and less expensive. DSP seems to be major overkill for two, even four speakers when a Line Leveler would suffice just fine.

 

The JL fix hands down, as long as you have a place for it. Any bike 2014+ benefits greatly from this unit in the sense of better overal sound quality. Let's just say that the fix capabilities SHOULD HAVE BEEN made into the HK/HD radios from the factory, like most aftermarket units provide.
The arc DSP has its place but not on a two speaker only bike.

Having said that you do not need to have a DSP, as CPBEDOR stated, when a line leveler will do the trick. But again there are major substantial differences between a BT LL vs a JL fix vs an arc DSP in what they each do/provide in sq.

 

It all depends what his entire set up is. For example you could have a four speaker set up that has two 6.5 in the fairing and two 10's in the bags = 4 speakers, OR you could have four coaxial in the fairing and lowers.....or heck he could have 3 different types of speakers fairing, lids and inside the bags. With 10's, 8's, or more than two different types of speakers I like a DSP, if you are using just front and rear channels that are coaxials then the Fix but just know going in it's going to take up some space. He's got an RG so it fits in the fairing but consider where he will put his amp.

 

Way overkill indeed.

T

 

Unfortunately this is for a buddy. Im still in the stone age on my 09. He is going to be running just a front setup for at least the rest of this year. So far Im trying to steer him towards the dd setup for speakers once they come back in stock. He's made the comment numerous times that the proaudio setup in another friends bike doesn't sound good to him. As of now, I'm actually trying to get him to just use a line leveler until the need arises for dsp.

 

True if "loud" is your goal. The DSP (Fix-86 or PSM) will allow you to custom tailor your sound to the way YOU want it. Line-levelers are "fixed" with very limited adjustability (you can adjust top and bottom - but it sure isn't a parametric EQ).

The DSP's allow to make adjustments for the skewed head-unit output frequency curves and to correct for a speaker's inherent frequency response. I respectfully disagree that a DSP is "overkill" - and will also argue that it's "necessary" in a 2014+ bike to adequately overcome the built-in head-unit curves.

Both the Fix-86 and the PSM accomplish the same thing, in very similar ways. The PSM is a smaller form factor (a big plus), while the Fix-86 has a "one-button-flatten" feature which is a "wow" - With zero effort, it gives you a truly flat signal which makes EQ'ing that much easier without an external RTA.

Is it that important that the audio is "correct?" on a loud Harley? That's up to the rider to decide. I've determined that what's good enough for most folks isn't good enough for my ears, however I've been an audio enthusiast (home and car) since I was about 16 - and now I'm 56.

Of course, this is all MHO and I truly dig the conversations - and there's a lot of knowledge here. Just tossing out that there are many "appropriate" ways to skin the same cat. As an engineer, I understand "why" HD/HK did what they did with the Rushmore+ units, but I still hate it.

 

You are on the right track my friend. DSP units are only good for clearing up/flattening a signal input and frequency adjustability (including speakers voltage matching) outbound. That's it.
The BT LL was not ever designed to be "customizable" and is still made that way. Yes it's adjustable but IS NOT RECOMMENDED TO DO SO. I can't tell you how many folks have blown countless tweeters/woofers doing so incorrectly.

I 100% agree with you that anyone wanting quality sound on their 2014+ aftermarket audio additions (2-4-6-8 speakers) should incorporate a DSP in some shape-form-fashion BUT for most folks a simple BT LL will always suffice.
The JL fix and the arc psm are two totally different beast. Yes the objective and the end result is achievable if your wanting SQ/adjustability but that's where it stops.
The arc psm requires PRIOR knowledge with a parametric eq and its various settings, the FIX is really a plug and play solution all the way across the board coupled with simplicity of use. (And damn good online articles on setup/use)

I love the arc and wish that JL would decrease the size of the FIX unit (supposedly that's in the making, we shall see) but for simplicity sake you can't beat the JL fix.

It's always great for this conversation to take place here. That's what makes this place a wealth of knowledge for most.

 

I appreciate the guidance. If it was my own bike I would be probably going with the fix for ease of use. A local installer has had good luck with the psm on some 14+ bikes but he's a tad expensive even though there is always something to gain with having a pro do it. I'm only involved because my buddy knows I do all my own work.