This is absolutely absurd to ask, but is there any way I could have these 7.25 J&M's wired wrong? The connectors seemed like they were obvious, since the plug sizes sort of matched up to the posts. I am asking because I am dismayed at how bad they sound. I'm not kidding, or trolling or anything, I am at my wits end and am about to put my stock speakers back in. The sound is so wooden and dry...so lacking in presence and dull sounding, it just cant be right, especially considering what seems to be rave reviews on here. I like to think I know what a speaker is supposed to sound like. All I can guess is that maybe the tweets and midrange aren't pumping? one of my riding buddies noticed I put new speakers in, and I turned the bike on, and his first response was "are they supposed to sound like that? Sounds like S^%^ bro".

Any help would be appreciated. I think I have tried all the EQ settings, turning off AVC, everything I can find. I actually hope there is something wrong, because I will be forced to question the sanity of so many on this board if this is right!

 

ALL the reviews aren't so rave! I can't wait to take mine out of my Road Glide. I thought the same as you, that maybe I wired them in wrong, but there is only one way to do it. Mine almost sounds like it is playing in mono. The sound is like you are listening to music through a cheap telephone. If taking my fairing off wasn't such a pain, I would have the stock speakers back in today.
Gary D.

 

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...-to-think.html

 

I had the old style, in my other bike, and I loved them, something isn't right that is for sure...

 

YES YES YES...you describe it perfectly. I wonder if it has anything to do with the sound mats that come with them?

What a bummer. I always try to take my time and research my purchases carefully, but these are the one thing make me go "DOH!!" every time I fire up the SG.

 

I thing something is wrong as well. I put the J&M 7.25's in my Ultra fairing and, while the midrange has increased and the speakers sound different (a little boxy) when standing still and the bike not running, this turns out to be a not so bad thing when on the road. Cuts thru the wind noise better and they are certainly more hear-able with detail. They are an improvement over stock for sure, but they do not perform miracles. Maybe with an amp - not sure. Either way, they should not sound like you describe!

Since you are gonna end up taking the outer fairing off at some point, maybe you can do a little process of elimination troubleshooting to see if in fact the tweeters or drivers may not be working. One side at a time, at low volume and very carefully - connect each and see if you can isolate.

Good luck!

 

Sometimes it's tough to get a 'real' accurate preview on something, when the vendor has a million posts in the thread that keep promoting it. I ran into a guy that had them with the amp, and he was luke warm on the set-up.

After he heard mine, he was sick. But,..........you usually get whjhat you pay for.

You're not gonna get concert hall results, on a J & M budget, or any other 'motorcycle' plug & play, ( ie......Hawgtunes, HawgWired, etc, etc, etc).

I have WAY more money in my system than probably everyone, BUT.....................that is because I wanted the best sounding system that could be built. Unless you pony up the $$$$$$, the sound of your system has limitations. That's not good or bad,.....................just reality.

I understand that we were comparing apples to oranges, on our systems, but he expected more from the J & M.

At least you can't complain about the support that these guys give on their product. They seem very thorough.

 

I think people who are going into it with the expectation of hearing something that sounds like two 15" subs are being let down. I mean c'mon, they are two 7.25" woofers. How much bass can you expect to get out of that small woofer?

It seems like most everyone who doesn't like the way they sound also says, they are alot better than stock. Well there you go, for the $$$$$, it was an improvement.

 

The next time you stop in, I can demo the speakers on my bike for you to see if mine sound the same or if your speakers aren't functioning properly. If there is something wrong with them, J&M and/or Dr. V-Twin will replace them.

Shawn

 

If you have them out of phase (wires crossed positive on negative) , they will sound like you describe. To find out, pick any speaker (only 1 though) and change the positive to the negative and put the negative to positive and listen to the system. If they were out of phase, you should be able to hear the difference immediately, especially better bass response. You probably need to put the fairing on or have someone hold it in place while you listen.