Autocom output quality

[git-r-dan]

I've really given the Autocom the benefit of the doubt and have been trying to get everything working the right way. The folks at Autocom have been there for all my questions and given great support. I am happy w/ the way the system works to include the layout of the inputs, vox, phone, radar, etc. The problem is that the output Autocom gives for the headphones is weak. I was not happy at all with the stock speakers finding them to be a low quality speaker. So I ordered the connection from Autocom to use my own speakers which happen to be a pair of old $100 Yamaha (imagine that) headphones. Found those puppies collecting dust in a drawer seldom opened. Connected them to my laptop and was amazed remembering how well those things sounded. Crystal clear bass/treble. I fit them into the Shoei helmet and clipped the wires to the stock phones. Then went for a ride only to find that at full volume, could barely hear the music and phone. Called Autocom and they suggested the Boostaroo. So I ordered the Boostaroo Revolution for around $45 shipped on Ebay. Talked to the folks at Boostaroo and they said I could power the unit w/ a voltage converter between 3-5 volts instead of replacing AAAA batteries. It arrived today and got to do the test I was waiting for. Ran the boostaroo straight out of the Ipod to my $250 Sennheiser headphones that are audiophile quality. Much more power w/ the bass/treble louder just because of the volume increase only but really sounded great. These headphones are 200 ohms and the boostaroo does get just enough power to them with the ipod at about 3/4 volume. With any more volume tending to start to distort. Then from the power out of the autocom to the boostaroo then to the Yamaha phones inside the helmet (probably 200 ohms, too). Result was much better volume, for sure, but as I expected, weak bass. Then went direct from the ipod to boostaroo to Yamaha headphones bypassing the autocom. Wow, what a difference. Those phones are almost as good as the Sennheisers. Plenty of bass/treble. This test was proof that the amp inside the autocom reduces the bass quality which I had suspected. I will be sticking w/ the Autocom based on the features it has but will be attempting to fix the quality of sound somehow.

I'm looking at a 12 volt power amp circuit board with bass / treble / volume adjusting. I found some different ones that could be installed easily in a very small box. Or maybe to install a 15" 400w bass speaker w/ 800w power amp in the trunk but the stator wouldn't handle it.

 

[FJRocket]

The sound quality when using the Etymotics through the Autocom is compromised as well. The volumn is plenty high, but the sound is a little tinny. Add in a GLI filter for my RoadyXT and the sound quality is a little worse. Still plenty of volumn, but just not quite what I was hoping for.

Keep up posted on your "equalizer farkle". I'd be interested in seeing about a sound quality upgrade, too.

 

[Fjrtn]

Dan:

Read your post with interest. I to have an Autocom which I run my radar detector, radios (CB or FRS), iPod, cell phone and GPS (Magellan RoadMate 2000T) through. My problem is with my GPS and the level of sound (volume) that I can get to my helmet speakers from the audio out jack of the GPS. I have no problems of volume level through the Autocom with anything but the GPS.

The sound level of the GPS...with the volume maxed out...is OK with the engine not running. However, as soon as the engine starts...and certainly on the move above 45 mph or so...the sound level is drowned out by the engine and road noise. I have tried everything I can think of to amplify the sound to a high enough level to hear the GPS. I tried a xa3 mixit type amp that Kieth Goudelock let me try. It helped some. But, at $100, it didn't help that much. Finally, I have tried a Boosteroo "Revolution" which is supposed to amplify the sound 400%. It also helps some...but...I still can't make out the turn by turn instructions from the GPS.

So, if you (or anyone else) has a solution for my poor sound output to my GPS then---I'M ALL EARS!

And, at this point, I don't know if my problem is with the Autocom or GPS.

Hope someone has some ideas,

Fjrtn

 

[S76]

I just installed an Autocom pro using their speakers and because I ride with earplugs the volume just wasn't quite enough. I opened the Autocom and tweaked the internal volume adjusters to maximum. (There is an internal volume adjuster for each input.) This made the volume "almost enough." Actual it was enough until you got moving. So I then turned up the auto volume adjuter pots a little and repositioned the in helmet noise sensor to be more exposed to the wind. Now the volume is adequite at a stop and steps up nicely once you get moving.

Don't know if this is what you are looking for but worked for me.

 

[650cent]

Hey,

This is what I use. Has great sound and a lot of volume. The rechargeable batteries will last a couple of days. https://www.electric-avenues.com/amplifiers.html

Bill

 

[Fjrtn]

Thanks for the info Bob and Bill.

Bob - I have an Autocom...believe it is a Pro 7 model (best model before last years new upgrade)...and would like to know how hard it is to go into the unit and adjust the volume. Are the "internal volume adjusters" easy to locate and adjust?

Bill - This amplifier looks better than the Boosteroo "Revolution" that I have. Says it increases the volume by 610%! How much did you end up paying for yours? At this point, I'm going to have more invested in amplifiers and such than I paid for the GPS :blink:

Thanks,

Fjrtn

 

[git-r-dan]

The issue I'm having is not a volume issue. The boostaroo gave enough volume that will probably satisfy me for cruising while taking a phone call on auto receive. I'll mention again that the Autocom's amp is actually removing bass due to cheezyness. Boostaroo claimed that their model adds extra bass and some sort of spatial junk. NOT! It only boosts volume. Electric Avenue's amp boasts the same claim to add bass but I'm not willing to spend another $65 to only find out the same result. What I'm looking for is an amp that will add some bottom to Autocom's output (if possible). I saw a preamp that had 4 knob control here and this little bad boy that might work for more power here but again the amp would increase volume and not bass but the pre-amp might be the ticket. Maybe the two combined could possibly work and might be just the right size for under-seat location or tank bag.

 

[Fjrtn]

Dan:

Don't intend to hi-jack your thread But, this was the first topic I have run across where Autocom and audio output had been discussed at all. I understand what you are after and it looks like the first example might work for you. And, the price doesn't seem to be exorbitant.

For me, I'm just looking for a way to substantially increase the audio volume output from my GPS through the Autocom unit. It's not even stereo and only requires a mono jack adapter (3.5mm mono to 3.5mm stereo).

Thanks for giving me an opportunity to jump in with my questions though. Might be some Autocom "experts" out there than can provide some help or suggestions to both of us.

Fjrtn

 

[ponyfool]

Not to hijack your thread, but I am in the market to buy an intercom/MP3/phone set up and was debating between the Autocom and Starcom. This is the first negative I have heard about Autocom and was wondering if anyone had a similar experience with the output of a Starcom?

Sound quality, and volume, without the use of additional amp/boosters is important to me, especially in expensive units like these.

 

[tripletango]

The issue I'm having is not a volume issue. The boostaroo gave enough volume that will probably satisfy me for cruising while taking a phone call on auto receive. I'll mention again that the Autocom's amp is actually removing bass due to cheezyness. Boostaroo claimed that their model adds extra bass and some sort of spatial junk. NOT! It only boosts volume. Electric Avenue's amp boasts the same claim to add bass but I'm not willing to spend another $65 to only find out the same result. What I'm looking for is an amp that will add some bottom to Autocom's output (if possible). I saw a preamp that had 4 knob control here and this little bad boy that might work for more power here but again the amp would increase volume and not bass but the pre-amp might be the ticket. Maybe the two combined could possibly work and might be just the right size for under-seat location or tank bag.

I have found that correct positioning of the speakers is key to quality sound. Close to the ear as possible and centered on the aural canal of the ear.

 

[automag928]

Not to hijack your thread, but I am in the market to buy an intercom/MP3/phone set up and was debating between the Autocom and Starcom. This is the first negative I have heard about Autocom and was wondering if anyone had a similar experience with the output of a Starcom?
Sound quality, and volume, without the use of additional amp/boosters is important to me, especially in expensive units like these.

I'm with ponyfool, I'm looking to jump on something soon, just not sure which brand is going to give me the most bang for my buck without having to spend extra money on accessories. Tagging along for the ride....

 

[Fjrtn]

+1 on what tripletango said. Speaker positioning makes a HUGE difference in overall sound quality...irregardless of brand.

Fjrtn

 

[dcarver]

RE: StarComm questions.. The audio quality straight from a source (mp3/cd/etc) is *slightly* better than through the StarComm amps. Nothing like the issues as posted on this thread regarding AutoCom. The only cavaet I'm aware of with StarComm is the use of non-factory ear buds/speakers. See my post above for details. BTW, I'm pretty picky about sound quality, FWIW.

 

[Penforhire]

+1 on positioning sensitivity. It makes a noticeable difference if you are 1/4" off on speaker placement. I agree that's a strange directionality thing and a pain to get just right. I wear custom silicone plugs and I hear my AutoCom fine through them, even with our FJR wind noise. Music quality is also okay. I also have custom speaker-plugs ($$$) and I'll also agree the audio fidelity of my Pro7 is a little weak.

 

[mehaffydr]

The issue I'm having is not a volume issue. The boostaroo gave enough volume that will probably satisfy me for cruising while taking a phone call on auto receive. I'll mention again that the Autocom's amp is actually removing bass due to cheezyness. Boostaroo claimed that their model adds extra bass and some sort of spatial junk. NOT! It only boosts volume. Electric Avenue's amp boasts the same claim to add bass but I'm not willing to spend another $65 to only find out the same result. What I'm looking for is an amp that will add some bottom to Autocom's output (if possible). I saw a preamp that had 4 knob control here and this little bad boy that might work for more power here but again the amp would increase volume and not bass but the pre-amp might be the ticket. Maybe the two combined could possibly work and might be just the right size for under-seat location or tank bag.

The amp may help but if the Autocom unit is removing( by not properly putting out what goes in ) the amp will only make bad sound louder not better quality. I would suspect that the autocom just doesnt have a high quality amp for reproducing music.

Just as if you have a premium car audio system playing a cd but use a low quality amp the sound quality has been damaged and cannot be fixed by another component because that sound is gone.

 

[FJrider1]

I had the same issues with the volume of the autocom. I ride with earplugs and never had enough volume even with the boosteroo. I even had autocom upgrade my M1 to a Pro7, they said it would increase the volume 6%. It didn't make much more of a difference. I finally bit the bullet and bought the custom molded earplugs (I cannot seem to get into FJR.info at the moment) HMarc lewis has a link to them. They can be found at; https://www.plugup.com/customearplugs.php. They were costly but worth it! I don't know why I didn't do it 5 years ago!

Sorry I ment Mark Johnson's site; https://www.bikes-n-spikes.org/acc/ear/ear.htmlhttps://www.bikes-n-spikes.org/acc/ear/ear.html

 

[git-r-dan]

Positioning the speakers is definitely critical. I fought long and hard to get mine in the exact position at the beginning with the stock speakers and then, when replacing with my own, used the same location to install the new ones. Although that is important, it is not the answer. When you have the output jack provided by Autocom to plug your own speakers into, it's easy to run the ipod through the Autocom system into the helmet speakers with the helmet on and then change the ipod to go directly into the helmet speakers bypassing the Autocom. With Autocom = NO BASS. Without Autocom = Good Bass. I got to ride last night for a good two hours and stopped once turning down the rider's volume a quarter less on the Autocom because the volume from the Boostaroo was making it too hot and the music distort as the volume was increased (using a Airclick mounted on the handlebars to adjust volume/track change/stop/start). The incoming phone call and talk back was still a little hot so it needed a little less of the Autocom power. It helped a little but might try going to half volume on the next ride to see if that helps. In the musician world, I was always taught that the amp master volume should be set generously open, mixer main volume set louder than the sub mixer volume. Sort of like restricting flow if you know what I mean. But that's lots of watts not milliwatts. I am now reaching my limit of electrical education or bypassed it a while back.

I agree with mehaffydr about amping bad sound = louder bad sound. I had thought about that on the ride in and, for a second, considered the possibility of installing a different amp inside the Autocom like the ones I posted earlier bypassing theirs. But without looking, would figure that they probably designed it to be a whole major change on one circuit board and probably not possible. Hmmm, my nephew is an electronic engineer. One good thing I noticed during the ride was the treble was happening. Cymbals were very defined. It's probably easy for the circuits to handle that. As for the bass, one more time ... NONE, NOT, NADA!

 

[RoadGlide]

Dan, I've done a lot of research on this subject (simply because I'm really a nerd) and have found the "Mixit-2 to be one of the best products out to handle the pre-amp/mixing duties involved when using multiple sound generating sources through one output device. It is expensive as amps go but check it out. Mixit-2 search will bring it up. Let me know what you think. Hope to ride with you again soon.

Wade

 

[Charlie Hoss]

I've really given the Autocom the benefit of the doubt and have been trying to get everything working the right way. The folks at Autocom have been there for all my questions and given great support. I am happy w/ the way the system works to include the layout of the inputs, vox, phone, radar, etc. The problem is that the output Autocom gives for the headphones is weak. I was not happy at all with the stock speakers finding them to be a low quality speaker. So I ordered the connection from Autocom to use my own speakers which happen to be a pair of old $100 Yamaha (imagine that) headphones. Found those puppies collecting dust in a drawer seldom opened. Connected them to my laptop and was amazed remembering how well those things sounded. Crystal clear bass/treble. I fit them into the Shoei helmet and clipped the wires to the stock phones. Then went for a ride only to find that at full volume, could barely hear the music and phone. Called Autocom and they suggested the Boostaroo. So I ordered the Boostaroo Revolution for around $45 shipped on Ebay. Talked to the folks at Boostaroo and they said I could power the unit w/ a voltage converter between 3-5 volts instead of replacing AAAA batteries. It arrived today and got to do the test I was waiting for. Ran the boostaroo straight out of the Ipod to my $250 Sennheiser headphones that are audiophile quality. Much more power w/ the bass/treble louder just because of the volume increase only but really sounded great. These headphones are 200 ohms and the boostaroo does get just enough power to them with the ipod at about 3/4 volume. With any more volume tending to start to distort. Then from the power out of the autocom to the boostaroo then to the Yamaha phones inside the helmet (probably 200 ohms, too). Result was much better volume, for sure, but as I expected, weak bass. Then went direct from the ipod to boostaroo to Yamaha headphones bypassing the autocom. Wow, what a difference. Those phones are almost as good as the Sennheisers. Plenty of bass/treble. This test was proof that the amp inside the autocom reduces the bass quality which I had suspected. I will be sticking w/ the Autocom based on the features it has but will be attempting to fix the quality of sound somehow.
I'm looking at a 12 volt power amp circuit board with bass / treble / volume adjusting. I found some different ones that could be installed easily in a very small box. Or maybe to install a 15" 400w bass speaker w/ 800w power amp in the trunk but the stator wouldn't handle it.

Dan,

My Autocom speakers sound pretty darn good with decent bass and more than enough volume from my XM radio. It took me over a year to get the speaker placement right. It almost sounds like your headphones sound good because the placement is right. Have you taken the Autocom speakers out of the helmet and put them up to your ears like headphones? They sound good.

Another thing I ran up against was that one or both of our mics was picking up wind noise and partially muting the music output. I have a post elsewhere on making effective windsocks.

Charlie