I have read the post about the J&M speaker upgrade. How good is this? Is it worth the money?
Has anyone done a more in depth stereo upgrade? add an amp / more speakers etc..
Thank you,
Steve
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I have read the post about the J&M speaker upgrade. How good is this? Is it worth the money?
Has anyone done a more in depth stereo upgrade? add an amp / more speakers etc..
Thank you,
Steve
http://hondaf6b.com/showthread.php?3356-Audio-amplifier
there is another too thats informative.
Todd
Just wondering ???
Them riders that fill the saddlebags with a sound system ??
Do they ever ride further than Mcdonalds for a Latte ???????:icon_cool:
Don't know... I have not turned my bike radio on since ......... forgot, its been that long!
Can't speak for anyone else, but I ride 3-600 miles each time I ride. When there isn't snow . If the weather is agreeable and I don't have other household responsibilities (sometimes those get neglected for my riding addiction :icon_rolleyes::shhh:). The majority of those rides are round trip in a day rides, just riding to be riding. Sometimes I ride and stay somewhere over night. This summer I have an extended trip plan and a least 2 smaller trips planned that involve packing some luggage. I ride 10- 12 k miles per year usually and this, keep in mind is all recreational riding. I have a service truck that I drive to get me wherever I am working, and yes that means I am not retired. I also live in Kentucky, and while it is not Alaska, we did just get 14-15 " of snow and it is currently 16 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
I have a small but potent JL Audio subwoofer in one saddlebag. The subwoofer can come out if need be. Two Velcro straps that I installed to keep it secure and 1 dual banana plug for the speaker connection pulled and she slips right out. The rest of the sound system remains and has no impact on storage space. The other saddlebag has nothing but what I pack in it and I do have a luggage rack and luggage to go on that luggage rack.
:shrug: So I guess ,what do you mean? Unless I am going over night somewhere, The most I need is a place to put my gear I might want with me for temperature changes while out. One bag by itself does that quite fine.:icon_cool:
Oh and that sub sounds so good while riding too. To each their own, but the last good weather weekend was about 2-3 weeks ago, Went out both Sat and Sun. Temps were in the 40s and lower 50s. Had a great time on some really twisty roads and was jamming all the way.:icon_mrgreen:
I don't want to fill my saddle bags either. I think a small amp and a subwolfer that can be removed if needed in one saddle bag sounds like the way to go.
Does anyone have the J&M speakers? I was thinking of starting with that upgrade and see if I need more.
How big of an amp (RMS wats) can you add for the J&M speaker upgrade? How many (RMS watts) does the stock stereo have?
I think I maybe happy with a larger windshield and the J&M speaker upgrade for now. Then add the amp and subwolfer later.
From my test rides one with the stock windshield and several with the honda accessory larger windshield with the vent the larger windshield is key to stereo performance.
I am going to buy the bike next week and ride from St Louis to either Colorado Springs or Panama City for my first ride at the end of March.
I need to order a few upgrades ASAP to get them in time for my trip.
Steve
Just my 2 cents here, but if you're wanting to add an amp, I would look to different speakers. The J&M speakers, if I'm not mistaken, are only replacing the woofer portion. My sub comes out of the left saddlebag in about the time it takes me to open the bag.:icon_cool: I have awhole write up on what I did.
The J&M are a fairing replacement speaker for the F6B. I found they can go up to 140wats http://www.jmcorp.com/ProductDetail....ctID=FSPU-GL06 J&M claims to be the premeir motorcycle stereo company / I have never bought anything from them.
Did you have to cut a hole in the saddlebag for your subwolfer?
Can you send me the link to you write up please.
Thank you,
Steve
That's kind of it . I'm not saying anything bad about the J&M speakers, but you're buying speakers from a "motorcycle" accessory company, not an audio electronics company. Jus' food for thought. I did make three vents in the bag for the sub. Those were done with drilling small holes in a circular pattern and using a product called Frogzkins to cover those vents. The vents are discrete ,but I have some tremendous bass capability added to the music. I use a 4 channel micro amp to power everything. The amp is from a company called NVX. I will post a link to the write up later when I'm at my PC. I'm very happy. It isn't for everyone, but I love it.
I have installed the J&M's and am very happy with them.Best improvement for me is that I feel they sound better at higher volume levels which I need with my poor hearing.I can't see why I would need a high end setup for sound on a motorcycle as all the wind and outside noise plus my old man ears would not really experience the sound improvement.
Fair enough
I need the storage space because I travel overnight a lot.
Fair enough to pack the saddlebags with sound gear if you don"t need em
But I need the space
Even if its just to put my jacket in when I stop.
I have 2000 watts in my car but the radio on the F6B sounds great at any speed to me:icon_cool:
How big of a jacket do you own? Does it come in two pieces?:icon_biggrin: My right saddle bag remains void of any audio gear and left one can be that way in less than 30 seconds if I really need it to be. Not really trying to sell anyone on doing what I did, but clear up any misconception that I no longer can use my saddlebags for traditional storage. Any overnight trip can easily be done without even removing the sub or additional luggage on the luggage rack. Unless you you pack a weeks worth of clothes for an over night.:icon_cool:
I wish I had someone close to me in Maryland with experience to upgrade my system. I do all my own mods and maintenance to my bike myself but have never gotten into any audio installs. I would LOVE to have a thumpin system on my F6B...that's the ONLY thing my Harley buddies have on me, their stereos sound so much better than this one......
If you can change oil, you can certainly do a speaker swap. Many great " how to's" here on stereo upgrades. I'm just getting going on upgrading the stereo on The Black Bike.
If I think about it while doing it, perhaps I too, will take time to document the process and take a pic or two.
Go for it.
J
This is the sub I used
http://www.jlaudio.com/cp106lg-w3v3-...-systems-93300
This is the amp I used. The rear channels are bridged for the sub and the fronts power,well the fronts.:icon_rolleyes:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...NVX-MVPA4.html
These are the speakers I installed up front.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...io-MM5251.html
I have no problem opening the wallet at all. You guys speak the audio lingo I do not. I have no idea about bridged, unbridged, ohms, and all that jazz. Once I open the wallet and get all this magical stuff delivered I have no idea what to do with it. I've done (and am doing) some pretty killer stuff on multiple bikes....I just don't speak stereo.....
Sorry Giddy,
Not trying to sound condesending.
Re read the existing threads, including Jimmie T's to decide how deep you want to go. My build and decision with amps and crossovers for my 6, starts tomorrow. I need to open her up to figure out how to integrate with oem system and wiring. Jimmie is light years ahead of me in terms of what there is to work from.
Jim
Whoo, I'll tell you it was more complicated than what I had originally imagined, but I am so very pleased with the results. A lot of people could be very happy with just changing the front speakers and adding an amp. The speakers in the fairing I used with the amp sound very good on their own. The sub, just propels it into the stratosphere in sound enjoyment. Riding the bike a couple weekends ago,before the last round of snow, I was just smiling ear to ear with the sound and bass I was getting while carving up some twisty roads.
I am more than happy to give any input if someone wants to do a similar project. I have jumped across some hurdles already in the process and maybe can help illuminate someone else's path. The biggest issue dealt with hooking up an amp to achieve the operation I wanted. Using speaker level to low level RCA adapters did not work for me. Granted there are some more expensive audio processors that do this adaptation, and if they work, would simplify the process. Smoking Joe on here used one of these and I think he may have got it to work. My problem with the lesser RCA adapters was the signal was severely degraded and distortion was introduced. I chose to splice into the factory wiring harness at the OEM amplifier. I am using the pre out signals from the factory "Audio Unit" to the new amplifier and the OEM amplifier now resides in my parts bin.:icon_mrgreen: The results were worth it to me.Requires some skill in soldering, but completely doable. I put in 5.25" Polk MM series speakers that required me to make an adapter plate from a sheet of ABS. The 6.5" will fit with some trimming of the speaker frame.
Jimmy- I wear earplugs when I ride and need to turn the volume up sometimes as high as it will go. Sometimes even that is not quite enough, especially if I'm playing MP3s from my Zumo (so I can also hear spoken directions). What would you recommend in terms of mods if I wanted to get, say, 25% more volume but don't require any improvement in sound quality?
Thanks!
It's hard to say. If you want louder than stock, you're going to need to change the speakers and add an amplifier. Sound quality, by default, may improve as well depending on components chosen. The better the sound quality , the better you'll hear distinctly what is being heard. I take it you wear a half helmet or why the ear plugs?
I think a small pre-amped sub is the way to go. Easy to install and remove when needed.
I put one like this under the seat in my Ford Focus and it booms.
Attachment 12229
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...rm_LoPro8.aspx
(just an example)
ok Jimmy when you ever ride down this way we need to talk.
I wanna hear your set up, and you can advise me on the audio stuff and I'll show you how to install cruise.......
Sounds like a plan. May be riding down to the Dragon on the 28th. Not sure yet. But, that's being thrown around as a ride down and back up in the same day. Planning on being at the Rally during Labor Day.
Other than that anything is possible.:icon_biggrin:
Maybe another trip could come up. Depends on what kind of summer I have in store. I need a busy one.:icon_rolleyes:
Will be in NC sometime after the Rally most likely for another ride put on each year by one of the VRCC people.
Going to Spearfish ,SD in June, but that's the wrong direction. :shrug:
Come on down any time and well for sure ride in any case.
Full face helmet! Ear plugs to drown out engine and wind noise, they really bother me. I've installed amplifier and speakers on another bike (Polk speakers and Rockford Fosgate amp on Kawasaki Vaquero) so I wouldn't mind doing so on the F6B. Which amplifier and speakers would you suggest for ease of installation? I don't want to bypass the stock unit or trim down speakers to fit if I can avoid it.
Thanks again!
I can only speak ,from experience, to what I have done. I'm sure the Rockford PBR may be fine. When I was doing the stereo on my Valkyrie, I was steered way from that amp. A guy from a local car audio shop, who does a lot of custom audio on bikes, really suggested highly an amp from Kenwood. It was a Excelon XR400-4 .
http://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-XR400-.../dp/B00C1D0DHE
He did not lead me wrong, it is a real performer in my Valkyrie. I am very pleased. When I was researching for the components that would go into my F6B, I came across this gem from a company called NVX.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...NVX-MVPA4.html
They are out of stock currently, but I can tell you that I am impressed with the power out of this little amp.
As far as speakers, well unless you buy the J&M speakers or find another speaker that will exactly fit, some sort of adaptation will be required. If I was doing it again, I'd probably go with these
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...io-MM6501.html
I chose to get the 5.25" versions, because I was concerned whether I'd be able to make the 6.5" fit. Well, that has been done by a couple of others and it wasn't that difficult. Yes some trimming of the plastic frame is required, but that easily done with a Dremel tool. The 5.25" speakers, though, sound really good and I am not regretting their purchase. I am running a sub though and they really seem to blend very fluidly with the sub and make for a really good blend. The 5.25" did require me to make an adapter plate from a ABS plastic, where the 6.5" bolts right up with the caveat that the speaker frame needs trimmed to clear the instrument panel.
Couple of the reasons I chose the speakers I did, were reviews and the speaker's impedance of 2.7 ohms. 2.7 is lower than the usual 4 ohm impedance. What this does for a capable amp is increase the power/wattage delivered to the speakers. But you need to be sure that the amp used is fine with running on 2 ohm loads. The ones I've mentioned are fine.
I can tell you that I measured, with a sound meter, the output of the new speakers with the OEM amp and with the new amp. The output was more than twice as loud with the setting on the volume remaining the same.(20) From the volume setting of 20, if I tried to raise the volume with the OEM amp, no appreciable gain in volume but definitely a lot of distortion . In contrast, with the new amp, I could continue to turn the volume up to painful levels all the way to 30.
If you just want a simple and a little louder and clearer, you might just try changing out the speakers. Some have put these in.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...dio-db651.html
ANd then there is the J&M. Neither of these have I heard . I was going for a substantial improvement over stock and I am very pleased, but it isn't for everyone or the faint of heart. I did discover what works and what doesn't in my efforts, so if anyone is wanting to do similar, I'm willing to share.
This is the amp in my saddlebag I used. Here are a couple pics of the sub and one of the three ports, This port shown is in the black area on front of the saddlebag.
Attachment 12246Attachment 12247Attachment 12248Attachment 12249
Question for you, Jimmytee...Like you mentioned, the NVX amp is on backorder right now. Would you advise waiting for that one or would this one work almost as well:
http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosga...RPKVPCQ875C7F8
Well according to the description or specifications , the amp is not bridgeable. So for what I did, no it wouldn't work. I have the two rear channels bridged to a single channel for the subwoofer. The combined or bridged output for the NVX is rated at 175 watts into 4 ohms. So you see what bridging can do, but the amp has to be able to do it. So effectively, I have the 4 channel amp running as a 3 channel amp.
If the NVX had not been available this is the amp I would have gotten. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113XR40...-4.html?tp=115
I have it in my Valkyrie and it completely rocks and sounds very good. It won't ,however, fit where I put the NVX amp, but I could have found another place for it to go. The Kenwood amp is only 1" thick, but the length and width measurements are bigger. I fit it inside the Woody's Batwing fairing of my Valkyrie and it is sandwiched between the inner and outer shells. Since the photo was taken I hooked up the two remaining channels for 6.5" speakers in the saddlebags. In the photo, I have the front 2 channels powering 4 Kicker 5.25 " speakers. Two left in parallel and likewise for the right for a 2 ohm load on each of the front channels.
Attachment 12255Attachment 2770
Thanks, Jimmytee :yes:. You are turning out to be a great resource for this subject. Of course, it's probably going to wind up costing me money :icon_rolleyes:.