My current setup on my 2012 Street Glide:

- Kenwood HU
- Stinger SPX700X4 amp
- MMats PA601.cx in the fairing
- MMats PA690.4cx in the lids

I am very happy with the sound quality after tuning it by ear based on tuning advice given in this forum (setting gains & frequency) but have read of others doing a "professional" tune to their audio systems. I do not own the equipment others post about using to tune their systems and would be wondering if it would be worth it to pay someone who does own the equipment tune my system for me. I'm just trying to get the most out of my current system as I do not have any plans to upgrade or add equipment in the near future, if at all. Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions!

 

How much better would you expect it to sound? You could get a quote and see if the risk/reward was worth the cost or not. I ran the stock HU, mmats 6.5 and 6x9s witht he stinger amp for a year or so and thought they sounded great. Very loud and good clean sound. For component speakers, I'm not sure how much more sound you'd get.

 

That addresses my question- could a professional tune give me a substantial improvement in sound quality from a setup that I'm already pleased with? If so I would be willing to pay $ but if it would be only incremental I would stay put. Of course, this is all subjective based on the listener.

 

Yeah I'm sure a professional tune could squeeze some more out of that system. but not sure it would be a night and day difference. Best bet is to talk to a local good bike audio tuner. I dont trust the car audio shops.

 

I can tell you from my experience the right tool make HUGE difference. I originally set my gains using the volt meter procedure, sound was "good" but like you it kept nagging at me that there could be more. I splurged and bought a DD-1 distortion meter and re-tuned with it and their instructions. Night and day difference, very pleased with the sound now. A professional tuner may even be cheaper than the DD-1 but now I have it for the future as well as other friends bikes too. They come up in the classifieds once in a while, Meade Designs also sells refurbs occasionally on their website too.
My 2cents....

 

I had mine tuned by adenton here on the forums. Of course i have the stock HU and needed a flash. By dmm, my gains were close but his equipment made a world of difference.

 

I think the cost vs reward may not be there. Will it help to have a better tune, yes, however you're really going to need a dsp for that. I would stand pat, make sure your gains are proper, and do a little EQ work in your head unit if it has the ability. Additional equipment such as a dsp is great if you are planning on future upgrades but since you're not, I'd just tinker with the crossover on the amp a bit as well as eq on head unit and ride and enjoy it.

 

Thats what I was thinking, though not explained as well as you. You back from sturgis?

 

Great info, thanks! I've already adjusted the Audio Control settings in my Kenwood HU (bass, treble, fade) and have it where I like it and will stay put. One question though- under Manual EQ there is an option where I can select between:

100HZ]/[160HZ]/
[250HZ]/[400HZ]/
[630HZ]/[1KHZ]/
[1.6KHZ]/[2.5KHZ]/
[4KHZ]/[6.3KHZ]/
[10KHZ]/[16KH

I have no clue what those settings reference and what option I should select or should I just leave as is? Thanks.

 

Leave the manual EQ as is and just select a preset EQ that's good to your ears.