what kinds of options do i have if i want to upgrade my street glide to 6.5" speakers? i really dont know much about audio beyond the basic concepts of installation


1) what makes the speakers sold at J&M/Biketronics/Hogtunes/etc special? are they weatherproof? why do they cost minimum $200+ for a pair as opposed to car speakers?

2) why not use car speakers? what risks are their in installing some regular alpine/kicker/rockford fosgate/whatevers?


3) is it feasible to upgrade the speakers now, and add an amp later if i decide i need more? or would that create complications?


my issue with the stock speakers isn't volume, they're plenty loud, but alot of the music i listen to sounds awful on them, even at a standstill some artists are borderline un-listenable.

 

The main problem is the factory speakers are 2ohm, most aftermarket are 4ohm.
The next issue on most 2way aftermarket speakers, the center mounted tweeter sets to high and hits the factory speaker grille.

 

I have a Sony head unit so 4 ohm is fine for me and I am running Hertz speakers which are fantastic, there is no issue with running car speakers, in fact I would go so far as to say that there are no bike specific speakers, but claiming they are bike specific is a great way to increase the price. There are 2 ohm car speakers out there.

 

Most of the bike speakers are water proof.
Other than that no two people have the same ears so sadly you have to go by trial and error for what you can afford and what you think sounds good. Most speakers can be run without an amp but to get a better than stock sound an amp will be a night and day difference. I'm sure if you search and read up on positives and negatives of each of the speakers your thinking of using you will get a better opinion reading negative posts. They tend to bring out a more honest review than someone that just spent to much and being embarrassed by how there over priced system sounds.

I've only tried a few different speakers, but plan to try others just for the hell of it in the future. So far the more expensive haven't over performed the cheaper options in my experience.

But I do run an amp, and have a second amp I plan to install soon. My system sounds fine now but I can't leave well enough alone it seems.

Good luck with your search!

 

I picked up a set of Polk mm651's on ebay for $120 and needed to get the boom grills another $70 they are 2.7ohm and off the stock head unit sounded amazing compared to the cheapy stock HD speakers when I added a 250 W amp I was very very happy.

 

see red

 

The J&M ROKKER XX option is here http://www.jmcorp.com/ProductDetail....=HCRK-7252-RXX ,,,,, grills with mounted tweeter and midrange here http://www.jmcorp.com/ProductDetail....ctID=HCRK-GRTM ,,,

The ROKKERs were designed SPECIFICALLY for the Harley bagger application and it shows ,,,, 2-ohm impedance, very high power handling capabilities, lightweight but strong Neodymium magnet, and waterproof poly cone ,,,,,

very close behind the ROKKERs are J&Ms Performance series, also designed specifically for the Harley Bagger application, with 90w RMS power handling, these will provide 90% of the sound & performance attained with the ROKKERs for about 65% of the costs ,,,,,, see http://www.jmcorp.com/ProductDetail....D=HCSK-7252GTM ,,,,,

Ultranutz makes a good point on adding the speakers first, but when you do, have a good idea of how much RMS power you want to add in the future, so that you don't purchase TOO MUCH speaker for the application or NOT ENOUGH ,,,,,

 

I'd like to see your 'list' of speakers you've tried.........More times than not, you get what you pay for,...................unless you are comparing $59 speakers to $99 speakers..........

I haven't seen a 'top of the line' speaker, such as the K series Focal, or the BA Pro SE 60's, outperformed by anything cheap.

The best way to shop for speakers, is at a high end audio shop. Your ears are the best judge !!

 

Wasn't trying to stir the pot but since you asked I'm only comparing stock, Harley Boom, Hawg werks and J&M's. In my experience, the J&M speakers were the most expensive I've bought and tried, but didn't compare to the booms I already had installed. So for about a $300-$400 dollar difference I would say the cheaper booms that I still run sounded better than the J&M's that I have in a box. This is using a J&M 250 amp, that works great for me. I play as loud as I need and have never blown one of my booms that I've had since I bought my bike. I read about quite a few other speakers blowing and not being able to handle the power.

I didn't read anywhere that the OP wanted a monster sound system, just that he wanted something better than the stock speakers. That can happen without buying the most expensive system money can buy!

Not trying to sell him on booms, but the only people that have issues with them are the guys that take up there whole tour pack and saddle bags full of amps. Booms are not for these people. But for the mass majority of people that use there bikes for touring not bike shows can use cheaper speakers and be more than happy.

 

HD Rollin ,,,,,,,

when you use the J&M ROKKER XX speakers, they have the highest RMS power rating of almost any speaker available ((156w RMS continuous)) ,,,, however, the J&M ROKKER XT amplifiers need to be adjusted properly to take full advantage of the capabilities of the ROKKER XX speakers ,,,,,

get back to me direct at john@jmcorp.com and I will help you with the adjustments ,,,,,,