So, you've had it with of your bike's present sound system. The sound level is acceptable when you're parked. But on the open road, with the wind in your ears, and all the ancillary sounds including traffic noise requires you raise the volume. It's important to know that increasing your system's volume without adequate power amplification will drive your equipment into distortion. Distortion promotes overheating of the voice coil and ultimately, you will trash your speakers.
It's Official... you need an upgrade.
1. Upgrade Your Speakers. Coaxial 2-way speakers do a great job on a bike. Component speakers with separate tweeters are secondary in choice. Adding a subwoofer system is a great compliment to the sound but please, consult with us before you do that. In this area it's is easy to get into "trouble" unless you are well versed in acoustic principles.
2. Install an Amplifier or Two. With great power comes great responsibility. Depending on the speaker system of your choice and our recommendation, the level of power and number of channels that is right for you will be suggested. Optimum for a four speaker system with subwoofer is a 5-channel amplifier. The Arc Audio MOTO 600.4 (a 4 channel amplifier) is most versatile and was designed primarily for the Harley Davidson Motorcycles. (notice the angle on the top of the amplifier designed to fit in the fairing.
3. Identify the Performance of your Source Unit. Factory installed source units (AM/FM/CD players etc.) have a modicum of power, insufficient to produce high quality sound and volume levels on the open road. These outputs are essential to a clean signal going to the amplifier(s). Changing the source unit to one that has pre-amp outputs will yield the cleanest signal to the amplifier(s).
4. DSP. Some factory head units, especially on new models, are multi-faceted in their features. some have Navigation, Bluetooth and other specialized amenities and it makes no good sense to change it. This is where DIGITAL SOUND PROCESSORS come into play. Most Harley radios have equalization circuitry that changes the volume and tonal settings in accordance with your speed and anticipated noise levels. When you amplify this type of radio, this built in circuitry must be altered either by the dealership "flashing" the radio's computer, or the use of a digital sound processor. DSP's will alter the output of your factory source unit and allow for the limitless ability to tune a system to its peak performance.
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