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Upgrade Amp, Speakers, or Neither?

I still have the stock stereo but went from 95 decibels stock to only 100 decibels with the upgrades.

I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination but this is from the dreaded Wikipedia:

A change in power by a factor of 10 is a 10 dB change in level. A change in power by a factor of two is approximately a 3 dB change.

Seems to me an increase of "only" 5 decibels is still pretty significant, at least twice as much power being generated.

Too many other factors go into the quality of music being heard on a moving motorcycle to strictly pin it to decibel levels.
 
I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination but this is from the dreaded Wikipedia:

A change in power by a factor of 10 is a 10 dB change in level. A change in power by a factor of two is approximately a 3 dB change.

Seems to me an increase of "only" 5 decibels is still pretty significant, at least twice as much power being generated.

Too many other factors go into the quality of music being heard on a moving motorcycle to strictly pin it to decibel levels.

I am not an audiophile either, but your point is what prompted my question. As near as I could determine, a 5 decibel increase is approximately a 50% increase in sound output. If I understand how that stuff works, he is getting 1.5x's what his previous sound levels were.
 
I am not an audiophile either, but your point is what prompted my question. As near as I could determine, a 5 decibel increase is approximately a 50% increase in sound output. If I understand how that stuff works, he is getting 1.5x's what his previous sound levels were.

That may be so, but I'm looking for more than just sound level. I'm really after better quality at the slightly higher volume levels required above around 60MPH.
 
I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination but this is from the dreaded Wikipedia:

A change in power by a factor of 10 is a 10 dB change in level. A change in power by a factor of two is approximately a 3 dB change.

Seems to me an increase of "only" 5 decibels is still pretty significant, at least twice as much power being generated.

Too many other factors go into the quality of music being heard on a moving motorcycle to strictly pin it to decibel levels.

I am not an audiophile either, but your point is what prompted my question. As near as I could determine, a 5 decibel increase is approximately a 50% increase in sound output. If I understand how that stuff works, he is getting 1.5x's what his previous sound levels were.

That may be so, but I'm looking for more than just sound level. I'm really after better quality at the slightly higher volume levels required above around 60MPH.

I agree with what you both have said. 5 decibel increase is a very large increase in output. If it is at the cost of fidelity then its not worth it.
 
I agree with what you both have said. 5 decibel increase is a very large increase in output. If it is at the cost of fidelity then its not worth it.

If you want to increase decibels the quickest way you will have to increase wattage.....and that is will drain your battery quick. Dampening the fairing, enclosing the (good)speakers with the appropriate air space to give you the best fidelity is the best you can do. Personally I like the music to be the background noise, I prefer to hear the bike and the road.

Blu
 
How accurate it is I have no idea but "I got an app for that!" It's a app on my iPhone a decibel meter. The facts presented about my decibel gains is very interesting but I was hoping/expecting clear crisp sound at 75/80 MPH
 
Good clear bass and clarity for the midrange for the voices just isn't gonna happen folks. I installed many high end systems in my vehicles and home over the years and currently run a 1000 watt Kenwood amp with a 12" woofer in my car. I'm a drummer and need to actually feel the bass and need the clarity in my music. Listen to a lot of classic rock, Led Zep and Rush. The problem with bikes comes down to harmonics and road and wind noise cancelling out sound waves that would otherwise reach your ears clearly. Thats why it'll sound decent when sitting parked with the bike not running, sound not as well idling and horrible at hoghway speeds. Our ears are also the culprits too and we're just not genetically engineered to process road noise and wind buffeting our ear drums at the same time as the music is reaching them. Thats why although the speakers are emitting the same exact sound waves at the same decibels at speed or with the bike parked it sounds much clearer parked. You could eventually overcome the issue by having alot more decibels reaching your ears than "interference" noise from wind etc, but that would necessitate one saddle bag full of a high powered amp, another with a car battery and a capacitor, and a host of component mid ranges and tweetets and a big subwoofer in the tour pack. Not exactly practical. Although aftermarket upgrades will help, it woll probably never meet your expectations of clarity. JMO :D
WAP.gif
 
Good clear bass and clarity for the midrange for the voices just isn't gonna happen folks. I installed many high end systems in my vehicles and home over the years and currently run a 1000 watt Kenwood amp with a 12" woofer in my car. I'm a drummer and need to actually feel the bass and need the clarity in my music. Listen to a lot of classic rock, Led Zep and Rush. The problem with bikes comes down to harmonics and road and wind noise cancelling out sound waves that would otherwise reach your ears clearly. Thats why it'll sound decent when sitting parked with the bike not running, sound not as well idling and horrible at hoghway speeds. Our ears are also the culprits too and we're just not genetically engineered to process road noise and wind buffeting our ear drums at the same time as the music is reaching them. Thats why although the speakers are emitting the same exact sound waves at the same decibels at speed or with the bike parked it sounds much clearer parked. You could eventually overcome the issue by having alot more decibels reaching your ears than "interference" noise from wind etc, but that would necessitate one saddle bag full of a high powered amp, another with a car battery and a capacitor, and a host of component mid ranges and tweetets and a big subwoofer in the tour pack. Not exactly practical. Although aftermarket upgrades will help, it woll probably never meet your expectations of clarity. JMO :D
WAP.gif

Thanks for the excellent explanation!

I'm realistic enough to know that a motorcycle system will never approach a home or auto system for all of the reasons you mention. I'm just looking for the maximum amount of improvement possible without going bankrupt.

I bought the acoustic fairing liner from J&M and a windshield from Clarks that extends far enough width wise to smooth out the airflow that normally disrupts the sound waves coming from the fairing speakers. I'll let everyone know my impressions when I get them installed and ride a bit.
 
Thank you for all the input!!! I wish I would have known all of this before so my expectations would have been more realistic. I still want to put bag lid speakers in and later lower fairing speakers maybe... I gotta have my music!!! I just hate it when I get to a stop light and suddenly Beyoncé starts!!! Not very Harleyesk!!!! LOL
 
I bought the acoustic fairing liner from J&M and a windshield from Clarks that extends far enough width wise to smooth out the airflow that normally disrupts the sound waves coming from the fairing speakers. I'll let everyone know my impressions when I get them installed and ride a bit.

I rode several hours this past weekend, some of it at speeds up to 70MPH on the highway. I definitely noticed some improvement in the sound quality at the higher speeds. Not a vast improvement but better. I feel like it was $130 well spent for both items.

Still no change in the bass area, though. Just clearer sound, even at 70MPH.
 
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