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Installed New front speakers.....wow !

3K views 21 replies 10 participants last post by  Cooch 
#1 ·
Well after much debating and reading a few threads and hearing guys
bikes that were done.. I took the plunge.

I purchased these on Fleabay $70.00 shipped ,reg $129.00 Crutchfield



http://www.crutchfield.com/p_108529I/Infinity-Kappa-52-9i.html?tp=97

I did have to snip the ends where you bolt down the speaker...and I puchased larger washers to secure the speaker down.

I also stuffed the speaker cavity with some poly fill... (I tried it with
and with out) and I liked it better with ...it seemed to make the bass
a little tighter...

Tommorrow I'm going to caulk around the speaker with the clear stuff
to give a good seal...it'll come off easy , if I have to remove... the size of the factory speaker is wierd and untypical.

Comparing the two...is night and day...the Infinity is a million miles better
in build quality and heft...waaaaay different.

The crossovers were a pain in the neck at first to figure out a good place
in the speaker cavity ,it is tight but it will fit... 9:00 o'clock position left side and 3:00 position right side.

These speakers are Infinity's top of the line... they are 2ohm and
play at 94db and frequency range is 55-25k ,which is a excellent freq response.... the factory speaker don't come close to those specs.

The tweeter is rotateable...so you can angle the highs to achieve a "sweet spot"
Notice the little button on the tweeter... it will cut highs 3 db...if you like a flatter response.

The fidelity was excellent... I could tell immediatly...It almost had a sound stage...where instruments had more definition... I plugged in some
Jazz... and wow ! I played some Rod Stewart and some live music via
my ipod ... and was impressed .

I noticed that the speakers were louder... I attribute that to the 2 ohm
setup... it will draw and make the most use of power more effeciently
unlike a 4 ohm speaker...which you'd have to turn up much more to
equal.

I would say that for the investment and time...it was worth it , if your looking for bass...you can only get so much out of a 5.25 sized speaker.
But I was looking for quality improvement and I have moved the needle.

Next phase.... rear... I want to go to 5.25 instead of 4 in the rear ... I have to measure...or if someone can chime in if they know 5.25 WLL fit.

3rd and final phase....
Some punch in the rear... an self powered sub


or...this ,I'm not sure yet.



I want to thank Bartman...his video was very helpful in removing
the dash shelter...made it easy , even with my navi .

If your on the fence...go for it if your looking to enhance your sound quality... I can't wait to finish , I will post results.
 
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#2 ·
From what you wrote, I'll have to catch up with you and see your set up.. how far are you from Stafford? :yes1:
 
#3 ·
Are those waterproof speakers? Don't seem to be from Infinity's website - also only 2ohms impedance - might cook amp or speakers at high volume?
 
#4 ·
I noticed that the speakers were louder... I attribute that to the 2 ohm
setup... it will draw and make the most use of power more effeciently
unlike a 4 ohm speaker...which you'd have to turn up much more to
equal.
I'm glad you found something that sounds good to you, but the impedance does not have anything to do with their efficiency. In fact, when you operate an amp outside its optimum design range, it is actually less efficient. Even though your volume is louder for a given setting, the amp is actually being forced to consume more current.

A word of caution however. It is very risky hooking up a two ohm speaker to an amp that is not designed to operate with loads that low. Not only does it create excessive heat in the amplifier, but the protection circuits are designed to operate within certain parameters. A two ohm speaker can fool those circuits into thinking everything is fine when in fact the amp is being overloaded. If you are in the habit of pushing the amp to anywhere near its limits, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise one day.

I admit that I am generalizing here. I have not seen the inside of the amp on the late model bikes, and nobody has access to the specs, so hopefully you will get away with it.
 
#5 ·
I went to an Auto Hi-fi shop and conversated with an knowledeable person... as that was my concern... and he insisted that it was fine ... you can blow anything with anything if pushed BEYOND it's limits...which I don't do anyway.

The factory speakers are 3 ohm ... not a major difference as stated by the sales person... If my amp blows , then I guess I'll have an excuse to
install an better amp ;) .... I have been eyeing anyway.


My research findings...says you can hook these up to ANY source .

I haven't made a decision on the rears yet... we shall see.

I'm into the Home theater and wanting better thats all.
 
#6 ·
I have also changed the speakers looking for a little more of anything over the stock speakers........
Since I am not happy with the results and thus consider it an unfinished project I have not fully documented it. I do not really like speaking out before we are done with things, but I also believe in sharing failures as well as success if it will help others.

I replaced all 4 speakers with Pioneers. The results were very disappointing.
I have a YouTube of both rear and fronts, but have only posted the rears at this stage. I also have not finished the web page I am doing with the photos of the change over, but if it saves some money and pain, here is what I have.

.
I will try and get the fronts video up soon as I can.
The actual fitting is pretty straight forward. Just make the speaker slots a little longer and put a flat on the edge near the outside.
The fronts are just as straight forward. Slot the speaker screw holes and take some of the plastic off around the mounts on the bike.
I also tried stuffing some polli fill in the fronts and back, ended up taking it all out. Better base and over all sound with none.
The better you can seal around the fronts, the better the bass and over all sound. I used some draft sealing foam around the edge of the speaker. I think I can do better.
They are 4 ohm speakers and will post the full specifications of them in the final web page, enough to say, they read very well.
I tried for some time to get the Sony Xpode three way speakers that 'everyone' was raving about on this forum, but could not find any to buy.
I could not afford the Polks that are also popular, so the $40 Pioneers were the best I could do.
Over all, it was a waste of money and time.
They are a little more crisp, the sound stage is better placed, but nothing like the raving improvements that some have spoken about.
(In case it matters, I have about 30 years experience doing sound and lighting at conferences for 100 to 4000 people, have built a few amplifiers and speakers and have designed and built 4 home theaters).

I guess what I am trying to say is proceed with care. The originals are not the best, that is for sure, but unless you can listen to some that are installed and can copy them exactly, you may have to spend some time and money looking for 'your' sound.

Ben.
 
#7 ·
I went to an Auto Hi-fi shop and conversated with an knowledeable person... as that was my concern... and he insisted that it was fine ... you can blow anything with anything if pushed BEYOND it's limits...which I don't do anyway.

The factory speakers are 3 ohm ... not a major difference as stated by the sales person... If my amp blows , then I guess I'll have an excuse to
install an better amp ;) .... I have been eyeing anyway.


My research findings...says you can hook these up to ANY source .

I haven't made a decision on the rears yet... we shall see.

I'm into the Home theater and wanting better thats all.
Believe me, I do hope that my warning is unfounded. I just wanted to you know the risks.

I was not trying to suggest that you overdrive your amp. What I was saying it that installing a lower impedance speaker has probably lowered the limits of what the amplifier is capable of because it is outside of its design range.

BTW, It is not true that a 2 ohm speaker can handle any source, and I have repaired many blown power amps over the years as an audio tech due to customers being incorrectly told the amp could handle it. An amplifier has to be specifically designed to handle low impedance loads.

As long as you are not worried about the repercussions, that is all that matters. I just wanted you to be aware of it.

Have a good one.
 
#11 ·
This is veering a bit off the topic of the Infinity's, but when it comes to water resistance, woven cones are generally not waterproof or water resistant.

Water resistant speakers are generally good in situations like cars, where humidity is high. They have polymer cones and rubber surrounds, which helps the cone to retain its rigidity and its sound quality when encountering moisture. They do not handle direct contact with water very well. Many quality aftermarket automotive speakers are water resistant.

Water proof speakers will usually be marine rated, meaning every component in the speaker is designed to handle direct contact with water. Polk speakers are one of the few name brand, quality aftermarket speakers I have come across that has a number of automotive speakers that are marine rated.
 
#12 ·
With a woven glass fiber woofer cone, no, they aren't going to be waterproof. Infinity's website does not even mention anything about water resistance.
Yes I know. I said that in my first post.

Sorry for having to spell it out after two posts but:

Why would someone want to fit low impedance, non waterproof speakers to a Goldwing - The impedance question might have been dealt with but it's not a risk I'd want to take namely a 50% decrease in value. I don't know about parts of the US but here in the UK it p*sses down....a lot!! So wont these speakers be a burnt out, soggy mess quite quickly?
 
#13 ·
I only posted the definitions of the various types of water resistance so that people would be informed as to what they are getting.

I could see a situation where someone might not want waterproof speakers. Everything is a trade off, and when you design a speaker, if you don't have to worry about water, you can concentrate on making the best sounding speaker possible, without having to compromise. Those Infinity's are nice sounding speakers. There are many people out there that do not ride in the rain, and do not wash their bikes with pressured water, so resistance to water is simply not an issue.

Of course, just because a speaker is waterproof doesn't mean it will sound bad either. My Polks are marine rated and are awesome sounding speakers.

As far as the two ohm impedance goes, he may very well be ok with it. I only spoke from my experience as an audio technician.

2 ohm speakers were designed with one, and only one concept in mind. In a car, current is virtually unlimited. But voltage is not. From a practical standpoint, you only have 12 volts available. To increase power, you have to increase the voltage. If you can't increase the voltage, you can lower the resistance to allow more current to flow, thereby increasing the power.

High powered amp use DC to DC converters to increase the available voltage to fairly high levels, sometimes as high as 200 volts. But the higher the voltage goes, the more inefficient the power supply is, and that means more heat. Manufacturers started building amps that could handle two ohm loads with lower voltage, and then the speaker manufacturers in turn started building 2ohm speakers. This has allowed some crazy power levels to be achieved. In lower power amps, two ohm speakers enables manufacturers to design amps without expensive DC to DC converters and get a modest increase in power for free. (If the amp is designed to handle those loads.)

This is primarily an automotive scheme that was created due to the environment car audio has to operate in. With few exceptions, there is nothing inherently more efficient, louder or better sounding about a two ohm speaker.
 
#14 ·
3rd and final phase....
Some punch in the rear... an self powered sub


or...this ,I'm not sure yet.

When you get to phase 3 shoot me a PM, I'll give you the good and bad on the sub.

 
#15 ·
Thanks for the pic of the sub installed in your Wing...looks good ,
Please by all means share your experience about having the sub . I notice that you have the old style sub , do you like it ?
 
#16 ·
Oh... I'm one of the guys who doesn't ride in rain...and I don't pressure wash my bike ... so completely weather resistant up front was not important to me ... as it's hard for the speaker to also get wet.

The rears I may get a little careful on..as they are more exposed than the fronts.
 
#17 ·


Having been a "pioneer" in modifying the GL1800 audio (click the pic above for more information) I have a few comments on this thread.

#1 - 2 ohm speakers will not harm anything. Most all audio amps are rated for power output at 2 ohms. This way, the manufacturer can boast of higher wattage ratings. Hook two four ohm speakers in parallel and you get two ohms. The amp will output twice the power to 2 ohm speakers than if you hooked a single 4 ohm speaker to it so the maker gets to say "our amp puts out 200 watts" rather than 100 watts. Fact.

#2 -
The speakers in this thread are AUTO DOOR speakers. 5.25" speakers are designed to be mounted in the DOOR of an automobile. Certainly weather proof enough for application into the GL1800 speaker enclosures. I have been running four 4 ohm DOOR speakers in parallel on my wing for SEVEN years. I power wash, ride in the rain and thoroughly enjoy the audio. Fact.

#3. I have to hand it to EAGLEFAN67 for his patience with all the naysayers in this thread. Congratulations on your independent thinking. Go outside the box and they come out of the woodwork.

One final word: nearly NOBODY in this thread has the YEAR of their GL1800 in their signature or personal info under their name.

I think it should be a board rule that everyone must put the year of their bike in their signature! .Really helps us all.

 
#18 ·
Well, I'm not going to continue my comments past this post, as it is starting to deteriorate into a pissing contest.

In the past 30 years, I have had to deal with literally thousands of "pioneers of audio", who thought they knew better than the manufacturers. Through handling all the rusty, soggy door speakers, and blown power amps, and the resulting, upset and downright angry customers that resulted from those that thought they had a better idea, I have learned that it is usually a losing battle.

In car audio, probably 90% of the amplifier problems we see, and nearly 100% of the speaker problems are directly caused by the customer, but you can't convince them of that. Anyone who believes that all amps are rated at 2 ohms does not understand amplifier design.

You can heed my comments or ignore them. It is up to you. It's your money. All I know is, I can feel good that I did my part to try and pass on some of my knowledge of this business.

I was not knocking Eaglefans choice, and I tried to point that out in one of my posts. I only pointed out the potential pitfalls to those that may also consider this option. His goal was tightly focused on sound quality. There is nothing wrong with that. But for others, long term reliability and durability are just as important.
 
#19 ·
Opinions are certain to vary... and welcomed , but I just wanted to offer
my results from the speakers I picked for my fronts...(haven't done the rear yet.)

I want to say more than "oh there awesome" ... I gave my honest opinion on them ...how they installed , and my results over the factory
speakers...and I have infact made an improvement.

I like them...they sound and look good thru the speaker grill .... I'll
post up a pic later.

Now on to the rear speakers !!!
 
#21 ·
At last, a subject i do know about. ( for years i joint owned and ran an automotive and Music venue equipment design and manufacturing company) But besides that, and not to get droning on too much, here are a fact or two that are relevant.

1. If you were to run a 2ohm load across a system that is primarily designed around a 4ohm output, you WILL put eccessive power dissipation onto the base legs of the powerfets, resulting in far more heat than the casing will be designed to dissipate.

2. Although the volume will seem to increase, it will in fact suffer almost inaudible electronic distortion, much similar to the degredation caused by turning a wave file into a mid quality mp3 file.

3. In order to run the system safely it can be ran alongside individual capacitance placed on each speaker by adding a further 2ohm cap to each (this seems pointless but if you want a particular speaker that only comes as 2 ohm impedence, then it needs done).

4. Volume (db) is somewhat misleading, certain levels in the range of 50 - 20k can be seemingly amplified whilst in balance you will lose the intermediates. (as stated in quality drop equal to that of wave to mp3)

whilst everyone has an opinion and many rightly so, just because one person is lucky enough to escape damage, it doesnt mean that the next one can do the same and get away with it. in my book, the correct way is always the right way.

Incidentaly, the given outputs i.e. 100/200/500 watts etc are always an incorrect value as you can only actually achieve the rms of 0.7 of the value without overdriving and either distorting sound or destroying mosfets etc.

Ok, I'll shut up now :joke:

"just another knowit all, before anyone else feels the urge to say it :lol:"
 
#22 ·
I tried for some time to get the Sony Xpode three way speakers that 'everyone' was raving about on this forum, but could not find any to buy.
I did find the Xplodes for my '06, put them in all 4 holes, but I am not impressed at all with them. They sound tinny and they do not deliver increased volume or clarity.
 
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