Sorry this is a longish post but I need the room to explain the problem.

First up I have HOGTUNES amp and 4 speaker kit bolted into the 09 Ultra. Sounds good, no issues with the setup and have been running it for about 4 months.

The other day for the first time I set up the HD headsets that came with the bike into my helmet to try it out. When I turn the volume up enough to hear the CD clearly at highway speed, the headset speakers distort (read crackle) like they are being driven too hard by the amp.

So as a test I plugged the headsets into the passenger port (which I believe is driven by the HK amp alone since the HOGTUNES amp drives the front speakers).

They still distorted so I then tried the other headset--same, then tried every combo of volume front, then rear, CB on, Intercom on, etc, etc. all to no avail. I also tried the 3 different gain settings on the HOGTUNES amp-- no help there either...

Have others had issues with the OEM headsets? Any ideas on fixes? I was thinking about taking them to a tech stereo shop and asking if they can provide HIGH QUALITY small speakers to fix this.

Many thanks for any ideas about a fix for this!

Cheers!

 

An excellent solution if you can solder is to simply buy J&M's replacement head set speakers (about $50/pair) and use them to replace HD's OEM speakers.

Carl

 

I don't know, my stereo is unmodified and I use J&M headsets. It all works fine to me.
When I want audiophile quality, I'm not in a car or on a motorcycle.
[It is actually kinda weird to listen to something I've worked days on in the studio on the bike. Much of the music is gone due to wind and bike noise. And other stuff gets boosted that you don't hear without all the background noise.]

 

If you're driving the small speakers in a headset with a higher output amplifier than the headset is designed for, you will very easily get distortion.

 

I use them all the time and have no problems. I listen to Queensryche, KoRn, Zeppelin, etc and don't really notice distortion or crackling. I bought another set off of Ebay and use them all the time. I don't crank it up in the headset though. They're made by a Milwaukee company named KOSS. Back in the day, KOSS Headphones were the ones to have.


Christian

 

You never going to have the quality in the headsets as you do in the speakers, even in stock form, let alone with a added amp...don't think J&M will be that good ( not as good as the speakers)....

Is there a way to cut the amp off? then the headsets may sound better...don't know just thinking out loud

 

I assume your bike has the same HD stock OEM HK AAS that operates at 2 ohms like my 2009 SG? This may be a farfetched thought, but I will throw it out anyway. I am wondering if there is an output ohms mismatch issue between the (HD OEM headeset/intercom system/HD AAS) and the HOGTUNES AMP output ohms.

You said in your post the 4 speakers and amp combo work good. Your distortion issue starts when you plug in the headset with the front and rear intercom system.

The OEM headsets, intercom wiring, and HD AAS speaker output on your bike were designed to operate at 2ohms. The OEM speakers for sure at 2 ohms and I am assuming the intercom and headsets are also 2 ohms, since the rest of the system is 2 ohm system. If your running a amp with an output other than 2 ohms and running the amp output through the AAS intercom to a headset designed for 2 ohm output, this might be where your problem lies.

When the intercom kit is installed, a CD is installed in the CD player and the AAS and intercom are “flashed” to configure the internal connection. Some riders have said they installed their own intercom kit and the intercom works great without a “flash.” Not sure if another “flash” will help with your issue.

Sorry, I have no suggested fix. Maybe a different make/model of headsets might work or a pro stereo shop can help.

 

The Hog Tunes amp is irrelevant to the signal received and played through rider and passenger headsets. The amp gets its input signal from the front fairing output signal that would otherwise go directly to the front speakers, amplifies that signal, and sends it to the front speakers. The headsets don't get their signal from the amp.

If the OP didn't do the install himself, he can verify the above by going to HT's website and reviewing the installation instructions for what he has that are available there as pdf files.

The rider and passenger headsets get their signals from separate pinouts on the rear of the head unit that are not, at least external from the headunit, shared with the front or rear speakers.

Some diagnostic options incldue: (1) try your headsets on another Ultra and see if you get the same distortion; (2) try different headsets (either a buddy's or a dealer's) on your bike; (3) pull the outer fairing, disconnect the amp output wires from the front speakers, and pull the amp "on" wire from the cigarette lighter and see if you get the distortion; push the speaker selector switch forward for headset only signal and see if you get the distortion.

Good luck.

Carl

 

The OL and I use the Boom Audio's that came with the bike, and haven't had any problems when using either an MP3 player through the aux port or the radio.

We did get a little static when we tried to use the FM transmitter we have for our Zune plugged up to the power point in the tourpak. In fact, couldn't use it.

On the other hand, we both wear FF's when riding, and the earphones squeeze the living crap out of my ears. So I'm looking for a couple of earphones I can replace the OEM's with.

 

THank you all for your very informative and intelligent responses. Without going into detail to each of you I will troubleshoot the problem based on your responses and if no result will probably try better speakers.

Harley RN--I remember Koss headphones from the 70's-- excellent stuff!

NECaveman-- I believe the HOGTUNES gear is 2 ohms-I remember reading this somewhere as I was concerend abotu the mismatch between the HOGTUNES amp (which drives the front speakers, and the OEM HK amp which drives the rear.)

Whatever, the problem seems to be volume related-- when I get the headset to a listenable level the distortion starts...

Thanks again!