2012 Voyager Needs Audio Ampifier

[G1deon]

Hi, I'm Bob and new to the Forum as of today. I have a 2012 VN1700 (non-ABS) with 41,500 miles. A couple of weeks ago I put Vance and Hines slip-ons on the bike and to say she is a tad luder would be quite the understatement. I was already mildly dissatisfied with the sound system at highway speeds but now I have to upgrade. I am looking for any suggestions for an amplifier and speaker upgrades. Since installing the pipes I added the Kawasaki OEM rear speakers but that did not help.

[David (N. Alabama)]

Welcome to the AVA. So, you made the bike louder and now the stereo needs to be louder to compensate. But then you won't be able to hear the louder pipes. Just kidding around.

I am assuming you don't wear a helmet, otherwise I would suggest in helmet speakers.

Hogtunes makes an amp for the Voyager.

When you get it all installed PM me and I will give you my Mother in Law's contact information. She sells hearing Aides.

[G1deon]

Quite the joker aren't you...lol. Hearing aids are in my future but I blame that more on my Army career than riding a loud bike. Still, I'll keep your mother-in-law in mind. I do wear a half helmet so the headset option still won't work. If it is possible for you to be serious; getting an amp means upgrading speakers, any suggestions?

[David (N. Alabama)]

https://m.denniskirk.com/cruiser-motorc ... oyager.mmy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm sure there are other options, but these are popular.

I use helmet speakers with the front bike speakers only. Works very well for me.

Good luck.

[G1deon]

Thanks much for the help. I went to the Hogtunes site and ordered the power kit which includes the amp and speakers. I'll see how things work but will probably wind up replacing the rears as well.

[G1deon]

Okay, so I had my shop install the Hogtunes amp and speakers. They sound HORRIBLE!. I am taking the bike back to the shop and have them look at their installation but if you have any suggestions I am all ears (Ha Ha). By horrible, I mean they are scratchy, lot of static, occasional pops and such. I took out the speakers and reversed the wire connections but that had no effect at all.

[otter]

contact hogtunes before you send everything back, I have the speakers only and they're fine. Standing still in a garage, they sound awful... too much midrange. But, that makes perfect sense out on the highway, they do a good job cutting through the wind noise. I'll be getting the amp shortly as I want LOUDER>

[G1deon]

Thanks for your response. I really don't know what is going on. Whether the bike is in the garage or out on the road there is entirely too much static, hissing and popping. I worked with the bass, treble, and midrange settings but nothing seemed to help. I've talked to the shop that installed the system and they are going to take another look and see if they can troubleshoot to find the source of the problem.

[otter]

You'd probably be best to contact them or have your installer contact them. Their upgrade is literally plug and play. It's even possible that the installer made a mistake not following their instructions.

[G1deon]

That's the plan. Both the dealership and I realize how straightforward the install is and are equally mystified at the problem. They will be contacting Hogtunes if they can't figure it out.

[otter]

I'd love to know how it turns out and whether Hogtunes is at fault and if they handle it well. This will influence whether or not I get the amp from them. Good luck!

[G1deon]

I'll definitely keep you posted. It probably will be next weekend when I get the bike back to the shop.

[otter]

I'll definitely keep you posted. It probably will be next weekend when I get the bike back to the shop.

Any progress on this?

[G1deon]

Finally determined the amp was bad and am in the process of getting the new one installed. Hogtunes was decent about exchanging it as far as providing a shipping label and their timeliness in supplying a replacement amp. However, I was none to pleased with their refusal to pay any portion of the labor cost associated with the uninstalling/re=installing of their product.

I'll post again when/if the new amp works.

[otter]

Finally determined the amp was bad and am in the process of getting the new one installed. Hogtunes was decent about exchanging it as far as providing a shipping label and their timeliness in supplying a replacement amp. However, I was none to pleased with their refusal to pay any portion of the labor cost associated with the uninstalling/re=installing of their product.

I'll post again when/if the new amp works.

Wow, that's frustrating, but not unique. Disappointed to hear that they let a bad amp slip through.

Thanks for the update.

[otter]

Hi, did the replacement amp work out for you? What are your impressions?

[G1deon]

Honestly I am pretty disappointed. But that might just be me. The final installation was the new amplifier from Hogtunes and Polk Audio speakers. Sound quality is mediocre at best and volume is the same. Maybe the Vance&Hines slip-ons are just too loud? Now I have the additional problem of the iPod accessory not always "seeing" my iPod . So, for now, I am happy just riding without music at all...just like I did for the first 36 years I was riding a motorcycle.

[krasmu]

I just received my order of Polk Audio Db104r Marine speakers to replace the OEM set on my Xii. I will post later as to how they sound compared to the OEM. Remember, on the Xii anyway, these are only 4" speakers and will not set the world on fire as far as sound quality. If you are looking for top end sound with full mid range and low end for your listening pleasure, you will have to go with some sort of headset. these bikes do not have enough room for anything larger than 4".

[G1deon]

I gotcha. I think I let myself get carried away with the idea that I could have a pretty decent sound system at any speed. I will say that cruising the back roads at 50-60 Mph the sound is pretty good. The iPod thing has me perplexed but I'm going to take a deep breath and come springtime take a much closer look at the goings on in that pocket...

[krasmu]

mounted the Polks and they sounded like transistor radio speakers. No way any Polks should ever sound that way. I called the help line and when we discussed the wattage of the unit trying to push them, he actually let out a laugh. The Db401s need more watts than the unit can provide. I then did another comparison to the Pioneer 1072 speakers that most on here are going with and they do seem like a much better fit for the Voyagers limited power supply. I returned the Polks and my new Pioneers are on the way, plus I'm actually saving money.
I will give some feedback later after I get them installed.