Sound upgrade

2819 Views 10 Replies 8 Participants Last post by William Anzik, Nov 2, 2020

Rgpoppop

Discussion Starter · Oct 31, 2020

I need Suggestions for speakerand amp upgrade. 2018 non-tour.
Thanks

1 - 11 of 11 Posts

GL1800 audio systems all years have been just OK. Honda has upgraded amp available for 2018+ but it has small impact on sound at a high price. I know of no other plug & play components for the wing. Upgraded speakers and a more powerful amp would not seem to be that difficult

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Bayrec

· #3 · Oct 31, 2020

Those that have purchased feel it is worth it - I know it was a major upgrade for me. Love it. There are others that have used non Honda equipment so it is doable. The Honda audio upgrade is expensive and takes up valuable space. If I was to do over, I would purchase and install again. Not an easy quick install.

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garyahouse

· #4 · Nov 1, 2020 (Edited)

We talked about this a little bit before. Not a whole lot of info, but maybe look here?
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Kenichi

· #5 · Nov 1, 2020

Bayrec said:
Those that have purchased feel it is worth it - I know it was a major upgrade for me. Love it. There are others that have used non Honda equipment so it is doable. The Honda audio upgrade is expensive and takes up valuable space. If I was to do over, I would purchase and install again. Not an easy quick install.

Yea, it's one of those things and everybody has different ears as to what is nice sound and what is very good sound, kind of like the seats, some love them and some hate them some are middle of the ground on them (speaking of seats and stereo equipment). The best thing I did is be my own critic and go visit a dealer that has the upgraded Honda stereo system and compare side by side with the OEM stereo, and also take a ride at various speeds and I made my purchase based on what sounded good/great to me and no one else. I was very happy with the Honda upgrade as it's my money and ears and perception of what sounds good to ME. Like Bayrec I love my Honda upgraded amp and speakers. I listen to the speakers more so than the Shoei SLR helmet speakers on most of my rides, which I feel sounds awesome as well. JMHO

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gdb069

· #6 · Nov 1, 2020

I wasted a lot of money on expensive equipment including high end MB Quart speakers and added amps before I threw the whole thing away. My new bike I barely listed to the audio before giving up and went with Cardo system. Much better. I think we are expecting too much from small speakers in an open area at 60 mph plus wind and engins etc etc.

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garyahouse

· #7 · Nov 2, 2020

For me, my 2018 tour came w/4 speakers and does fine as long as each song coming from my iPhone has enough "horsepower." Problem is, some of the songs are not recorded nearly as loud as the others, and likely not as loud as they should be. Sure, 1000 dollars worth of amplifier and speakers could fix this, but I wonder if an app of some sort might ramp up the sound level of each song so that they all get piped into my Honda's amp at the same level. For me, some songs are plenty loud enough, others really need help.

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Bayrec

· #8 · Nov 2, 2020

garyahouse said:
For me, my 2018 tour came w/4 speakers and does fine as long as each song coming from my iPhone has enough "horsepower." Problem is, some of the songs are not recorded nearly as loud as the others, and likely not as loud as they should be. Sure, 1000 dollars worth of amplifier and speakers could fix this, but I wonder if an app of some sort might ramp up the sound level of each song so that they all get piped into my Honda's amp at the same level. For me, some songs are plenty loud enough, others really need help.

I think there is software to fix the volume differences with mp3's, perhaps there's something similar for iPhones. Perhaps Louder Logic on the app store will help.

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The Batman

· #9 · Nov 2, 2020

I upgraded to the OEM amp/speakers when I bought my '18 tour... Was it worth $1k?? Not really...BUT...it does make a huge difference - you can actually hear it at highway speeds and it sounds decent. You'll never get audiophile sound quality on a bike, so I wouldn't throw money at it hoping that you will. I'm satisfied with Honda's upgrade...just wish it wasn't so pricey.

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Kenichi

· #10 · Nov 2, 2020

The Batman said:
I upgraded to the OEM amp/speakers when I bought my '18 tour... Was it worth $1k?? Not really...BUT...it does make a huge difference - you can actually hear it at highway speeds and it sounds decent. You'll never get audiophile sound quality on a bike, so I wouldn't throw money at it hoping that you will. I'm satisfied with Honda's upgrade...just wish it wasn't so pricey.

You can get supreme sound that an audiophile would absolutely love but it will cost BIG$$$