ST Audio Speaker Upgrade

[mstella101]

Ok this afternoon I started to pull apart the speaker wells- just not enough room to barely unscrew oem speakers , sooooo, started to pull of panels( sorry took pix -turned out terrible) took off up to black panel by parking brake and part of mirror- be careful not to pull out bolts that hold mirror bolts onto bike- I finally unscrewed and maneuvered speaker out. pulled off small thingamajig and whatchamacallit (2 wire things that go on the speaker- one has red dot on speaker) off of oem speaker and started to put both back on Polk db401's when I realized one of the posts on new speaker is smaller than the wire thing on the bike. Aren't you all thrilled with my knowledge of the technical terms. At this point (after 1:45 min) I had to go to a prior commitment. Put everything back on and had to leave. The oem speaker still worked-woohoo. gonna stop at a radio shack tomorrow to see what IU need to get! Or should I call a guy I know who does this stuff for a living have him change out the speakers and install an amp at same time????
what to do -what to do

[Speedy Spyder]

Ok this afternoon I started to pull apart the speaker wells- just not enough room to barely unscrew oem speakers , sooooo, started to pull of panels( sorry took pix -turned out terrible) took off up to black panel by parking brake and part of mirror- be careful not to pull out bolts that hold mirror bolts onto bike- I finally unscrewed and maneuvered speaker out. pulled off small thingamajig and whatchamacallit (2 wire things that go on the speaker- one has red dot on speaker) off of oem speaker and started to put both back on Polk db401's when I realized one of the posts on new speaker is smaller than the wire thing on the bike. Aren't you all thrilled with my knowledge of the technical terms. At this point (after 1:45 min) I had to go to a prior commitment. Put everything back on and had to leave. The oem speaker still worked-woohoo. gonna stop at a radio shack tomorrow to see what IU need to get! Or should I call a guy I know who does this stuff for a living have him change out the speakers and install an amp at same time????
what to do -what to do

Were you able to determine what the correct speaker size is? I'm still in limbo.

[sledmaster]

Remember, if you can get a set of speakers with greater sensitivity it is like installing a bigger amplifier.

For example, if you install a set of speakers with higher efficiency (like +3 dB) it would be as loud as the original speakers with TWICE the watts. For every 3 dB increase in speaker output you will need twice as much power.

So say for example if the stock speakers are rated at 90 dB at 1 watt, they would produce 93 dB at 2 watts, 96 dB at 4 watts, 99 dB at 8 watts. Then drop in a set of speakers that are more efficient, say 93 dB at 1 watt, they would put out 96 dB at 2 watts, 99 dB at 4 watts, 102 dB at 8 watts.

I know it seems weird, but that is the nature of a logarithmic relationship. With car stereos we can always get more dB with better speakers, it just depends on what is easier and what costs more. If we can find a more efficient set of speakers that would be the first thing to try. Compare the speaker efficiency ratings, and you will notice there are differences. Problem is we would want to figure out what we have in there stock so we can compare them to potential replacement candidates. At a minimum, put in ones that have the highest efficiency you can find (that will fit).

[LV2RYDE]

My speakers don't seem loud enough on the interstate. I downloaded some music and put it on a sim card then inserted it into my GPS. I can hear it a lot better because the music comes through the speakers and the gps. It's also nice because I can fast forward through the songs I'm not in the mood to listen to.

Do you have Zumo? If yes, where do you fit the sim card ?

[Speedy Spyder]

Hi, I'm about to order Polk db501's took some measurements of factory speaker according to Polk rep instructions and came up with 5"???

Remember, these ARE NOT 5 1/4" speakers, they are 5" speakers and there are only a few speakers that will fit the enclosure and the enclosure cannot be easily modified.

[mstella101]

After a lot of deliberating I decided to let a buddy who owns a automotive stereo install co. install my polk dbl4's. He also does a lot of work on bikes- this was his 1st Can Am. I decided to add an amp. I will put up pix soon. Install looks great - system sounds better and louder! Buut, 4's just don't have enough bass. sound is clean, i can understand lyrics playing but stillseems a little to high- but 100% better than stock. someone recommended an equalizer app on the iphone might \help for playlists . gonna give that a try this weekend. anyone have a spare pair of body pparts where mirror and wind deflectors connect- he would like to build/form an enclosure for 5 1/2 or 61/2" speakers. I told him this could be a winter project. I'll show with pix what was used and how the install looks this when I get a chance. I am happy.

[DougC]

I just ordered polk db401's - polks 4" marine certified speakers from Sonic Electronix- After talking to several different Tech experts they all seem to agree this would be the best choice to switch out the OEM's for. When I pulled the grill and speaker out (without taking off any tupperware) it looks like it
could /should be an easy switch- there is literally no room back there for any speaker more than 2"'s deep! Hope it works

Did those polk db401 work? How do they sound? I have a 2014 st limited and want to change out my speakers. I am having a hard time trying to find speakers to fit. Hope you can help me.

[fulltimer]

Hello all,

I just purchased my ST spyder limited a week ago. With my helmet I purchased the Sena smh10 bluetooth headest.

How to I force the ST radio to play though the headset verse through the external speaks?

I have a '13 STL with the same head set radios. Also interested if anyone else knows the answer.

[DougC]

I have a '13 STL with the same head set radios. Also interested if anyone else knows the answer.

I never vet used my sena. I have the one that comes on board in my frunk. From what I understand if you register your device on the sena website you can see what the latest firmware there is to download. Hope this helps.

[bayoumanPIBE]

Hey there...How'd those polk db401 work out on the ST-S?

I have a 2014 ST-S and BRP and my dealer do not know the size of speakers that will fit.

I see 5" in diameter, but I need depth as well...thanks!!

[Sopher]

check out my posts from like 2010 or 2011... I've upgraded all four. and added a 400watt amp. and added an aftermarket xm radio.
been there.
done that.

[AY4B]

The reason they do not sound good at higher speeds is the ST stock windshield does not cover the front speakers well. The sound gets washed out by the wind. Get a wide touring windshield like the one sold by California Scientific and it will keep the sound in better.