As the title states, How much power are you leaving on the table?

I have gotten a few PM's lately. (not complaining ask away)

A properly planned system should take advantage of your amps full potential.

I see some guys saying they are running "X amp, and it has X power rms" and then ask what speakers they are running and actually only getting half of their possible power out of a amp.

I know a lot of people worry about stereo sound vs mono sound. I used to be that guy too!

On a Harley our speakers are 3 feet apart in a open air environment, Then add moving at 50+ Mph. Can our ears really pick this up? (I am Deaf)


Juice

 

I would rather leave a little on the table , rather than not have enough.
I'm an old car audio guy and used to get by with a lot less power than most people did, and still had more than enough.
This bike world is definitely a new adventure for me. I've come to the conclusion you need at least 100 watts a speaker minimum, and more like a 125 watts +, to really do a cruising bike justice. Providing it's a decent amp, and decent speakers.

 

In example,

I have a buddy with 2 DA 4v2 (600 watt amp) 1200 watts possible

He is running 8 (4 ohm) speakers (not ideal) only getting 640 watts.

Juice

 

Depends on the speaker, some speakers get loud with 75 watts. Then others will need 200+ to hit a sweet spot.

Juice

 

Dude two years ago I tried to share the ideas of running mono vs stereo and I was told by the resident experts that mono sucked and there was no point using 8ohm speakers on a bike. Even threads like this were created to crap on the idea:

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/audio...-speakers.html

I commend you for giving a stab at it two years later. I hope guys come around. I think it’s this stubbornness that has stagnated the creativity of the forum. Coulda been there two years ago.

 

I'm that guy who want to run stereo. The reason I am is that most audio is recorded in stereo and blended to sound better. If I run mono off 1 side of a stereo output then I may be missing some aspects of the recording. For instance, if running mono then I miss half of the beginning of China Grove from the Doobies. Same with some Led Zepplin songs. Am I wrong for thinking that way?

 

The one thing I have learned from most of you guys Is there is definitely efficiency and compatibility issues coming to play in all systems. Some speakers work better with some amps, sound better with other amps. It's not just speakers and amps. Each amp has it's certain speakers that it plays well with. That's why myself and others are wise to listen to those with knowledge to share.

Fairly new to the game, I can see why the CV B52, B54, NVX Nad4, SS PN4.1000D and the Stinger 700 get a lot of recommendations. There's enough watts there to start building a decent system on, at a good price point. Maybe a guy ends up leaving a little power on the table with some speakers, maybe not enough for others, which you hopefully a guy tries to avoid using due to limitations, but should have enough power to give a guy a good base for a variety of options. There are most certainly bigger, better amps, more watts, better quality, all usually at a higher price point.
Myself, I run a JL HD 900.5 in my truck, and think the JL MHD900.4 would make a great bike amp if it fit in the fairing, and wasn't so pricey.

 

Gypsye,
The thing with the DSP is you can Sum left and right.

So yes you can get that drum solo from the left and it will play blended through both speakers.

Juice

 

I just read that 2 year old thread and think that the intent to have serious discussions about 8 ohm build strategies was definitely floated and Slye probably had the most legit answers on behalf of 8 ohms. Prob the same reasons some of us run 8 ohm speakers today. But there were also "business folks" keeping all this supposed 8 ohm Area 51 shix on the down low for proprietary reasons. Lol!!!

The 8 ohm strategy has it place, but how big is that market? How much flexibility does it provide? How many 8 ohm coax are available? How much more power does it take to get to the same dB on an 8 ohm vs 4 ohm vs 2 ohm speakers. All valid questions and they have been answered in various locations over the years but damn good on u Juice to draw some attention to the build strategy discussion!!!

Maybe this attempt will provide some additional insight since the sled audio industry has matured a bit.

Disclaimer, I run 8 ohm speakers. But why?

T

 

I have 8ohm 8s in my bags parallel bridged, my fairing and lowers are 4ohm each set
run to one channel summed . 1000 watt amp running all 6 prob leaving around 100-150w on the table