Mark G
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- Mar 31, 2006
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I've been disappointed in the sound I get through my Autocom system, using an ipod or XM. Sound is quite tinny compared to the same setup on the Goldwing, no surprise.
I bought a tiny little amp called the Ampli-Rider, which has the great advantage of a wired volume control which I ran out to the center stand hand grip to keep it out of the weather. This gave me volume control, but not particularly improved sound.
I found a company called Simpl Acoustics online, and it turns out they're some young guys here in Austin. One of the guys spent about an hour with me this morning, trying different combinations of Autocom, Ampli-Rider, and their Simpl A1 amp. The A1 makes a signficant difference, with its only drawback being no volume control, which can be remedied, but not by me
If you use an ipod or other mp3 player, and have access to the controls or to a remote, you will experience very much better sound, I think. XM is also going to sound better, but volume control is a little more involved.
The Simpl A1 has an onboard rechargeable battery, and can also be powered by an auxiliary cigarette lighter plug with a USB thing on the other end, so long as you get one with the right voltage output (I don't have the specs handy).
A nice thing about the A1 is you can use it on the bike, and quickly take it with you. It is designed to piggyback onto a standard ipod.
The Autocom is the weak link in the whole setup. Listening through either and both amps directly gives improved sound to the ipod and XM; running through the Autocom causes a loss of signal. The Simpl goes up to WAY TOO LOUD on its own, without distortion; the Ampli-Rider distorts a little sooner.
I'm going to get a Simpl unit and use it. Haven't decided if I'll keep the Ampli-Rider in the system too, or use the wired remote to hook up to the Simpl.
All the testing was done with Etymotic ER4P earphones, which are REAL GREAT at reproducing sound and, using the included foam rather than the wubba earpieces, do the best job of sound isolation (hearing protection) of anything I've ever tried. The bad news about that is I can't hear the beautiful thrum of the motor. I got them for about $160 shipped from a place called www.shipdog.com...cheapest price I could find.
The Simpl site is https://www.simpl.com/
HTH,
M
I bought a tiny little amp called the Ampli-Rider, which has the great advantage of a wired volume control which I ran out to the center stand hand grip to keep it out of the weather. This gave me volume control, but not particularly improved sound.
I found a company called Simpl Acoustics online, and it turns out they're some young guys here in Austin. One of the guys spent about an hour with me this morning, trying different combinations of Autocom, Ampli-Rider, and their Simpl A1 amp. The A1 makes a signficant difference, with its only drawback being no volume control, which can be remedied, but not by me
If you use an ipod or other mp3 player, and have access to the controls or to a remote, you will experience very much better sound, I think. XM is also going to sound better, but volume control is a little more involved.
The Simpl A1 has an onboard rechargeable battery, and can also be powered by an auxiliary cigarette lighter plug with a USB thing on the other end, so long as you get one with the right voltage output (I don't have the specs handy).
A nice thing about the A1 is you can use it on the bike, and quickly take it with you. It is designed to piggyback onto a standard ipod.
The Autocom is the weak link in the whole setup. Listening through either and both amps directly gives improved sound to the ipod and XM; running through the Autocom causes a loss of signal. The Simpl goes up to WAY TOO LOUD on its own, without distortion; the Ampli-Rider distorts a little sooner.
I'm going to get a Simpl unit and use it. Haven't decided if I'll keep the Ampli-Rider in the system too, or use the wired remote to hook up to the Simpl.
All the testing was done with Etymotic ER4P earphones, which are REAL GREAT at reproducing sound and, using the included foam rather than the wubba earpieces, do the best job of sound isolation (hearing protection) of anything I've ever tried. The bad news about that is I can't hear the beautiful thrum of the motor. I got them for about $160 shipped from a place called www.shipdog.com...cheapest price I could find.
The Simpl site is https://www.simpl.com/
HTH,
M
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