Suggestions for front speakers for GL1100 Aspencade Aftermarket stereo

[thunderwing]

Ok so maybe I've been having a little bit too much fun at high volume, maybe more than simple stock factory replacement speakers can handle......Let's just say I got my $20 worth out of them, but sadly I am without tuneage.....and I am suffering withdrawal what with the cold weather riding and all as it was a welcome distraction from the cold air.

What a run on sentence....LOL!

Ok I'm open to weatherproof speakers that can take a beating. It's an aftermarket radio with 18W per channel, and that's 4 channels with only 2 speakers running.

Help!!!....I will ride every day I can thru winter to and fro to work....Need my tuneage!!!!

There's something to be said about loud music thru the air as opposed to bluetooth....the rawness and vitality of it is warming to me in the cold weather.

Again....Help!!

[thunderwing]

viewtopic.php?t=3857

Why didn't I google it 1st !?!

Anyway I found marine spec polk db401 I think will be the solution.....and I will be getting bluetooth speakers for my Shark evoline helmet as well....late bloomer on the bluetooth thing.....gotta have backup tuneage!

18watts per channel maybe a little low for input on the polks, didn't have plans for an amp, however the rear speakers in the pillion pockets is a great idea from the above linked post, love that shared knowledge and craftsmanship you find here.

Anyway any additional input on this subject would be very helpful.

Thanks !!!!

[Rambozo]

How about some Altec A7s?

[Sadanorakman]

I'm going to suggest you go and buy a compact Class-D amp. Why? Because driving whatever speakers you buy at too high a volume-setting on your current stereo will likely damage them, but not for the reason that you may think!!! You are not putting too much energy into them period, you are putting a quantity of 'unclean' signal energy into them that they are not capable of turning smoothly into sound, so this turns into heat instead!

When you turn your stereo gain (volume) up too loudly for its own output capability (not actually the capability of the speakers), the output waveform starts to incur clipping, and distortion. This clipped waveform may not sound too horrendous, especially as the reduced audio quality may be somewhat masked by engine, road, and wind noise, but it puts the speakers through sheer hell.

What happens in this scenario, is that the clipped waveform imparts energy into the speaker voice coil, which does not translate to movement of the cone, but instead into waste heat. If driven for long enough at enough distortion, damage will occur to the voice coil by melting the glue holding the voice-coil windings to the former, distort the former, short-circuit the coil, or all of the above! The tweeters tend to be the first thing to 'blow'.

A speaker just converts energy:
1. The incoming electrical waveform is translated into a magnetic field (and waste heat) by the voice coil of the speaker. This field varies in sympathy (follows) the electrical input signal.
2. This varying magnetic field acts against the fixed magnetic field generated by the Speaker's permanent magnet, creating forces which act (attempt) to physically move the coil in and out.
3. The moving coil is mechanically attached to the speaker cone, so the Cone moves in sympathy with the coil (with some dynamic distortion or flexing/resonance)
4. The moving cone imparts movement in the air that surrounds the cone, and hence sound waves radiate from the Speaker.

...The speaker has successfully converted the incoming electrical signal to a combination of sound energy and heat.

It's all about kinetic energy: The speaker cone and coil which have mass, are designed to follow the sine waves as best as possible.
If the waveform is normal (not clipped), then this allows the mass of the cone to decelerate and accelerate again in the opposite direction at the top and bottom of each waveform. (The kinetic energy stored in the inertia of the moving parts can be successfully removed and then re-applied in the opposite direction.)
If we clip the signal, then we get an abrupt start and stop (plateau) at the top and bottom of any large amplitude waveform, and the mass of the cone simply cannot follow this motion. Imagine that it's like riding your bike along forward, then using a fixed length of wire rope attached to an immovable object to stop you instead of slowing with your brakes. The moving parts of the speaker just can't follow these abrupt start and stops (they have too much mass and therefore too much inertia (kinetic energy), so more of that electrical energy ends up getting turned into heat instead of movement.

In summary, it is just as easy to damage a pair of '30 Watt' speakers, with a '20 Watt' amplifier, as it is with a 60 Watt amplifier!!! (But Wattage ratings are a whole other conversation!!!)