Harley Boom Audio??????
#21
01-10-2012, 09:35 PM
Road Master
#22
01-10-2012, 09:49 PM
Road Master
I'll just throw my 
in on this. I've had the hogtunes amp/speakers and the hawg wired amp/speakers on my 08. The hogtunes was a noticeable step up from stock, but still not impressive to me. The hawg wired ( 150 watt upgradeable to 300 watt 4 channel ) and their top speakers really improved the sound in both volume and quality. Lastly, I changed out the speakers for a different brand. I can't remember the model. Just that they were Sony brand and not at all expensive. They blew the hawg wired speakers away! Now I have a CVO with the Boom speakers front and rear along with the HK amp and it sounds nearly identical to what I last had on the 08. Bass is as good as it gets for a 5.5" speaker imo. Seriously thinking about finding a 7.5" speaker for the fairing and 6.5" for the tourpack along with the bass ports. I figure the bass port thing is fundamentally sound because I remember long ago that the best bass I ever got from a car system was a pair of cheap 3-ways in the rear window deck of a late 70's T-bird. That trunk was the biggest bass port on the planet! 
in on this. I've had the hogtunes amp/speakers and the hawg wired amp/speakers on my 08. The hogtunes was a noticeable step up from stock, but still not impressive to me. The hawg wired ( 150 watt upgradeable to 300 watt 4 channel ) and their top speakers really improved the sound in both volume and quality. Lastly, I changed out the speakers for a different brand. I can't remember the model. Just that they were Sony brand and not at all expensive. They blew the hawg wired speakers away! Now I have a CVO with the Boom speakers front and rear along with the HK amp and it sounds nearly identical to what I last had on the 08. Bass is as good as it gets for a 5.5" speaker imo. Seriously thinking about finding a 7.5" speaker for the fairing and 6.5" for the tourpack along with the bass ports. I figure the bass port thing is fundamentally sound because I remember long ago that the best bass I ever got from a car system was a pair of cheap 3-ways in the rear window deck of a late 70's T-bird. That trunk was the biggest bass port on the planet! cost you. I think the OP was a little concerned with the cost. I have seen sound systems in this forum that would probably sound better than my living room and it is not at all shabby but if cost is a concern you can get pretty good sound for not a ton of money or you can get the same sound for a ton of money depending on how you shop it. The 150W HW amp starts at $750. That' double what I have in my whole system and if it didn't sound a lot better I would be looking for a refund.
#23
01-18-2012, 01:48 AM
Seasoned HDF Member
Wow! That does sound plausible. I can't believe that the HD engineer didn't know that. The person I spoke with was supposedly the audio expert.
#24
02-19-2012, 06:40 PM
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Maryland
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Installed fairing and rear speakers decided against the ports for now did listen to two bikes at the dealer one with one without ports not a noticable difference to me, I am very satisfied with the new speakers can not listen much higher than volume at 2/3 even at speed way to loud for me and plenty clear
#25
02-19-2012, 10:57 PM
News flash!
I've been following the discussion on improving the HK sound system with a lot of interest. It is an expensive upgrade for a retired guy on a fixed income, so I hadn't acted on the desire to upgrade.
Then a couple of weeks ago I came across a MP3 player I had forgotten about. It still had a country play list on it, so I plugged it into the aux port and to my surprise, the sound was tons better than CD or radio. I went for a ride at speeds varying from in town to highway, and the auto volume did its work, still virtually no distortion or fuzzy sounds. Clear as can be with enough volume to entertain the rider next to me.
Encouraged by this, I went online and studied MP3 players anew. i settled on the Sony Walkman 4GB, hoping it would put out enough audio signal to drive the HK. When it arrived a few days ago, i loaded it with a playlist, plugged it in and it rocked!!! I went over to Zion HD and picked up the MP3 pouch they sell with a magnet to keep it on the tank, and it does as advertised.
My buddy and I rode down to Mesquite, NV for breakfast yesterday and the music was awesome even up to 80mph. Good bass but no thumping, voice really clear and guitars and other usual instruments in country music evident. Some clarity was attenuated by wind noise, but still very acceptable to my old ears. I had it playing so loud that when I turned the volume down to barely heard, I found it great, like when answering the cell on my Scala.
Point is here that digital audio is a must, couple with a really good input. Sound systems are like computers: garbage in garbage out.
Then a couple of weeks ago I came across a MP3 player I had forgotten about. It still had a country play list on it, so I plugged it into the aux port and to my surprise, the sound was tons better than CD or radio. I went for a ride at speeds varying from in town to highway, and the auto volume did its work, still virtually no distortion or fuzzy sounds. Clear as can be with enough volume to entertain the rider next to me.
Encouraged by this, I went online and studied MP3 players anew. i settled on the Sony Walkman 4GB, hoping it would put out enough audio signal to drive the HK. When it arrived a few days ago, i loaded it with a playlist, plugged it in and it rocked!!! I went over to Zion HD and picked up the MP3 pouch they sell with a magnet to keep it on the tank, and it does as advertised.
My buddy and I rode down to Mesquite, NV for breakfast yesterday and the music was awesome even up to 80mph. Good bass but no thumping, voice really clear and guitars and other usual instruments in country music evident. Some clarity was attenuated by wind noise, but still very acceptable to my old ears. I had it playing so loud that when I turned the volume down to barely heard, I found it great, like when answering the cell on my Scala.
Point is here that digital audio is a must, couple with a really good input. Sound systems are like computers: garbage in garbage out.
#27
02-21-2012, 05:54 PM
Tourer
#28
02-21-2012, 07:04 PM
Road Master
Harley speakers are a'ight... But there are much better alternatives. Polk Marine grade, Arc Audio Moto Series and J&M Rokkers all stomp the Harley speakers. Arc Audio amps fit nicely in the fairings and are small / lightweight. I have a KS125.4 driving four JL coaxials in my bike and it rocks better than the boom audio. I am going to try out the Arc Audio Moto series during my next round of updates.. I hear they sound great.
#29
02-21-2012, 08:01 PM
I got em
I got the boom speakers for the front and rear and installed them myself. I had the dealer install the bass ports because I didn't want to risk drilling the tour pak.
They sound better. I have Rinehart 4" slip ons and the cat is still in, so the bike is noisier than stock, but quieter with the cat. The music sounds fuller and louder than stock, but nothing like a car with a setup would put out. At highway speeds, it gets less full because of the ambient sounds, but still decent. It's not a "wow" upgrade, but better. I'd do it again. I might add an amp later, but this setup works for me.
Also, as mentioned earlier, your input source channel power makes a difference. The CD player and radio's signal isn't always strong, but if you plug in an iPod or something and turn up the volume on the iPod, you'll get louder sound on the HK.
They sound better. I have Rinehart 4" slip ons and the cat is still in, so the bike is noisier than stock, but quieter with the cat. The music sounds fuller and louder than stock, but nothing like a car with a setup would put out. At highway speeds, it gets less full because of the ambient sounds, but still decent. It's not a "wow" upgrade, but better. I'd do it again. I might add an amp later, but this setup works for me.
Also, as mentioned earlier, your input source channel power makes a difference. The CD player and radio's signal isn't always strong, but if you plug in an iPod or something and turn up the volume on the iPod, you'll get louder sound on the HK.