Speakers for an RT

[my3gs]

Hello all I want to upgrade my speakers on my 12 RT so let me know what you have used. And what didn't work. THX

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Hello all I want to upgrade my speakers on my 12 RT so let me know what you have used. And what didn't work. THX

I know what is perfect for the RT...........How are the Front Shock Brackets working out for you ?????????..............................Mike

[Bob Denman]

J&M offers front and rear direct replacements for the RT's speakers.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

J&M offers front and rear direct replacements for the RT's speakers.

Are they what you have now Bob ?......Mike

[Marker]

Just bought JBL GTO 428 and GTO 528 speakers from E-Bay for $95.00 USA for four speakers. Will install them when I get my new spyder.
I researched here and Mike (BLUEKNIGHT911) did a lot of research and he has installed these speakers and really likes them.


Personally I have always liked JBL equipment it is top notch but very pricey. My only concern I had using these speakers is that they are for car door panels,so water damage was a concern.
I researched the speakers and found that the materials used are the same materials used in marine grade and powersport speakers for more money.
These speaker models are no longer available but available on E-Bay. Their replacements model# GTO 429 and GTO 529 cost $400.00 for 2 pairs here in Canada. So by buying on E-Bay I saved a lot of money too.

Mike was a great help with his technical knowledge about these speakers

[latony007]

speakers are generally interchangeable. I have not opened up an RT to look at them but as long as the diameter is the same you should be able to put in anything you want right?

[Marker]

speakers are generally interchangeable. I have not opened up an RT to look at them but as long as the diameter is the same you should be able to put in anything you want right?

5.25" front speaker size and 4.5" rear speaker size that fits RT Both speakers are round.

[Purple Guy]

Just bought JBL GTO 428 and GTO 528 speakers from E-Bay for $95.00 USA for four speakers. Will install them when I get my new spyder.
I researched here and Mike (BLUEKNIGHT911) did a lot of research and he has installed these speakers and really likes them.


Personally I have always liked JBL equipment it is top notch but very pricey. My only concern I had using these speakers is that they are for car door panels,so water damage was a concern.
I researched the speakers and found that the materials used are the same materials used in marine grade and powersport speakers for more money.
These speaker models are no longer available but available on E-Bay. Their replacements model# GTO 429 and GTO 529 cost $400.00 for 2 pairs here in Canada. So by buying on E-Bay I saved a lot of money too.

Mike was a great help with his technical knowledge about these speakers

I did the same after reading Mikes post and respecting the quality of JBL.
Unfortunately when mounting the 428's in the rear I found out they are to small for the hole that's cut into the speaker box for the rear.
They are at most a 4 1/8" speaker the hole is for a 4 1/2".
There's a good 1/8" gap around the speaker which you lose all the bottom end, very tinny. Also with the gap there's potential for water to get in there.
The 528's sound & fit great great though.

I just ordered the J & M speakers for the rear from Custom Dynamics.
Hope to sell the 428's on Kijiji or ebay...

5.25" front speaker size and 4" rear speaker size that fits RT Both speakers are round.

The rear are 4 1/2"

[Marker]

I did the same after reading Mikes post and respecting the quality of JBL.
Unfortunately when mounting the 428's in the rear I found out they are to small for the hole that's cut into the speaker box for the rear.
They are at most a 4 1/8" speaker the hole is for a 4 1/2".
There's a good 1/8" gap around the speaker which you lose all the bottom end, very tinny. Also with the gap there's potential for water to get in there.
The 528's sound & fit great great though.

I just ordered the J & M speakers for the rear from Custom Dynamics.
Hope to sell the 428's on Kijiji or ebay...




The rear are 4 1/2"

Thanks for correcting me. Correction made to my posting.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I did the same after reading Mikes post and respecting the quality of JBL.
Unfortunately when mounting the 428's in the rear I found out they are to small for the hole that's cut into the speaker box for the rear.
They are at most a 4 1/8" speaker the hole is for a 4 1/2".
There's a good 1/8" gap around the speaker which you lose all the bottom end, very tinny. Also with the gap there's potential for water to get in there.
The 528's sound & fit great great though.

I just ordered the J & M speakers for the rear from Custom Dynamics.
Hope to sell the 428's on Kijiji or ebay...




The rear are 4 1/2"

......Yes the JBL's are very slightly smaller ......either elonggate the holes to reach the mounting points or take a piece of sheet metal about 1/2 inch long drill two holes so two of the mounting points can be stretched ..............I don't know what GAP you are talking about in reference to water entry ??????............and if those J & M speakers are not 2 OHM they won't match the JBL's and that's going to be an issue .................and my 428's are not TINNY sounding ....did you actually listen to them or are you taking a guess ???????

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

speakers are generally interchangeable. I have not opened up an RT to look at them but as long as the diameter is the same you should be able to put in anything you want right?

Yes you can , especially if it doesn't matter what they sound like .............and if it doesn't matter , save yourself a lot of trouble and money and leave the OEM speakers in.....just saying .....Mike

[Purple Guy]

......Yes the JBL's are very slightly smaller ......either elonggate the holes to reach the mounting points or take a piece of sheet metal about 1/2 inch long drill two holes so two of the mounting points can be stretched ..............I don't know what GAP you are talking about in reference to water entry ??????............and if those J & M speakers are not 2 OHM they won't match the JBL's and that's going to be an issue .................and my 428's are not TINNY sou nding ....did you actually listen to them or are you taking a guess ???????

The gap is around the entire circumference of the speaker, more than 1/8".
What year is your Spyder Mike, mines a 2014. Don't think the speakers are any different but maybe the stock hole on yours is a little smaller?
I'm sure yours sound great, with the gap mine did not.
As for the J & M's they're 2.8 ohms so should not be a problem running them together...

Yes they are mounted in the bike, played with the EQ to limit the high end but not happy with the sound.
The whole idea was to Upgrade the sound and that wasn't what I got.
I'll probably pull them out this weekend, I'll take a pic of the gap in question.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The gap is around the entire circumference of the speaker, more than 1/8".
What year is your Spyder Mike, mines a 2014. Don't think the speakers are any different but maybe the stock hole on yours is a little smaller?
I'm sure yours sound great, with the gap mine did not.
As for the J & M's they're 2.8 ohms so should not be a problem running them together...

Yes they are mounted in the bike, played with the EQ to limit the high end but not happy with the sound.
The whole idea was to Upgrade the sound and that wasn't what I got.
I'll probably pull them out this weekend, I'll take a pic of the gap in question.

.............................Mine is also a 2014 RT............and you can read my Post above I made some corrections ..............If you think mis-matched OHM's are not going to have a bigger effect on the sound quality ...well good luck with that............The louder you play your music the sooner those J & M's are going to break up ......30 % sooner than the JBL's ............It's like Drag racing a V-8 with 2 bad plugs ...................But you have an LTD so you can pretty much cancel out your rear speakers, but IMHO you've spent a lot money doing this ..............Mike

[billybovine]

Well it's good I read this thread. So 4 inch speakers don't fit. My ST has only 2 speakers and they are the same as the RT rears. I was just about to order 4 inch ones. I would have not been happy if I had to Mcgyver them to fit. Thanks for the info Purple Guy.

[Purple Guy]

.............................Mine is also a 2014 RT............and you can read my Post above I made some corrections ..............If you think mis-matched OHM's are not going to have a bigger effect on the sound quality ...well good luck with that............The louder you play your music the sooner those J & M's are going to break up ......30 % sooner than the JBL's ............It's like Drag racing a V-8 with 2 bad plugs ...................But you have an LTD so you can pretty much cancel out your rear speakers, but IMHO you've spent a lot money doing this ..............Mike

As you'll see from my pics the gap is quite large, I thought it was only a 1/8" but as you can see it's a 1/4".
I would say that's significant in the total loss of quality of sound and easily an opening that would invite water to seep through.
As for comparing the difference in ohms to Drag racing a V-8 with 2 bad plugs, maybe a little extreme.
The J & M's meter out at 2.8 ohms and the JBL's meter out at 2.5 ohms not 2.0
IMO 0.3 ohms difference on speakers mounted on a Spyder is going to be negligible at best.

[M109Dreamer]

As you'll see from my pics the gap is quite large, I thought it was only a 1/8" but as you can see it's a 1/4".
I would say that's significant in the total loss of quality of sound and easily an opening that would invite water to seep through.
As for comparing the difference in ohms to Drag racing a V-8 with 2 bad plugs, maybe a little extreme.
The J & M's meter out at 2.8 ohms and the JBL's meter out at 2.5 ohms not 2.0
IMO 0.3 ohms difference on speakers mounted on a Spyder is going to be negligible at best.

I have my 428's installed just like that. I really havent noticed a sound quality issue just because of the gap. And if you try and mount the 528's they will not be a plug and play as far as filling the hole. The larger magnet comes into play.

As far as the gap goes, it isnt that it like a woofer box and sealed up anyways on the back side. Plenty of gaps and air to go in and out. As far as water goes, if any would get in there it would drain out the bottom behind the side bags. Now I havent been caught in a down pour or spray water in it while I wash it. But if you do get 528's to fit please post pics or a video of what you did to get them to fit. I bought a pair of 528's but for the life of me couldnt get them to fit without cutting the hole larger, the other draw back to that idea is that by leaving the attachment holes where they are and elongating the hole then the attachment points become small and little reinforcement on the side and then start to vibrate and the sound will then get distorted as well.

I added a slight larger washer to mine to make sure they wouldnt vibrate and the miss's hasnt complained any.

Now Im not saying the speakers are the end all for sound but for $88 for 4 speakers I think there are worth considering based on what the stock ones sound like. Atleast we can hear them clearly at highway speeds 75+, unlike the stock speakers.

[Purple Guy]

Are you talking about having trouble fitting the 528's in the front?
I didn't have any problem putting those in and they fit like a glove.
They also sound amazing, what one would expect from a JBL.
I just wasn't happy with the fit and sound from the rear 428's but believe they to would have sounded much better if they were the right size for the hole.
At the end of the day it's all a personal preference and as long as the person riding their Spyder is enjoing what they're hearing it's all good!

[M109Dreamer]

Are you talking about having trouble fitting the 528's in the front?
I didn't have any problem putting those in and they fit like a glove.
They also sound amazing, what one would expect from a JBL.
I just wasn't happy with the fit and sound from the rear 428's but believe they to would have sounded much better if they were the right size for the hole.
At the end of the day it's all a personal preference and as long as the person riding their Spyder is enjoing what they're hearing it's all good! [emoji106]

I got the 528's in the front. I tried to get the 528's in the rear's but couldnt do it without some cutting and really didnt want to cut into it.

[Purple Guy]

I got the 528's in the front. I tried to get the 528's in the rear's but couldnt do it without some cutting and really didnt want to cut into it.

I tried to put them in there as well, would have been great if they had fit!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I tried to put them in there as well, would have been great if they had fit!

......All's good ........and not that this matters at this point .....but I did see a U-Tube video of a guy who did put a 5 1/4 inch speaker in the rear of His RT.......It did take some modification but it really wasn't drastic..............If I have time this Winter I may give it a shot ..........................Mike

[Purple Guy]

......All's good ........and not that this matters at this point .....but I did see a U-Tube video of a guy who did put a 5 1/4 inch speaker in the rear of His RT.......It did take some modification but it really wasn't drastic..............If I have time this Winter I may give it a shot ..........................Mike

Let me know how that works out for ya Mike.
It would sound killer having the 528's all around!

[Marker]

I am not a stereo installer at all but looking at the pictures, I was wondering if you could put a little expanding foam in the gap or a little silicone in the gap to fill it.
I have not attempted this project yet as my spyder is stored off site for the winter.

[Purple Guy]

I am not a stereo installer at all but looking at the pictures, I was wondering if you could put a little expanding foam in the gap or a little silicone in the gap to fill it.
I have not attempted this project yet as my spyder is stored off site for the winter.

I did try some weather stripping but there's not really much to secure it to and it didn't really improve the sound.

[my3gs]

I know what is perfect for the RT...........How are the Front Shock Brackets working out for you ?????????..............................Mike

Hey Mike guess what ya they are not on YET haven't road much if any. I am getting a Plasma cutting table and a new bizz to get started soooo kinda busy. Don't worry they will get put on.