db691 Saddlebag install
Hoolio
Posts: 5
Hi all! I've been lurking here for awhile and finally decided to post. I would say I'm a pretty good installer. I've been doing this off and on for years and have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to make something sound good in cars and trucks.
Recently a friend commissioned me to design and install a system on an '06 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad motorcycle. It's kind of the Kaw version of a Harley Road King. It has no front fairing so no head unit and it does have hard bags. He wants to run all audio off and Ipod so I purchased the following;
Polk db521 5.25s, Polk db691 6x9s, Rockford PBR300x4 amp (75x4 rms), JL Audio CL-RLC remote level control/line driver and of course all the wires and cables needed.
I made custom pods to house the db521s and mounted to the crash bar up front. The db691s are in the bags (1 per bag) and the amp is in the right bag as well. The line driver is hidden behind one of the side covers. Everything is very neat and actually sounds amazing but there is one issue,..the 6x9s.
Being 6x9s are designed for free air setups in a deck they like a lot of air space. The output with the bags closed is minimal, muffled even. But crack the bags open 3/4" or so and it becomes outstanding! Before going further I should mention that the Kaw bags are side loading unlike a Harley which are top loading. The doors hinge at the bottom and the door lays open.
So why do I have so much sound on the backside of the cone? Do I need to come up with a way to port the bags? If I do port the bags am I construction a port to let air in or is the purpose of the port to vent the sound that is being created behind the cone?
Recently a friend commissioned me to design and install a system on an '06 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad motorcycle. It's kind of the Kaw version of a Harley Road King. It has no front fairing so no head unit and it does have hard bags. He wants to run all audio off and Ipod so I purchased the following;
Polk db521 5.25s, Polk db691 6x9s, Rockford PBR300x4 amp (75x4 rms), JL Audio CL-RLC remote level control/line driver and of course all the wires and cables needed.
I made custom pods to house the db521s and mounted to the crash bar up front. The db691s are in the bags (1 per bag) and the amp is in the right bag as well. The line driver is hidden behind one of the side covers. Everything is very neat and actually sounds amazing but there is one issue,..the 6x9s.
Being 6x9s are designed for free air setups in a deck they like a lot of air space. The output with the bags closed is minimal, muffled even. But crack the bags open 3/4" or so and it becomes outstanding! Before going further I should mention that the Kaw bags are side loading unlike a Harley which are top loading. The doors hinge at the bottom and the door lays open.
So why do I have so much sound on the backside of the cone? Do I need to come up with a way to port the bags? If I do port the bags am I construction a port to let air in or is the purpose of the port to vent the sound that is being created behind the cone?
Post edited by Hoolio on
Comments
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Hello,
Probably a few photos of the 6x9 installation would help us understand what might be going on?
Regards, Ken -
I'll get some photos and post them this evening but I figured it out yesterday. My line of thinking was that in a normal 6x9 mounting scenario the speaker would mount from the bottom of the deck. I had them mounted dropped in the hole from the outside of the bag. I took them out and moved them to the inside of the bag and presto! Everything is fine,...amazing actually! It's unbelievable how loud and clear this setup is. I'll finish hiding a few wires tonight and get pics up. Thanks for your help.
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